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Irish America magazine - June/July '06 issue: Van Morrison, George Carlin, The Dingles Races, James Connelly, Bobby Sands Anniversary, The Emerald Diamond, Hubert Kubel, Taskforce Wolfhound, The Irish Revolution In America, Law of the Irish

James Connolly

90 years after the 1916 Rising, David Smith takes a look at the life of one of its leaders

Bobby Sands Anniversary

Denis O’Hearn talks about what it was like to write about the man behind the icon.

George Carlin Interview

Carlin talks about growing up in an Irish family in Harlem to the highs and lows of is career

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Sheen’s Irish Sojourn

By Bridget English

Young students at National University of Ireland, Galway, may be surprised to encounter a familiar face in their midst next fall. Martin Sheen, star of the NBC series The West Wing, which ends its seven-year-run this season, plans to attend the Irish University, where he will pursue studies in English literature and philosophy.

The announcement comes after the actor received an honorary arts doctorate from the National University, Dublin. Sheen, whose mother was from Tipperary, explained his decision by saying, “I never got my high school diploma and have always felt a need to address that. I’ll be 65 this summer and have received a number of degrees, but no proper education since I started acting.”

As far as his studies go Sheen said, “I’m very serious about it.” He also expressed hope that he wouldn’t be too much of a distraction to fellow students.

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