Family photographs from Irish America readers. In the family room of my childhood home there was a large wall covered with photographs – vintage tintypes and black-and-whites were set among school portraits of the kids and snapshots from family vacations. My grandma Agnes and I would sit in that room for hours, playing a little game: I pointed to an old picture and she … [Read more...] about Photo Album: She Liked Nice Things
Family
Roots: The Mighty Meaghers
A Look at the Meaghers and Mahers The Meagher name stems from the medieval Gaelic O’ Meachair, derived from meachar, meaning hospitable or kind, but the kindness of the Meaghers certainly hasn’t taken away from their strength and power. The name, also recorded as O’Meagher, Maher, Meagar, O’Maher, Mahar and Mahir, still holds prominence in Ireland. Over fifty percent of those … [Read more...] about Roots: The Mighty Meaghers
Photo Album
Thomas 'the Zouave' Delaney This hand-colored daguerrotype is of my great-grandfather Thomas Delaney. According to notes left by my mother, he was “born in Ireland in 1843 and died in New York City in 1887.” An historical anecdote in this connection is that he went off to the Civil War as an eighteen-year-old private in the Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry (Zouaves), one of … [Read more...] about Photo Album
Roots: A Look at the Laheys and the Leahys
Have you always thought the surnames Lahey and Leahy were variations of the same name? Think again! Lahey and Leahy originate from two different Gaelic surnames. Lahey, Lahy, Lahiff, Lahiffe, Laffey, and Lahive all originate from the Gaelic surname O Laithimh, which itself is a variant of O Flaithimh. O Flaithimh derives from the Irish word flaitheamh, which means lord or … [Read more...] about Roots: A Look at the Laheys and the Leahys
Corner of Ireland in America
The Irish Mansion in Greeneville, Tennessee. William Dickson left County Antrim, Ireland at the age of 16 for a better life in Greeneville, Tennessee. He succeeded. By 1796, when he was 21, he was commissioned by President George Washington to be the town’s first postmaster, a lifetime appointment. He also amassed a considerable fortune as a merchant. This mountainous region … [Read more...] about Corner of Ireland in America