Irish America

Irish America

In This Issue 1999

The Greatest Irish Americans of the Century: Politics

By Irish America Staff

November 1999

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Bill ClintonPresident "The [Irish] people want peace; the people will have peace."  It is unparalleled in the history of the American presidency to have an occupant of the Oval Office who has worked so hard and so long to bring peace to Ireland. Soon after entering office, Bill Clinton took a calculated risk for peace when he granted a visa to Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn … [Read more...] about The Greatest Irish Americans of the Century: Politics

John Jr., Remembered

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
November 1999

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I can't say I knew him well. Who can except for his immediate family and close friends? Still, we all felt as if we knew John Kennedy, Jr. He touched our hearts. He carded the flame of Camelot, conscious (modestly) of what he embodied for many Americans, particularly Irish Americans. He might have chosen a different role had it been left up to him. He wanted to be an actor and … [Read more...] about John Jr., Remembered

The Paddy Clancy Call

By Frank McCourt

November 1999

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We're heading towards the end of 1999 and there are some, including myself, who may not see another year with a 9 in it. And isn't that the gloomiest opening sentence you ever read in your life? Still, it had to be written because they're going, my generation, the silent generation, slipping gently, one by one, into that good night, going with grace -- unlike the bleating … [Read more...] about The Paddy Clancy Call

John Steinbeck: Voice of the Dispossessed

By Jim Dwyer

November 1999

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All the great novels and stories of John Steinbeck slice into the American experience, clear to the bone. They are set in California, or along Route 66, where the Joads trekked across the southwest from the Dust Bowls. And Steinbeck himself, born with the century, was raised in Salinas, California, when it was still a small town on the last frontier of America. Yet the voice … [Read more...] about John Steinbeck: Voice of the Dispossessed

The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem

By Tom Dunphy

November 1999

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The Music MakersIt's only in the last number of years that I realize how deep down into the soil of Ireland my roots really go. I had such a tremendous amount to draw on, and didn't realize it."-Tommy MakemThe image is indelible -- five Irishmen, clad in Aran sweaters, chests out, singing songs of Irish humor, history, and freedom. The Clancy Brothers, along with Tommy Makem, … [Read more...] about The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem