Program 747: Ireland in 100 Objects; Midlife Michelangelo; Language City New York

A columnist for the Irish Times describes some of the historical objects so cherished by his compatriots that they're considered key to Ireland's national identity, and tells us where you can see them on display. Then we take a closer look at the life of Michelangelo and the midlife mess that threatened to derail him from creating many of the world's most treasured works of art. And we learn about the many languages spoken in New York City that are on the brink of disappearing — and the efforts to preserve their unique vocabulary and sounds.

• Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole, author of "A History of Ireland in 100 Objects" (Royal Irish Academy)
• Gene Openshaw, author of "Michelangelo at Midlife: Chasing the Tomb of Julius II" (self-published)
• Ross Perlin, co-director of the Endangered Language Alliance, and author of "Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues In New York" (Grove Atlantic)

• Fintan O'Toole has been called "Ireland's leading public intellectual" by his colleagues at the Irish Times. He wrote the text for the book that accompanies the exhibit "Ireland in 100 Objects" at the National Museum of Archaeology in Dublin. His most recent book explains the changes to modern Ireland during his lifetime, in "We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland."
• Gene Openshaw is the author of "Michelangelo at Midlife: Chasing the Tomb of Julius II."
• Gene is also Rick's co-author on "Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces: Art for the Traveler."
• Ross Perlin wrote "Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues In New York" to profile how six New York City residents are working to document or possibly revive their native language before it disappears. Ross is also co-director of the Endangered Language Alliance.
• The ELA has posted an interactive digital version of its language map of metro New York at languagemap.nyc.