Irish America

Irish America

Rosemary Rogers

The Lady From Chicago & The Pound Note

By Rosemary Rogers

Fall 2022

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Her likeness appears on a banknote and in portraits by famous artists. Who was Lady Lavery Women rarely have their faces on currency. Except, of course, for the recently departed Queen Elizabeth II who was on the currency of Great Britain and her colonies for over 70 years and, until recently, showed no sign of retiring or expiring.  In 1928, Ireland, too, cast a woman on … [Read more...] about The Lady From Chicago & The Pound Note

Constance Smith: A Hollywood Tragedy

By Rosemary Rogers

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“Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.”   Maybe she had too many gifts:  she was a great beauty with a quick intellect; she could act, sing and, with little effort, was “discovered” and groomed for Hollywood stardom. In the early 1950s, she was a newcomer at 20th Century Fox, deemed so promising, she landed a plum showcase –  a presenter at the 1952 … [Read more...] about Constance Smith: A Hollywood Tragedy

Rockaway 1953: The Irish Riviera

Rosemary Rogers
October 2, 2021 Newsletter

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The image above was taken at Rockaway Beach on 115th Street, what was then the heart of the Irish Riviera. Irish immigrants flocked to Rockaway for a day at the beach, followed by Playland and an evening on the boardwalk. Lucky Irish families came here to spend their summer vacations, staying in boarding houses, usually in one room sharing a communal kitchen, bathroom and … [Read more...] about Rockaway 1953: The Irish Riviera

The Agitator: Leonora O’Reilly

By Rosemary Rogers

Summer 2021

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“You men say to us: ‘Your place is in the home,’ yet as children we must come out of the home at 11, at 13, and at 15 years of age to earn a living. We have got to make good or starve.” The charismatic and powerful public speaker who pushed for equal pay for equal work, better labor standards, and overall empowerment for women is profiled by Rosemary Rogers. Leonora … [Read more...] about The Agitator: Leonora O’Reilly

Lady Augusta Gregory

By Rosemary Rogers

December/ January 2021

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"The Greatest Living Irishwoman" – George Bernard Shaw Writer, playwright, folklorist, and co-founder of The Abbey Theatre, Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory, née Isabella Augusta Persse, (born March 15, 1852, Roxborough, County Galway, Ireland – died May 22, 1932, Coole, did much to preserve Ireland’s forgotten history. Toward the end of the 19th Century, Queen … [Read more...] about Lady Augusta Gregory