Mastery of urban politics helped the Irish rise from huddled masses to the heights of political power. An Ghorta Mór, the devastating famine that drove over one-and-a-half million Irish to America, put in place the foundations of the Irish-American community for the next 120 years. The Famine immigrants were a deeply rural people. Endowed with few material resources or … [Read more...] about The Road to the White House
Photo Album: Keeper of the Light
I was named after my paternal grandfather John P. Duffy. J.P., ‘Jack’ to his wife, Nora (Walsh), who hailed from Clare Island, County Mayo, where his father was the keeper of the light. J.P. was the 14th child and left Clare Island after finishing eighth grade. The world would teach him lessons as there would be no further formal schooling for him. J.P., as a young teenager, … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Keeper of the Light
The Last Word: Mutual Admiration
While it may take a village to raise a child, it took the collaboration of three governments, eight political parties, several thousand dedicated individuals, and 1.7 million voters to achieve lasting peace in Northern Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, ended the violence and political conflict in Northern Ireland that had persisted since the late … [Read more...] about The Last Word: Mutual Admiration
Those we Lost: A Mighty Voice for Justice is Stilled
Niall O’Dowd writes on the passing of Rita O’Hare. Rita O’Hare, one of the most prominent and beloved members of Sinn Féin, has passed and a mighty voice is stilled. Operating from Dublin, she oversaw Friends of Sinn Féin USA for over two decades and many years previously also served time for IRA activity. Though diminutive in stature, O’Hare will always walk tall in the … [Read more...] about Those we Lost: A Mighty Voice for Justice is Stilled
Those We Lost
Brian Donnelly (1946-2023) Former congressman and champion of Irish immigration reform Brian Donnelly died in February, aged 76. Over his 24-year career in public service, Donnelly was most widely recognized for his sponsorship of what was aptly called “Donnelly visas” which enabled over 25,000 Irish immigrants to make a fresh start in the U.S. A Massachusetts native with … [Read more...] about Those We Lost