The unique Irish / Scottish heritage of PEI, off the coast of Nova Scotia, is preserved in music and dance and in the faces of the people. ℘℘℘ "An always but never known place" is how Australian writer Thomas Keneally described his first visit to Ireland. That about describes how I felt a few hours after landing on Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada's smallest province (about … [Read more...] about A Postcard from Prince Edward Island
Immigration
The First Word:
The Greatest Country
"Most of us take it for granted how great our country is. We have the freedom of speech, and the Presidents of our country have never taken control of our personal lives."
– Claire Cassidy, 10, student at St. Philip's in San Francisco
At a time when America is coming under criticism from many quarters, let us not forget how truly unique this country is. If there is any doubt … [Read more...] about The First Word:
The Greatest Country
In Canada, the Irish Disappeared
I took a pilgrim's trip in September to the Irish mass graves at Grosse Íle, the quarantine station in the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City. I stood by a sunken green field where 5,424 were buried in 1847 in wooden coffins, three deep. Nearby, a small rust-colored metal sculpture garden symbolized the passage from the Ireland of shamrocks to the black shale of death. I … [Read more...] about In Canada, the Irish Disappeared
Immigrant Ghosts on the Street of Ships
There's a row of lead laundry sinks on the third floor of an old building on the Lower Manhattan waterfront where Irish women worked in the 19th century. And beyond the laundry drying racks, Gaelic graffiti appear in ghostly but bold script on the old brick walls. "Erin Go Bragh" is writ large. So is "Faugh a ballagh" (clear the way), a famous battle cry, perhaps recorded by a … [Read more...] about Immigrant Ghosts on the Street of Ships
Irish American of the Year: Michael Flatley
For what he has done for the world of Irish dance, Irish America is proud to honor Michael Flatley as our Irish American of the Year. Flatley talked to Debbie McGoldrick about his extraordinary journey and what's next on the cards. It's hard to remember the days when Irish stepdancing wasn't in vogue, when it wasn't scintillating and sublime and sexy, when it wasn't a global … [Read more...] about Irish American of the Year: Michael Flatley