Irish America

August September 2008 Issue

More Than Just Round of Golf

By Kevin Mangan, Contributor
August / September 2008

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I was fortunate to play the Old Head Golf Links on my most recent trip to Ireland.  The Links is one of the most unique golf courses ever conceived. It is built on a 220-acre diamond of land, jutting out over two miles into the Atlantic Ocean.  The links and practice area occupy 180 acres, and the remaining 40 acres of unspoilt cliff (rising in places to over 300 feet) frame … [Read more...] about More Than Just Round of Golf

The Tragedy of the Hannah

By John Kernaghan, Contributor
August / September 2008

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In April 1849, a ship carrying Irish immigrants hit an iceberg in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. John Kernaghan writes on the incident, and of plans for a documentary as Quebec celebrates its 400th anniversary. The crew of the Nicaragua could scarcely credit their eyes when they closed on the iceberg in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Some 120 Irish immigrants clung to a bit of frozen … [Read more...] about The Tragedy of the Hannah

In the Name of the Fada: Comedian Des Bishop

By Niall O'Dowd, Publisher
August / September 2008

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God help the Irish language!  Faced with insurmountable obstacles, it’s on the brink of extinction. You’ve heard such doom-laden predictions before, perhaps even in articles I’ve written.  But I’ve tired of pessimism.  Instead, I’m here to tell you about a new campaign to revitalize the language. It’s spearheaded by one of Ireland’s most prominent Irish-American … [Read more...] about In the Name of the Fada: Comedian Des Bishop

Chicago and the Irish

By Tom Deignan, Contributor
August / September 2008

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Before he was president, Barack Obama was an ambitious young politician who learned a valuable lesson thanks to the Chicago Irish. The year was 1999. Obama, a state senator, announced he was going to challenge Congressman Bobby L. Rush, a legend in the working-class African-American wards of Chicago’s South Side. Decades earlier, the South Side was heavily Irish. It was the … [Read more...] about Chicago and the Irish

A Flying Javelin: Marjorie Larney

By Marjorie Larney
August / September 2008

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When I competed for the U.S. in my first Olympics in Helsinki in 1952, I was only 15, the youngest javelin thrower ever and that record still stands today. But the most wonderful part about participating in the games was the reception from the Finnish people and a very special gift to me from a Finnish Olympic champion of the past, the first great “Flying Finn.” In Helsinki … [Read more...] about A Flying Javelin: Marjorie Larney