The celebration of Christmas at Rockefeller Center started informally in 1931 when workmen involved in the construction of the Center placed a small tree on the Fifth Avenue site of the British Empire Building and La Maison Francaise (the two buildings which today separate The Channel Gardens). The tree was decorated with tinsel and gaily colored ornaments. In this photo, … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Happy Holidays!
Irish Immigrants
The Perils of Pat
Peter Quinn writes about his immigrant grandfather. ℘℘℘ The man on the horse is my paternal grandfather, Patrick Francis Quinn. The date is September 5, 1904. Pat is about to take his place as grand marshal of the New York City Labor Day Parade. The horse was rented for the occasion. I have the sash he is wearing in the photograph, a piece of faded blue silk embroidered … [Read more...] about The Perils of Pat
Confessions of a
Bronx Irish Catholic
Over the years, I've spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about what it means to be Irish. Occasionally, my public writings and ruminations on the subject have led to me being described (and dismissed) as a "professional Irishman." If only it were true! Unfortunately, I'm still a semi-pro, forced to make a living at activities unrelated to my ethnic investigations.
A … [Read more...] about Confessions of a
Bronx Irish Catholic
The First Word: The Best and The Brightest 1999
This, the last 'Top 100' for this millennium, shows that at the turn of the century the Irish in America have reached heights of success surely unimagined by those impoverished immigrants who crossed the Atlantic to seek a new life in the last century Was it even conceivable that a group of people who were told they `need not apply' would today be the ones doing the hiring? … [Read more...] about The First Word: The Best and The Brightest 1999