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Pat Quinn

St. Patrick's Day Parades 2016

By R. Bryan Willits, Editorial Assistant
February / March 2016

February 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment

George Mitchell, the former senate majority leader (D – Maine) and Northern Ireland peace broker, has accepted the invitation to be the Grand Marshal of New York’s 5th Avenue St. Patrick’s Day parade. Mitchell was appointed United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland by president Bill Clinton, and was a chief architect of the Mitchell Principles and the Good Friday … [Read more...] about St. Patrick's Day Parades 2016

Researchers Cite ALS Ice
Bucket Challenge for Ground-
Breaking Discoveries

By R. Bryan Willits, Editorial Assistant
October / November 2015

October 1, 2015 by 1 Comment

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, co-founded by Irish America Hall of Fame inductee Pat Quinn and re-launched this past August, is being credited by researchers at Johns Hopkins University for recent breakthroughs in research for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Jonathan Ling, Olga Pletnikova, Juan Troncoso, and Philip Wong of Johns … [Read more...] about Researchers Cite ALS Ice
Bucket Challenge for Ground-
Breaking Discoveries

Patrick Quinn: ALS Champion

By Matthew Skwiat and Adam Farley
April / May 2015

March 16, 2015 by 6 Comments

Last summer, hundreds of thousands of people, including celebrities, politicians, sports stars, and even a group of Irish nuns, filmed themselves pouring buckets of ice water over their heads to raise awareness for ALS, the neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. You may even have been one of them. Simply and appropriately dubbed the ALS Ice Bucket … [Read more...] about Patrick Quinn: ALS Champion

Irish American Inspired the
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

By Matthew Skwiat, Contributing Editor
October / November 2014

September 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment

If you found yourself staring down an ice cold bucket of water ready to be dumped on your head this summer remember, first, that it was for a good cause, and second, that it was Irish-inspired. The ALS ice bucket challenge that has left everyone from politicians and celebrities to school teachers and grandparents soaking wet was created by Pat Quinn, an Irish American from … [Read more...] about Irish American Inspired the
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Roots: The Quinn Clan – Descendants of Conn

By Brendán Cummings, Contributor
October / November 2004

October 1, 2004 by 27 Comments

The surname Quinn is derived from the Irish word O'Cuinn meaning "descending from Conn." Conn comes from the Irish word ceann, meaning "head," and denotes a person of high intelligence. Since Conn was a common name, there are five separate septs of this family. They came from different parts of counties Tyrone, Longford, Clare, and Antrim. Niall O'Cuinn was one of those killed … [Read more...] about Roots: The Quinn Clan – Descendants of Conn

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May 10, 1869

The Transcontinental Railroad was completed. The first spikes were driven in 1863 during the Civil War, and over the following 6 year period, over 2,000 miles of track was laid entirely by hand over rugged terrain including the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Central Pacific Company built East from Sacramento, while the Union Pacific built West from Omaha, Nebraska. Both teams tried to beat the other’s record for track laying. The Central Pacific concocted a plan to lay 10 miles in a day. Eight Irish tracklayers put down 3,520 rails, while other workers laid 25,800 ties and drove 28,160 spikes in a single day. On May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah, a golden spike was hammered into the final tie.

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