There were many Irish women among the settlers of the American West, and one of the best known in her time was a lady from County Cork named Ellen Cashman. Ellen came to America, like so many others, fleeing the effects of the Great Hunger. She arrived in Boston in 1850 with her mother, Fanny, at the tender age of five where she grew up caring for a younger sister. An ambitious young lady, she worked as a bellhop in a well-known Boston hotel when she decided to follow the call of the American West with the idea of making her fortune. She moved to San Francisco and soon found … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: An Irish American Angel in America’s West
Past Irish American Heritage Month Profiles
Irish American Heritage Month: The Foley Brothers “No greater love than to lay down your life for another”
At the young age of 32, Thomas Foley was already an 11-year decorated veteran firefighter of the FDNY and a legend. He was a larger than life individual who embraced life to the fullest and seemed to excel at everything he tried from powerlifting to skydiving. Having learned to ride horses on visits to his grandfather's farm, he even excelled as a competitor on the rodeo circuit. With boyish good looks, Thomas Foley was featured twice by People Magazine and appeared in the FDNY's "2003 Calendar of Heroes." However, being a firefighter was Thomas Foley's first passion; it was all he wanted … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: The Foley Brothers “No greater love than to lay down your life for another”
Call to Action on Irish American Heritage Month
We are currently in the final stages of preparing a new Irish American Heritage Month Video. Last year our video proclaimed Irish American Heritage Month to thousands on social media and the web. This year we wish to better that. We ask each of you not only to watch it but to share it on Facebook, Twitter, etc. and encourage others to do the same. It takes less than 2 minutes, yet if every Hibernian took the opportunity to share this video, then we should have no less than tens of thousands of shares. Tens of thousands of shares will be noticed promoting not only IAHM but the Hibernians. We … [Read more...] about Call to Action on Irish American Heritage Month
A Christmas Message From the Irish American Heritage Month Chair
In has long been an Irish Tradition to place a candle in the window at Christmas time. The popular story is that this is done to guide Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem, a beautiful sentiment. However, the tradition stems from a darker, sadder story; of a time when to be a Catholic in Ireland was to be a criminal and to be a priest or shelter a priest could result in being sent in chains to Barbados. The candle was a sign that a brave family was willing to take that risk and give shelter to a priest and welcome their neighbors to share Christmas Mass with them. Today, the Christmas … [Read more...] about A Christmas Message From the Irish American Heritage Month Chair
Irish American Heritage Month: Margaret Corbin, “Captain Molly”
Captain Molly was born Margaret Cochran on 12 November 1751 on the western Pennsylvania frontier to Irish immigrant Robert Cochran and his wife Sarah. When Margaret was five, her father was killed in an Indian raid and her mother was kidnapped. Margaret and her brother escaped and went to live with their uncle. At 21, she married a local farmer, John Corbin. When America’s Revolution began, John enlisted in the regiment that General ‘Light Horse’ Harry Lee called the Line of Ireland. Margaret accompanied him, joining other women in cooking, washing and caring for the wounded. Her forceful … [Read more...] about Irish American Heritage Month: Margaret Corbin, “Captain Molly”