Looking back at Irish America’s premier issue we see that it set the tone for what was to come: a thorough investigation into what it means to be Irish American. Thirty-five years later, we are still answering that question and still pondering the answers. Enjoy these quotes compiled over 35 years. -The Irish America Team 1986 Tip O'Neill “Growing up as a youngster in … [Read more...] about 35 Years: 1985-2020
Richie Neal
First Word: Dreamers
By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
March / April 2020
“Our focus is to create ladders of opportunity to help people get to the middle class through the construction trades. That's really why you do it.” – Sean McGarvey ℘℘℘ This year’s Hall of Fame honorees reflect the length and breadth of the Irish-American experience. They show us the extraordinary impact that the Irish have had in every aspect of American life – the … [Read more...] about First Word: Dreamers
Hall of Fame 2020
By Irish America Staff
℘℘℘ The 2020 Irish America Hall of Fame dinner and inductions will be held in New York City on March 12, 2020, and we are excited to celebrate and honor eight outstanding Irish American leaders and the contributions they have made in public service, the trades, business, education, and entertainment. “This year’s honorees are a wonderful mix of artists, a labor leader, an … [Read more...] about Hall of Fame 2020
Irish Power, U.S. Politics U.S. Rep. Richie Neal Talks to Niall O’Dowd
Richie Neal’s extraordinary journey from a working-class neighborhood in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C., and one of the most powerful jobs in American politics as the chairman of the Ways & Means Committee. ℘℘℘ On November 7, 1960, Mary Garvey Neal, who had roots in Ventry, County Kerry, took her son to the Springfield, Massachusetts, town hall. It was very … [Read more...] about Irish Power, U.S. Politics U.S. Rep. Richie Neal Talks to Niall O’Dowd
First Word: A True Friend of Ireland
By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
May / June 2019
My first home in America was in the Bronx, a basement apartment on Briggs Avenue off Fordham Road. It was a happy time. We were a revelry of young Irish immigrants caught up in the glorious freedom of having shed parents and small towns and farms for apartments and subway trains that we took down into the city to work as waitresses and bartenders. At the end of the day we’d … [Read more...] about First Word: A True Friend of Ireland