Peter McDermott

Peter McDermott joined the Irish Echo’s full-time editorial staff in 2004. Before that he was a frequent contributor to the Echo and to Newsday, and he has written also for a variety of publications in Ireland, including the Irish Times, the Sunday Press and the Irish Examiner. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from University College Dublin.

Latest Stories

Mysticism is under-examined Mysticism is under-examined
In the planning of a move from his long-time Paris apartment during the winter of 1938-39, James Joyce radically downsized his personal library. “I...
March 19, 2025 by Peter McDermott
From despised to acclaimed From despised to acclaimed
“As the twenty-first century opened, Irish was everywhere all at once—on television, the internet, stages, screens, and bestseller lists,” Marion R...
March 14, 2025 by Peter McDermott
The buck doesn't stop anymore The buck doesn't stop anymore
Harry S. Truman was famously from Independence, Mo. He lived much of his life there, and it’s where the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Muse...
March 12, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Poems made in Deirdre's voice Poems made in Deirdre's voice
Margaret McCarthy describes “In the Becoming” as a “full circle moment.” The volume subtitled “Poems on the Deirdre Story” can find its roots in he...
March 06, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Irish flourish at the New Yorker Irish flourish at the New Yorker
Anne Enright made a shortlist of two. Back in the spring of 2016, the novelist was asked by the New Yorker’s fiction editor Deborah Treisman to sel...
February 27, 2025 by Peter McDermott
'TDS,' Jon Stewart wrong about Dems 'crying wolf' on fascism
Culture
'TDS,' Jon Stewart wrong about Dems 'crying wolf' on fascism
The Netflix series “Glória” is a thriller that shouldn’t be missed by fans of the Cold War espionage genre. It also has its similarities to “Mad Me...
February 20, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Family Search Family Search
Joanne Dillon’s family pilgrimage to Staten Island was a lifetime in coming. The last one took place during World War II, a day trip from the Bronx...
February 12, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Florida Police Hall of Fame Honors Irish contribution
Community Features & Events
Florida Police Hall of Fame Honors Irish contribution
The Kennedy Space Center memorializes the most famous Irish American of them all. Just a short distance away, meanwhile, the profession that has do...
February 11, 2025 by Peter McDermott
King's non-violence made radical demand for inclusion King's non-violence made radical demand for inclusion
Martin Luther King Jr. was transformed from a private citizen into a public figure one afternoon in early December 1955. He told his wife Coretta w...
January 17, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Recalling a labor hero Recalling a labor hero
“I have been lucky to have been surrounded by inspiring, loving people like Brendan Archbold (RIP), a friend I will miss forever.” Maybe it was rea...
January 09, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Where UFOs dare to fly Where UFOs dare to fly
There is a view that if aliens were so advanced as to reach Planet Earth then they are already here and in forms we can’t understand or recognize. ...
January 08, 2025 by Peter McDermott
A year in authors' responses A year in authors' responses
This year the Echo will mark 20 years since the debut of the author questionnaire Page Turner. We note here the writers and books featured in 2024 ...
January 02, 2025 by Peter McDermott

 



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