Recent Passings in the Irish American Community Harold Connolly 1931-2010 Harold Connolly, who won the gold medal in the hammer throw at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died in Maryland on August 19. He was 79. His son Adam Connolly reported that he died of a heart attack. After suffering from severe nerve paralysis as a child, Connolly underwent serious physical therapy and began … [Read more...] about Those We Lost
Film & Television
The Many Faces of Maureen O’Hara
Maureen O’Hara has celebrated many milestones in her life and career in films. Now in the 21st century, she prepares to celebrate her 90th birthday on August 17. One can’t help but wonder if she could have imagined in her wildest dreams that her image would be gracing a technology called “cyberspace” – that people would be chatting about her on Facebook or that she’d have a … [Read more...] about The Many Faces of Maureen O’Hara
“Bloody Sunday:” James Nesbitt’s Personal Odyssey
On January 30, 1972 members of the British Army fired upon unarmed civil rights marchers in Derry, killing 14 people, 13 outright, and one who would die later from his wounds. The marchers, about 15,000 strong, had been protesting internment without trial, which was introduced in Northern Ireland in August 1971, and involved mass British army arrests of more than 340 people … [Read more...] about “Bloody Sunday:” James Nesbitt’s Personal Odyssey
Butte: Montana’s Irish Mining Town
Many of the 1.8 million Irish who emigrated to Canada and the U.S. between 1845 and 1855 found employment in the dangerous but lucrative mines that played a vital role in building American industry. A documentary, Butte, America, shows how over the following decades, the American Industrial Revolution swallowed entire families who lived in mining communities, as the often … [Read more...] about Butte: Montana’s Irish Mining Town
Nobody Hears a Broken Drum
I first met Jason Miller when he was a senior playing varsity basketball at St. Patrick’s, West Scranton. I was a senior playing at St. Patrick’s, Olyphant, a small town about six miles north of Scranton. We used to make small talk during warm-ups prior to the games between the two schools. At the end of basketball season, Miller was named The Catholic League’s leading scorer … [Read more...] about Nobody Hears a Broken Drum