Heidi Gross Kelley
Though Irish through association, Heidi enjoys the opportunity to "get the Irish word out" through Irish Connections. Before joining Irish Connections, Heidi was Art Director of The World of Hibernia as well as the designer for Irish Today. Heidi received her BFA in graphic design at the University of the Arts in 1988 and has since worked as a designer in both the corporate and publishing world. Heidi has won numerous awards for her editorial designs in various publications and her design business was recently recognized in the Business Section of the Bergen Record'. Heidi is married to Sean Kelley and has two children, John and Caitriona.

Colette Sheridan
A native of Cork city Colette Sheridan has been working as a freelance journalist for 20 years. She was based in Dublin in the 1980s and wrote for all the national newspapers and mogazines. She currently lives in Cork and writes a weekly humorous column for The Irish Examiner. She also covers the arts and entertainment industries. Colette comes from a long line of journalists. Her aunt, Jean Sheridan, was the first female reporter with The Irish Independent group in the 1930s. Writing, then, is very much in Colette's genes.

Joe Kavanagh
Having decided he has had enough of the great city of New York for now, Joe Kavanagh has recently returned to Ireland but thankfully he will continue to review for Irish Connections. Born and raised in Wicklow Town, Joe emigrated to Boston after graduating from St Patrick's University Maynooth in 1993. Upon arriving in New York, Joe spent several years working as a DJ and sound engineer, then after spending a year and a half, traveling and working around the world, Joe decided it was time to become part of 'normal' civilization again. Now a contributing writer for several American publications, Joe also closely follows the music scene in Ireland.

Samantha Barry
A recent graduate of University College Cork with a BA in English and Psychology, and a new fan of baseball and Bryant Park's Monday night movies, Samantha Barry has worked in both student print and broadcast media for a number of years. This summer she found herself in New York and a step closer to her aspirations of a career in magazine journalism through her work with Irish Connections. In this issue Samantha gives us the low down on upcoming events and researched the many bands and artists in the current issue.

Bob Roman
A writer/educator for many years, Bob is a faculty member of Fordham University's Dept. of Communication and Media Studies, and the Dept. of Humanities at Henry Hudson Community College. He has written for numerous newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times and Films in Review. For over 20 years he was the Arts/Entertainment critic for the Irish Echo. In 1992 and 1994, he was the Republican candidate for the New York State Assembly. A retired New York City Board of Education supervisor, he is a graduate of Iona College (BA) and Niagara University (MA). He is a contributing editor of Irish Connections, and in this issue traces the life of Rosemary Clooney for our A to Z of Irish Music.