Irish America

Irish America

Niall O'Dowd

Farewell to a Legend

Jim Dwyer, a beloved figure and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter,
columnist, and author, passed away at the age of 63 on October 8, 2020

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By Niall O'Dowd It was fitting that in his last column for The New York Times on May 26th, Jim Dwyer wrote about the quiet heroism of his great grandmother in saving her family during the 1918 flu pandemic. She was known as Nan the Point from a remote area near Killorglin in Co Kerry. Her daughter Mary, her son in law Paddy, and seven children had all contracted … [Read more...] about Farewell to a Legend

Jim Dwyer, a beloved figure and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter,
columnist, and author, passed away at the age of 63 on October 8, 2020

Michael Dowling – What Real Leadership Looks Like During a Pandemic

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Irish America Publisher Niall O'Dowd reviews Irish-born CEO Michael Dowling's new book about Leading Through a Pandemic. The coronavirus, the greatest public health crisis in United States history, will spawn a thousand books, TV programs, and even movies. However, I doubt any will be as revealing and relevant as “Leading Through a Pandemic” which is written by … [Read more...] about Michael Dowling – What Real Leadership Looks Like During a Pandemic

Lincoln’s New Party, Anti-Irish and Anti-Slavery

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An excerpt from "Lincoln and the Irish: The Untold Story of How the Irish Helped Abraham Lincoln Save the Union," by Irish America publisher, Niall O’Dowd. By 1856, the Whig party Lincoln belonged to had destroyed itself over slavery and the violence of the Know-Nothings, an extremist group of nativists with a deep hatred of immigrants and … [Read more...] about Lincoln’s New Party, Anti-Irish and Anti-Slavery

The Amazing Role Gay Women Played in the 1916 Rising

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Historical accounts of the gay movement in Ireland usually omit women, yet they had a remarkable part to play in the 1916 Rising as just one example and as lifelong advocates for human rights as another example. Mary McAuliffe, a lecturer in women’s studies at University College Dublin, points out that Elizabeth O’Farrell, who was famously airbrushed out of the historic … [Read more...] about The Amazing Role Gay Women Played in the 1916 Rising

Easter 1916 a Terrible Beauty

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By Niall O'Dowd, Publisher This Easter time, despite Coronavirus and the suffering and isolation it has caused we should pause to remember the 104th anniversary of the Easter 1916 Rising which reminds us of the extraordinary sacrifices of previous generations. It should give us inspiration that fighting against the odds whether they be a deadly virus or taking on an empire … [Read more...] about Easter 1916 a Terrible Beauty