Irish America
Irish America
The Day I Saw JFK One of my earliest and most vivid memories is of the summer day in 1963 when I saw the President. He was arriving at Idlewild Aiprort, which would shortly be renamed in memory of himself, and his route into Manhattan would take him within a short distance from the house where I grew up. My father walked with me and five of my brothers the two blocks from … [Read more...] about Happy Birthday John F. Kennedy
The Irish America Hall of Fame is fast becoming a travel destination in Ireland. The Hall of Fame is housed at the Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience in New Ross, County Wexford. The ship, open for tours, is an exact replica of a sailing ship of that name that ferried thousands of Irish to America during the Great Hunger. New Ross is also the port from which Patrick Kennedy … [Read more...] about A Visit to the Irish America Hall of Fame
“As the first of the racial minorities, our forefathers were subject to every discrimination found wherever discrimination is known.” – Robert Kennedy speaking at a Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Day dinner in Scranton, PA It is fitting that we have Joe Kennedy III on the cover of this issue that marks the beginning of our 33rd year in publishing. Joe’s father, Joe II, the … [Read more...] about First Word: The Dream That Never Dies
The name Kennedy or O’Kennedy is derived from the Gaelic O’Cinneide, which is itself derived from the original Gaelic form cean eidig meaning, “ugly head,” or, more generously, “helmet head.” This was the name by which the father of Brian Boru was known (the Irish have always had a high tolerance for less-than-complimentary anatomical nicknames). The surname first appears as … [Read more...] about Roots: The Kennedys
My father Cyril DeFever grew up on a dairy farm near Detroit, Michigan. His parents had immigrated to the U.S. from Belgium. My mother, Marie Clancy, the daughter of an insurance man, was Irish. Her grandfather grew up on Turbot Island off Connemara. Her uncle Robert Clancy was a U.S. senator. Dad boxed as a young man (Joe Louis’ manager wanted to manage him). He won the … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Dad and J.F.K.
