Irish America

Irish America

In This Issue 2025

family album |  The Road to Bright City

Submitted by Thomas Hynes of Boston, MA

Fall 2025

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My grandfather John Bernard “Barney” Hynes and his brother, Thomas J. Hynes emigrated in their early teens from Lochrea, Galway, Ireland to Boston, Massachusetts in 1875. They were children of the famine – sent to America by their parents because there was no future for them in Ireland. Barney got a job with the Elevated Railroad Company, and Tom went to Harvard where he spent … [Read more...] about family album |  The Road to Bright City

Slainte! Birds of Celtic Myths and Legend

By Edythe Preet

Fall 2025

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In Irish Folklore the Raven was thought to be a messenger from the other world. Autumn is upon us. The leaves have gone gold and scarlet, night falls earlier, the air turns chill, and the season to plant crops won’t come again until Spring. For our ancestors, it was time to breathe a sigh of relief that summer had produced a bountiful harvest and rejoice in that good fortune … [Read more...] about Slainte! Birds of Celtic Myths and Legend

40 Years & Growing

By Niall O'Dowd

Fall 2025

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Publisher Niall O’Dowd reflects on the life of Irish America magazine over its four decades. March 14, 1996, was the most surreal and satisfying day of all my days in America. That evening, I stood in a small holding room at the back of the stage at the Plaza Hotel, located off Fifth Avenue in New York, waiting to walk on stage with the most powerful man on earth –  President … [Read more...] about 40 Years & Growing

40th Anniversary of the Princess Grace Irish Library

By Megan Smolenyak

Fall 2025

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I was thousands of miles from home, but the moment I stepped through the door, I was instantly at home. Shelf after shelf brimming with books – and better still, they were all about Ireland. No aspect is left unexplored with literature, history, politics, economics, folklore, and more all at your fingertips. Accompanying the thousands of books are striking paintings, intriguing … [Read more...] about 40th Anniversary of the Princess Grace Irish Library

Roots: The McCooey Clan

By Mary Egan

Fall 2025

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The McCooey surname has Armagh roots, deriving from the Gaelic name Mac Cumhaigh, meaning “son of Cú Mhaighe,” which translates to “hound of the plain.” This surname is an Anglicized form of a patronymic, where the “Mac” signifies “son of,” and the personal name Cú Mhaighe was common in the region of Armagh. Famous individuals with the surname McCooey include the Gaelic poet … [Read more...] about Roots: The McCooey Clan