Irish America

Irish America

By Murray Sperber

The Origin of “The Fighting Irish” Nickname

By Murray Sperber

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This exchange in a novel about college sports in the 1920s catches the prejudices that many Americans of the time held toward citizens of Irish-Catholic descent. However, unlike other immigrant groups who tried to submerge their ethnicity into the American melting pot and considered such terms as "Polack" and "Bohunk" insults, Irish Catholics gloried in many of their nicknames, … [Read more...] about The Origin of “The Fighting Irish” Nickname

Plunging Into Irish Studies

By Peter Monaghan

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Seamus Deane, a renowned literary scholar, fills a void at Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame, the home of the Fighting Irish, is the sentimental alma mater of many more actual and would-be Irish-Americans than ever have studied here. Yet until now, the most identifiably Catholic institution in the country--one where 14 of 16 presidents have been priests of Irish birth … [Read more...] about Plunging Into Irish Studies

News Roundup February 25, 2023

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National Famine Commemoration Date Announced  This year’s National Famine Commemoration will be held in Milford, Co. Donegal, on Sunday, May 21.   The commemoration will be broadcasted on RTÉ News Now channel. “The National Famine Commemoration is a special opportunity for the current generation to acknowledge the suffering, death, and anguish borne by the … [Read more...] about News Roundup February 25, 2023

Endurance: A compelling story of survival that hinged on the leadership of one man

By Sarah Buscher
June / July 2000

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Frank Wild, the second in command, made his way through the ship as its planks buckled and heaved against the mounting pressure. Occasionally a loud crack rang out like a gunshot as the timber snapped under the strain. He worked his way from the crew's quarters to the engine room and down to the propeller shaftway where two crewmembers were trying to reinforce a cofferdam that … [Read more...] about Endurance: A compelling story of survival that hinged on the leadership of one man

News Roundup February 18, 2023

Emily Moriarty
IA Newsletter February 18, 2023

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Ireland Sends Largest Ever Airlift Relief to Turkey and Syria Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheàl Martin T.D. announced the airlift departure of over 100 tons of disaster relief supplies from Ireland’s emergency stocks to the earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria. The airlift left the UN’S Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Dubai on Thursday, February … [Read more...] about News Roundup February 18, 2023