It was the accidental discovery of a vintage photograph, which enabled me to meet my first Irish-American relative, my great grandmother, Ellen Whelan Lyons of Co Waterford, Ireland. At a family reunion in South Dakota, my cousin, John Maloney, had tossed out on the table a bushel basketful of old photos. My wife Nona retrieved from the pile a photo of an … [Read more...] about Photo Album My Great-Grandmother Discovered
History Archives
New England’s Irish “Witch”
By Mike Tubridy
January / February 1994
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”
Brothers In Arms
By John Cosden March 1992
Remembering the five Sullivan brothers, World War II sailors who, serving together on the USS Juneau, were all killed in action on its sinking around November 13, 1942. November 8, 1942: the largest U.S. naval task force yet assembled for the battle of Guadalcanal sales out of Noumea, New Caledonia. Among the American warships was the year-old, light cruiser U.S.S … [Read more...] about Brothers In Arms
Proudly He Served
1944 - Major Charles Loring, Jr. On November 22, 1952 Major Charles Loring led a flight of four F-80s on an air support mission over North Korea. It was his 51st mission in Korea, for a total of 106 combat missions in two different wars, in two different decades, on two different continents, and it would be his last. His jet was hit by a shower of anti-aircraft fire during … [Read more...] about Proudly He Served
Timothy Egan: A Modern Day Pilgrim
By Tom Deignan
In late October, media outlets around the world reported that Pope Francis had expressed support for civil unions, “a significant break from his predecessors that staked out new ground for the church in its recognition of gay people,” as the New York Times put it. It was the latest historic moment for a pope who has excited reformers within the church, while at the same time … [Read more...] about Timothy Egan: A Modern Day Pilgrim