Irish America

Irish America

Today In History

Boston’s Great Civil War Sculptor

By Michael Quinlin
IA Newsletter, September 14, 2024

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Sculptor Martin Milmore of Boston (1844-1883), admired for his Civil War sculptures and for his classical statuary and busts of famous men throughout New England, was born in Kilmorgan, County Sligo on September 14, 1844, the youngest of five sons of parents Martin and Sarah Milmoe (nee Hart).  When the father died in 1851, Sarah emigrated with her five sons to Boston, where … [Read more...] about Boston’s Great Civil War Sculptor

January 11, 1994

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This date marked the end of the Irish Broadcasting ban on Sinn Fein. Known as the Section 31 Broadcasting Act, it prohibited members of Sinn Fein and the IRA from appearing on television or speaking on radio. The ban had been in effect since the 1970s. It was recently revealed that Taoiseach Garrett Fitzgerald had moved to remove the ban in 1981, but it remained in place until … [Read more...] about January 11, 1994

Striking Gold – Transcontinental Railroad Turns 150

By Mary Gallagher, Assistant Editor
May 10, 2019

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Irish contributions to American history received a special recognition this week. The 150th anniversary of connecting the First Transcontinental Railroad was commemorated in a two-day celebration in Utah May 9 and 10 at Promontory Point, the state landmark where the Golden Spike connecting the track’s east and west branches was struck on May 10, 1869. The railroad was six years … [Read more...] about Striking Gold – Transcontinental Railroad Turns 150

August 1

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Officially known in the Celtic calendar as Lughnasa and the first day of Autumn, August 1st marks the celebration of the old Celtic god Lugh. Gaelic tradition holds that Lughnasa was a common time for handfastings, or trial marriages of the time. It is believed that Lugh chose August 1st as the day for a harvest festival as a way of remembering his dead foster-mother. Today, … [Read more...] about August 1

July 25

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July 25th marks the feast of St. James in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. Dubliners celebrate this day by holding an annual drinking festival, which has been a tradition since the medieval era. Likewise, Irish pilgrims who choose to honor St. James and walk the Santiago de Compostela in Spain, often leave from St. James's Gate in Dublin, where the Guinness … [Read more...] about July 25