The recent HBO Mini-Series The Pacific has brought a long overdue recognition to the sacrifices and hardships endured by the U.S. Marines in the Second World War. These battles were fought on isolated islands that one would struggle to locate on a map: Guadalcanal, Roi-Namur, Saipan-Tinian, Peleliu, Okinawa. Combat was often at point blank range; not only did the men involved … [Read more...] about Lt. Col. Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy, āA hero at every campaign and everything he didā
History
Brian Boru, the only true Ard Ri of Ireland
While the rest of Europe plunged into darkness with the fall of the Roman Empire, the light of learning and western civilization was kept flickering in Ireland, preserved in the monasteries established by the followers of St. Patrick.Ā Ā However, it would only be a matter of time before the ālightā attracted the unwanted attention ofĀ those more interested in plunder than … [Read more...] about Brian Boru, the only true Ard Ri of Ireland
Myles Keogh, A True Hero Hidden in Myth
Few moments in American history are more mythologized or more debated than those of the Seventh Cavalry at the Little Big Horn.Ā Myth has the power to preserve the names of people who would otherwise be forgotten, but often at the price of losing the true person.Ā One example of this is Irish American Captain Myles Keogh. Keogh was born on March 25,1840 in Leighlinbridge, … [Read more...] about Myles Keogh, A True Hero Hidden in Myth
John Ford, father of āThe Quiet Manā
For many Irish Americans, the watching of John Fordās āThe Quiet Manā is as much a part of the tradition of St. Patrickās Day as Frank Capraās āItās a Wonderful Lifeā is a part of Christmas.Ā Both movies, depict an idealized time and place that was much simpler than today, or in fact ever was, but the basic themes of the importance of values and friendship still speak to us.Ā … [Read more...] about John Ford, father of āThe Quiet Manā
Grosse Ile
When most people think of immigration, our images are of smiling immigrants standing on the decks of ships clutching children and looking with hope as they sail past the Statue of Liberty. We think of the immigration center of Ellis Island as the āgolden doorā and the āIsle of Hopeā. However, often overlooked is another Island that figures prominently in the story of Irish … [Read more...] about Grosse Ile