The 1993 Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans also carries a section on "Great Family Fortunes." Unlike a similar list of the European great family fortunes, which would be top heavy with royalty and titled nobility, the American experience shows the true strength of a "bottoms up" society where, in the first instance, wealth was earned rather than bestowed. Put … [Read more...] about First Word: All in the Family
Niall O'Dowd
The Vision of Mary Robinson
On her recent visit to the United States President Mary Robinson (49) became for Irish Americans the embodiment of a new Ireland, an Ireland in which the Irish diaspora – those 70 million worldwide who can trace their roots to the Emerald Isle – were once again welcome. Perhaps it happened as she gave her magnificent speech at Ellis Island, commemorating the first immigrant to … [Read more...] about The Vision of Mary Robinson
The First Word: Does the South Want the North?
"We have constitution which perpetrates the fallacy that Ireland is one nation with a right to territorial unification...when are we going to recognize that the 'national territory' is Santasyland." - John A. Murphy. Sunday Independent Newspaper Dublin "Northern Ireland Catholics are not our responsibility. They are citizens of a modern democracy and a regional economy … [Read more...] about The First Word: Does the South Want the North?
The First Word: The Shamrock Chain
Half of the population born in Ireland since 1820 have emigrated, some to win great fame and success around the globe. Their descendants— Irish Americans, Irish Australians, Irish in Britain, Irish in Patagonia or wherever - form part of the 70 million people worldwide who claim Irish ancestry. Imagine the 70 million as a shamrock chain, starting in Ireland, linked to New … [Read more...] about The First Word: The Shamrock Chain
The Greening of the White House: Clinton’s Irish Agenda
On record with the strongest statement on Irish issues of any President of modern times, President-elect Bill Clinton is already catching flak from the British government and media. But what is he really likely to do on Irish issues in the White House? On the mid-November day that Bill Clinton arrived in Washington, D.C. on his first visit as President-elect of the United … [Read more...] about The Greening of the White House: Clinton’s Irish Agenda