Irish America

Irish America

History Archives

Mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr of Derry and Strabane Makes History

By Mary Pay Kelly
IA Newsletter, June 8, 2024

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“I am proud to be a Maasai woman and a Derry girl,“ Mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr, the first black person to be mayor anywhere in Northern Ireland, told a cheering crowd in the Guildhall on June 3. Colum Eastwood, MP, leader of her party, the SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party), stood with her on what he called “a fantastic night in the City of Civil Rights.” Born in Narok … [Read more...] about

Mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr of Derry and Strabane Makes History

An American Spy in Northern Ireland

IA Newsletter
May 18, 2024

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The wild, true story of a Chicago trucker-turned-spy who infiltrated the Real IRADid you hear the FBI paid to lease a pub on the Irish side of the Northern Ireland border for its amateur spy, trucker Dave Rupert, to make inroads with IRA supporters? The FBI is the United States’ domestic intelligence agency – not the CIA – working with Britain’s domestic intelligence agency – … [Read more...] about An American Spy in Northern Ireland

Return to Ireland

By Mary Pat Kelly
June / July 2010

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The kings of Ireland were not inaugurated in Christian churches as were other European monarchs. The chieftains stood on the high hills that enclosed the tombs of their tribal ancestors during the ceremonial rites that made them king. This image, given to us by Eamonn Kelly, Keeper of Irish Antiquities, National Museum of Ireland, resonated with our group. We were Irish … [Read more...] about Return to Ireland

The Irish American Dream

Compiled by Kara Rota, Tara Dougherty, Aliah O'Neill, Anne Thompson, and Ron Kaplan
June / July 2010

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The Irish who survived the perilous journey to America struggled to build a new life for themselves and their families in the new world, and in doing so, they would help to shape American culture. Here are just a few of our Irish heroes, Famine immigrants and their descendants, who rose to the top in the industry, arts, culture, business, and politics. Annie SullivanAnnie … [Read more...] about The Irish American Dream

The Search for Missing Friends

By Kara Rota
June / July 2010

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From 1831 through 1916, the national Boston Pilot newspaper printed some 45,000 “Missing Friends” advertisements placed by friends and relatives in attempts to locate loved ones lost during emigration. These ads, consolidated into edited volumes, provide a valuable record of a poor emigrant population trying to reach one another. Several of these volumes were edited by Emer … [Read more...] about The Search for Missing Friends