Irish America
Irish America
"If there is any single thing that explains either of us," John Ford once said to Eugene O'Neill, "it's that we're Irish." Their worlds intersected in 1940, when Ford directed his film version of O'Neill's sea trilogy, The Long Voyage Home. That dark and moody film about men on a tramp steamer perfectly captured O'Neill's Irish fatalism, and it was the playwright's favorite … [Read more...] about John Ford: The Quiet Man
From the time of St. Brendan, the Irish were drawn to America. Maybe it came from gazing out on the vast Atlantic Ocean and wondering what was on the other side. Brendan made his legendary trip in an ox-hide currach. Later the Irish reached "Inishfail" -- that "island of destiny" envisioned by the poets -- as migratory fishermen making their way to Newfoundland in the holds of … [Read more...] about The First Word: In the Beginning . . .
Nellie Bly Newshound "Energy rightly applied can accomplish anything." Nellie Bly's biographer, Brooke Kroeger, captured the essence of his admirable subject when he wrote: "In the 1880s, she pioneered the development of 'detective' or 'stunt' journalism, the acknowledged forerunner to full-scale investigative reporting." Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 to … [Read more...] about The Greatest Irish Americans of the Century: Writers and Media
Reverend Francis Duffy Fighting Father "If I've helped anyone become a better man and he loves me for it, that's my Distinguished Service Cross." Beloved pastor and battlefield legend, the Reverend Francis Patrick Duffy, also known as "Fighting Father Duffy," was truly a man of the people. From the rarefied world of academia to the trenches of World War I France to … [Read more...] about The Greatest Irish Americans of the Century: The Services
Maureen Connolly Little Mo She was the first woman and the youngest tennis player ever to win the Grand Slam -- the four-in-a-row Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open -- and one of only five players to do so. Her name was Maureen Connolly, but to adoring fans she was "Little Mo." Born in San Diego on September 14, 1934, Connolly was just 18 … [Read more...] about The Greatest Irish Americans of the Century: Sports
