It was an interesting experience, to say the least, following up on our issue commemorating the Great Hunger with one in which we profile Irish-American titans of Wall Street. In a way, those two words “Famine” & “Finance” could be seen as the bookends of the story of the Irish in America. Not that we claim that success in the financial world is the only … [Read more...] about The First Word: From Famine to Finance
Patricia Harty
“Bloody Sunday:” James Nesbitt’s Personal Odyssey
On January 30, 1972 members of the British Army fired upon unarmed civil rights marchers in Derry, killing 14 people, 13 outright, and one who would die later from his wounds. The marchers, about 15,000 strong, had been protesting internment without trial, which was introduced in Northern Ireland in August 1971, and involved mass British army arrests of more than 340 people … [Read more...] about “Bloody Sunday:” James Nesbitt’s Personal Odyssey
John Fitzpatrick: Irish American of the Year
John Fitzpatrick is remembering back to the crystallizing day in his life as a hotelier – the day his hotel in Manhattan became more than just a place where the Taoiseach stayed and Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne could be spotted at the bar, and Irish shoppers fell over themselves and their suitcases taking the Fitzpatrick limousine to the airport, bags stuffed with Christmas … [Read more...] about John Fitzpatrick: Irish American of the Year
The First Word: A Flavor of Ireland
“Ireland is an island of character and characters, brimming with history and teeming with verve.” – Joe Byrne, Executive Vice President, Tourism Ireland North America. I’m still thinking about the brown bread. One night in the recent past, a wet night, I might add – one that put me in mind of Ireland and warm fires and cozy pubs – I took the subway uptown a couple of stops … [Read more...] about The First Word: A Flavor of Ireland
Touring Ireland with Brian Stack
"Let me tell you the deal we have right now,” says Brian Stack in his good-natured brogue. “For $363, you can have six nights in Ireland staying at a choice of over 1,100 bed and breakfasts, a self-drive Hertz car, your full Irish breakfast every day, a private room with bath and shower, and a guide. We have airfare starting incredibly low that would go with that … so I reckon … [Read more...] about Touring Ireland with Brian Stack