Edited by Kevin P. Smith

Photographic Rediscovery

Gallery@49 recently presented photographer Jill Freedman's first opening in years. Re-discovered by actor Gabriel Byrne(when he spotted her work in Florida), who so fell in love with her work - detailing the stark in New York, the idyllic Irish life and the wierd world of dogs - he convinced the gallery owner to show her again in New York. In attendance were Irish Arts Center's Pauline Turley and director Neal Jones, actor Milo O'Shea and hot model/actress Natacha Wegner.

Photos by Ulli Wulff

THE FAMILY McCOURT

Frank McCourt spoke of his education and years as a New York Public Schools teacher at a recent fundraiser for Clearpool Education Center "A teacher that is not learning, is not being a teacher," McCourt offered stories of teen angst and amusing experiences from his 30 years to keep the room laughing. He was joined at the event by his brother Malachy, who donated a signed copy of his latest novel for auction and led the room in song with "Go, Lassie, Go." The successful function helped raise over $100,000 for Clearpool, Inc. a privately funded program that offers year-round education programs to inner city youths. Originally founded as a summer camp in 1901, Clearpool, Inc. made the transition in '91 to a year-round school with two campuses. Elementary and middle school students from Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant were offered to join the Decatur Clearpool School (DCS) in partnership with Community School District 16. Within a year of opening, attendance rates were among the best city-wide and students typically outperformed others within the district. The program recently opened The Clearpool Children 's School, the first Board of Education-sanctioned new charter school. Working closely with parents and offering teachers freedom to bring in new approaches, Clearpool plays an active role in the learning process. Offering facilities such as a computer lab, science lab, farm, lake, and miles of trails, Clearpool offers inner city kids a chance to learn at a rural campus. For further information, contact Michael Kirkbride: (212) 528-3193 mkirkbride@clearpool.org

Cork Film Festival offers the Best Irish Films Today

The Cork Film Festival was full of shorts as the organizers offered several award categories and &57,000--largest offered in Europe. Over 100 were screened for best international short, best irish short, best first short by an Irish filmmaker, among others. The features at the Festival included Gerard Stembridge's About Adam. the world premiere of Nick Grasso's Peaches, Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark, Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks, Liv Ullman's Faithless, Wong Kar-wai's "In the Mood for Love", and Terence Davies' The House of Mirth. The festival also showcascd an array of documentaries, a focus on The Brothers Quay, a showcase by Aardman Animations and a documentary master class with Peter Wintonick.
For info: www.corkfilmfest.com.

Guinness Oyster Festival

Few people attending the Cuinness Oyster Festival 2000 on a Saturday in October were likely to have consumed as many as the 42 bivalves I was able to eat while at the sponsors reception held in the courtyard of the Merchants House Museum (which benefitted from the proceeds of the fest). Also served was a buffet of ham, pepper-marinated olives, tabbouleh, assorted vegetables and cheeses--not to mention plenty of Guinness, Harp, wine and more. Master Oyster shucker Michael Ennis gave a veritable clinic, explaining how thumbnail-sized crustaceans called housecleaner crabs cohabit oyster shells, assisting the resident mollusks by cleaning out grit and detritus. Meanwhile, on 4th Street the wall-to-wall throng was treated to a variety of Irish music, including Jack Lukeman playing a set backed by The Edge on bass.--Robert Stepanek

Irish Arts Center

Friday October 6, was an evening to honor Thomas McKeon of the United Botherhood of Carpenters and Joiners (he supervised the construction of the Irish Art Center's West 51st St. Theater) and it didn't disappoint. Held at the World Ballroom in Astoria, Queens, the First Annual Irish Arts Center Dinner was hosted in grand style by Pete Hamill. Dinner was both preceded and followed by dancing, music, and even a student dance recital. Academy Award winning director Jim Sheridan marched in at around 11 p.m. in back of what looked to be a herd of bagpipers. He accepted flowers from Executive Director Pauline Turley, who graciously acknowleged the many people who had helped her with work and where the much needed funds would be used. Buzz at the tables was about the play, Red Roses and Petrol. See Review on page 60 and party pictures on page 16. For more information: www.irishartscenter.org - Mary Kane Donovan.

