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Irish America

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Baseball Legend: Bill “Rough” Carrigan

By Ray Cavanaugh, Contributor

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Managing Babe Ruth, winning multiple World Series, and the no-nonsense authority of Bill “Rough” Carrigan. To control a brash young Babe Ruth – who joined the Boston Red Sox at age 19, fresh out of an institution for troubled youths – a strong presence was needed. Enter Red Sox player-manager Bill “Rough” Carrigan, who, despite his average size, was a notorious brawler, viewed … [Read more...] about Baseball Legend: Bill “Rough” Carrigan

The Real Life Story of Bridge of Spies Lawyer James B. Donovan

By R. Bryan Willits, Contributor
October / November 2016

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The Irish American New York lawyer who defended a Russian spy, and negotiated on behalf of the thousands of prisoners captured after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, is remembered by his daughter Jan.  It can often appear that the lives of individuals depicted on the silver screen are too fantastic to be real. For James B. Donovan, an Irish-American lawyer from New … [Read more...] about The Real Life Story of Bridge of Spies Lawyer James B. Donovan

2016: Reflections on a Centenary

By Frank Shouldice, Contributor
October / November 2016

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 How the 1916 commemorations helped people connect on a personal level. “Everything is repeated, in a circle. History is a master because it teaches us that it doesn’t exist. It’s the permutations that matter.” - Umberto Eco, Foucault's Pendulum We have had much to celebrate this year. Commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising had been anticipated for so long that when it … [Read more...] about 2016: Reflections on a Centenary

Photo Album: Rebel Irish Girl

By Kathleen Lenehan Nastri
October / November 2016

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Nora Brosnan’s role in the fight for Irish independence is remembered by her granddaughter. Hanora “Nora” Brosnan was born on September 17, 1905, the youngest of 10 children, to Mary Flynn Brosnan and John Brosnan, in Castlegregory, County Kerry. Nora’s father was a farmer and the owner and operator of a successful local forge. The Brosnan home was a comfortable place with a … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Rebel Irish Girl

Weekly Comment: Irishman Matthew Brady & the Founding of American Photography

By Tom Deignan
August 19, 2016

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Today is World Photo Day, celebrated for the 177th anniversary of the French Academy of Sciences announced the invention of the daguerrotype. This article has been excerpted and adapted from "Portraits of a Nation at War" (October / November 2013). _______________ Thanks to Mathew Brady and his team of photographers – including Irish immigrant Timothy O’Sullivan and Scottish … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment: Irishman Matthew Brady & the Founding of American Photography