By Irish Echo Staff letters@irishecho.com The Irish American community in New Orleans is rallying to the aid of Brian Hanrahan, the Limerick-based Garda who was shot and seriously wounded in a mugging in the city early Tuesday. Garda Hanrahan is recovering from his wounds in hospital and has been visited […]

Between the Lines / By Peter McDermott President de Gaulle on a visit to West Germany in May 1962. [GERMAN FEDERAL ARCHIVES] A lot of newsprint was used to convey analysis in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, but one of the best pieces, for me, didn’t require any, because it was published by […]

You can never talk enough about New York or hear enough about it. So, no surprise, there’s a new radio show broadcasting weekly from this week and it’s all about New York. Ah, but through an Irish lens. The new morning show on WBAI, 99.5 FM kicks off Wednesday, January 7 and is entitled “New […]

By Ray O’Hanlon rohanlon@irishercho.com It opened doors but also closed them. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 was passed by Congress and signed into law fifty years ago this year. And a consequence, though arguably unintended, was that the story of the Irish coming to America would go into a grinding reverse. Half a […]

Dr. Desmond O’Neill, of Trinity College Dublin, was presented with the Joseph T. Freeman Award at the 67th annual scientific meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, held in Washington D.C in November. The presentation was made on behalf of GSA by Dr. Marilyn R. Gugliucci, director for Geriatrics Education and Research at the University […]

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli followed up his triumphant Nov. 4 electoral performance with the most intensive visit yet by a state comptroller to Belfast. In the city, the comptroller met with community leaders from the unionist and nationalist communities and was briefed on the progress of early-stage companies which benefited from his $15 […]

(Gregory Harrington photo from Daniel D’Ottavio) By Áine Ní Shionnaigh Despite being tightly huddled inside a grey hoodie, Gregory Harrington still retains an air of elegance on a damp and dreary pre-Thanksgiving morning when we meet for coffee on the Upper West Side. As he displays apprehension about the impending snow, I chastise him for becoming […]

Today we stand together. Family members and close friends, each with deep personal feelings and memories of Liam Ryan, stand alongside others too young to have known him. All of us can feel anger at his murder. Surely, it is murder when the vaunted British crown forces arrange killings by loyalist proxies and paid agents. […]

By Joe Biden My grandfather Ambrose Finnegan always told me, “Never forget where you came from, Joey.” He wasn’t merely reminding me that I’m from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was telling me not to forget the journey of my family, and the dreams that inspired them to take on the perilous voyage from Ireland to these […]

This column was published in the Oct. 22, 2014, issue of the Irish Echo. By Maura Mulligan Recently I was invited to read at the Hudson Valley Irish Fest in Peekskill.  One of two guest authors, I was honored to be in the line-up with Ray O’ Hanlon author of The South Lawn Plot and […]

This column was published in the Oct. 29, 2014 issue of the Irish Echo.   By Maura Mulligan The moment I sat at the table my chair shattered. All four legs and the stretchers connecting them flew in different directions. A little spooked, but unhurt, I took a friend’s hand, lifted myself off the floor […]

Page Turner / Edited by Peter McDermott Damian Shiels, the keynote speaker at the 2014 Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Event, will present “Patrick Cleburne at the Battle of Franklin” at the Factory in Franklin, on Friday, Nov. 14 at 10:45 a.m. Robert E. Lee described him as “A meteor shining from a clouded sky” and […]

By Áine Ní Shionnaigh Driving across the iconic George Washington Bridge on Saturday evening last, leaving the twinkling lights of Manhattan behind, the panoramic Palisades peer back at me through the darkness, and hesitatingly welcoming me to North Jersey. My usual vision of the broad expanse of the historic Hudson River is limited somewhat by driving […]

Michael Connelly’s novels have sold 59 million copies worldwide.  “The Burning Room” is the 17th Harry Bosch book, the latest in the “finest crime series written by an American,” according to the Washington Post. [Click on picture for larger image.] By Peter McDermott Best-selling crime writer Michael Connelly has been treated well by Hollywood over […]

Same Cloth Or Not by Lisa O'Neill 11/01/14 – New York, NY – Irish Arts Center 11/03/14 – New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 11/05/14 – Philadelphia, PA – The Tin Angel 11/07/14 – Chicago, IL – Hideout

by Áine Ní Shionnaigh Growing up in a small town of less than 2000 in the West of Ireland, my exposure to emergency services was limited.  However, the house I grew up in was located directly across from the local firehouse, or as we called it in Ireland, the fire station.  A few times a week, an […]

“Double Agent” author Peter Duffy. PHOTO BY RAN GRAFF Article published in the Oct. 8, 2014, issue of the Irish Echo [Click on images for larger view]. By Peter McDermott pmcdermott@irishecho.com When the “SS Washington” docked at Pier 59 in New York on Feb. 8, 1940, the representatives of the press were waiting, as was […]

