History

Col. Patrick O'Rorke of the 140 NY Patrick Henry O'Rorke was born in County Cavan, Ireland on March 25, 1837. His family emigrated from Ireland when Patrick was but a year old, eventually settling in the “Little Dublin” neighborhood of Rochester, N.Y.  An excellent student, he … [Read more...] about Patrick O’Rorke, a Forgotten Irish American Hero of Gettysburg

 One can be forgiven for seeing Ireland’s march to reassert its independence as a sovereign nation as a series of rebellions and battles.  However, perhaps Ireland’s greatest revolutionary act took place not on the battlefield but at the ballot box.  It was the … [Read more...] about The Irish General Election of 1918: A Peaceful Revolution

In a troubled world, thank God for the gift of hope called Christmas. For all of us, it is a time where we can take an opportunity to at least momentarily free ourselves of the chains of what seems the depressing realities of the world and once again engage in the saintly … [Read more...] about Yes, Virginia (O’Hanlon) There is a Santa Claus

Dr. Aidan MacCarthyThere are times when you read history you come across a story that literally defies belief.  Yet, fate can bring together events beyond the imaginations of any writer and the most unlikely of people show us the strength and nobility of the human character.  … [Read more...] about Dr. Aidan MacCarthy, a survivor from Dunkirk to Nagasaki

In the summer of 1896, a newly ordained Priest said one of his first masses at St.  Peter’s in Haverstraw, Rockland County.  Though the young Cleric was born in Ontario Canada, he was the grandson of Irish immigrants who had fled the horrors of the Great Hunger.  … [Read more...] about On the 100th Anniversary of the Ending of WW I, a Rockland Connection