Monthly Archives: July 2010

“If a stranger dwell in your land, and abide among you, do not upbraid him: But let him be among you as one of the same country. And you shall love him as yourselves: for you were strangers in the … Continue reading →

Note on photography: the photos labeled “RPD” are my own, and the rest I found online (many thanks to all the dedicated photographers of Ireland.) Everywhere I went in Ireland, I met open doors and warm hospitality. Starting in New … Continue reading →

Three generations of men from Limerick and the West of Ireland helped build Iona College. We can start where we left off: in the village of Murroe, County Limerick–where Glenstal Abbey now stands– here in 1877, Br. Patrick Joachim Ryan … Continue reading →

To say “I love Limerick” in Ireland is akin to saying “I love Newark” to a New Yorker — a serious crime problem in Limerick has made it unappealing to the Irish themselves. But to an American (me) living there … Continue reading →

From Cork and neighboring Tipperary, Iona College gained four fine teachers, none more important than Br. Edmond Richard Kiely (1899-1988, Tipperary). Br. Kiely spent forty-eight years at Iona College, from its founding to his death. He served both as chair … Continue reading →

After a week of encounters with inspiring Christian Brothers, my journey ended on a another high note with a visit to Br. Stephen O’Gorman, a Presentation Brother. Br. O’Gorman lives in Cork at Mardyke House, an elegant (if well-worn) Georgian … Continue reading →

Every entrepreneur needs daring, creativity, and roots — roots to ground the visionary enterprise –, and as a spiritual entrepreneur, Edmund found his roots in the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, founded by Nano Nagle. (“Nano,” in case you … Continue reading →

Cork, on the South Coast, is Ireland’s second city — second only to Dublin in terms of size and influence — and it played an out-sized role in Edmund’s own story. A very practical visionary named Nano Nagle had founded … Continue reading →

Growing up on a farm, and later prospering as a merchant, Edmund must have eaten some wonderful food — before he gave it all up to lead a truly ascetic life as a Brother (reading about their minimal diet in … Continue reading →