John O’Shea celebrates equalizing for Ireland against Germany. INPHO/DONALL FARMER By Irish Echo Staff The Republic of Ireland pulled out a remarkable 1-1 draw against Germany Tuesday night to take away a point from their European Championship Group D qualifying game in Gelsenkirchen. Defender John O’Shea, playing in his 100th cap, got his foot to […]

    As the Golden Bridges conference gets underway in Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh has extended a hearty céad míle fáilte to delegates arriving from northwest Ireland and Belfast to forge new  partnerships with leaders of Irish America. In a statement welcoming the sixth annual conference to Boston, he said: “I am thrilled to welcome […]

Documentary Review / By Peter McDermott  Filmmaker Mary Fishman with JoAnn Persch RSM, center, and Pat Murphy RSM. [Click on photos for larger image.] PHOTO: CHRISTIAN MOLIDOR RSM Margaret Brennan remembers back in the 1950s that her mother and father drove her down on her first day as a novice with the Immaculate Heart of […]

Music Notes / By Colleen Taylor The Screaming Orphans Interested in free Irish music? If so, you’re in luck this autumn. Throughout September and October, Smithwick’s Ale sponsors a number of free Irish music performances throughout North America featuring some of Ireland and Irish-America’s best acts. New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia will […]

         By Matthew Jude Barker letters@irishecho.com If you meander your way down historic State Street approaching Portland’s working waterfront, you will come across a beautiful old, redbrick church building, now the Maine Irish Heritage Center. On Monday nights you can hear the haunting wails of a practicing Irish bagpiper. It would be […]

Between the Lines / By Peter McDermott Published in the Irish Echo, Sept. 3, 2014 A granduncle of mine, a Reynolds from Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, volunteered to fight in the Great War. He subsequently spent much of his life institutionalized, in what might have been referred as a lunatic asylum. My great-grandmother from West Clare […]

The Beatles in 1964. [LIBRARY OF CONGRESS] A remembrance by Frances Scanlon, published in the Irish Echo, Aug. 27, 2014 Aug. 29:  just another date in time; maybe, maybe not. A quick glance at any “This Day in History” listing for Aug. 29, 1964 will invariably note the presence of the Beatles on tour in […]

Published in the Aug. 20, 2014, issue of the Irish Echo The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company’s HQ in Rondout (click on image for larger view).   By Peter McDermott pmcdermott@irishecho.com “It’s on almost hallowed ground,” so said writer Ed McCann. “The laborers walked up the hill there to get their wages.” He was referring […]

By Ray O’Hanlon rohanlon@irishecho.com The announcement that a gay marching group comprised of NBC employees will be allowed to march in the 2015 New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been welcomed by the Irish gay group Irish Queers. But only to a degree. The group, which has mounted a protest on Fifth Avenue during […]

    Cardinal Timothy Dolan By Ray O’Hanlon letters@irishecho.com Cardinal Timothy Dolan will lead the 2015 New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade and for the first time since 1991 the parade will include a gay marching contingent, though this time with the approval of the parade organizing committee. In a statement released in advance of Cardinal […]

        By Ray O’Hanlon rohanlon@irishecho.com It’s the news that her legions of fans around the world have been waiting for. Actress Maureen O’Hara is to be recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with a life time achievement Oscar. Admirers of the Dublin-born O’Hara, who is currently living in […]

Find the PDF version here: Irish Echo August 20, 2014 page 9   By Evan Short It’s a little known fact but Kansas City, Missouri, is a city with a huge Irish American heritage and a staggering 250,000 people living within its confines tracing a history back to the old country. So it’s no wonder then […]

By Frank Brady Galway 3-18 Long Island Gaels 2-15 As it is 25 years since their last triumph, the Galway hurling club in New York will be enjoying this particular win for many weeks to come after a splendid performance that saw them end that long wait in style in Gaelic Park on Sunday. The […]

Stephen Boland, works for UPS; originally from Longford, supports Liverpool We’ll miss Suarez. How can you not miss Suarez? But I don’t think he would had as brilliant a season at Liverpool this year as last. And the team have shown they can win without him. I think that Sterling will pick up a lot […]

Olivia Barry has graduated with a master’s degree in professional studies specializing in branding at the School of Visual Arts.   By Peter McDermott Catherine Hamilton arrived in New York via an ocean liner and saw the World’s Fair of 1939. Actually, the West Cork woman really came to visit two daughters who were Dominican […]

Darragh McKeon. PHOTO: ANA SCHECTER          Page Turner / Edited by Peter McDermott In a run-down Moscow apartment block, a 9-year-old piano prodigy practices silently to avoid disturbing the neighbors. In a factory, his aunt makes car parts, hiding her dissident past. In the hospital, a talented surgeon buries himself in his work. And in […]

