Irish America

Irish America

History Archives

Hospitality and History in the American South

By Enda Cullen, Contributor

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History abounds on a tour that began in Washington, D.C. and visited Civil War battlefields, colonial towns, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.   As you might expect, Memorial Day weekend is a popular time to visit the nation’s capitol. There are celebrations, a free concert by the National Symphony Orchestra on the West Lawn, and a spectacular fireworks display. However, the … [Read more...] about Hospitality and History in the American South

Tullaghoge Fort:
Home of the O’Neills

By Cathal Coyle, Contributor
June / July 2017

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A memorial stone and plaque were unveiled to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of Hugh O’Neill.  The re-opening of Tullaghoge Fort last June has brought one of Ireland’s most notable landmarks back into the public domain. Also known as Tulach Óg, meaning “Hill of the Youth,” it is located in the townland of Ballymully Glebe on the main Stewartstown to Cookstown … [Read more...] about Tullaghoge Fort:
Home of the O’Neills

Wild Irish Women:
The Reporter Who Wouldn’t Go Away

By Rosemary Rogers, Contributor
June / July 2017

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Dorothy is Back! Dorothy Kilgallen was a TV and radio star, a columnist who wrote about theater and film, the rich and famous, but more than anything, she was a crime reporter who, at the time of her mysterious death, was investigating the JFK assassination.  She was as tough as she was brittle, as brave as she was bitchy. At a time when few women had a career, Dorothy Mae … [Read more...] about Wild Irish Women:
The Reporter Who Wouldn’t Go Away

The Forgotten Irish American Artist of the Capitol Building

By Geoffrey Cobb, Contributor
June / July 2017

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Geoffrey Cobb writes about Thomas Crawford, who sculpted the figure of Liberty and Freedom on top of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.    People around the world recognize the massive, iconic statue of freedom majestically standing atop our nation’s capitol building in Washington, D.C., yet few people know that a New York Irish American, Thomas Crawford, created it. … [Read more...] about The Forgotten Irish American Artist of the Capitol Building

Window on the Past:
The Georgia Healys

By Ray Cavanaugh, Contributor
June / July 2017

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In antebellum Georgia, the Healy children, born legal slaves to an Irish immigrant father and his black common-law wife, had to be smuggled out of the state to avoid being sold into slavery. Several would go on to become some of the first mixed-race high-ranking members of the Catholic Church. Nineteenth century Georgia saw a remarkable phenomenon called the Healy family. The … [Read more...] about Window on the Past:
The Georgia Healys