The remarkable Quinn Bradlee has a new memoir that offers a moving account of living with disabilities. How do you make your mark when your parents, Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn, are among the most famous figures in Washington lore and you have been born with a significant disability that makes many basic things in life difficult? You surpass them with a tale so full of … [Read more...] about The Mighty Quinn
The Irish in America
Butte: Montana’s Irish Mining Town
Many of the 1.8 million Irish who emigrated to Canada and the U.S. between 1845 and 1855 found employment in the dangerous but lucrative mines that played a vital role in building American industry. A documentary, Butte, America, shows how over the following decades, the American Industrial Revolution swallowed entire families who lived in mining communities, as the often … [Read more...] about Butte: Montana’s Irish Mining Town
Return to America
How I failed to make Ireland my home: Mary Mulligan's travels to Ireland and back to America Ever since I retired from teaching with the New York City Public Schools, I’ve thought about returning to my native Ireland for the remainder of my life. Through the years, I have enjoyed summer visits, and dance and writing workshops there. I looked at cottages near Galway, ancient … [Read more...] about Return to America
Diamond Jim
The charmed life of James Buchanan Brady, who rose from humble origins to become one of the wealthiest men of his day. There have been many times in my life when a situation develops where I fear I am going to fail. Whenever the odds against me seem insurmountable or I cannot think of a solution, I remind myself of an individual who faced complete ruin after achieving … [Read more...] about Diamond Jim
Touring Irish America
Mary Pat Kelly writes about encountering Irish America readers on her tour to promote her historical novel Galway Bay. If you are reading this, I’ll bet I’ve met you. Since I began the book tour for my novel Galway Bay one year ago, I’ve encountered you, readers of Irish America magazine, in bookstores and Irish cultural centers, in libraries and church halls, in academic … [Read more...] about Touring Irish America