Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley announced what has been the most comprehensive plan for immigration reform yet seen by a Democratic hopeful this election season at a round table discussion in New York City in July. Speaking with eight members of the community, including Siobhan Dennehy, Executive Director of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center, O’Malley said, … [Read more...] about Martin O’Malley Releases Immigration Plan
Immigration
The First Word: We Are All Immigrants
And so it begins. A new year, and already a happy one with the election of an Irish mayor in Boston. And who better to embody the tough, tireless, tender trajectory of our Irish story, than Marty Walsh, son of immigrants and champion of the working class. Marty’s campaign, aimed at a range of ethnic and social groups, echoes the political leadership of … [Read more...] about The First Word: We Are All Immigrants
Photo Album: Bridget’s Shawl
Submitted by Robert F. Lyons of Kennebunkport, Maine
February / March 2014
February / March 2014
Bridget O’Donnell of Cork, Ireland, my great-grandmother, was sent out to Boston by her father in 1846. A recent discovery of her photograph in the Lyons family bible reignites interest in her story and our origins. Bridget was 14 years old, soon to be 15, when her father took her to Cobh, expecting to book passage for her to America. He gave her for the journey a silver … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Bridget’s Shawl
Study Shows Immigrants Give More to Medicare Than They Take Out
As the United States Congress debates an immigration reform bill that would provide a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants (which includes about 50,000 illegal Irish immigrants), Harvard researchers have published a study that challenges widely-held notions of the relationship between immigrants and the U.S.’s entitlement programs. Published in the May … [Read more...] about Study Shows Immigrants Give More to Medicare Than They Take Out
The Last Word: Love Thy Neighbor
A couple of years ago, in my capacity as President of the Glenmary Missioners, I was visiting one of our priests in south Georgia. It was February, cold and gloomy, and we had spent an entire day driving around three counties. As we drove, Fr. Vick pointed out the different trailer parks — each one more rundown and dilapidated than the other. He noted the individual trailers … [Read more...] about The Last Word: Love Thy Neighbor