Young Margaret Tobin Brown Margaret Tobin Brown, famously known as the "Unsinkable Molly Brown," is often celebrated in popular culture for her flamboyant personality and heroic actions on the Titanic. However, this portrayal barely scratches the surface of her remarkable life and achievements. While she is invariably portrayed as an outspoken, humorous, flamboyant woman of America's West, these depictions, though rooted in truth, do a disservice to the complexity and depth of her character and contributions. Born in 1867 in Hannibal, Missouri, to Irish immigrants John and … [Read more...] about Unsinkable and Unstoppable: The True Story of Margaret “Molly” Brown
Past Irish American Heritage Month Profiles
Forgotten Patriot: The Courageous Story and Legacy of Commodore John Barry
Did you know that the first flag officer and founder of the United States Navy was an Irishman? His name was John Barry and Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, said in his eulogy at Barry's graveside, "He was born in Ireland, but America was the object of his devotion and the theater of his usefulness." Barry was born in Co. Wexford, Ireland in 1745 and grew up with a great love for the sea. As a young man, he emigrated to the Crown colonies in America and by 1760, he was employed in a shipbuilding firm in Philadelphia. In 1766, at the age of … [Read more...] about Forgotten Patriot: The Courageous Story and Legacy of Commodore John Barry
The Grand Old Man of Baseball: The Enduring Legacy of Connie Mack
Baseball is a sport built for superlatives and appellations; with every passing season, another member of the sport seems to be bestowed the title of "the Greatest" or a nickname. Yet, there is only one "Grand Old Man of Baseball," and there will never be another like Irish American Connie Mack nor anyone as deserving of the title. Connie Mack was born Cornelius McGillicuddy in Brookfield, Massachusetts, on December 22, 1862. His parents were both Irish immigrants, Michael McGillicuddy from Killarney, while Mary (nee McKillop) McGillicuddy was from the Catholic section of … [Read more...] about The Grand Old Man of Baseball: The Enduring Legacy of Connie Mack
A Fearless Irish American Angel and Pioneer in America’s Wild West
Nellie Cashman 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 … [Read more...] about A Fearless Irish American Angel and Pioneer in America’s Wild West
“Our Last Hero”: the Incredible Story of “Wild Bill” Donovan
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, for the first time in over four years, the guns fell silent across the trenches that scarred the face of Europe during the First World War. America had been latecomers to the conflict but at a tremendous cost had tipped the scales in what had been a murderous stalemate. No division had sacrificed more than the 42nd Division, nicknamed the "Rainbow Division," as it had been formed from National Guard Units whose origins stretched across the country. No unit in the Rainbow Division fought on more fronts, nor suffered more … [Read more...] about “Our Last Hero”: the Incredible Story of “Wild Bill” Donovan