Irish America

American Revolution

The American Revolution and Ireland

By Maggie Holland, Assistant Editor
October / November 2019

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The Irish involvement in the American Revolution is often lost in the stories dominated by tales of the wisdom of the Founding Fathers. Now, a new exhibition at Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution seeks to change that. Called “Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier,” this special exhibition follows the untold story of Richard Mansergh St. … [Read more...] about The American Revolution and Ireland

Hercules Mulligan: Tailor, Patriot, Spy

By Dave Lewis, Assistant Editor

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How an Irish tailor named Hercules Mulligan, and his accomplice, an enslaved man named Cato, twice saved George Washington from capture during the Revolutionary War. ℘℘℘ Hercules Mulligan was born in Coleraine, of what was then called County Londonderry to Episcopalians Hugh and Sarah Mulligan, on September 25, 1740. Six years later, the Mulligan family immigrated to New York, … [Read more...] about Hercules Mulligan: Tailor, Patriot, Spy

Sláinte! Heroes of the Revolution

By Edythe Preet, Columnist
April / May 2016

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As St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world, Edythe Preet looks to March 17, 1776, and the role the Irish played in America’s bid for freedom. ℘℘℘ Pop quiz: what color ink is used to sign legislative bills into law? If you answered black, you’d be right with one exception. On March 12, 1941, Massachusetts Governor Leverett Saltonstall used green ink to sign a bill … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Heroes of the Revolution

Film Forum: The Patriot

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Round two of Mel Gibson's war with the British. ℘℘℘ Jack L. Warner once said he hated the kind of movie in which the hero "writes with a feather." Hollywood's aversion to the quaint details of a distant historical period helps account for the scarcity of films dealing with the American Revolutionary War. But reluctance to alienate Great Britain probably had more to do with … [Read more...] about Film Forum: The Patriot