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West Wing

The Star of West Wing
Goes to Tipperary

By Irish America Staff
August / September 2003

August 1, 2003 by Leave a Comment

Martin Sheen with Irish War protestors.

Martin Sheen takes time out from a family reunion in Ireland to meet war protesters. ℘℘℘ Martin Sheen was in Ireland for a family reunion in May. His mother, Mary Ann Phelan, was born in 1903 in Borrisokane, County Tipperary, and Sheen and his brothers Frank, John and Carlos, and his sister Carmen, returned to their mother's home town for a celebratory mass in honor of what … [Read more...] about The Star of West Wing
Goes to Tipperary

Rebel With a Cause

By Irish America Staff
February / March 2003

February 1, 2003 by Leave a Comment

Martin Sheen, backed by fellow actors, discusses letter from Artists Unite to Win Without War that urges President Bush to seek a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis. Sheen, who plays President Josiah Bartlett, occupying a fictional White House in the award-winning television series The West Wing, and is the son of an Irish-born mother and Spanish-born father, has been very … [Read more...] about Rebel With a Cause

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May 10, 1869

The Transcontinental Railroad was completed. The first spikes were driven in 1863 during the Civil War, and over the following 6 year period, over 2,000 miles of track was laid entirely by hand over rugged terrain including the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Central Pacific Company built East from Sacramento, while the Union Pacific built West from Omaha, Nebraska. Both teams tried to beat the other’s record for track laying. The Central Pacific concocted a plan to lay 10 miles in a day. Eight Irish tracklayers put down 3,520 rails, while other workers laid 25,800 ties and drove 28,160 spikes in a single day. On May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah, a golden spike was hammered into the final tie.

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