“I’m of Irish descent and in America, 100 years ago, we were refugees, my family. Irish were treated terribly in America for a period of time and not accepted, and America learned to accept all of these ideas. It’s what our country is, a country of immigrants. We have not recently done a very good job of remembering who we are.” — George Clooney, speaking to a group of Syrian … [Read more...] about First Word: Does this sound familiar?
First Word
First Word: “Two Hearts Beat as One”
“No New York. No America. No Easter Rising. It’s simple as that.” – Director of Glucksman Ireland House, NYU, J.J. Lee While editing the articles in this issue, I was struck by two related observations: without the Irish in America the 1916 Rising would not have happened; and Britain sealed its fate by implementing its terror policies, and allowing a famine that forced … [Read more...] about First Word: “Two Hearts Beat as One”
First Word: The French Connection
As we struggle with the magnitude of the recent terror attacks in Paris and live with the renewed fear of attacks here at home, we all find personal ways of coping. Mine is to reflect on the past and the great tragedies that we have overcome; to remind myself that life goes on. Jim Clerkin, the subject of our cover story, responded to the devastating news by flying to Paris to … [Read more...] about First Word: The French Connection
First Word:
Our 30th Anniversary!
There is something about anniversaries that appeals to people. And it’s our 30th. If it were a wedding anniversary, pearls would be an appropriate gift.
There is something about the pearl that speaks to the story of the Irish in America.
Born out of grit, a grain of sand, an outsider makes its way into a shell and sets off a chain reaction that in time results in a precious … [Read more...] about First Word:
Our 30th Anniversary!
First Word: Darkness into Light
"I believe in being better, not bitter." — Noah Galloway “If you have your health you have everything,” my mother Norrie used to say. She said a lot of things that used to annoy me. Another catch-phrase when some difficult task was at hand: “It will build character,” or the adage, “There’s no use crying over spilt milk.” As I grew older I realized that my mother was giving me … [Read more...] about First Word: Darkness into Light