Geoffrey Cobb writes about Thomas Crawford, who sculpted the figure of Liberty and Freedom on top of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. People around the world recognize the massive, iconic statue of freedom majestically standing atop our nation’s capitol building in Washington, D.C., yet few people know that a New York Irish American, Thomas Crawford, created it. Crawford … [Read more...] about The Forgotten Irish American Artist of the Capitol Building
History Archives
Window on the Past:
The Georgia Healys
In antebellum Georgia, the Healy children, born legal slaves to an Irish immigrant father and his black common-law wife, had to be smuggled out of the state to avoid being sold into slavery. Several would go on to become some of the first mixed-race high-ranking members of the Catholic Church.Nineteenth century Georgia saw a remarkable phenomenon called the Healy family. The … [Read more...] about Window on the Past:
The Georgia Healys
Weekly Comment: The Great Tate Caper
By Aidan Lonergan
April 14, 2017
April 14, 2017
On April 12, 1956, two young Irish men walked into the Tate Gallery in London with one brazen objective in mind – to seize an £8 million impressionist masterpiece in the name of their country.Dubliner Paul Hogan and his mate Billy Fogarty from Galway believed that the painting, Berthe Morisot’s Jour d’Été, was the property of Ireland and had been unjustly obtained by the … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment: The Great Tate Caper
Jimmy McAleer’s Opening Day Legacy
The Irish American baseball legend who introduced the concept of the opening day pitch by the President of the United States.James Robert, “Jimmy,” McAleer, the youngest of eight children, was born in Ohio on July 10, 1864. He gained fame and notoriety for being a player, manager, and stockholder in Major League Baseball who assisted in establishing the American League. Apart … [Read more...] about Jimmy McAleer’s Opening Day Legacy
Window on the Past: Victoria
& the Battering Ram (Photos)
Sean Sexton’s photographic archive, considered the finest privately-held collection of Irish photographs in the world, provide a poignant photo-history of evictions in the final decades of the 19th century. These images created a wave of sympathy for Irish tenants and embarrassed the British government into making legislative changes. In 1900, Queen Victoria visited Ireland for … [Read more...] about Window on the Past: Victoria
& the Battering Ram (Photos)