Irish America

Irish America

The Last Word

The Last Word: The Father of Irish Studies

By Tim Pat Coogan
June / July 2014

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Tim Pat Coogan recalls Eoin McKiernan, who for many years wrote the “Last Word” column for this magazine and was a pioneer in the field of Irish Studies. The founder of the Irish American Cultural Institute and the Irish Way Program, McKiernan is now the subject of a new biography, Irish America Reawakening: The Eoin McKiernan Story, written by his daughter Deirdre. Eoin … [Read more...] about The Last Word: The Father of Irish Studies

The Last Word: Irish-American Adoptions

By Dr. Valerie O’Brien and Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao
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Is it time to have a gathering? Philomena shines a light on an aspect of Irish in need of urgent attention. The movie Philomena, based on Philomena Lee’s real-life search for her son who was adopted by an American family, highlights the issue of the many clandestine adoptions of Irish children by U.S. families, and the complicity of religious orders and government and … [Read more...] about The Last Word: Irish-American Adoptions

The Last Word: Love Thy Neighbor

By Father Dan Dorsey, Contributor
June / July 2013

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A couple of years ago, in my capacity as President of the Glenmary Missioners, I was visiting one of our priests in south Georgia. It was February, cold and gloomy, and we had spent an entire day driving around three counties. As we drove, Fr. Vick pointed out the different trailer parks — each one more rundown and dilapidated than the other. He noted the individual trailers … [Read more...] about The Last Word: Love Thy Neighbor

The Last Word: A Handshake on the Road to Reconciliation

By Martin McGuinness. Deputy First Minister, Northern Ireland
August / September 2012

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The day after his groundbreaking handshake with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness delivered the following speech (which has been condensed for publication) at a Sinn Féin event in Westminster. Though he describes the handshake as political, highly significant and very symbolic, McGuinness doesn’t believe that the journey to … [Read more...] about The Last Word: A Handshake on the Road to Reconciliation

The Last Word: Stand With the Sisters

By Mary Pat Kelly, Contributor
June / July 2012

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Mary Pat Kelly looks at the Vatican’s latest censorship move to silence American nuns. I am shocked and heartsick at the Vatican’s action to censor the nuns. I know a lot of nuns, I was one myself for six years. Nuns are the wise women of our tribe. We cannot let the Vatican throw them under the bus. I wrote about a visit to the Mother-house of my order, the Sisters of … [Read more...] about The Last Word: Stand With the Sisters