Maureen O'Hara is worth hall of fame status no matter where she makes her home, but if you were thinking two countries before all others they would have to be her native Ireland, and her adopted America.
And so it is that O'Hara's fame is now enshrined in Irish American halls of fame on both sides of the Atlantic - in Chicago and Dunbrody, New Ross, County Wexford to be precise.
O'Hara, who will be 91 on August 17, was formally inducted a few days ago into the Irish America Hall of Fame in Dunbrody. The hall is linked to the recently launched National Centre for Emigration History which in turn features "Dunbrody, An Irish American Story."
The hall of fame part of the center is backed by Irish America Magazine and editor Patricia Harty, speaking at the induction of O'Hara, said it was a particular pleasure to welcome O'Hara into the hall of fame which also includes the likes of President John F. Kennedy, Eugene O'Neill, Northern Ireland peace process champion Bill Flynn, philanthropist Chuck Feeney, and Don Keough of Coca-Cola, whose family roots are in the New Ross area.
Prior to O'Hara's induction, the Dunbrody visitor center was earlier last month opened by Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Dr. Leo Varadkar, and entertainer and Chicago native, Michael Flatley.
The 1500 square meter center is on the quay fronting the River Barrow and next to where the Dunbrody is tied up. It will allow visitors to see and sense what faced America-bound Irish emigrants during the famine-ravaged 1840s.
"Over ten years ago we built a replica of a 19th Century famine ship. From that time over 750,000 people have enjoyed our quayside experience, of emigrants' tales from Ireland to North America in the 1840s.
"We have found from our research a need to develop our project further and reinforce the emotional journey many people took during that important time in our nation's history," said Sean Reidy, chief executive of the Dunbrody Famine Ship.
Meanwhile, 4,000 miles or so to the west of New Ross, Maureen O'Hara's name was recently enshrined in the Windy City's Irish American Hall of Fame, which is located in the Irish American Heritage Center.
Other 2011 inductees for the Chicago hall include the aforementioned Eugene O'Neill, President Kennedy, Senator George Mitchell, Mayor Richard J. Daley, Henry Ford and Jack Dempsey. In all, there were 11 inductees for this year.
The Irish American Hall of Fame was established in 2010 and, in the words of its founding statement, serves "to preserve and promote the stories of the Irish in America and the ongoing links between Ireland and the United States."
The hall was founded by members of the Irish American Heritage Center and operates under the center's auspices.
The 2011 inductees were voted into the hall by "a national body of distinguished individuals representing academia, government and Irish-affiliated organizations from across a wide range of disciplines," according to a release.
Details on the heritage center are available at www.irish-american.org.
