Irish America
Irish America
Douglas Hyde, born in Roscommon in 1860, was a leading figure in the Gaelic revival and Ireland’s first president. A couple of unplanned events shaped the course of Douglas Hyde’s early life. He should have been born in County Sligo, where his family resided, but instead, he arrived on January 17, 1860, in Castlerea, County Roscommon, where his mother was visiting her … [Read more...] about Ireland’s First President
Chris Matthews talks about his new book, which offers valuable insights into Bobby Kennedy, and why we need someone of Kennedy’s ilk today. Next year, on St. Patrick’s Day, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will open a new exhibit entitled “The Train: RFK’s Last Journey.” The centerpiece of the show will be more than two dozen large color portraits taken by Look magazine … [Read more...] about Bobby Kennedy’s Message of Unity and Raging Spirit
In 1621, the pilgrims, just arrived in the New World, had no idea how wild their new frontier could be. Winter arrived and with it came starvation, death, and the idea that maybe it was time to give up and go back to Europe where the strict confines of politics were easier to deal with than the utter randomness of Mother Nature. The real story of what happened next is all but … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment: How the Irish Saved the Pilgrims and Started Thanksgiving
What's in a photograph? Writer John Fay reflects on an image of a grandfather he never knew as he's being sent to World War I.
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My grandfather, John Fay, was born in Finavarra, County Clare in 1896. The youngest of twelve children, he grew up on a farm that juts out into Galway Bay. Family lore has it that he had an almost idyllic childhood – trapping lobsters and playing … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment:
Grandfather’s War Years
A 1,000-year-old Viking weaver’s sword was unearthed by archaeologists at the site of the former Beamer and Crawford brewery in Cork City in September. Dated back to the 11th century and perfectly-preserved, the yew sword measures roughly 11.8 inches and is patterned with human faces in the classic Ringerike Viking art style. “For a long time there was a belief that the … [Read more...] about Viking Sword Discovered in Cork
