In 1984 I was part of an Irish American delegation which sought a meeting with the U.S. State Department to discuss Northern Ireland. We were the usual suspects, ethnic newspaper publishers, community activists, longtime Irish American leaders, numbering about 30 in all. At the time I was publishing a small Irish newspaper in California and the trip to D.C. was a major … [Read more...] about Times They Are A’Changing
Niall O'Dowd
Irish American of the Year: A Very Special Envoy
Jean Kennedy Smith has now been ambassador to Ireland for two years, during which time she has played a leading role in the peace process. Niall O'Dowd interviews and profiles the 1995 "Irish American of the Year." "Next to President of the United States, Ambassador to Ireland is surely one of the best jobs an Irish American can hold," says Jean Kennedy Smith who was … [Read more...] about Irish American of the Year: A Very Special Envoy
The First Word: And Now the Good News…
Belfast: "We need a solution the dead can live with," is how one Belfast resident, in a uniquely Irish way, described the prospects for long-term peace after the recent events in Northern Ireland that shook the world. His words were not such a paradox as they may seem. The graves of the over 3,000 dead stand as mute testament to the suffering on all sides that the Long War of … [Read more...] about The First Word: And Now the Good News…
The First Word: The New Irish Heroes
IN olden times, Ireland's icons were comely maidens strumming harps or perhaps mythical heroic warriors such as Cuchulainn, bravely besting the enemy in his lair. In more recent times, a flame-haired temptress called Maureen O'Hara fit the bill. Not any more. Shortly, the symbol of Ireland to millions worldwide is just as likely to be a Black athlete, speaking with a British … [Read more...] about The First Word: The New Irish Heroes
Senator Joe Biden
An 1987 interview with the then U.S. Senator from Delaware, now presidential hopeful Joe Biden gave his first ever interview to an Irish publication in April, 1987 when he talked to Niall O'Dowd and revealed, for the first time in print, his passion for his Irish heritage, the story of his extraordinary Irish Catholic family, and his ambition, even back in 1987, to run for … [Read more...] about Senator Joe Biden