Irish America

Megan Smolenyak

Barry Manilow is a Limerick Man

By Megan Smolenyak
IA Newsletter October 16, 2021

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How Name Changing Hid a Heritage Barry Manilow. Yes, I know, most think of him as a Jewish fellow from Brooklyn – and he is. But he’s also a quarter Irish, and due to certain circumstances in his family, that Irish share has had a disproportionate influence on his family tree. Name Changing Though he wouldn’t have known it, when Barry changed surnames, he was the … [Read more...] about Barry Manilow is a Limerick Man

DNA Links President Biden
to Galway

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Galway joins Mayo and Louth as an Ancestral Home Ireland loves to claim her own, so President Biden – who’s conspicuously proud of his 5/8 Irish ancestry – is a source of pride for many in the land of his ancestors. I first explored his heritage before he became Vice President, and later shared some of my findings in Irish America when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in … [Read more...] about DNA Links President Biden
to Galway

Happy 20th Anniversary,
Ellis Island Immigrant Database!

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What a difference two decades make By Megan Smolenyak In April of 2001, a miracle occurred. Well, it certainly seemed that way at the time. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation (SOLEIF) opened the American Family Immigration History Center (AFIHC), launching an online database — digitized and indexed — of the passenger records of millions of immigrants who … [Read more...] about Happy 20th Anniversary,
Ellis Island Immigrant Database!

Finding Your Irish Roots
Is Easier Than Ever Before

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By Megan Smolenyak Now is the time to get all your documents together so that when the time is right to visit Ireland and discover your ancestors you are ready to go. More and more Irish genealogical sites are now online, including parish records, so you can do the research here, and as soon as you land you can head straight for that place from whence your ancestors … [Read more...] about Finding Your Irish Roots
Is Easier Than Ever Before

John Lennon and Me
(20 years behind)

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By Megan Smolenyak As the rest of the world commemorates what would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday, I celebrate my 60th. More or less confined at home. Not the circumstances I would have chosen, but just about all of us are apt to have pandemic-impaired birthdays, so no complaints. Still, a milestone like this makes one reflect, and the lack of distraction makes it … [Read more...] about John Lennon and Me
(20 years behind)