The Comstock Lode provided over half the silver ever mined in the United States but the Irishmen who discovered it weren't quite as lucky as one might think. By Jim Sullivan. Between 1850 and 1860 the numbers of Irish arriving on the shores of America rose from 206,041 to an incredible 1,611,304! Packed into the slums of New York City's East Side and Boston's North End, many … [Read more...] about (Un)lucky Strike
History Archives
The Roads to Nowhere
With the implementation of the Single European Market at the end of 1992 that "opened up all European frontiers to free movement and trade" no one in the border counties of Fermanagh and Leitrim registered more than a cynical shrug of their shoulders. For years the border, imposed under threat of war in 1922, had not only cut through their homes and fields but every aspect of … [Read more...] about The Roads to Nowhere
Northern Ireland, Culture & Identity
Here, then, follow my own observations of the lines by which the community in Northern Ireland is divided..... The first and most important line of division separates national identities. The two main groupings are of course those who see themselves primarily as British and those who see themselves primarily as Irish. Broadly, the first seek to maintain the union with Great … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland, Culture & Identity
The History of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York
The St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York is not new to controversy. 1992 and 1993 saw an all-out battle openly waged in the media between those who support the inclusion of the Irish Gays and Lesbian Organization in the parade (including Mayor Dinkins) and the AOH (backed by Cardinal O'Connor) who are determined to keep the parade strictly Catholic and heterosexual. John T. … [Read more...] about The History of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York
Daniel O’Connell and the Young Irelanders
In the early 1800's Daniel O'Connell was a young lawyer in Dublin, a member of the tiny Catholic middle class. In those days, although the worst excesses of the Penal Laws had passed, Roman Catholics still were deprived of full civil rights, and many opportunities remained closed to them. O'Connell became active in the Catholic Committee, the group working to win full rights … [Read more...] about Daniel O’Connell and the Young Irelanders





