Irish America

Irish America

August September 2017 Issue

What You Didn’t Know
About Typhoid Mary

By Rosemary Rogers, Contributor

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She was the original Patient Zero, a healthy and asymptomatic carrier of a deadly plague. Baptized in Ireland in 1869 as Mary Mallon, she was re-baptized in America as Typhoid Mary, a name conjuring evil and purposeful contagion, a name that carries a peculiar legacy – the notice in restrooms demanding, “Employees must wash their hands before returning to work.”  Orphaned as a … [Read more...] about What You Didn’t Know
About Typhoid Mary

The Celtic Curse

By Colette Connolly, Contributor
August / September 2017

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Coming to terms with hemochromatosis. When I began researching hemochromatosis for this story, I knew only the basic facts: that hemochromatosis is a genetic condition that causes the body to store high levels of iron; that the body has no way of getting rid of that excess iron; and that, if left untreated, it can accumulate in the liver, heart, pancreas, and other organs, … [Read more...] about The Celtic Curse

“Molly, you have Alzheimer’s”

By Muireann Irish, Contributor
August / September 2017

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A grandmother’s legacy lives on in the work of Muireann Irish, whose research has shown that people with dementia don’t just lose the ability to remember the past, they also lose the ability to envisage the future. ℘℘℘ One of my favorite memories of my grandmother, Molly Lowney, is calling in to her house every day after school to chat about the day over a cup of tea. On … [Read more...] about “Molly, you have Alzheimer’s”

Living in Each Other’s Shadow

By Cahir O'Doherty, Contributor
August / September 2017

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We should be attendant to any story that involves love, even when it’s the strange and wonderful bond between a cat and human. Earlier this summer my cat died. I know it’s not important in the scheme of things, but it left me reeling. For days I was buffeted by my grief in the most unexpected places: in the supermarket checkout line (no longer any need to buy pet food or … [Read more...] about Living in Each Other’s Shadow

Roots: The Rebel O’Deas

By Dave Lewis, Editorial Assistant
August / September 2017

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In the past and at present alike, the name O’Dea is almost exclusively associated with the County Clare and adjacent areas such as Limerick City and north Tipperary. Though it is not a common name elsewhere, and even within County Clare is uncommon outside of the part of the county where it originated, it is an ancient and noble name with associations ranging from battle … [Read more...] about Roots: The Rebel O’Deas