In 1991, Irish America magazine published one of the first interviews with Gerry Adams. (As far as we can tell, Playboy was the only other American magazine to interview Adams before that.) In March, of that year, as the 75th Anniversary of the 1916 Rising loomed and violence continued on both sides in Northern Ireland, Patricia Harty traveled to West Belfast to interview the … [Read more...] about Gerry Adams: A Period of Change
Annie Moore’s Long Lost Irish Cousins
Megan Smolenyak writes about a decade-long search that finally turned up the Irish cousins of Annie Moore of Ellis Island fame. Thanks to improved access to a variety of resources, Irish genealogy is gradually becoming easier, but challenges remain, and one of the most daunting is finding living relatives. When Annie Moore, the Irish teenager who was the first immigrant to … [Read more...] about Annie Moore’s Long Lost Irish Cousins
Roots: The Proud Dempseys
Though never particularly numerous (as of the last count in 1996 by the Irish Times, the surname ranks as the underwhelming 164th most common surname in Ireland), the Dempsey clan was a powerful sept in its time. Originating in the Kingdom of Uí Failghe, anglicized today as Offaly and roughly covering the same territory as the contemporary county, the clan derives its name … [Read more...] about Roots: The Proud Dempseys
What Are You Like?
John Concannon
John Concannon takes our questionnaire.
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John Concannon is the Director of “Ireland 2016,” the state centenary program to commemorate 1916, reflect on the Republic 100 years on, and re-imagine Ireland’s future. Prior to Ireland 2016, John was director of Fáilte Ireland, the national tourism development authority. He was selected as Irish “Marketer of the Year” in 2011 for … [Read more...] about What Are You Like?
John Concannon
Corner of Ireland: Murphys, CA – “Queen of the Sierras”
Settled in 1848 by brothers John and Daniel Murphy from County Wexford, Murphys, California, once a mining town, is today a major tourist destination. ℘℘℘ Hidden in the Sierra foothills of California, in the vast and quiet Calaveras County, northwest of Yosemite, lies Murphys, a small town with a big personality. Made up of about 2,300 residents spread out over 10 square … [Read more...] about Corner of Ireland: Murphys, CA – “Queen of the Sierras”