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Irish American Heritage Museum

Irish American Heritage Museum The Irish American Heritage Museum explores the contributions, history, & culture of Irish people in America.

By sharing our stories, we strive to create connections between all Americans, as we study the universality of immigration in the American story. The work of the Museum is supported through a grant from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs "Emigrant Support Programme."

Operating as usual

 in 1988, two Virginia Military Academy Cadets dressed in rented police uniforms from a costume store & robbed an armore...
12/22/2022

in 1988, two Virginia Military Academy Cadets dressed in rented police uniforms from a costume store & robbed an armored truck at gunpoint in Clifton, New Jersey. The truck belonged to the Coin Depot Armored Car Corp., where one of the perpetrators father worked. A federal judge determined that the father had coerced the 2 men into the heist that resulted in $4.5 million stollen. The Cadets were each sentenced to five years in prison, while the father who drove the getaway car received 8 years. The head of the FBI’s Newark office in charge of the investigation was the son of Irish immigrants, John C. McGinley.

John McGinley was born February 8 1937 in Indianapolis, In. His parents, Michael McGinley & Anne Gillespie McGinley emigrated from Co. Donegal & were active in the Catholic community. John first went to Ireland to visit family in the summer of 1949 with his mother & brother, but continued to make the trip across the Atlantic throughout his life, making what he considered his fondest memories.

McGinley enrolled at Notre Dame University in 1954 & graduated with a bachelor’s degree, a Football Monogram he earned as a walk-on, & a heavyweight boxing championship. After ND he was commissioned in the Marine Corp & continued to play football for us USMC team in Quantico, Va. At the end of his military service, he was offered a contract to play with the Baltimore (now Indianapolis) Colts, but ultimately decided to accept his admission to the FBI Academy.

In his 27 years with the FBI, McGinley worked assignments in Mobile, NYC, Washington DC, San Diego, Indianapolis, & finally Newark, NJ until his retirement. In his time with the bureau, he emphasized the importance of different branches of law enforcement working together for the best results in investigations, which he was very successful with. He worked on many notable cases, including bringing John List to justice. List was one of FBI’s most wanted fugitives after murdering his wife, mother & 3 children in their New Jersey mansion before fleeing to Virginia, starting a new life with a different name & going undiscovered by police for 18 years. John McGinley died on August 31st 2019.

 in 1940, novelist & essayist, F. Scott Fitzgerald died from a heart attack.Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota o...
12/21/2022

in 1940, novelist & essayist, F. Scott Fitzgerald died from a heart attack.

Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24 1896. His father, Edward Fitzgerald, was of Irish & English ancestry & relocated to St. Paul from Maryland after the American Civil War. His mother was Mary "Molly" McQuillan Fitzgerald, the daughter of an Irish immigrant from Fermanagh who had made his fortune in the wholesale grocery business. They lived for the first decade of his life in Buffalo, New York.

Published to immense acclaim, F Scott Fitzgerald’s debut novel This Side of Paradise – the book that launched the Jazz Age – might never have made it onto America’s bookshelves in 1922 without the support of the now largely forgotten Irish author Shane Leslie, who read through its earliest drafts & made several suggestions. With Irish lineage on both sides of his family, This Side of Paradise has many references to the country, including mentions of Wilde, Shaw & Joyce – all writers the young Fitzgerald greatly admired. Leslie would be thanked for all the “literary help and encouragement” he had bestowed upon the aspiring writer a few years later in the dedication to Fitzgerald’s second novel The Beautiful and Damned (1922). His third novel The Great Gatsby was published in 1925 & was a commercial failure, though is now regarded as the Great American Novel by many critics.

Fitzgerald credited his wife Zelda with being the first American flapper & she is still a celebrated emblem of the Jazz Age. Her mental health deteriorated in the 30s & she was frequently hospitalized & admitted to sanatoriums. F Scott left for Hollywood in 1937 to work as a screenwriter for MGM, though he struggled financially as any earning he received went to his wife’s medical bills & their daughter’s education. After becoming estranged from Zelda, F Scott dated gossip writer Sheilah Graham & soon moved into her apartment. For the remainder of his short life, Fitzgerald fought his alcoholism by substituting Coca-Cola & spent one year sober before suffering a heart attack.

 in 1891, the first immigrant to be processed on Ellis Island, Annie Moore, left Co. Cork on the SS Nevada with her 2 yo...
12/20/2022

in 1891, the first immigrant to be processed on Ellis Island, Annie Moore, left Co. Cork on the SS Nevada with her 2 younger brothers. Annie was just a teenager & led her brothers on their journey to America to reunite with their parents, who’d emigrated 4 years earlier.

