Irish America

Irish America

1993

Election Reveals a New Ireland

By Brian Rohan

January February 1993

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First there was the election two years ago of a woman as the President of Ireland. And not only was Mary Robinson a woman, but she could also be labelled something of a liberal, perhaps even a feminist, from a relatively minor political party, Labour. To top it off, her main contender was a highly-popular member of Ireland's largest party, Fianna Fail, which had never in the … [Read more...] about Election Reveals a New Ireland

Daniel O’Connell and the Young Irelanders

By Eamon O'Kelly

January February 1993

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 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

The Greening of the White House: Clinton’s Irish Agenda

By Niall O’Dowd, Founding Publisher
January February 1993

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On record with the strongest statement on Irish issues of any President of modern times, President-elect Bill Clinton is already catching flak from the British government and media. But what is he really likely to do on Irish issues in the White House? On the mid-November day that Bill Clinton arrived in Washington, D.C. on his first visit as President-elect of the United … [Read more...] about The Greening of the White House: Clinton’s Irish Agenda

Is There Any Hope?

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
January February 1993

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The goverment press release reads: “Monday's papers reported on renewed violence in Northern Ireland which left four men dead and twelve people seriously injured. In Belfast loyalist UFF, gunmen murdered three Catholic men in a gun and grenade attack on a betting shop. The attack was described in the Irish Times as 'a virtual carbon-copy repeat of the UFF attack on a bookies … [Read more...] about Is There Any Hope?

Roots: Phelan, Whelan, and Fallon

By James G. Ryan

April / May 1999

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The origin of the names Phelan and Whelan is an excellent example of the vagaries of Anglicization of Irish names. Both of these names are derived from the same Gaelic name O'Fáolain. Although Whelan is more common, Phelan is common in areas of Kilkenny and Waterford. The O'Faoláins were Princes of the Decies, a kingdom in the area of the current County Waterford. The Fallons … [Read more...] about Roots: Phelan, Whelan, and Fallon