My father Cyril DeFever grew up on a dairy farm near Detroit, Michigan. His parents had immigrated to the U.S. from Belgium. My mother, Marie Clancy, the daughter of an insurance man, was Irish. Her grandfather grew up on Turbot Island off Connemara. Her uncle Robert Clancy was a U.S. senator. Dad boxed as a young man (Joe Louis’s manager wanted to manage him). He won the … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Dad and JFK
History Archives
Weekly Comment: How the Irish Saved the Pilgrims and Started Thanksgiving
By John Cusack
November 22, 2017
November 22, 2017
In 1621, the pilgrims, just arrived in the New World, had no idea how wild their new frontier could be. Winter arrived and with it came starvation, death, and the idea that maybe it was time to give up and go back to Europe where the strict confines of politics were easier to deal with than the utter randomness of Mother Nature. The real story of what happened next is all but … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment: How the Irish Saved the Pilgrims and Started Thanksgiving
Micheline’s March
This September, Micheline Sheehy-Skeffington, the granddaughter of Irish patriot Francis Sheehy-Skeffington (who was executed without trial by a British firing squad during the Easter Rising) and his wife Hanna, arrived in New York City on board the Queen Mary II. She is embarking on a 12-week tour of the United States, following in her grandmother’s footsteps when she escaped … [Read more...] about Micheline’s March
Green Hills, White Houses
The 200-Year Relationship Between Irish Builders and America’s CapitalIn September, the James Hoban Societies of the United States and Ireland organized a day-long celebration of the Irish connection to Washington, D.C., from its foundation as federal capital to its position as a world center of diplomacy, culture, and learning. In particular, the event recognized the 200th … [Read more...] about Green Hills, White Houses
Delta 13 Charlie: Reflections of an Irish Soldier in Vietnam
By Michael Coyne, As Told To Wesley Bourke, Editor Of Ireland's Military Story
Michael Coyne is one of many Irish-born soldiers who served in Vietnam. A crewman on a Patton tank, he spent most of his time far from base on patrol in the jungle and rice paddies. My name is Michael Coyne. I was born in Cornamona, Galway, 1945. When I was seven we moved here to Jenkinstown, County Meath, as part of the Land Commission Resettlement program. Our family, … [Read more...] about Delta 13 Charlie: Reflections of an Irish Soldier in Vietnam