Irish

Magnus Walker steps between the scarred carcasses of Porsche 911s lining his garage wall. He pauses and points to a gaping hole where the car's front hood should be. "Cars in here have to die," he says, "so others can live. " With a chest-length beard and finger-thick dreadlocks, the 45-year-old English immigrant doesn't look like a prototypical buttoned-down Porsche collector. But for more than a decade, Walker has worked in downtown L.A.'s arts district, transforming scrap heaps into one-off custom 911s, earning him the nickname "Urban Outlaw.

NEW YORK - If there's one thing Gabriel Byrne has learned in recent years, it's the importance of a comfortable chair. After a marathon 106 episodes as psychologist Paul Weston on the HBO drama "In Treatment," Byrne stars in "Vikings," History's first full-length scripted series, as Earl Haraldson, a Norse chieftain with a flowing salt-and-pepper mane (all his own, thank you very much) and a taste for cruelty. Despite the considerable differences between the shows - one set almost entirely in a shrink's office in brownstone Brooklyn, the other in 8th century Scandinavia - they both left Byrne, well, uncomfortable.

Try: Western Ireland for a spa escape. Check out: Voya Seaweed Baths for a relaxing and rejuvenating break from touring Connacht and Ireland's western coast. Don't forget: To bring your camera for photos of both the breathtaking sea and historic landmarks throughout the area. Stop by: Carrowmore and Knocknarea megalithic cemeteries to see Listoghil and Queen Maeve's tomb, some of the largest and most impressive neolithic tombs in Ireland.

LONDON -- It perhaps goes without saying that the death of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher did not prompt universal mourning. She could be a polarizing figure, nowhere more than in working-class communities of northern England, Scotland and Wales, where residents bitterly recall the fierce fights against her closure of Britain's mines in the 1980s, actions that caused thousands to lose their livelihoods. The National Union of Miners posted a few words of condolence to the Thatcher family, but followed it with a reminder: “The legacy of what the Conservative government did to British industry under Thatcher is not one to be proud of if you really did want the best for the people.” The working class had suffered “decimation” in the name of the free market, the message said, adding that “Thatcher lived long enough to see her beliefs demolished when the 'free market' collapsed and came running to the state for support.

. -- Jimmy Clausen must have felt as if he was still in paradise. Clausen, last seen playing nearly flawless in a Hawaii Bowl victory, completed 15 of 18 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 23 Notre Dame to a 35-0 victory over Nevada on Saturday. For Fighting Irish Coach Charlie Weis, a pivotal season began with Notre Dame's first easy season-opening win since his first game in 2005. The Irish ended a disappointing 2008 season, one in which they finished 7-6 and had to deal with plenty of speculation about Weis's job security, with a 49-21 victory over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl that provided at least some hope for the future.

Robert Hughes scored on a one-yard run in overtime, safeties Harrison Smith and Kyle McCarthy jarred the ball loose from Washington receiver D'Andre Goodwin near the goal line on fourth and 19, and Notre Dame defeated Washington, 37-30, Saturday. It was the fourth consecutive game decided in the last 60 seconds for the Fighting Irish, the last three of which were victories. The Irish (4-1) stayed in it with two goal-line stands in the second half. The first was late in the third quarter when the Irish stopped the Huskies (2-3)

How dare Lewis Segal compare Irish step dancing to a "fascist march"! The Jewish people were not the only people persecuted in the annals of history. Study some Irish history, Mr. Segal, and apologize to the Irish for your insulting remark. BERNARD M. CONNORS Valencia

When Notre Dame finishes its football season, the Irish won't retire Ron Powlus' jersey, they'll burn it. STEVE SERDINSKY West Covina

Usually I enjoy watching "Star Trek: the Next Generation" (KCOP), but recently when an episode depicted a group of Irish people I was furious. I am so sick of the Irish being shown as stupid, fighting, lazy drunkards. I don't know any Irish person, myself being one too, who is like this and it is time for these stereotypes to stop. For a show that usually preaches peace and togetherness toward all people, it apparently excludes the Irish. Wendy Mathews, Downey

Notre Dame's football team is 2-6. Michigan, USC and Florida State outscored them, 120-14. What will this get the Irish? A $200-billion television deal? A BCS bowl game guarantee? In fact, maybe the BCS should just crown the Fighting Irish national champions without even having them play in a bowl game. They are, after all, Notre Dame -- the most pampered sports program in history. Matthew Nelson North Hollywood Even though that team from South Bend has beaten two pretty good teams, Washington State and Pittsburgh, and because it has a dismal 2-6 record so far and will probably lose to a team they have beaten for 40 years (Navy)

Milo O'Shea, a versatile Dublin-born stage and screen actor known for his famously bristling, agile eyebrows and roles in such disparate films as "Ulysses," "Barbarella" and Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet," has died. He was 86. O'Shea, who also appeared in many popular television series, including "Cheers," "Frasier," "The West Wing" and "The Golden Girls," died Tuesday in New York after a short illness, according to Irish news accounts. Familiar both in starring and supporting roles, he appeared in numerous stage productions before coming to wider attention with his first leading screen role as Leopold Bloom in the 1967 adaptation of James Joyce's "Ulysses.

