i have a nephew, sean patrick mcflynn. i always question myself because my writing about the irish is really my writing about myself coming to the united states and coming into contact with the united states so consequently my puerto rican friends, and some of my irish friends, although they were more circumspect, what are you doing writing about the irish? i'm writing about the united states. the irish are more interesting. they had to put up with colonialism, just as puerto rico is a colony of the united states. i also respect the fact that they have a facility with language, which i also enjoy. consequently, i wondered why this attraction to the irish. in 2004, the university of puerto rico asked me to come there and lecture and read. i immediately called my favorite cousin, and she said, what are you doing here? i told her and i said, please come to the reading, i have a book for you. she came. she said my son is getting married tomorrow at the caribbean hilton, could you please come? and i went. i hadn't seen her in 3