Good news! The 1990 U.S. Census has reported that Irish Americans now number 44.3 million, a 3.6 million increase over the 1980 census figure of 40.7 million. The new figure is equivalent to 17.9 percent of the total U.S. population. Coincidentally, 3.6 million closely correlates to the population of the Irish Republic. There are just five million people on the whole island … [Read more...] about First Word: We Are Now 44.3 Million Strong
July August 1992
Roots: Dunne and Duffy
By James G. Ryan
April / May 2000
he names Dunne and Duffy have nothing in common except that they are derived from colors, the Dunnes from donn, the Gaelic word for brown and Duffy from dubh, the Gaelic for black. This is relatively unusual since the vast majority of Gaelic names are based on relationships i.e. "Son of," or "Follower of." The Dunne family name is derived from the Gaelic O'Duinn or O'Doinn, … [Read more...] about Roots: Dunne and Duffy
We’re Here and We’re Irish
By Patsy Murphy July August 1992
There is a creative wave happening in Ireland that is stretching all the way across the Atlantic and washing up on the shores of America. Patsy Murphy examines this phenomenon. Across many a billboard in New York and, I presume, throughout this great land, you can see the poster for Universal's blockbuster movie Far and Away starring Mr. and Mrs. Cruise. It's the story of a … [Read more...] about We’re Here and We’re Irish
Goodbye Columbus, Hello St. Brendan
By Abdon Moriarty Pallasch July August 1992
As the rest of America celebrates the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus arriving in the New World, Irish-Americans can boast that one of their own may have beat him by nearly 1,000 years. The idea that Irish monks in an ox-hide boat might have beaten the Conquistadors and the Vikings to America was largely relegated to Irish folklore before 1976. That year, British … [Read more...] about Goodbye Columbus, Hello St. Brendan
