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 earned one of two scholarships to the newly formed University of Rochester.  However, his father’s … [Read more...] about Patrick O’Rorke, a Forgotten Irish American Hero of Gettysburg

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.  Such is the story of Dr. Aidan MacCarthy. MacCarthy was born in Castletownbere, Beara Peninsula County … [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.  During the mass, he was assisted by a young Irish American altar boy who was born and raised in … [Read more...] about On the 100th Anniversary of the Ending of WW I, a Rockland Connection

November 16, 2018, marks the 330th anniversary of one of the great travesties of American history.  On that date in 1688, the citizens of Boston executed Ann “Goody” Glover for being a witch.  The tragedy of the event is compounded by the story being little remembered despite its echoes in the events of today and the lessons it could teach. Not much is known … [Read more...] about Accussed of Being a Witch, Hung on Evidence of Being an Irish Catholic