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Ian Michael

Passages East and West:
An Irish Indian Comes Home 

By Turlough McConnell
IA newsletter June 18, 2022

June 17, 2022 by 29 Comments

History speaks of migration waves that flow across land and sea and create epochal change. This description can obscure the smaller, often heroic journeys of daring individuals who establish new communities and identities for themselves and for posterity. The poignant documentary ‘An Gorta Mór: Passage to India’ (also known as Boys from Vepery), written by Ian Michael and … [Read more...] about Passages East and West:
An Irish Indian Comes Home 

An Gorta Mór: Passage to India

April 27, 2022 by Leave a Comment

In this award-winning documentary, An Gorta Mór: Passage to India, Ian Michael traces the journey of his ancestor John Footman from Clonakilty in 1847 aboard the Kent to Madras (now Chennai), in India. He travels back to his ancestral home and reflects on the meaning of Irish Indian identity today.  Please join us with Ian Michael and the Ambassador of Ireland to India, Brendan … [Read more...] about An Gorta Mór: Passage to India

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May 10, 1869

The Transcontinental Railroad was completed. The first spikes were driven in 1863 during the Civil War, and over the following 6 year period, over 2,000 miles of track was laid entirely by hand over rugged terrain including the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Central Pacific Company built East from Sacramento, while the Union Pacific built West from Omaha, Nebraska. Both teams tried to beat the other’s record for track laying. The Central Pacific concocted a plan to lay 10 miles in a day. Eight Irish tracklayers put down 3,520 rails, while other workers laid 25,800 ties and drove 28,160 spikes in a single day. On May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah, a golden spike was hammered into the final tie.

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