A sampling of the latest Irish books. RECOMMENDED The Garden of Martyrs -- Michael C. White Before Emmett Till was killed in Mississippi in 1955 for being black, and before Leo Frank was lynched in Atlanta in 1913 for being Jewish, two Irish Catholic immigrants in Boston, in 1805, were victims of an angry city. Dominic Daley and James Halligan were traveling from Boston to … [Read more...] about Book Reviews
The Postman Only Brings Once
In this modern age there isn't a lot of practical difference between traveling to a foreign country and moving to live in one. Both acts entail a degree of psychic upheaval, which is, after all, the point. They both require a certain level of packing, and in either case you have to make some arrangements for the mail. The main difference as I see it is that if you want to … [Read more...] about The Postman Only Brings Once
Joyce, Joce, Joass, Jorse, & Joyes
Although the surname Joyce may automatically be associated with author James Joyce, the name has an ancient past, with both Irish and Norman antecedents. Derived from the Brehon personal name Iodoc, which is a diminutive of iudh meaning lord, the name was adopted by the Normans in the form Josse. While some scholars believe that the name developed from the French Joie, which … [Read more...] about Joyce, Joce, Joass, Jorse, & Joyes
The Reagan Democrats
Say what you will about Ronald Reagan, but it can't be denied that he changed the face not of just American politics, but Irish-American politics. Since the time of the Famine, when shrewd political bosses such as New York's Boss Tweed saw votes in the desperate millions as they stepped off of coffin ships, Irish-Americans were loyally tied to the Democratic party in the … [Read more...] about The Reagan Democrats
Graduation Day
Seated at the right of this photograph is my mother, Elizabeth "Bess" Cashen when she was 13. She was valedictorian of the class of 1909 in St. Mary's School, Wharton, New Jersey. The other students in the photograph are (clockwise from left) Elizabeth Bobo, Leo Sodon, and Anna Harman. Bess was one of 11 children born to John J. Cashen, an iron miner, and his wife, Sarah … [Read more...] about Graduation Day