Irish America

April May 2016 Issue

Hall of Fame: Martin Dempsey

By Adam Farley, Deputy Editor
April / May 2016

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When General Martin E. Dempsey, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received the telegram announcing his appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he was far from certain about accepting. But his resolve fermented quickly, he says, by what he ultimately determined was the “most important” factor: his first-generation Irish American mother. “My … [Read more...] about Hall of Fame: Martin Dempsey

First Word: Does this sound familiar?

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
April / May 2016

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“I’m of Irish descent and in America, 100 years ago, we were refugees, my family. Irish were treated terribly in America for a period of time and not accepted, and America learned to accept all of these ideas. It’s what our country is, a country of immigrants. We have not recently done a very good job of remembering who we are.” — George Clooney, speaking to a group of Syrian … [Read more...] about First Word: Does this sound familiar?

Bill Clinton: The Peacemaker

By Niall O'Dowd, Publisher
April / May 2016

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In recognition of his extraordinary role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, Irish America honors former President Bill Clinton on March 30th with a Lifetime Achievement Award. ℘℘℘ A little over twenty years ago, Bill Clinton broke an ironclad rule of American diplomacy with a move that would lead to peace in Northern Ireland. That rule, in existence for well over 200 … [Read more...] about Bill Clinton: The Peacemaker

Hall of Fame: Eileen Collins

By Adam Farley, Deputy Editor
April / May 2016

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In the 1950s and ’60s, as the industries that had helped populate and sustain upstate New York like railroading and manufacturing were leaving, the Harris Hill Gliderport in the lagging town of Elmira offered Eileen Collins a different kind of opportunity. She remembers her father taking her and her siblings to the airstrip just west of town to sit on the hood of their car with … [Read more...] about Hall of Fame: Eileen Collins

Hall of Fame: Pete Hamill

By Adam Farley, Deputy Editor
April / May 2016

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If asked for a single word that accurately and completely sums up Pete Hamill’s career, there is only one answer – writer. His genre? Just about everything – novels, short stories, history, biography, memoir, magazine features, newspaper columns, television pilots, adapted film scripts, Bob Dylan liner notes. At his core though, he is a newsman, and it is this journalistic … [Read more...] about Hall of Fame: Pete Hamill