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RTÉ News
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Does The Great Gatsby reflect F. Scott Fitzgerald's Irish heritage?
Analysis: The author with Irish Catholic roots may have had a complex connection to Ireland yet echoes of Irish influence run through his works This year marks the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's dazzling Jazz Age novel that has captivated readers for a century. While celebrated for its portrayal of glamour, illusion, and disillusionment in 1920s America, the centenary of the novel also invites reflection on a lesser-known dimension: Fitzgerald's complex connection to Ireland. From his Irish Catholic roots to his fascination with romantic tragedy and lyrical melancholy, echoes of Irish influence run through his works. Born in 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald inherited a rich Irish heritage, yet he was often ambivalent about it. So how much green blood really coursed through his veins? From RTÉ Radio 1's Arena, F. Scott Fitzgerald scholar Jim West reviews a new centenary edition of The Great Gatsby In a 1922 letter to Edmund Wilson, Fitzgerald claimed "I'm not Irish on father's side – that's where Francis Scott Key comes in." A decade later, Fitzgerald again downplayed his Irishness in a 1933 letter to fellow Irish-American writer John O'Hara, calling himself "half black Irish and half old American stock with the usual exaggerated ancestral pretensions." He described the letter as "a confession of being a Gael" but admitted to being "afflicted" by "intense self-consciousness" about his heritage. Once more, he falsely insisted his Fitzgerald side "wasn't Irish." Fitzgerald's insecurity stemmed from the social tensions of a WASP-dominated America where Irish Catholics faced deep prejudice. Though he moved in elite circles and courted heiresses, "hyphenated Americans" like him were often unwelcome. When he denied the Fitzgeralds were Irish, he meant they weren't of "Famine Irish stock", namely the poor refugees of the 1840s who faced much discrimination. Unlike today's embrace of shamrocks and St. Patrick's Day, Fitzgerald's America was a cold house for Irish Catholics: Al Smith's presidential bid collapsed in 1928 under a wave of anti-Irish, anti-Catholic hysteria. When Fitzgerald suggested the Fitzgeralds weren't Irish, he emphasised his paternal roots in early Maryland, claiming his great-grandmother visited Dolley Madison and that the national anthem was written by his "great-grandfather's brother." In fact, the anthem's composer Francis Scott Key was a more obscure relative, a second cousin three times removed. Despite the Fitzgeralds' long history in America, their Irish roots are undeniable. Excellent recent genealogical research by Prof Mary M. Burke suggests that Scott's grandfather, Michael T. Fitzgerald, was born in Maryland in 1805, but that his father, Scott's great-grandfather was born in Ireland circa 1770. The name Fitzgerald belongs to one of Ireland's most prominent clans. Scott's father, Edward, was likely named after Lord Edward Fitzgerald, a hero of the 1798 Irish uprising. Another notable ancestor, Thomas Fitzgerald, the 10th Earl of Kildare (Silken Thomas), led a dramatic but failed uprising in 1534. Scott was well aware of his colourful Irish Fitzgerald ancestors. In a self-mocking family tree sent to Edmund Wilson in 1920, he traced his lineage to "Duke Fitzgerald (Earl of Leinster)," a title created in 1766 for the descendants of Silken Thomas. Lord Edward Fitzgerald's family seat was Leinster House, now home to the Irish parliament. Although Scott's chart was a humorous sketch with muddled titles, his knowledge of Irish history and its connection to his own heritage was impressive, even if he wasn't willing to publicly acknowledge it. From BBC Culture Show, Sincerely, Fitzgerald sees novelist Jay McInerney exploring the life and writing of F Scott Fitzgerald He vehemently sought to maintain his