Irish America

Ancestry

A Visit to the Irish America Hall of Fame

By Irish America Staff
March / April 2020

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The Irish America Hall of Fame is fast becoming a travel destination in Ireland. The Hall of Fame is housed at the Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience in New Ross, County Wexford. The ship, open for tours, is an exact replica of a sailing ship of that name that ferried thousands of Irish to America during the Great Hunger. New Ross is also the port from which Patrick Kennedy set … [Read more...] about A Visit to the Irish America Hall of Fame

Black Irish Celebration

By Irish America Staff
March / April 2020

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An extraordinary gathering of Irish and African-American leaders took place at the Irish Consulate in New York on Wednesday night, February 26, 2020 to celebrate Black History Month. Irish Consul General Ciarán Madden called together leaders in the Irish and African-American communities who shared Irish heritage to create new links and forge a new organization. In his … [Read more...] about Black Irish Celebration

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

Joey From Scranton: VP Biden’s Irish Roots

By Megan Smolenyak, Contributor

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It’s well known that Vice President Joe Biden spent his early years in the very Irish city of Scranton, Pennsylvania. But what about his ancestors? Genealogist Megan Smolenyak, who also traced President Obama’s Irish roots, has delved into the Vice President’s family tree and unearthed a few surprises. How can you not love a name like Finnegan Biden? I find it charming when … [Read more...] about Joey From Scranton: VP Biden’s Irish Roots

Joey From Scranton:
VP Biden’s Irish Roots

By Megan Smolenyak, Contributor

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It’s well known that Vice President Joe Biden spent his early years in the very Irish city of Scranton, Pennsylvania. But what about his ancestors? Genealogist Megan Smolenyak, who also traced President Obama’s Irish roots, has delved into the Vice President’s family tree and unearthed a few surprises. How can you not love a name like Finnegan Biden? I find it charming when … [Read more...] about Joey From Scranton:
VP Biden’s Irish Roots