Irish immigrant Detective Brian O’Donnell was severely injured when he intercepted a dispute between his NYPD colleagues and an armed attacker in September. O’Donnell, who left Dublin for New York in 1993, was off-duty and traveling to Penn Station to meet his wife and children when he was slashed with an 11-inch meat cleaver by Akram Joudeh. The 43-year-old was admitted to … [Read more...] about Irish Detective Survives Meat Cleaver Attack
Issues
Irish Boy in Chicago Directs Anti-Bullying Video
Dublin-born Chicago middle schooler Jonah Maxwell has tackled the issue of bullying in his school by writing and directing a video on the subject. The Bully, which dramatizes seventh-grader Maxwell’s own experiences, was posted to YouTube in August and brought in over 350,000 views in its first week online. Maxwell, who moved from Ireland to Chicago with his family at the age … [Read more...] about Irish Boy in Chicago Directs Anti-Bullying Video
Chuck Feeney to End Irish Grants
Irish American philanthropist and entrepreneur Chuck Feeney, who has been engaging in philanthropic projects across the globe for over thirty years, announced in August that his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, will make its final grants in 2016, including those to Ireland. 84-year-old Feeney, deemed “the quiet giant of Irish philanthropy” by the Irish Examiner, has said … [Read more...] about Chuck Feeney to End Irish Grants
California’s First Irish Hunger Memorial
The community of Eugene, California welcomed the state’s first Irish Hunger Memorial at its dedication ceremony in Saint Joseph’s Cemetery in September. It was the product of efforts by the Irish Cultural Society of Stanislaus County and the San Francisco Chapter of the Irish American Unity Conference, and about 100 locals were present to see it unveiled. The memorial’s … [Read more...] about California’s First Irish Hunger Memorial
“Mother of Orphans” Sculpture Renewed
Since July 9, 1884, a sculpture of humanitarian Margaret Haughery, otherwise known as “The Mother of Orphans” (June / July 2016 issue), has stood on the corner of Camp and Prytania Streets in New Orleans. This September, it received some long-overdue restoration work and a dedication plaque from the Monumental Task Committee, an all-volunteer organization dedicated to the … [Read more...] about “Mother of Orphans” Sculpture Renewed