History

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 “golden door” and the “Isle of Hope”. However, often overlooked is another Island that figures prominently in the story of Irish … [Read more...] about Grosse Ile

The coming of winter and the lengthening nights have always been times where people have traditionally consider their place in the universe. Certainly this was true of the ancient Celts who built the oldest known observatory on the banks of the Boyne at Newgrange where for over 5,000 years the sunrise on the day of the winter solstice floods the normally darkened inner chamber … [Read more...] about To Reach for the Stars

No less a person than Winston Churchill once observed “A nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it." Though it is highly unlikely that Churchill was thinking of Ireland when he made this statement, no better example of the perils of forgetting the lessons of history exists. This is particularly true as regard the current peace process in Northern Ireland. The … [Read more...] about Sir Edward Carson, The Man Who Partitioned Ireland

September 17, 1862 has the sad distinction of being the bloodiest single day of fighting in America’s bloodiest war. Combined casualties at the Battle of Antietam were 26, 134. Few regiments suffered more than the Irish Brigade. The Irish Brigade had been the brainchild of their commanding officer Thomas Francis Meagher. The former “Young Ireland” rebel, creator of the … [Read more...] about The Irish Brigade at Antietam

In the later part of the 19th century, the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania was swept by hysteria over a secret Irish immigrant society, The Molly Maguires, who were accused of committing murder and industrial sabotage. Vilified by the establishment of the day, with time they would be seen as heroes of the labor movement and idolized as counter-culture heroes in a movie. … [Read more...] about The Molly Maguires