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World War I

Weekly Comment: The Sinking of the Lusitania

By Julia Brodsky, Editorial Assistant
May 7, 2016

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May 7 marks the  anniversary of the sinking of the R.M.S. Lusitania, the Liverpool-built passenger ship whose destruction sparked the United States’ decision to enter World War I in 1917. Just after two o’clock in the afternoon on May 7th, 1915, the luxury liner, heading from New York to Liverpool, was torpedoed by German U-boat 20, and then suffered a second, still … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment: The Sinking of the Lusitania

Gallipoli Remembered

By Irish America Staff
June / July 2015

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Consul General Barbara Jones laid a traditional Irish green laurel wreath to commemorate the more than 3,000 Irish serving with Allied forces who lost their lives during the WWI Gallipoli campaign. The Anzac Day dawn service, on the centenary of the Allied landing at Gallipoli on April 25, was held at the Vietnam War Memorial on Water Street in lower Manhattan. Anzac Day, a … [Read more...] about Gallipoli Remembered

Jersey Boys:
Irish American Soldiers in World War I

By Megan Smolenyak, Contributor
April / May 2015

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America entered World War One on April 6th, 1917, and many Irish and Irish-Americans saw it as their duty to enlist. Megan Smolenyak looks at the great state of New Jersey and profiles several of those soldiers, including her grandfather, who heard the call of duty. He was Pop-Pop to me, and I remembered him as the gentle, older fellow who would give me a penny for gum when … [Read more...] about Jersey Boys:
Irish American Soldiers in World War I

War Numbers: Counting the Irish-born Dead in WWI

By Megan Smolenyak, Contributor
April / May 2015

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Megan Smolenyak delves into the archives and reaches the conclusion that many more Irish-born soldiers were killed in the U.S. Armed Forces in WWI than previous calculations have shown. As a New Jersey resident with Jersey City Irish roots, I am constantly on the lookout for resources that can assist with Garden State genealogy, so was delighted when I first stumbled … [Read more...] about War Numbers: Counting the Irish-born Dead in WWI

World War I Centenary
Commemoration in Belgium

By Matthew Skwiat, Contributing Editor
October / November 2014

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July 28 marked the one hundred year anniversary of outbreak of the Great War, and commemorations echoed around the world. Representatives from 70 countries, including Ireland, flocked to Liege and Mons in Belgium to take part in a day of remembrance. Irish President Michael D. Higgins was on hand to attend the many ceremonies and offer a few words of remembrance. Speaking to … [Read more...] about World War I Centenary
Commemoration in Belgium