The Irish Immigrant who became a titan of Wall Street. Denis Kelleher, the son of a shoemaker, immigrated to New York in 1958, at age 18, with $1.50 in his pocket. He was in search of a better life and determined to provide for his widowed mother back home. In a matter of days the bright young Kerry man charmed his way into a job in Merrill Lynch. In less than a month he went … [Read more...] about Denis Kelleher: Irish America Hall of Fame
Interviews
Dr. James Watson: Irish America Hall of Fame
He helped map the structure of DNA. Next up is a cure for cancer. James Watson helped unravel the structure of DNA, a feat so stunning that it is considered the greatest scientific achievement of the 20th century. A Nobel Prize winner as a result, Dr. Watson is deeply proud of his Irish heritage and is “very pleased” to be inducted into the Irish America Hall of Fame on March … [Read more...] about Dr. James Watson: Irish America Hall of Fame
What Are You Like?
Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains The leader and founder of The Chieftains, six-time Grammy-winners and the world’s most popular Irish traditional music group, grew up in Donnycarney, Co. Dublin and inherited his love of music from his parents. His first instrument was a plastic tin whistle. He later graduated to the uilleann pipes learning to play from the great pipe master Leo … [Read more...] about What Are You Like?
Portraits of the Irish Leaving Home
Photographer David Monahan has been powerfully documenting the recent wave of Irish emigration in photographs taken just before their subjects' departures to different corners of the world. “It is my wish to photograph people of all nationalities, who have made the decision to move from Ireland for economic reasons[:] in and around the city, juxtaposed with landscapes that are … [Read more...] about Portraits of the Irish Leaving Home
The Man Who Runs the Parade
"I could tell you a million and one stories," says John Dunleavy. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be chairman of this parade." John Dunleavy, 72, has been chairman of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade for 16 years. Like all the other chairmen before him, he worked his way to the top, starting as a volunteer in the formation area where marchers line up to … [Read more...] about The Man Who Runs the Parade