Irish America

Irish America

March April 1997 Issue

Charles Riley: Jesse Owens’ ‘Irish Father’

By Chuck Leddy

March/April 1997

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The fascinating relationship between Coach Charles Riley and his pupil, the legendary, Jesse Owens, is an engrossing human interest story about a gentle, selfless, Irish American school teacher who became a second father to a disadvantaged Black adolescent. From completely different backgrounds, Owens and Riley grew to love and respect each other at a time of overt racial … [Read more...] about Charles Riley: Jesse Owens’ ‘Irish Father’

Kenneally’s List

By Niall O’Dowd, Founding Publisher
September / October 1998

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Thomas Keneally is one of the world's great writers, an Australian who has revived the literary tradition in a country better known for shrimps on the barbie than the strength of its intellectual tradition. Schindler's List was the book which made Keneally's worldwide reputation, but long before that he had solidified his Australian roots when he explored the differences … [Read more...] about Kenneally’s List

The First Word: Our Evolving Heritage

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
March/April 1997

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In this issue we celebrate the realization of the American dream by so many of our people, reminding us once again of the good fit this country has proved to be for the Irish. Not that it happened overnight. In the words of Robert Kennedy: "As the first of the racial minorities our forefathers were subject to every discrimination found wherever discrimination is known." The … [Read more...] about The First Word: Our Evolving Heritage

Stage Irish

By Retta Blaney

March/April 1997

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From East to West Coast, Irish theater companies are booming as never before. The creation of the Thomas Davis Irish Players conjures an image of monks in monasteries, copying manuscripts with quills. The year was 1933 and seven young Irishmen, some of whom had been actors in Ireland, were studying for their high school equivalency tests in New York City. Missing their … [Read more...] about Stage Irish