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The First Word: Hope, Heritage and Hard Work

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
Winter 2024

January 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment

“Growing up in an Irish household, I learned the importance of connection and community. My fiercely Irish mother instilled in me a relentless work ethic, the ability to find joy in the face of adversity and a zest for life – qualities that have been indispensable in navigating both life and business.”
              – Kathleen McQuade Ellmore, Business 100 honoree

Editor-in-Chief Patricia Harty.

The Business 100 list of honorees we celebrate in the following pages represent some of the most talented Irish and Irish Americans working in corporate America today. From executives, managers, partners, and directors, from young, inspired entrepreneurs to those working in long-established corporate entities, our honorees are a major driving force behind the economy’s growth. Not only are they fundamental to the prosperity of the U.S., but they also play a significant role in building business bridges between Ireland and the U.S. and, increasingly, representing Ireland on a global scale.

What is most heartening is how much our honorees give back to their communities here and in Ireland. Look closely at the pages of events that have taken place on this side of the Atlantic over just the past two months, and you will see not only how the Irish love a good get-together but how funds raised at these events are helping to change lives.

There’s the 10K high altitude run to help GOAL, an Irish aid organization, do fantastic work in Ethiopia; The African American Irish Diaspora Network finding a shared heritage and culture; The Ireland Funds and the Flax Trust working for economic peace and justice on the island of Ireland; and the Irish American Partnership’s commitment to supporting education in rural Ireland, ensuring that the next generation will be well-equipped as the digital age continues to evolve.

Two of our honorees founded Women With Ambition, a support network for entrepreneurial women in the tri-state area, and others are doing what they can to help our newest, brightest generation – Irish graduate visa holders who want to live and work in the U.S. – gain a foothold in corporate America.

I look forward to meeting our honorees in person at our Gala Dinner on December 16, one week away as I write this. I anticipate a vibrant, lively gathering filled with laughter, great music, and delicious food, where guests create a contagious sense of joy as they chat with friends, make new connections, and enjoy each other’s company.

In honoring those on our list, we remember those who went before, and their experience in an tír nua – the new country. There’s an account of Goody Glover, an Irish woman hanged as a witch in Boston in 1688, and a look at the life of Annie Moore, the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island on January 1, 1892. There’s a story about a family who left County Down for Chicago in 1925 when the War of Independence and the Civil War had taken their toll on Ireland, and 50 years later, a report on the victims of the Birmingham pub bombings of 1974, and a look at the life and death of Mairéad Farrell, a young woman caught up in the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1980s.

Make the holidays a time for stories and songs, and bring out the photo albums. There is comfort in knowing the history and the depth of the Irish experience, as well as the resilience that comes from tragedy. Let your children know all the wonderful stories that came out of the Irish American experience but also that should hard times come again, they are the descendants of survivors of a people who took a chance and made the best of things.

Happy Holidays. Sign up for our weekly digital newsletter on www.irishamerica.com.

Mórtas Cine

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