Irish America

Irish America

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George M. Cohan: “Born on the Fourth of July”

By M.V. Quinn, Contributor

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The life of George M. Cohan, the greatest song and dance man of all time. Not far off from his song's boast, George Michael Cohan was born on July 3, 1878, according to his birth certificate, however his mother always claimed that he was born on the 4th, and as he proved again and again in his plays and songs, he remained “a real live nephew” of America’s Uncle Sam throughout … [Read more...] about George M. Cohan: “Born on the Fourth of July”

Des Bishop Is Seriously Funny

By Adam Farley, Deputy Editor
June / July 2015

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He grew up in Queens, went to high school in Ireland, spent a year in the Gaeltacht, two years in China, and just bought an apartment back in New York. And here is an incomplete list of things he has done stand-up sets or made RTÉ documentaries about: living on minimum wage, alcoholism, his father’s lung cancer, low-income housing, the state of the Irish language, the … [Read more...] about Des Bishop Is Seriously Funny

First Word: High Notes

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
June / July 2015

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One of the many highlights of our recent Hall of Fame lunch was Notre Dame’s president Rev. John Jenkins’s tribute to Don Keough, the late great Irish American who contributed so much to Ireland and Irish Studies. “Don loved everything Irish,” Jenkins said, “but he also insisted it can’t be all about Ireland, and challenged us to found the Keough School of Global Studies at … [Read more...] about First Word: High Notes

World Irish Dance-Off

By Matthew Skwiat, Contributing Editor
June / July 2015

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Hairspray, fake wigs, and oodles of bling were on full display in front of 20,000 spectators for the 45th installment of the Irish World Dance Championships which took place in Montreal at the Palais des Congres in April. It marked the first time the event took place on Canadian soil and proved to be a massive crowd pleasing event that saw more than 5,000 competitors put their … [Read more...] about World Irish Dance-Off

Ireland's Action Plan for Jobs Brings Results

By Julia Brodsky, Editorial Assistant
June / July 2015

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In his April 28th Spring Economic Statement speech, Finance Minister Michael Noonan T.D. announced that Ireland currently has the fastest growing economy in Europe. He said that 95,000 new jobs have been created since 2012, with a record 20,000 being created last year. The jobs are being created across a number of sectors including medical research. Ciaran Murray, CEO of ICON … [Read more...] about Ireland's Action Plan for Jobs Brings Results