Austin, Texas here we come!
Ebert’s Final Gift for an Irish Film
Before leaving the party, Roger left us this delightful gift. Please click here to read the review. … [Read more...]
Our Irish Cousins to Premiere at European Union Film Festival
Mike Houlihan’s “Our Irish Cousins” Premières at European Union Film Festival The Gene Siskel Film Center hosts the Chicago premiere of Mike Houlihan’s comic documentary film, “Our Irish Cousins”, at the 16th Annual European Union Film Festival on Wednesday, March 13th at 8:15PM. Houlihan is a former features columnist for The Chicago Sun-Times, co-host of WCEV radio’s Irish Hour, “The Skinny & Houli Show”, and has been writing the Hooliganism column in the Irish American News … [Read more...]
The “Man from Clare” was my muse.
I wanted the narrator of my new film, “Our Irish Cousins”, to have a brogue and intended to recruit Michael Quinlan from Limerick. Michael had been our guide in Ireland. But when it came time to produce our trailer for the film I couldn’t afford to record a narration track in Ireland so I recruited my old friend PJ O’Dea. PJ agreed to help me out. I figured we could make PJ’s voice somehow work because the trailer was only ten minutes long. We had PJ sitting in a studio while I listened in … [Read more...]
Sneak Previews of Mike Houlihan’s comic documentary “Our Irish Cousins”
Save the date! Mike Houlihan’s long awaited film, “Our Irish Cousins” will have a sneak preview on Thursday May 10th at the Beverly Art Center at 7:30PM, Friday May 11th at The Irish American Heritage Center at 8:00PM, and Saturday night May 12th at Gaelic Park at 8:00PM. Mike will be on hand to discuss the picture and to drink with the audience. The film traces Mike’s adventures as he goes broke hustling his book all over Chicago with his son William, and then takes us to Ireland where he finds … [Read more...]
Make it a Happy New Year!
Three years is a long time to work on a film, although theoretically this one has been in a state of maturation since 1869 when Dennis Cusack was born in Abbey Feale. Only a few days left in this year and very few days to take advantage of a tax deduction for 2011 when you donate to “Our Irish Cousins”. You can do it right here online and have it count for 2011. Oh, you can still donate in 2012 but if you need a write off for this year, the time to act is now. We are on schedule to finish … [Read more...]
The Irish Jew
Moses had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. The Hooligan has two sons as well, William and Paddy. Moses didn’t go up Mount Sinai with his sons to get The Ten Commandments but the Hooligan took his lads with him on his quest. We didn’t return with the tablets but we did come back with over 50 hours of footage of our great adventure in Ireland finding Our Irish Cousins. Take a look at the Hooligan in this recent Chicago cable TV clip with his son Billy as they recount some of their adventures in the … [Read more...]
Reuniting with Our Irish Cousins
Among the many blessings I was grateful for on Thanksgiving of 2006 was the re-discovery of a friend. The fact that the friend lives in Ireland made it even better. Back in the early eighties I was living in Hell’s Kitchen at 43rd and Ninth Avenue in New York City. I’d only been married a few years and my twins were still in diapers. I was a young actor-producer then, continually on the hustle. I lived in subsidized housing and around the corner from my apartment was a row of Off-Off Broadway … [Read more...]
Who’s the real Mike Houlihan?
It was the day Iron Mike Houlihan met Ironic Mike Houlihan. As we traveled through Limerick we stopped at a bar in Kilmallock with the name “Mike Houlihan” prominently displayed on the street. I once owned a bar in Rockaway Beach, New York with my partner Pete Dooley known as “The Houli Dooley”, but this pub was much nicer. Especially since it was owned by Mike Houlihan, who during the course of a decorated career with club and county, won two Munster titles, two national Hurling Leagues, … [Read more...]
