A laudable feature of this year’s Easter Rising commemorations is the conscientious effort to recognize the role women played in the insurrection for independence. Books, articles, and documentaries present the distaff side of history, creating (if you will) the “her” story of 1916. Current attention, however, doesn’t mean that members of Cumann na mBan and like-minded women … [Read more...] about Last Word: An Irish Rebel Girl
Issues
Hall of Fame: Martin Dempsey
General Martin Edward Dempsey, a 2016 Irish America Hall of Fame honoree, served as the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for two terms and previously served as the Army's Chief of Staff. General Dempsey graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1974 and has been a career armor officer, serving in Operation Desert Storm, commanding the 4th Battalion 67th Armor in … [Read more...] about Hall of Fame: Martin Dempsey
First Word: Does this sound familiar?
“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
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
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