Fall Internet World

Held at New York's Jacob Javits Center, Fall Internet World, drew over 50,000 internet pros and 500 speakers. The Irish exhibitors (at either Enterprise Ireland Pavilion or those at the Northern Ireland Development Agency booth were rooting for the Mets/Yankees even as they formed alliances and did business with American companies. For Corkmen Gerald Fitzpatrick and Pat Ryan of Abtran, it was their first time exhibiting in the States. Abtran, a full service e-care and fulfillment solutions provider with a multilingual and multicultural sales and fulfillment force they service all the main European countries. And they fared well amid the maddening din of the expo during the Series. "Brilliant! Great!" Fitzpatrick exclaimed. "I could live here, no problem. There's a real enthusiasm for selling here," He added, "Very in-your-face." "Even the noise factor - it only adds to the adrenaline," Ryan added. He lived in New York 10 years ago and rooted for the Yankees "With all the replays, we didn't actually miss anything. And now they're potential clients as well." He has no plans to move back, but Abtran plans to open a sales office in NY soon. Tell Me Web, an audiovisual tool that enables companies to communicate with customers was exhibiting in New York for the first time. Tell Me Web targets banks but was interested in testing a broad response in the States and found it a positive experience.A new Irish company, Global Marketing and Development (GMAD), launched at Internet World, brings together commercial B2B operations and IT technologies They introduced commercial offerings, FoodProduct.com and WeddingsIreland.com and drew a crowd with former Miss Ireland, Joanna Black, and Shanna Gunn adorned in wedding-dresses. Since the company is a major North-South initiative, backed by the government agencies in the North, LEDU, the Industrial Development Board, and Enterprise Ireland in the Republic. CTO Gerry McCartin admitted to dancing on the tables at a local pub with Miss Ireland when the Yankees won, but he chimed, "We're a North-South joint venture. We're completely neutral." --Bonnie Halper

Danbury Irish Festival

It seems that celebrating the Irish culture has become a popular pastime, so it came as no surprise that the relatively small town of Danbury, Connecticut drew quite a crowd for their sixth annual Irish Festival! Sunshine smiled upon the Ives Center as the Gray School of Irish Maura Gray with her dance students Dance kicked up their heels, and lively music was provided by the Highland Revers, Tipperary Knights, Cathy Ryan, Clancy Tradition, Crossroads, Andy Gooney, and the Waterbury Police Pipe and Drum Band. But music and the ever-present beer trucks were not all this festival had to offer...Singing, dancing, and drinking are not the only thing we Irish are good for! While some were there only to "make merry," others perused the various crafts and wares, learned to step dance and write the Gaelic alphabet, or took in a little culture with the many exhibits including Irish stories for children, the story of the Irish language, and learning about Irish hurling. The Irish Festival remains one of the few ways to bring together people of all ages, with varied interests, and kind hearts, and The Greater Danbury Irish Festival 2000 was no exception! --Kristin Boylr

ROGER AT THE PREMIERES

The festrval and premiere season is in full swing now with the 38th New York Film Festivalat the top of the Irst. bottom right. Bjork arn~ved at the festival for her much talked about role in Dancer in the Dark which opened the festival; bottom left: Gillian Anderson makes an appearance at the House of Mirth screening; top left- Jennifer Connelly armed with her husband at the screening of Pollack; top right: Sigourney Weaver at closing night of New York Film Festival during screening of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Opposite on page 10 al the lower right hand corner's a shot of Catherine Deneuve arriving at the Dancer screening.

Ms. Magazine Conference

"My first publisher was Irish (as is my current one)," said Ms. Magazine founder Gloria Steinem. "She was always having someone like Bernadette Devlin staying with her when they came to the Stales." The magazine that has become synonymous with feminism addressed has also many concerns of Irish women over the years. Its place in American culture and media is still solid, as evidenced by the turnout for the first annual Ms. Magazine conference, held at the Grand Wyutt Hotrl in New York City in late October. Perhaps now more than ever, with welfare reform and global capitalism disproportionately impacting women at home and abroad, feminism must be recognized as a human rights issue. The pre ponderance of 20-something faces proved that the movement has changed with the times, expanding to include the newest, or "third wave" feminists. Topics ranged from strategies for women in business to taking ownership of sexuality, and featured a diverse group of speakers-journalists, preachers, filmmakers, and doctors--who shared their experiences, ideas, and inspiration. The conference served to increase consciousness and galvanize activism. As Steinem reminded the audience, it took 150 years to achieve what we have now, so we shouldn't expect it to take any fewer to get where we want to be. On the up side, at least we have that many Ms. Magazine conferences to look forward to in the future. --Katherine Jamieson