New York City police officer and detective Mary Agnes Shanley (1896-1989) was the first policewoman to use a gun in an arrest. She made over 1,000 collars in her career and, at just 160 pounds, had the strength to subdue an adult male. Born in 1896, Mary Shanley and family left the poverty of Ireland for the mean streets of Manhattan. Growing up it seemed to her that it was … [Read more...] about “Sure Shot Mary”
Wild Irish Women
Wild Irish Women: Dancer in a Rough Field
The extraordinary life of Kathleen Kearney Behan, 1889 – 1984. History has cast Kathleen Behan in supporting roles, reducing her to the “sister of” or “mother of” someone important. But she deserves so much more – Kathleen was a political powerhouse, raconteur, and gifted singer who, in the course of her long and often tragic life, managed to have a bit of fun along the … [Read more...] about Wild Irish Women: Dancer in a Rough Field
Witch or Healer? Biddy Early (1798 – 1872)
Healer, Herbalist, Clairvoyant… or Witch? Biddy Early was a true “alpha female” writes Rosemary Rogers in her latest exploration of “Wild Irish Women.” ℘℘℘ For as long as anyone can remember, herbal medicine offered a cure for the sick and a wellness regime for the healthy. Herbalists seek remedies in nature to create medicines from herbs, plants, seeds, berries, bark, … [Read more...] about Witch or Healer? Biddy Early (1798 – 1872)
Margaret Higgins Sanger Founder of Planned Parenthood
Continuing her series on Wild Irish Women, Rosemary Rogers profiles Margaret Sanger, who devoted her life to legalizing birth control, and with the help of her sister Ethel, opened the first birth control clinic in the U.S. On October 16, 1916, Margaret Sanger opened the doors to a Brooklyn storefront and Planned Parenthood began. The centennial will be celebrated with … [Read more...] about Margaret Higgins Sanger Founder of Planned Parenthood
Eliza Lynch: The Uncrowned
Queen of Paraguay
The Cork-born beauty who was the mistress of Francisco Solano López, president of Paraguay, and is today revered in Paraguay as a national heroine.
Ireland’s Potato Famine forced 10-year-old Eliza from her native Cork to France, then to Algeria where she endured a bad but brief marriage to a French doctor whom she later dismissed as “a minor beast.” She left her husband for … [Read more...] about Eliza Lynch: The Uncrowned
Queen of Paraguay