Irish America

Irish America

May June 1997

Sláinte! Many a Shabby Foal Makes a Fine Horse

By Edythe Preet

May/June 1997

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It is Spring. The foals are being born. In their gawky long-legged honor, I give you the saga of the Irish and their horses. It is a history that stretches across centuries. It is a tale of friendships and working partners. It is a romance born of the land, nurtured by necessity and fastened by ancient bonds. It is one of the oldest love stories on earth.  Horses arrived in … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Many a Shabby Foal Makes a Fine Horse

Roots: The O’Reillys

By James G. Ryan

May/June 1997

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The O'Reilly family name is derived from the Gaelic "O'Raghailligh," which means descendants of Raghaillach. The O'Reillys were the most powerful sept of the old Gaelic Kingdom of Breffny, and the family is still very numerous in the area which made up this kingdom, i.e., Cavan and the surrounding counties. The name is frequently shortened to Reilly or Riley. Members of the … [Read more...] about Roots: The O’Reillys

Young Ladies of the Dance

By Darina Molloy

May/June 1997

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While her class-mates in St. Mary's Secondary School in Nenagh, County Tipperary, are busy preparing for end-of-year exams in their last year before Leaving Certificate, 17-year-old Bernadette Flynn is savoring the sweet success of a dream come true as leading lady in the acclaimed show, Lord of the Dance. And Bernadette has absolutely no regrets about leaving her school life … [Read more...] about Young Ladies of the Dance

From Ireland to Ellis Island

By Ruth Ford

May/June 1997

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In the half-century that New York's Ellis Island served as a receiving station, more than 16 million immigrants passed through its doors. Ruth Ford talks to Irish immigrants about what they experienced. It is September, and cool inside the brick passageway connecting Ellis Island's registration hall with the moldering buildings that ring the island grasses. Outside, tourists … [Read more...] about From Ireland to Ellis Island