Hunter College High School student Benjamin “Benjy” Firester was awarded $25,000 for a unique research project that predicts the patterns of movement of the phytophthora infestans – the mold that brought about Ireland’s Great Hunger in the mid-19th century. Firester competed against 1,800 other students in the Regeneron Science Talent Search with his revolutionary computer … [Read more...] about High School Student Project Can Predict Spread of Potato Blight
Issues
Irish Hunger Memorial Renovations Completed
The Irish Hunger Memorial was re-opened in late July 2017 after a year-long, $5.3 million renovation. The structure had suffered extensive water infiltration, particularly from 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, which it had not been equipped to handle in its original state. The restoration cost $4.5 million more than the initial placement of the structure, which was unveiled to the … [Read more...] about Irish Hunger Memorial Renovations Completed
Those We Lost
Recent passings in the Irish and Irish American communities. Marjorie Steele-Fitzgibbon 1930 – 2018 Marjorie Steele-Fitzgibbon, an American actress, painter, and sculptor who later immigrated to Ireland and became a naturalized Irish citizen, died in January at the age of 88. Known for her prolific stage career, as well as her short film career, the all-around artist was … [Read more...] about Those We Lost
“Sláinte, Mon!”:
The Irish of Jamaica
That Irish is Jamaica’s second-most predominant ethnicity may come as a surprise, especially to those outside the country. It all started in 1655 when the British failed in their efforts to claim Santo Domingo from the Spaniards and took Jamaica as a consolation prize.
Of course, the British also had been quite active in Ireland, where, between 1641 and 1652, about half the … [Read more...] about “Sláinte, Mon!”:
The Irish of Jamaica
Deirdre O’Connell’s Fanatic Heart
The Bronx girl who changed the face of Irish theater. An enigma and a shapeshifter, she changed her first name each time her life entered a new incarnation. Baptized Eleanor, she was Ellie as a child, a little beauty with a bounty of red-gold hair. Her gifts – singing, dancing, and especially acting – were supported by her parents who encouraged creativity in each of their … [Read more...] about Deirdre O’Connell’s Fanatic Heart