Peter McDermott

Peter McDermott joined the Irish Echo’s full-time editorial staff in 2004. Before that he was a frequent contributor to the Echo and to Newsday, and he has written also for a variety of publications in Ireland, including the Irish Times, the Sunday Press and the Irish Examiner. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from University College Dublin.

Latest Stories

How the Irish became American How the Irish became American
Matthew Jude Barker has been familiar with the past for a long time now. “I started tracing my family history in 1981, at age 8,” said the genealog...
January 08, 2026 by Peter McDermott
Fishermen die, kingpins walk Fishermen die, kingpins walk
Liz Oyer has a great job title on her resume: the pardon attorney. She was appointed to that position in 2022 and her U.S. Justice Department bio r...
December 30, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Islander artist Islander artist
Don’t call it a retrospective. Yes, the title of the exhibition that will run at the Noble Maritime Collection through Jan. 18 is “Bill Murphy: Wat...
December 11, 2025 by Peter McDermott
2021 race showed what ranked-choice voting can do
Opinion
2021 race showed what ranked-choice voting can do
“Ranked Choice Voting gives a strong voice to all voters in our elections, and ensures candidates with the broadest support get to govern.” So says...
December 05, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Is it real or is it magic talking? Is it real or is it magic talking?
In the “Acknowledgements” section of her latest book, Lucy McDiarmid reveals she loved showing her students “what a social occasion a poetry readin...
December 03, 2025 by Peter McDermott
'Ever surprising, compelling' stories from Chicago 'Ever surprising, compelling' stories from Chicago
Margaret never took to being called “Marge,” hating, she says, “Americans’ lazy habit of ‘nicknames.’” Nor did she much like her U.S.-born husband’...
November 20, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Through history's lens Through history's lens
Richard Drew of the Pasadena Star-News was the youngest and least experienced of the four working photographers present when Robert Kennedy was sho...
November 19, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Recalling a 'strong connection' Recalling a 'strong connection'
Paul Muldoon was driving along a Manhattan street one Saturday morning years ago when a yellow cab pulled out in front of him. “Very abruptly, the ...
November 13, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Presidential views Presidential views
For Dr. Janet L. Walsh, attention to detail is key. She learned that during the earliest days of her career, for instance at a loading dock in her ...
October 30, 2025 by Peter McDermott
A passion for history A passion for history
Dr. Elizabeth Stack is reading, writing and researching. She’s teaching again, too, having been appointed as remote, part-time education director o...
October 17, 2025 by Peter McDermott
A nation mourns its heroes A nation mourns its heroes
On an autumn Monday evening in 1978, the Zambian soccer national team were awed by a display of technical brilliance from one of the greatest legen...
October 08, 2025 by Peter McDermott
Prelates criticized over post-assassination comments Prelates criticized over post-assassination comments
“God help us, if the United States stopped existing, because everything stops existing eventually, my church would not. But what frightens me about...
October 01, 2025 by Peter McDermott



 



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