Irish America

Irish America

Christmas

Christmas Movies

By Tom Deignan
IA Newsletter December 18, 2021

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“It’s the holiday season…” So sings Andy Williams - as have many other crooners - in the classic Christmas song “Happy Holidays.” For many Irish Americans, that “holiday season” means it’s time for our annual trip to Macy’s in New York City where, in 1947, Irish Hollywood legend Maureen O’Hara portrayed a busy holiday parade planner, in the beloved Yuletide flick Miracle on … [Read more...] about Christmas Movies

The First Word: At Home in America

By Patricia Harty

January 2000

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It's Christmas Eve and the Brew and Burger on 47th Street where I work is crowded with last-minute shoppers and tired children brought in from the boroughs and New Jersey to see the tree at Rockefeller Center by irritated parents and young nannies with short skirts who look at their watches anxiously. I'm 21 years old, just out from Ireland a couple of months and homesick. For … [Read more...] about The First Word: At Home in America

Silent Night

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By Pat FentonA Christmas Eve memory comes back to me, almost hauntingly in this crazy long night of the Pandemic, the Corona Virus we’re all living through. And it makes me think again of the importance of memory and how it brings us back so faithfully to the way we were.I’m 20 years old, a young soldier from 17th Street in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. And I’m down in Fort … [Read more...] about Silent Night

Winterval in Waterford City

By Maggie Holland, Editorial Assistant
January / February 2019

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On Saturday, November 17, International Rose of Tralee, Kirsten Mate Maher joined Santa and the mayor in Waterford City for the launch of the seventh annual Winterval, Ireland’s largest Christmas festival. They gathered in John Roberts Square to turn on the city’s Christmas lights, with a musical performance by local band Brass & Co. Earlier in the day, Santa’s elves hit … [Read more...] about Winterval in Waterford City

Ireland's Biggest Santa Cycle Reaches €1 Million Mark for Sick Children This Christmas

By Maggie Holland, Editorial Assistant
January / February 2019

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On Sunday, December 2, 500 Dubliners dressed as Santa Claus with Christmas lights took part in Ireland’s biggest Santa Cycle, now in its fourth year. After departing from the Phoenix Park, the Santas cycled through Dublin, past Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin, and finished in Clondalkin. The event was arranged by the Laurels Charity Crew, who won the charity event of the year at … [Read more...] about Ireland's Biggest Santa Cycle Reaches €1 Million Mark for Sick Children This Christmas