Nora Barnacle was 20 when she arrived in Dublin and met James Joyce in 1904. She had run away from Galway, her absentee mother, her strict uncles, and her friends, without goodbyes. She began work as a chambermaid in Finn‘s Hotel. Nora and Jim spotted each other on Dublin’s Nassau Street. Noting his nautical cap, canvas shoes and long frame, she thought he must have been a … [Read more...] about Nora Joyce: The Girl from Galway
A Daughter’s Journey to the Land of Her Father
It had been 20 years since my first and only visit to Ireland -- a month-long stay on my grandparents' farm in County Mayo with my mother, father, six siblings, two cousins, and a lot of cows. I was only six at the time, and in my mind Ireland remained a place where I could of play among haystacks twice my size, choose a pretty calf to be my own, buy Cadbury chocolate bars in … [Read more...] about A Daughter’s Journey to the Land of Her Father
Home on the Range with the O’Neills
How two generations of O'Neills left their mark on California's history To the newly arriving immigrants of the mid-19th century, America was a "dream waiting to come true." Depending upon a combination of the industrial skills they possessed, the locales they chose to call home, the energy they exerted in trying to succeed, and simple chance luck, many eventually realized … [Read more...] about Home on the Range with the O’Neills
Caint | Comments on Irish America’s Weekly Digital Issue
Irish Pub and Music Scene Legend Steve Duggan has Passed AwayI was saddened by Steve’s passing, and like I always told him he was responsible for curing more people than any eminent NYC doctor.– Paul Hill What a big void Steve leaves but it’s one filled with cherished memories. He was a generous and sweet man, and he always looked after me and my family. RIP dear Steve, and … [Read more...] about Caint | Comments on Irish America’s Weekly Digital Issue
Hibernia: Those We Lost
Those We Lost Emmett O’Connell (1936-2024) Emmett O’Connell died on September 14, 2024. Named for Irish freedom-fighter Robert Emmet, O’Connell was born to parents from Cork and Sligo, raised in the South Bronx, and lived most of his adult life in Wexford. Having been a champion ice and roller-skater as a teenager, Emmett went on to found several energy and mineral … [Read more...] about Hibernia: Those We Lost