Milo O'Shea, an Irish stage and screen actor known for his roles in films as varied as “Ulysses,” “Barbarella” and Franco Zeffirelli's “Romeo and Juliet,” has died. He was 86. O'Shea, who also had guest roles on many popular television series, including “Cheers,” “Frasier” and “The West Wing,” died Tuesday in New York City, according to Irish news reports. PHOTOS: Notable deaths of 2013 Familiar as both a starring and character actor, with bristling eyebrows and an impish smile, O'Shea appeared in numerous stage productions before he came to wider attention with his first starring screen role, when he played protagonist Leopold Bloom in the 1967 film adaptation of James Joyce's “Ulysses.” O'Shea's many other memorable roles included playing mad scientist Dr. Durand Durand in the 1968 cult classic “Barbarella” with Jane Fonda, the well-intentioned Friar Laurence in Zeffirelli's adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet,” also in 1968, and as the trial judge in the 1982 film “The Verdict,” starring Paul Newman.

As edgy Irish comedy-thrillers go, Robert Massey's “Rank” largely ranks as “Martin McDonagh Lite,” but like its more extreme noirish forebears, Massey's 2008 caper tale revels in skillfully expressive language, even in the most trivial exchanges - loopy digressions and non sequiturs are the main attractions in its U.S. premiere at Odyssey Theatre. Adhering to its genre formula, the play's Irish-inflected love of gab goes hand in hand with its mounting sense of menace, as down-and-out cab driver Carl (Kevin Kearns)

DUBLIN, Ireland - As the shopkeepers in this capital city readied for St. Patrick's Day under typically intermittent rainy skies, Father Sean McDonagh's attention was on the new pope's agenda. The Columban priest, whose order has a long tradition of missionary work, has been an outspoken critic of Vatican policies. With Pope Francis' honeymoon period underway he, like many, is waiting to see what issues will be at the center of the new papal agenda. McDonagh, 69, believes Francis needs to go green, making environmentalism the No. 1 priority for the Catholic Church.

In a city that could be considered the melting pot of the world, it's only fitting that our pick for a St. Patrick's Day cocktail is Mexican. Created by mixologist Gilbert Marquez for Santa Monica's nouveau Mexican restaurant Mercado, the drink is called the Irish Poet. The spicy libation is fueled by the smoky flavor of mezcal, the heat of seeded poblano peppers, the zing of fresh lime juice and a lick of chipotle pepper-infused salt. Inspiration for the drink struck Marquez after a riotous tequila-drinking session with a loquacious Irishman in Mexico.

It's a Catholic thing. It's an immigrant-underdog thing. It's an acoustic-punk thing. There are many reasons why, for the last 10 or 11 years - the precise number is lost in the fog of memory - the L.A. Chicano band Ollin has celebrated St. Patrick's Day by paying tribute to the Pogues, the Anglo Irish ensemble that slammed the lilting grace of traditional Celtic music together with punk's raw energy during the Reagan-Thatcher era. Ollin's annual...

Re "Don't blame Ireland," Opinion, June 25 James M. Banner Jr. appears to have overlooked the fact that Ireland is already a full member of the European Union and that this is an attempt by some member states to force the remainder to see things their way. The Irish have firsthand experience with belonging to a larger entity, the British empire, and we all know how well that worked out. The Irish showed foresight in requiring a referendum for...

I was very interested in Charles Champlin's feature on the life and career of Greer Garson ("Mrs. Miniver Goes West," Oct. 13.) It is quite true that at the time she was born (1908) it was correct to describe her birthplace as Castlewellan, County Down, Ireland. At that time, the whole of Ireland was one administrative unit, a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. However, partition of the island in 1921, which took into account (albeit too roughly) the differing allegiances of the two peoples of the island of Ireland, placed County Down very firmly within the boundaries of Northern Ireland.

Mistakes are the portals of discovery. At least that's what James Joyce, one of Ireland's most famous writers - and a notorious drinker - once said. The phrase rings particularly true on St. Patrick's Day, the saucy Irish holiday that is marked by an epic consumption of alcohol and plenty of corned beef and cabbage. To honor Joyce, we make the annual mistake of drinking too much and discover that we wake up feeling green. Here are some of our favorite places to make those mistakes and many others this Sunday - framed by the back of a cab, of course.

Intrade, the popular online betting site, abruptly shut down Sunday citing "financial irregularities" that the firm said it will investigate. The Dublin-based website, which has faced previous scrutiny over its business model, allowed consumers to place bets on world events such as elections and the selection of a new pope. In a statement posted to its website Sunday, Intrade said it would immediately halt all trades, settle all open positions and cease all banking transactions for customers.