One of the most recognizable football coaches in America became an anonymous tourist last summer when he took a golf vacation in the land of his ancestors. But things might be different the next time Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan returns to Ireland. When his team won its second-straight Super Bowl on January 31, the coach's face was seen by an estimated 800 million … [Read more...] about Super Bowl Shanahan
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Time Stands Still at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral
You could be forgiven for thinking they had never left. But it was not the world-famous, stately edifice that stands on Fifth Avenue between East 50th and 51 st Streets that was the center of attention. No, it was the far more humble Old St. Patrick's Cathedral, located far downtown at the very unfashionable intersection of Mulberry and Prince Sts., right where what is left of … [Read more...] about Time Stands Still at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers
From Bull Run to Appomattox, the 6th Louisiana's Irish Confederates fought proudly On April 28, 1861, two weeks after Confederate guns had fired the first shots of the Civil War against Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, a notice appeared in the columns of The Daily Picayune, one of New Orleans' leading papers. It was a call to arms aimed at the thousands of Irish immigrants of … [Read more...] about Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers
Footsteps of the Past
The Queenstown StoryTheir names were Peter, Jack, Nora, Maggie, Minnie and Kate, and one by one, the Sullivan children left Bounard, County Kerry, for Boston. They eventually made their way to Newburyport, where my grandmother, Minnie, married a Cork lad named James Barry. In my eyes, the most fascinating souvenir of the journey was my grandmother's trunk, mostly black, but … [Read more...] about Footsteps of the Past
Gerry Adams Up Close & Personal
History will be the ultimate jury, but Sinn Féin leader, Gerry Adams, one of the architects of the lrish peace process, is likely to emerge as one of the key Irish politicians of the 20th century. Unionists see him as a machiavellian schemer, with no commitment to peace and reconciliation with their tradition. The SDLP -- and one suspects the British government -- are also … [Read more...] about Gerry Adams Up Close & Personal