Irish America

Irish America

In This Issue 1998

Mark McGwire – In a League of His Own

By John Kernaghan

November/December 1998

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Tom Carroll's voice cracks and he admits tears are forming when he talks about Mark McGwire, the young giant whom he coached at Damien High School in LaVerne, California, and watched cast a huge shadow over baseball this summer. "Sorry, I get all hyped up and the passion flows. But I hope in time that Mark is remembered more for the human being he is than the home runs he hit." … [Read more...] about Mark McGwire – In a League of His Own

The First Word: Field of Dreams

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
November / December 1998

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Looking back over the year there are few images that stand out more in my mind than that of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa hugging after McGwire's record-tying home run. In a year beset with political scandals it was such a relief to watch McGwire and Sosa. You couldn't ask for two guys with more class - one an Irish American, the other an immigrant from the Dominican … [Read more...] about The First Word: Field of Dreams

Dancing at Lughnasa

By Colin Lacey

November/December 1998

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"You work hard at your job. You try to keep your home together. You perform your duties as best you can because you believe in responsibilities and good order. And then suddenly you realize there are cracks appearing everywhere, the control is slipping away, and that the whole thing is so fragile it can't be held together much longer." The scene is Ballybeg, Co. Donegal in … [Read more...] about Dancing at Lughnasa

Sláinte! A Visit to Derry  

By Edythe Preet

September/October 1998

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Like most Americans, my ancestry is mixed immigrant. Mom's people were Italian; Dad was a storytelling Irish rover. I inherited his wanderlust and his love of words. When I decided to dig up the family roots, Northern Ireland was my first stop. Arriving in Derry (birthplace of my grandmother) as sunset turned the River Foyle into a ribbon of molten gold, I checked into Beech … [Read more...] about Sláinte! A Visit to Derry  

Roots: O’Mahoney, McMahon and Vaughan

By James G. Ryan

September/October 1998

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The families of McMahon and O'Mahoney are related only by the common derivation of their names from the Irish name Mahon (in Gaelic Mathuna) which was a personal name, meaning a bear. The O'Mahoney or Mahony family are derived from Mathuna, a grandson of Brian Boru. The family were the Eoganacht, the regal dynasty of Munster and were one of the most prominent of West Munster. … [Read more...] about Roots: O’Mahoney, McMahon and Vaughan