Irish America

Irish America

In This Issue 2010

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 Road to the White House

By Peter Quinn
June / July 2010

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Mastery of urban politics helped the Irish rise from huddled masses to the heights of political power. An Ghorta Mór, the devastating famine that drove over one-and-a-half million Irish to America, put in place the foundations of the Irish-American community for the next 120 years. The Famine immigrants were a deeply rural people. Endowed with few material resources or capital … [Read more...] about The Road to the White House

The Educator

By Kara Rota
June / July 2010

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In the tradition of great educators who helped the Irish grab the first rungs on the ladder of success, Dr. John Lahey, President of Quinnipiac University, reminds us from whence we came and the struggle to get where we are. As founder of Quinnipiac's Great Hunger collection, he is the guardian of a remarkable treasure of history that we can't escape. As president of Quinnipiac … [Read more...] about The Educator

Education and Debate

By Tara Dougherty
June / July 2010

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Maureen Murphy and Martin Mullin talk to Irish America about teaching American students about the Great Hunger. It has been nearly ten years since New York State released a new human rights curriculum, which would include alongside its existing subjects of the North American slave trade and the European Holocaust: the Great Irish Famine.  Dr. Maureen Murphy, a professor at … [Read more...] about Education and Debate

Finding Our Roots

By Kara Rota
June / July 2010

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For many Irish Americans traveling to the Emerald Isle, the chance to track down family histories and conduct genealogical research is one of the largest draws. Failte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, offers information on how best to prepare for genealogical research in Ireland. They recommend first gathering as much information as possible on known … [Read more...] about Finding Our Roots