By Deaglán de BréadúnCombining the words ‘British’ and ‘exit’, the United Kingdom process of withdrawal from the European Union known as Brexit began with a referendum in June 2016 when 52% of UK voters opted to leave the EU. The marriage which took place on New Year’s Day back in 1973 was meant to be finally over by March 2019 but it dragged on until January 31 this year. … [Read more...] about New Concerns over Brexit as UK Tries to Soften the Protocol on Northern Ireland
Politics Archives
Reagan Democrats, Biden Time, and The Irish Swing Vote
If things were never simple they are even more complicated now, when we talk about the “Irish vote” as the 2020 presidential election nears. A 2017 Newsweek headline put it bluntly: “Why are all the conservative loudmouths Irish American.” The short answer: Um, they’re not. The longer answer: It’s complicated. But 2020 may finally be the year we recognize the many shades of … [Read more...] about Reagan Democrats, Biden Time, and The Irish Swing Vote
Crossing Over
Beginning in the 1930s, the Irish became more visible in the ranks of Republicans, disrupting decades-old loyalties writes Robert SchmuhlFrom the time of the Great Hunger through the early decades of the 20th century, the American Irish tended to be nearly as faithful to the Democratic Party as to the Catholic Church. Big-city political organizations worked with machine-like … [Read more...] about Crossing Over
Lincoln’s New Party, Anti-Irish and Anti-Slavery
An excerpt from "Lincoln and the Irish: The Untold Story of How the Irish Helped Abraham Lincoln Save the Union," by Irish America publisher, Niall O’Dowd.By 1856, the Whig party Lincoln belonged to had destroyed itself over slavery and the violence of the Know-Nothings, an extremist group of nativists with a deep hatred of immigrants and … [Read more...] about Lincoln’s New Party, Anti-Irish and Anti-Slavery
To Live For Ireland
Mary Pat Kelly
IA Newsletter, August 18, 2020
IA Newsletter, August 18, 2020
Mary Pat Kelly writes about her friendship with politician and peacemaker, John Hume“Mr. Hume says Northern Ireland is too complicated to reduce to a Yes/No proposition,” Ted Smyth said to me. Fall 1976. I’m an Associate Producer at Good Morning America and Ted’s the Press Secretary for the Irish Embassy. We didn’t realize how young we were – Ted wasn’t 30; I was 31 and John … [Read more...] about To Live For Ireland