Irish America
Irish America
John Brendan Kelly, father of Princess Grace of Monaco, won two Olympic Gold medals in 1920 and one in 1924, competing in a sport which was the reserve of gentlemen, the single and double sculls. He remains the only American ever to win the Gold in single sculls. Kelly came from a family of achievers, whose story is embedded in Irish America. His daughter, Grace Kelly, became … [Read more...] about An American Champion
As the 1996 Olympic Games begin in Atlanta, Georgia, we look at some of the Irish Olympians since the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, one hundred years ago. 1896, Athens, Greece James Brendan Connolly - John Pius Boland - Thomas Burke James Brendan Connolly became the first Olympic champion of the modern era when he won the Gold for the U.S. in the … [Read more...] about One Hundred Years of Irish Olympians: Days of Glory
"I don't think I had one conversation with any Irish person during my first year as the Defense Attaché in the American Embassy in Dublin where the name of John Fitzgerald Kennedy did not come up," says Colonel Bill Torpey. "Everyone, it seemed, had their own story about President Kennedy, and I began to think how wonderful it would be to bring his namesake, the aircraft … [Read more...] about Independence Day on the JFK
Three time Olympic gold medalist and Irish swimmer Michelle de Bruin was stripped of her swimming records on this day in 1999 and was officially banned from swimming competitively for four years after it was discovered that she had tampered with a required urine sample. De Bruin was suspected by many as having taken performance-enhancing drugs and the ban effectively ended her … [Read more...] about July 16, 1999
Fidelma Macken, former judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland, became the first woman ever appointed to the European Court of Justice on this day in 1999. Macken, who was educated at Trinity College Dublin and Kings Inn, currently serves as a High Court judge in Ireland. … [Read more...] about July 14, 1999
