Floating Museum Shows Irish-Americans What Ancestors Encountered. In 1848 it would cost you $5.50 to cross the Atlantic from Ireland on the sailing ship Jeanie Johnston. That fare represented half a year's wages for an Irish laborer hoping to start a new life in America. Today, for $7.00 you can buy a ticket to visit the Jeanie Johnston replica, a floating museum, while it … [Read more...] about Jeanie Johnston Makes Her Way Up The East Coast
Today in History
Saying Goodbye
It's easier to accept loss if you get to say goodbye. It doesn't make it any less painful or tragic, but it's the finality that's missing for so many who were impacted by the events of September 11th. ℘℘℘ We caught 130 pounds of lobster this morning. The tide was high and the ocean was as smooth as glass. Seals poked up out of the water and cormorants dried their wings standing … [Read more...] about Saying Goodbye
August 11, 2003
American, Canadian and Irish engineers are successful in their combined efforts to fly the first transatlantic model plane. The plane, named the "Spirit of Butts Farm" after its testing site, landed on August 11, 2003 in Galway, 38 hours after it took off from Canada. The small wood and mylar plane flew a total of 1,888 miles using satellite navigation and an autopilot system. … [Read more...] about August 11, 2003
The Irish Brigade
Lest we forget: Civil War reenactors provide a living history. As Ron McGovern, wearing his Civil War captain's uniform replete with brass buttons and sword, sat in a pew at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in New York's Little Italy a few years ago, he couldn't help feeling "a little time transport." The church organist pumped Mozart's Requiem into a space filled with members of … [Read more...] about The Irish Brigade
June 12, 2003
Legendary actor and Oscar winner Gregory Peck died on this day in 2003. Peck, who's grandmother Catherine Ashe came from Dingle, studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and debuted in his first Broadway show The Morning Star after graduation. His role in The Keys of the Kingdom in 1944 won him an Academy Award nomination. He became well known for his rugged screen … [Read more...] about June 12, 2003