Irish America

Irish America

Roots: Phelan, Whelan, and Fallon

Roots: Phelan, Whelan, and Fallon

By James G. Ryan

April / May 1999

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The origin of the names Phelan and Whelan is an excellent example of the vagaries of Anglicization of Irish names. Both of these names are derived from the same Gaelic name O'Fáolain. Although Whelan is more common, Phelan is common in areas of Kilkenny and Waterford. The O'Faoláins were Princes of the Decies, a kingdom in the area of the current County Waterford. The Fallons … [Read more...] about Roots: Phelan, Whelan, and Fallon

Sláinte! The Sweet Sting of Spring

By Edythe Preet

April / May 1999

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Some foods simply beg to be eaten. Take peaches, for instance. The scent of a ripe peach is pure ambrosia. The pungent smell of tomatoes ripened on the vine and warm from the sun is irresistible. Chocolate's rich bouquet is almost sexy. And the aroma of a Sunday roast sparks appetites the whole time it's cooking. Certain other foods don't have a real come-hitherness about … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Sweet Sting of Spring

God Said, “Ha!”

By Joseph McBride

April / May 1999

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First, a confession. I once urged Julia Sweeney not to become an actress. Luckily, Julia disregarded that advice and went on to become, as she calls herself, "a woman of many media." Most people know her best from her four years on TV's Saturday Night Live, where she created the endearingly goofy, mysteriously androgynous Pat, or from the 1994 movie version, It's Pat, which she … [Read more...] about God Said, “Ha!”

Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s shipwrecked Quest found on seafloor

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THE wreck of the ship on which Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton died has been located on the seafloor off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada. A team from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) has located the wreck of Quest, the last ship which Shackleton commanded, in the Labrador Sea. The explorer, who was born in February 1874 in Co. Kildare, and moved to London … [Read more...] about Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s shipwrecked Quest found on seafloor

Ireland welcomes 3.5m passengers in just one month as summer season ‘well and truly underway’

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MORE than 3.5million passengers flew in and out of Ireland last month as the summer season got off to a flying start. The figures issued by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) for Ireland’s two busiest airports show a total of 3.5 million passengers flew to and from Cork and Dublin in May. Cork Airport welcomed 282,000 passengers in May, DAA’s figures show, while Dublin Airport … [Read more...] about Ireland welcomes 3.5m passengers in just one month as summer season ‘well and truly underway’