The history of medicine spans millennia – from before the invention in 5th century Greece of the Hippocratic oath, which doctors still take to this day, to the life-changing breakthroughs of the 21st century. The following pages share the stories of some of the most important, illustrious and idiosyncratic Irish and Irish Americans in the history of medicine, from the inventor … [Read more...] about The Irish of Medical History
The Irish in America
Mary Lavin’s American Roots
In the male-dominated field of Irish writers, Mary Lavin was a pioneer. Daphne Wolf examines Lavin’s American roots and the influence they may have had on her work and spirit. Cleaning out old books from my parents’ house, I salvaged a yellowed paperback titled Irish Short Stories and Tales (with a price tag of 35¢). Inside were stories by James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, … [Read more...] about Mary Lavin’s American Roots
Joe Biden’s Irish Roots
By Megan Smolenyak, Contributor
IA News April 12, 2023
IA News April 12, 2023
It’s well known that President Joe Biden spent his early years in the very Irish city of Scranton, Pennsylvania. But what about his ancestors? Genealogist Megan Smolenyak, who also traced President Obama’s Irish roots, has delved into the President’s family tree and unearthed a few surprises. How can you not love a name like Finnegan Biden? I find it charming when family names … [Read more...] about Joe Biden’s Irish Roots
The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick
The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, or The Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland, was founded in Philadelphia on March 17, 1771 and continues on as a benevolent society today. Tom Deignan looks at the history and ongoing tradition of one of the best-known Irish-American organizations in the U.S. today. At the end of 2012, St. Rose … [Read more...] about The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick
Irish in the Heartland:
St. Patrick, Missouri
Irish Place Names: St. Patrick, MO
In the northeast corner of Missouri, 150 miles north of St. Louis and three miles west of the intersection of Highway 61 and State Route Z, an oak grove marks the turnoff to St. Patrick, a small unincorporated community with a rich Hibernian back-story. There, a stonework Irish round tower interrupts an otherwise verdant horizon. It belongs … [Read more...] about Irish in the Heartland:
St. Patrick, Missouri