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 is a graduate of University College Dublin (BA, MA).

Latest Stories

Passing on the culture & heritage Passing on the culture & heritage
"I wrote this book to help you learn more about Ireland and to help you decide which topics interest you so much that you will want to look for eve...
June 01, 2023 by Peter McDermott
Kavanagh comes to stay - a 'warmer, less acerbic view' results Kavanagh comes to stay - a 'warmer, less acerbic view' results
Patrick Kavanagh has been referred to as the most important Irish poet in the decades between W.B. Yeats’s death and the rise of Seamus Heaney. And...
May 25, 2023 by Peter McDermott
Escape Line to freedom Escape Line to freedom
Joseph O’Connor’s latest novel, “My Father’s House,” is inspired by the true story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, who risked his life in Italy durin...
May 18, 2023 by Peter McDermott
'The news business has a future' 'The news business has a future'
It began with a strike. “We were walking the picket line through the night. I think we had nine blizzards that year,” said Daily News striker Joann...
April 26, 2023 by Peter McDermott
Loah to headline Craic Session at Wolfhound Bar, Astoria, April 28 Loah to headline Craic Session at Wolfhound Bar, Astoria, April 28
The Craic continues. Having celebrated a milestone in recent weeks, the festival is offering a follow-up on Friday night, April 28 at the Wolfhound...
April 20, 2023 by Peter McDermott
Taking the kids medals away Taking the kids medals away
I possess two what I will call here “participation medals.” One, which came down directly to me a couple of generations, was for membership of a re...
April 14, 2023 by Peter McDermott
Spooks target a leading pol Spooks target a leading pol
Top British spy Maurice Oldfield’s obsession with one of the most prominent Irish politicians of the 20th century “can be aptly compared to that of...
April 13, 2023 by Peter McDermott
Bayonne's unique Irish treasure Bayonne's unique Irish treasure
Acclaimed artist Harry Clarke had unfinished business in Bayonne, N.J., at the time of his death on Jan. 6, 1931. Fortunately, the Dubliner left de...
April 06, 2023 by Peter McDermott
Smyrl has been a leader in Irish genealogy for more than 30 years Smyrl has been a leader in Irish genealogy for more than 30 years
Eileen O’Byrne was known sometimes in conversation “to get the wrong end of the stick.” But it was a lucky day for Steven Smyrl that she did the fi...
March 24, 2023 by Peter McDermott
A family at war A family at war
“What a life! What a character!” These were Harry Martin’s thoughts as he listened to Cormac O’Malley speak one evening about his father. That nigh...
March 16, 2023 by Peter McDermott
'The search is all that matters' 'The search is all that matters'
In “Whale,” a story in John McCaffrey’s collection “Automatically Hip,” a high-school student tells the class that his grandfather was a typesetter...
March 08, 2023 by Peter McDermott
Standing up, speaking out Standing up, speaking out
When the members of Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly gathered on July 1, 1998, it wasn’t the DUP or Sinn Féin that challenged the new system f...
March 01, 2023 by Peter McDermott

 

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