image of the Fitzgeralds as long-established Americans. When his wife, Zelda, mocked his father as an "Irish policeman" – a stereotype linked to Irish immigrant roles – Scott cruelly retaliated by slapping her. On his maternal side, Fitzgerald's Irish roots were undeniable. His grandfather, Philip Francis McQuillan, was born in Co. Fermanagh in 1834 and emigrated to America as a young boy. Fitzgerald later described his roots as "straight 1850 potato famine Irish," though McQuillan actually left in 1843, two years before the Famine. Regardless, Ireland at the time was struggling under absentee landlords, food shortages and a lack of economic support, making it far from a utopia. Like many others, the McQuillans sought a better life in America. Philip McQuillan, settling first in Illinois before moving to St. Paul in 1857, achieved a semblance of the American Dream. He became a successful grocer and amassed a fortune worth millions today. However, he died young at 43, a fate common among Irish immigrants, ultimately succumbing to the harsh realities of hard work and hard living. Trailer for Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role Scott Fitzgerald never visited Ireland, despite living in Europe for over five years, mostly in France. As a young author, he briefly embraced his Irish heritage. At Princeton, he formed close ties with Shane Leslie and Monsignor Sigourney Fay, two Catholic intellectuals. Leslie, a first cousin of Winston Churchill, was an Anglo-Irish diplomat born in Glaslough, Co. Monaghan. Under the influence of Leslie and Fay, Fitzgerald went through a period where "from mid-May 1917 until early 1918, [he] was everywhere proclaiming himself Irish." He also began signing off personal correspondence with phrases like "Celtically yours" or "Gaelically yours." In his 1920 debut novel This Side of Paradise, the protagonist Amory Blaine reflects Fitzgerald's dilemma: "being Irish was somewhat common." Another character, Monsignor Darcy, reassures him, calling Ireland "a romantic lost cause" and its people "quite charming," urging it to be "one of his principal biases." From Irish Stew Podcast, Patrick O'Sullivan Greene discusses his book Gatsby: Death of An Irishman The novel critiques Ireland's War of Independence, suggesting the quest for an Irish republic "lacks dignity." It mocks exuberant Irish-American support for Éamon de Valera with Monsignor Darcy shocked that Boston supporters would "put their arms around the [Irish] President." The text also criticises Irish Unionist Edward Carson and Irish-American leader Judge Daniel Cohalan. Charles Stewart Parnell is the only Irish political figure portrayed as a statesman in Fitzgerald's debut novel, though his early death in 1891 suggests Ireland's glory days were past. Amory Blaine perhaps voiced Fitzgerald's own fatigue when he said he was "completely tired of the Irish question; yet there had been a time when his own Celtic traits were pillars of his personal philosophy." As we mark the centenary of The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald's Irish roots still quietly shape the author's themes Perhaps Fitzgerald, basking in the sun on the exotic French Riviera, saw that idyll as preferable to the rain-soaked, frugal Ireland that emerged post-independence in 1922? Remember the Celtic Tiger boom and the cosmopolitan Cool Hibernia were still decades away. Few visited Ireland in the 1920s or 1930s unless tracing their roots, and Fitzgerald – after a brief flirtation – seemed always to be fleeing his own. Yet as we mark the centenary of The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald's Irish roots still quietly shape the author's themes. The green light, the enduring symbol of Gatsby's dream, also reflects Fitzgerald's own journey of aspiration and identity. A century later, the light flickers still, not just as a beacon of desire, but as a symbol of the immigrant experience and the enduring Irish spirit that underpins all of Fitzgerald's works.
National Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Geoff Russ: Canada should follow Britain's lead on immigration
Article content This is a major challenge to the process of integration, and has led to the importation of old hatreds into new lands. The war in Gaza laid bare this new reality. Terrorists have been inspired to burn down synagogues and shoot at Jewish schools in places like Canada and Australia. Article content These barbaric attacks have no place in Canada, but the perpetrators and their cheerleaders do not seem to realize this. Article content The recent clash between India and Pakistan over Kashmir is another overseas conflict that risks being imported into western societies. Both countries have massive diasporas, and if the conflict escalates, it risks causing violence on the streets of cities like London. Article content Political campaigns have already been transformed by this phenomenon. During the 2024 British election, many candidates effectively ran as lobbyists for the Palestinian cause, rather than as champions of their local communities. Article content And in last year's byelection in the Montreal riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, the NDP candidate narrowly lost after running on a pro-Gaza platform and decorating his campaign posters with Palestinian, rather than Canadian, flags. Article content There is historical precedent for this phenomenon. Large numbers of Irish Catholics migrated to British industrial cities like Liverpool in the 19th century, resulting in major population growth, but also sectarian conflicts with Protestants that lasted for generations. Article content In Canada, waves of immigration from Ireland to Ontario imported these same religious tensions. In 1868, Irish-Canadian politician Thomas D'Arcy McGee was assassinated after he took a stand for his adopted country and unambiguously condemned the republican cause in Parliament. Conflicts between the two factions were commonplace on the streets of Toronto well into the 20th century. Article content Such violence is still possible in Canada and elsewhere. Last fall the FBI tipped off the RCMP about a Pakistani man who had allegedly planned a mass-shooting in New York. Just last week, British police foiled a terror attack that involved five Iranian nationals who were suspected of targeting the Israeli Embassy. Article content Article content We live in a multicultural part of the world, but our fragmenting social harmony is dangerous and cannot continue unabated. Governments have a duty to adapt to our time and the changes it has brought, which includes migration and societal cohesion. Article content Quebec is the only Canadian jurisdiction that's attempting to seriously address this challenge. In January, the provincial government tabled Bill 84, an act respecting national integration, which is intended to foster respect for the province's secular and democratic values and teach newcomers French. Article content Article content Article content
eNCA
11-05-2025
- General
- eNCA
At his former US university, the new pope is just 'Bob'
PHILADELPHIA - The idyllic campus of Villanova University is ecstatic since the election of American Robert Prevost to the highest seat of the Catholic Church. And for good reason. It is where "Father Bob" studied math decades ago, before climbing the steps of the Vatican. In the verdant suburb of Philadelphia, locals, professors and students revelled as Cardinal Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday. Not only is he the first American pope, he is the first from the Augustinian order, whose tenets are central life at Villanova. Student Amelia Weiss was in her dorm with the door open as others nearby watched for updates from the Vatican. AFP | Matthew Hatcher "All across the floor, I hear people start, like, yelling," the 19-year-old biochemistry major told AFP. "And everyone was just kind of ecstatic," she said, adding that the math students in particular were "on cloud nine." Chicago-born Prevost graduated in 1977 from Villanova -- the first American college established around the Augustinian tradition. "When they called his name and he emerged from that balcony, we were flabbergasted. I mean, it was complete surprise, joy, tears -- people were screaming," said Reverend Robert Hagan, a campus chaplain. "And to think that, as you say, to us, he's Bob," he added. - The Confessions - At Villanova -- founded in 1842 by Irish Catholics -- the writings of Saint Augustine are required reading for all students, regardless of their field of study. The 4th-century Roman philosopher and theologian, who was born in Africa, inspired the Order of St. Augustine. The university says it seeks to promote "truth, unity and love" on campus. "We chase a lot of the things in this world that we think are going to satisfy and fulfill us, like the Internet, and power, and ambition, and sex, and all the things that get in the way of our ultimate happiness," Hagan said. AFP | Matthew Hatcher History student Will Kelly said he was blown away by the "surreal" election of Leo, and that he loved the required reading. "Even if the text was 1600 years old, there's still a level of relevance to that," Kelly said. Jaisy Joseph, assistant professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova, said she hopes to see Leo XIV – who is often referred to on campus as "Bob" -- apply his experience here as pope. She said that at the university -- and according to Augustinian belief -- people rely on each other in their spiritual journeys. "We wrestle with truth together, right? Shoulder to shoulder," she told AFP in her office. Joseph said there is one phrase known to every Villanova student: "become what you are not yet."
