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Within the next 10 days Ireland may have a new government in place almost five months following a general election in February 2020, based on a negotiation between two parties with bitter rivalries dating back to the Irish Civil War, and a smaller outsider. A unprecedented coalition between Fianna, Fine Gael, and the Green Party would see the country's two major parties join … [Read more...] about The Irish Way Forward

Bridging the Irish Divide and Making the Bridge to the U.S. Stronger

The African Abolitionist who Championed Human Rights in Ireland While Frederick Douglass is the most well-known and celebrated black abolitionist to visit Ireland, he was not he only one. Ireland was host to a number of black abolitionists, including a small number of women, who visited and lectured in Ireland between 1790 and the commencement of the American Civil War in … [Read more...] about The Story of Equiano

We mourn the loss this past week of Jean Kennedy Smith. She was an indomitable woman of style and substance. Like all her family, she was involved in work that supported the marginalized, and as Niall O’Dowd writes, she was hugely influential in the Irish peace process. To fully appreciate the work she did as Ambassador to Ireland watch Donald Keough's … [Read more...] about First Word

June 20, 2020 Newsletter

By Niall O'Dowd Jean Kennedy Smith was a shock choice for Ambassador to Ireland in 1992 as the job seemed certain to go to Congressman Brian Donnelly who had legislated successfully for 40,000 visas for the Irish undocumented which became known as the Donnelly visas. However, all powerful Senator Edward Kennedy had a very different idea, deciding his sister Jean Kennedy … [Read more...] about The Peace Maker

Jean Kennedy Smith, the last Kennedy sibling, passes

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief As the protests continue, and we are faced with the growing awareness of the deep injustices that the black community has faced throughout its history, we look to leaders who are helping bring about change. Tim Ryan is one such leader. As PricewaterhouseCooper’s U.S. chairman, Ryan, in 2016, permanently opened the door to frank and honest … [Read more...] about First Word:
June 13th, 2020 Newsletter