Irish America

JFK

A Visit to the Irish America Hall of Fame

By Irish America Staff
March / April 2020

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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 set … [Read more...] about A Visit to the Irish America Hall of Fame

First Word: The Dream That Never Dies

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
February / March 2018

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“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

Roots: The Kennedys

By James G. Ryan, Contributor
February / March 2018

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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

Photo Album: Dad and JFK

By Kit DeFever
February / March 2018

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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’s manager wanted to manage him). He won the … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Dad and JFK

Obama Receives JFK Profile in Courage Award

By Adam Farley, Deputy Editor
June / July 2017

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In May, former president Barack Obama received the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at the JFK Library in Boston. The award, which was created in 1990, is given each year in recognition of outstanding public service. The award is named after Kennedy’s 1957 book Profiles in Courage, which documented the congressional careers of eight U.S. Senators who had voted … [Read more...] about Obama Receives JFK Profile in Courage Award