Irish America

An Gorta Mor

The Great Hunger and the Celtic Gene

By Dr. Thomas P. Duffy Contributor
August / September 2013

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Thomas P. Duffy MD of the Yale School of Medicine explores why certain people survived the Great Hunger and reasons that the answer may lie in their gene pool. Shortly after the great Irish famine of 1847-49, the initial description appeared, in 1865, of a fatal disorder that compromised the liver and pancreas and resulted in bronzing or hyperpigmentation of the skin. Many … [Read more...] about The Great Hunger and the Celtic Gene

Hunger and its Children

By Peter Quinn, Contributor
August / September 2013

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Schizophrenia and other diseases associated with starvation. The outward physical consequences of famine and severe malnutrition have been long known. They are the same everywhere. In his recent history of the Irish Famine, The Graves Are Walking, John Kelly describes them this way: “In the later stages of starvation, the eyelids inflame, the angular lines around the mouth … [Read more...] about Hunger and its Children

Fordham Law to Host Famine Tribunal

October / November 2012

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UPDATE: The Irish Famine Tribunal has been rescheduled for April 2013 due to overwhelming requests and limited seating capacity at the original venue. It is still to be held at Fordham. Specific dates will follow. More than 150 years after the fact, a tribunal examining the Irish Famine will be held at Fordham Law School in New York City on October 19 and 20. The stated aim of … [Read more...] about Fordham Law to Host Famine Tribunal

Dr. John L. Lahey: 2011 Irish American of the Year

By Sheila Langan, Deputy Editor
April / May 2011

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The president of Quinnipiac University is honored as a leading educator and keeper of our heritage. When John L. Lahey was a boy, he once accompanied his father, a hard-working bricklayer, to a worksite. He wanted to see what his father’s job was all about, and to try it out for himself. His grandfather, Daniel Lahey, an immigrant  from Knockglossmore, Co. Kerry, had been a … [Read more...] about Dr. John L. Lahey: 2011 Irish American of the Year

The Hannah: An Irish Odyssey

By John Kernaghan, Contributor
April / May 2011

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The story of The Hannah, an Irish famine ship that hit an iceberg in 1849, is now a documentary. John Kernaghan explains how it happened and how Irish America played a part. Paddy Murphy’s body is slowly being stilled by a degenerative disease, but his eyes are alive, bright and knowing as he struggles to form words to match his racing thoughts. He knows that the story he … [Read more...] about The Hannah: An Irish Odyssey