 Eileen McKenna and Caoimhe Mohan, celebrating a win in Ireland in 2013, were among Kerry/Donegal’s key stars in the cup victory at Gaelic Park at the weekend. [Click on picture for larger image.] INPHO/LORRAINE O’SULLIVAN NYGAA By Frank Brady Kerry/ Donegal 2-13 Na Fianna 1-11 There were scenes of great jubilation at the final whistle […]

        July 30, 2014 By Máirtín Ó Muilleoir Maine Irish prove that blood is thicker than water with DNA research A pioneering Irish American Maine group is encouraging its members to turn the other cheek in order to explore their Irish roots. For in one of Irish America’s most ambitious heritage projects, mouth […]

          By Áine Ní Shionnaigh link to page 6 here On Thursday last I attended a special screening of Calvary as part of the Tribeca Film Festival www.tribecafilmfestival.com in conjunction with Craicfest www.thecraicfest.com It is important to clarify what the movie is not about: it’s not about the Catholic Church, it’s not about child […]

Published in the May 29-June 4, 2014, issue of the Irish Echo Between the Lines / By Peter McDermott There is a type in public life that sounds like a preternaturally clever 17-year-old. It’s part of MIT Prof. Noam Chomsky’s peculiar charm, for instance, that even in his 80s, he’s still the adolescent challenging his […]

Interview by Karen Butler [PHOTO: FOX SEARCHLIGHT] Ireland’s Brendan Gleeson still has a special place in his heart for Gerry Boyle, the debauched cop he played in writer-director John Michael McDonagh’s celebrated comedy “The Guard” three years ago. Gleeson’s affection for Gerry was evident when he talked to the Irish Echo by phone recently about […]

By Mairtin O’Muilleoir momuilleoir@irishecho.com A bumper fundraising year for the Irish American Partnership has enabled the Boston-headquartered non-profit to ramp up its support for educational projects in Ireland. “I am pleased that 77 grants have been awarded since September 2013,” Executive Director Mary Sugrue McAleer told the Irish Echo. “Today, we are reaching more schools, […]

by Áine Ní Shionnaigh July 23 page 6 & 7 I like to think that West of Irelanders possess a unique determination and spirit, however, none more so than Lord Jeremy Browne Altamont of Westport House whose passing is deeply mourned this week. Thanks to his unique foresight, Lord Altamont leaves behind an enduring legacy for […]

Siobhan Lyons has been executive director of the Irish Immigration Center for five years.   By Peter McDermott Siobhan Lyons has a problem. It’s one, though, that is testament to her success as executive director of the Irish Immigration Center of Philadelphia. “We are working beyond our capacity,” said the Dubliner, who is marking five […]

By Edward McCann Frank McCourt peering out from the front door of Leamy’s School on a visit to Limerick City in the summer of 1997. PHOTOCALL My hero Frank McCourt died five years ago this week, an event that prompted sorrow mixed with the guilty suspicion that I wasn’t really entitled to any. We were […]

    By Áine Ní Shionnaigh This week marks the 15th anniversary of the tragic death of John F. Kennedy Junior, only son of President John F. Kennedy. JFK Jr. perished when the light aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Also on board the flight to Martha’s Vineyard was his wife and […]

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John P. Cahill, second from right, at a campaign event in Greene County, N.Y. By Peter McDermott When John P. Cahill says he’s hopeful that it will be a good day on Nov. 4, he’s not referring to the weather. “We plan to surprise a lot of people,” said the Republican candidate for attorney general […]

by Áine Ní Shionnaigh Growing up in the West of Ireland, my exposure to the Fourth of July was limited to two iconic movies. As a young child, I remember watching the black and white grainy version of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” where the main star, George M. Cohan, was born on the Fourth of July, a […]

Máirtín Ó Muilleoir in Portland, Ore., during a year that involved the most frenetic engagement ever with America by a Belfast First Citizen. DONAL MCCANN PHOTOGRAPHY (The photographer followed the lord mayor for his year in office. To view the images, go to:  http://www.donalmccann.com/BelfastLordMayor.html.) By Máirtín Ó Muilleoir For a people whose finest hour was […]

    Sgt Cory Remsburg and Aine at iHope by Áine Ní Shionnaigh Patrick Donohue is a prominent Irish American lawyer who left his career as a lawyer to change the world for his daughter Sarah Jane, my daughter Grace Anne and countless others in the US and worldwide who have suffered a brain injury. Patrick is the […]

  Funeral services for labor leader John “Jack” Ahern will be held Friday through Sunday, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at Fairchild Sons Funeral Home, 1201 Franklin Avenue, Garden City, 11503, (516)746-0585.http://www.fairchildfuneral.com/contact-and-directions A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, June 23 at 9:45 a.m. at St. Brigid’s Church, 75 Post Avenue, Westbury, […]

by Áine Ní Shionnaigh Last week, I referred to a piece of prose “Welcome to Holland”, which employs a metaphor of excitement for a vacation to Italy that becomes a disappointment when the plane lands instead in Holland. “Holland?!?”you say. “What do you mean Holland ?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in […]