The First Word, by Patricia Harty. “Cuimhnígí ar na daoine ar tháinig sibh.” (Remember the people from whom you came.) – Irish America Hall of Fame motto It’s that time of year when everyone is a little bit Irish, and a good time to reflect on the very special relationship between Ireland and Irish America. I remember as a young immigrant how wonderful it was to discover … [Read more...] about The First Word: The Emigrants’ Flame
The First Word
The First Word: Finding the Way
“First determine that the thing can and shall be done and then we shall find the way. – Abraham Lincoln As we go to press, we learn that Lincoln received 12 Oscar nominations – more than any other film this year. It’s timely then, that we feature Daniel Day-Lewis on our cover. Day-Lewis is an incredible actor who first came to prominence in a triumph-over-adversity movie … [Read more...] about The First Word: Finding the Way
The First Word: Share the Extraordinary
“They are extraordinary. It boggles my mind that there are still good people like that in the world.” – Jim O’Connor said of the Mormon missionaries who showed up in the Rockaways after Hurricane Sandy and are still helping with the clean-up. The Daily News. As we head into the holiday season and look forward to celebrating with family and friends, we are reminded of all the … [Read more...] about The First Word: Share the Extraordinary
The First Word: The Irish World
“I’ve lived almost half my life outside of Ireland but I am definitely Irish in terms of the teams I support, the sports I watch, what newspaper and websites I read first.” – Adrian Jones Early September mornings in New York take on that European feel. A breeze in from the river – no humidity. Everything clean from the overnight thunderstorm. Heading down the bike lane on … [Read more...] about The First Word: The Irish World
The First Word: Hunger and Silence
“People think [the Irish] are such great talkers, but there is so much silence in Ireland about certain issues.” – Fionnula Flanagan The image of Michael Fassbender on our cover is very different to how he was seen in Hunger, the 2008 movie in which he played Bobby Sands, leader of the 1981 hunger strike in Northern Ireland. Fassbender, a Kerry native whose mother is from … [Read more...] about The First Word: Hunger and Silence