Irish America
Irish America
Those We Lost Emmett O’Connell (1936-2024) Emmett O’Connell died on September 14, 2024. Named for Irish freedom-fighter Robert Emmet, O’Connell was born to parents from Cork and Sligo, raised in the South Bronx, and lived most of his adult life in Wexford. Having been a champion ice and roller-skater as a teenager, Emmett went on to found several energy and mineral … [Read more...] about Hibernia: Those We Lost
Charles "Chuck" Feeney 1931-2023Billionaire philanthropist and member of the Irish America Hall of Fame Chuck Feeney died in October, aged 92. A wildly successful entrepreneur, Feeney’s work ethic was equaled only by his goodwill. Combining the two, he founded and funded philanthropic organizations to distribute nearly all the fruits of his labors during his lifetime to causes … [Read more...] about Those We Lost: From a Legend in Philanthropy to a Legend of Music
Stephen Downey (1937-2021) Speechwriter and communications consultant Stephen Downey died in early December 2021, aged 84. Married to lauded cabaret singer and musical theater actress KT Sullivan, Downey was a passionate supporter and aficionado of the arts, and served as president of both the Yeats Drama Society and the New York Browning Society. Born in Providence, Rhode … [Read more...] about Those We Lost
My paternal great-grandmother Violet May Carroll McHale was born in 1906 in Castlebar, Mayo, and raised as a farmer’s daughter. She and her sisters (Delia, Lucy, and Jane) did much of the grunt work that was usually reserved for males, since their father Martin had a bad leg and couldn’t do it on his own. Violet eventually had to leave school completely at about age 10 to help … [Read more...] about Photo Album: An Ocean Away
Trócaire’s Lorna Tevnan Gold on saving the future from the present. ℘℘℘ Dr. Lorna Tevnan Gold of the Irish humanitarian organization Trócaire has been working to change environmental policy and appealing to the public to see climate change for the impending disaster already-in-motion that it is for the past 15 years, and now she’s written a book about it. Climate Generation – … [Read more...] about Climate Change: A Mum’s Mission
