The Celtic heritage of Kansas City runs deep, as immigrants from Ireland were first brought to the new city in the late 1850s to dig streets through the river bluffs and to work on the railroads and in the stockyards and packing houses. Indeed, Kansas City to this day boasts one of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades in the country. To celebrate its heritage Kansas City … [Read more...] about Kansas City Celebrates Its Heritage
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Pete Hayden Named New FDNY Chief
Pete Hayden, a career veteran, was named Chief of the Fire Department of New York City by Mayor Bloomberg in July. Hayden, who has been with the FDNY for 35 years, was one of the principal officers in charge on September 11. An early decision he made to move the command post out of the North Tower saved many lives. Hayden, whose parents are from Mayo and Kildare, grew up in … [Read more...] about Pete Hayden Named New FDNY Chief
Rescue Me Star Donates Command Center to FDNY
Denis Leary, who stars as a firefighter in the new TV series Rescue Me (Fox Network), is more than just an actor playing a role, he takes his commitment to public safety seriously. In 2000, the actor founded The Leary Firefighter Foundation in response to the Worcester, Massachusetts fire tragedy, which took the life of his cousin, a childhood friend, and four other … [Read more...] about Rescue Me Star Donates Command Center to FDNY
9/11 Memorial Planned for Irish Catskills
After losing Michael, his firefighter son, on September 11, 2001, Jack Lynch felt a responsibility to ensure that the day's events be remembered appropriately. An executive board member on the Coalition of 9/11 Families, Lynch is helping to establish a 9/11 memorial planned for construction in East Durham, about 140 miles north of New York City. Plans call for the memorial to … [Read more...] about 9/11 Memorial Planned for Irish Catskills
Remembering Typhoid Mary
Pity poor Mary Mallon. Born in Cookstown, County Tyrone in 1870, she came to New York looking for a new life in 1883, but the life she found, from 1909 until her death in 1938, was confinement on North Brother Island, a spit of land between the Bronx and Riker's Island. What was her crime? Mary was the first recognized healthy carrier of the bacteria that causes typhoid fever. … [Read more...] about Remembering Typhoid Mary