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How the Irish Famine Changed American History

How the Irish Famine Changed American History

By IA Staff
IA Newsletter March 25, 2023

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Niall O'Dowd, Irish America's publisher, was the guest of honor at the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick's 239th-anniversary dinner in New York City on March 16, 2023. In his speech to the over 600 members and guests, he talked about the history of the Irish in America – from the early days when they were the first wave of poor refugees to arrive in the U.S. – to how they went on to … [Read more...] about How the Irish Famine Changed American History

Roots: The “Mul” Names

By James G. Ryan, Contributor
June / July 2000

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A large range of Irish names begin with the prefix "Mul." Examples include Mulcahy, Mulvihill, Mullally, and Mullan. These names have no familiar connections, but like the names beginning with "Gil," all have their origin in a common name form. They almost all derive from the Gaelic word "Maol" meaning follower, servant, or devotee. The name was invariably preceded by O as … [Read more...] about Roots: The “Mul” Names

The Last September: The Rules of Ascendancy

By Joseph McBride
June / July 2000

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The spirit of Chekhov hovers over the Irish countryside in The Last September. Director Deborah Warner and screenwriter John Banville bring a powerfully elliptical sense of inevitable loss to this film about the waning days of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy. Based on the 1929 novel by Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen, The Last September is set on a country estate in Cork in 1920 … [Read more...] about The Last September: The Rules of Ascendancy

The Ice Dancer

By Darina Molloy, Contributor and Book Reviewer
June / July 2000

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Sarah Hughes watches herself without a trace of embarrassment. It's hard to reconcile the bubbly 14-year-old sitting in front of the television with the heart-stopping vision of grace and style who glides effortlessly across the ice in the video clip we're watching. The footage was captured at the recent Keri Lotion USA vs. The World Figure Skating Challenge, and the … [Read more...] about The Ice Dancer

Ireland’s Forgotten Patriot

By Megan Llwelyn
June / July 2000

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In the suburb of Rathfarnham an island of serenity exists amid the frantic bustle of 21st-century Dublin. With rolling lawns and woodlands embracing a handsome classical house, Saint Enda's School harks back to a gentler time. In a place of honour facing the house is a large bronze bust of the school's founder, Pádraig Pearse, who was more famously both the inspiration and the … [Read more...] about Ireland’s Forgotten Patriot