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Photo Album: Bridget’s Shawl

Submitted by Robert F. Lyons of Kennebunkport, Maine
February / March 2014

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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

By Adam Farley, Editorial Assistant
August / September 2013

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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

By Father Dan Dorsey, Contributor
June / July 2013

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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

Celebrating Joe Biden and the 2013 Irish America Hall of Fame Inductees

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Comhghairdeas to all of our inductees! On Thursday, March 21 Irish America was honored to induct the 2013 class of honorees into the Irish America Hall of Fame. Vice President Joe Biden, art collector and benefactor Brian Burns, businessman and philanthropist Bob Devlin, hotelier and humanitarian John Fitzpatrick and immigration reformer and former congressman Bruce Morrison … [Read more...] about Celebrating Joe Biden and the 2013 Irish America Hall of Fame Inductees

Joe Biden’s Irish Roots

By Megan Smolenyak, Contributor
IA News April 12, 2023

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It’s well known that President Joe Biden spent his early years in the very Irish city of Scranton, Pennsylvania. But what about his ancestors? Genealogist Megan Smolenyak, who also traced President Obama’s Irish roots, has delved into the President’s family tree and unearthed a few surprises. How can you not love a name like Finnegan Biden? I find it charming when family names … [Read more...] about Joe Biden’s Irish Roots