Irish America
Irish America
Goody Ann Glover was hanged as a witch on November 16, 1688. Could it have been that it was because she was a Catholic whose first language was Irish? Had one not known the dour Puritans of this New England town better, one might have thought they were celebrating a holiday but, in fact, they had come out to witness the hanging of a witch. From jail to the gallows they … [Read more...] about New England’s Irish “Witch”
There's as much of the old sod in the White House as there is on its south lawn. The backgrounds of America's First Families are diverse: Nancy Reagan and Lady Bird Johnson have Spanish forebears; Herbert Hoover was Swiss and Canadian; Mamie Eisenhower was part Swedish while Ike was German; Martin Van Buren and the Roosevelts were Dutch; James Garfield had a royal strain … [Read more...] about Presidents & First Ladies of Irish Ancestry
In Virginia's Shenandoah Valley there is a gravestone that reads:
Here lies the remains of John Lewis, who slew the Irish lord, settled in Augusta County, located the town of Staunton and furnished five sons to fight the battles of the American Revolution.
Those words are an apt summary of the Irish role in the Revolution. They responded en masse to the call for resistance to … [Read more...] about Yankee Doodle with a Brogue:
The Irish in the American Revolution
The history of boxing must be rewritten. It is officially recorded that the legendary Jack Dempsey, Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1919-1926, was KO'ed just once in his great career. He was knocked out in the first round in 1917 by fireman Jim Flynn. The truth is that he actually suffered two KO's. The second one was outside the ring in 1956 when he first laid eyes on … [Read more...] about Remembering the Champ
BIRTHDAY
Storied world heavyweight boxing champion William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was born June 24, 1895 in Manassa, Colorado.
Dempsey, an icon of the 1920's whose professional career ran from 1914-1927, reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919-1926. He was an inaugural member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and is ranked tenth on The Ring … [Read more...] about PassagesJune 27, 2020
