September 12, 2001: After a 26-hour shift Brendan McCormack emerges exhausted out of the darkness and into another day. A Donegal man, who has lived in the U.S. for 17 years, McCormack is an ironworker. Minutes after the collapse of the Twin Towers, he and other ironworkers from all over the city dropped their tools and leapt into action, crusading down to the effort at Ground … [Read more...] about The Ironworkers
Issues
Fire in the Morning
In a strange twist of fate, Ron Clifford escaped the WTC unaware that his sister and niece were on the plane that crashed into the North Tower. ℘℘℘ United Flight 175, a Boeing 767 non-stop from Boston's Logan Airport to Los Angeles with seven flight attendants and 56 passengers on board, rolled back from Gate 19 shortly after 7:45 a.m. on September 11th. The captain was … [Read more...] about Fire in the Morning
The First Word: Friendship, Love & Loyalty
"We never know how high we are until we are called to rise; and then, if we are true to plan, our statures touch the skies," – Emily Dickinson Putting this issue of Irish America together has been an extraordinarily moving experience. There are stories that made us cry. Stories of incredible courage. And stories that brought us hope. And through it all we got to connect with … [Read more...] about The First Word: Friendship, Love & Loyalty
Flag-Raising Firefighters
The image of firefighters Dan McWilliams, George Johnson and Billy Eisengrein raising the tattered Stars and Stripes on September 11 became a symbol of hope for Americans on their darkest day. The three firefighters had spent the day at Ground Zero searching for survivors among the mammoth piles of rubble and in late afternoon were told to evacuate due to imminent collapse of … [Read more...] about Flag-Raising Firefighters
A Warm Irish Welcome in Newfoundland
Gander, Newfoundland: Hannah O'Rourke and Sandra O'Reilly Taylor, women from two different worlds who were tossed together in the turbulent wake of September 11, now share one of those bonds made of awful tragedy. Hannah and husband Dennis of Lawrence, N.Y., a Long Island suburb of New York City, were on Aer Lingus 105, a flight bound from Dublin to New York that was diverted … [Read more...] about A Warm Irish Welcome in Newfoundland