Irish America

White House

Presidents & First Ladies of Irish Ancestry

By Carl Sferrazza Anthony

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There's as much of the old sod in the White House as there is on its south lawn. The backgrounds of America's First Families are diverse: Nancy Reagan and Lady Bird Johnson have Spanish forebears; Herbert Hoover was Swiss and Canadian; Mamie Eisenhower was part Swedish while Ike was German; Martin Van Buren and the Roosevelts were Dutch; James Garfield had a royal strain … [Read more...] about Presidents & First Ladies of Irish Ancestry

“Kathy White House”

By Sharon Ní Chonchúir, Contributor

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Were she alive today, the odds are that Kathy Buckley would be as well-known as celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson. Sharon Ní Chonchúir profiles the Irish woman who was head cook for three U.S. presidents. Kathy Buckley was born in Upper William Street in Listowel, Co. Kerry. She was the eldest of seven. Her father worked as a cooper in a workshop at the rear of … [Read more...] about “Kathy White House”

White House Celebrates 45th Anniversary of Moon Landing

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
August / September 2014

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“Forty-five years ago, while the world watched as one, the United States of America set foot on the moon. It was a seminal moment not just in our country’s history, but the history of all humankind,” President Obama said on July 23, as he welcomed the astronauts of Apollo 11 Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins and the late Neil Armstrong ’s wife, Carol, to the White House to mark … [Read more...] about White House Celebrates 45th Anniversary of Moon Landing

White House Names Ambassador to Ireland

By Matthew Skwiat, Contributing Editor
August / September 2014

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The White House announced in June that the long-vacant post of ambassador to Ireland has been filled by Kevin O’Malley, a St. Louis Lawyer and political supporter of President Obama. This comes after the administration was scrutinized for leaving the position vacant for 18 months following the resignation of Dan Rooney in December 2012. O’Malley is a respected trial lawyer and, … [Read more...] about White House Names Ambassador to Ireland

Ireland’s “White House”

By Patricia Tunison Preston, Contributor
February / March 2003

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The hottest ticket in Dublin is no longer to the Abbey Theatre. It's a ticket to tour Áras an Uachtaráin, the sprawling white-pillared residence of the President of Ireland in Phoenix Park. Best of all, tickets are free, but available only on Saturdays on a first-come basis at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre. Hearing the news as I arrived in Ireland last month, I decided it … [Read more...] about Ireland’s “White House”