New Straits Times
10-05-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
At his former US university, the new pope is just 'Bob'
THE idyllic campus of Villanova University is ecstatic since the election of American Robert Prevost to the highest seat of the Catholic Church. And for good reason. It is where "Father Bob" studied math decades ago, before climbing the steps of the Vatican. In the verdant suburb of Philadelphia, locals, professors and students reveled as Cardinal Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday. Not only is he the first American pope, he is the first from the Augustinian order, whose tenets are central life at Villanova. Student Amelia Weiss was in her dorm with the door open as others nearby watched for updates from the Vatican. "All across the floor, I hear people start, like, yelling," the 19-year-old biochemistry major told AFP. "And everyone was just kind of ecstatic," she said, adding that the math students in particular were "on cloud nine." Chicago-born Prevost graduated in 1977 from Villanova – the first American college established around the Augustinian tradition. "When they called his name and he emerged from that balcony, we were flabbergasted. I mean, it was complete surprise, joy, tears – people were screaming," said Reverend Robert Hagan, a campus chaplain. "And to think that, as you say, to us, he's Bob," he added. At Villanova – founded in 1842 by Irish Catholics – the writings of Saint Augustine are required reading for all students, regardless of their field of study. The 4th century Roman philosopher and theologian, who was born in Africa, inspired the Order of St. Augustine. The university says it seeks to promote "truth, unity and love" on campus. "We chase a lot of the things in this world that we think are going to satisfy and fulfill us, like the Internet, and power, and ambition, and sex, and all the things that get in the way of our ultimate happiness," Hagan said. History student Will Kelly said he was blown away by the "surreal" election of Leo, and that he loved required reading. "Even if the text was 1600 years old, there's still a level of relevance to that," Kelly said. Jaisy Joseph, assistant professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova, said she hopes to see Leo XIV - who is often referred to on campus as "Bob" – apply his experience here as pope. She said that at the university – and according to Augustinian belief – people rely on each other in their spiritual journeys. "We wrestle with truth together, right? Shoulder to shoulder," she told AFP in her office. Joseph said there is one phrase known to every Villanova student: "become what you are not yet."
France 24
10-05-2025
- General
- France 24
At his former US university, the new pope is just 'Bob'
And for good reason. It is where "Father Bob" studied math decades ago, before climbing the steps of the Vatican. In the verdant suburb of Philadelphia, locals, professors and students reveled as Cardinal Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday. Not only is he the first American pope, he is the first from the Augustinian order, whose tenets are central life at Villanova. Student Amelia Weiss was in her dorm with the door open as others nearby watched for updates from the Vatican. "All across the floor, I hear people start, like, yelling," the 19-year-old biochemistry major told AFP. "And everyone was just kind of ecstatic," she said, adding that the math students in particular were "on cloud nine." Chicago-born Prevost graduated in 1977 from Villanova -- the first American college established around the Augustinian tradition. "When they called his name and he emerged from that balcony, we were flabbergasted. I mean, it was complete surprise, joy, tears -- people were screaming," said Reverend Robert Hagan, a campus chaplain. "And to think that, as you say, to us, he's Bob," he added. The Confessions At Villanova -- founded in 1842 by Irish Catholics -- the writings of Saint Augustine are required reading for all students, regardless of their field of study. The 4th century Roman philosopher and theologian, who was born in Africa, inspired the Order of St. Augustine. The university says it seeks to promote "truth, unity and love" on campus. "We chase a lot of the things in this world that we think are going to satisfy and fulfill us, like the Internet, and power, and ambition, and sex, and all the things that get in the way of our ultimate happiness," Hagan said. History student Will Kelly said he was blown away by the "surreal" election of Leo, and that he loved required reading. "Even if the text was 1600 years old, there's still a level of relevance to that," Kelly said. Jaisy Joseph, assistant professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova, said she hopes to see Leo XIV – who is often referred to on campus as "Bob" -- apply his experience here as pope. She said that at the university -- and according to Augustinian belief -- people rely on each other in their spiritual journeys. "We wrestle with truth together, right? Shoulder to shoulder," she told AFP in her office.