The siblings spent 12 days at sea, including Christmas Day: arriving in Upper NY Bay late in the night on December 31st. So late in fact, that the passengers couldn’t be processed at the new facility on Ellis Island until the following day. At 10:30am on January 1, the ships in the port- each festively decorated with red, white & blue bunting- all docked beneath the Statue of Liberty for deboarding. The gangplank was lowered amidst the cheers of the crowd & clanging of bells, & 17-year old Annie Moore had the historic honor of being the first immigrant to be processed at Ellis Island. According to one story, Annie almost lost her place in New York history to a “large German man” who managed to get one foot on the gangplank before a sailor held him back with a call of “Ladies First!” and ushered Moore to the front.

Like many others arriving in New York, Annie stayed in the area for the rest of her life. She spent the rest of her days within the same few blocks in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. She married a clerk and had at least 11 of children (although only five lived to adulthood). She died in 1924 of heart failure and is buried beside her children in Queens.

Ellis Island was the first federal immigration station. From Annie Moore’s arrival until the station’s closing in 1954, over 12 million immigrants passed through. About 40% of all Americans today have at least one ancestor who took their first steps in the country on the island. To many people it remains an important symbol of hope and a new life in the New World.

**Downtown Decorating Contest**Go to www.downtownalbany.org/downtown-decorating to vote for the Irish American Heritage ...
12/16/2022

**Downtown Decorating Contest**
Go to www.downtownalbany.org/downtown-decorating to vote for the Irish American Heritage Museum’s holiday display & be entered for a chance to win a $50 Downtown Albany gift card!
You may also vote in person using the drop-box in the Discover Albany Visitors Center.

 in 1959, The Everly Brothers recorded their version of “Let It Be Me” in a NYC studio. It was the first time the brothe...
12/16/2022

in 1959, The Everly Brothers recorded their version of “Let It Be Me” in a NYC studio. It was the first time the brothers recorded outside of Tennessee & the song reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Let It Be Me was originally recorded as “Je t'appartiens” by French singer, Gilbert Bécaud in 1955; & written in English in 1957 by Manny Curtis. However, the arrangement in the Everly Brother’s version was often used in later renditions. The Everly Brothers were an American rock band comprised of Isaac “Don” (b. Feb 1, 1937) & Phil (b. Jan 19, 1939) Everly out of Knoxville, Tennessee in the Great Appalachian Valley.

The Everly Brothers 1958 album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us was a compilation of mostly traditional Appalachian songs they learned as kids from their musician father Ike Everly. One of the most popular songs from the album is Down in the Willow Garden – an Appalachian murder ballad about a man who drugs & stabs his lover Rose Connolly, thinking his father’s money would save him from prosecution but ultimately, he will be hanged for it. The first professional recording of the song was by G. B. Grayson (North Carolina) & Henry Whitter (Virginia) in 1927 titled ‘Rose Conley.’ However, the song can be traced back to Ireland & likely brought to the US from Scots-Irish settlers in the Appalachian region. Folk collector & musician Edward Bunting from Co. Armagh first notated a song from an unknown source in Coleraine, all the way back in 1811 called “Rose Connolly” & there are resemblances to the 1889 WB Yeats poem Down in the Salley Gardens.

“Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet; She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet.”
“Down in the willow garden where me and my love did meet; As we sat a-courtin' My love fell off to sleep”

Happy holidays to all of our members and friends! Please see our amended hours for the holidays. We look forward to seei...
12/15/2022

Happy holidays to all of our members and friends! Please see our amended hours for the holidays. We look forward to seeing you all again in the New Year! Here is a little Irish blessing for you and yours:

May you be blessed
With the spirit of the season, which is peace,
The gladness of the season, which is hope,
And the heart of the season, which is love.

 in 1946, award winning actress & mental health advocate, Anna Maria “Patty” Duke was born in Elmhurst, Queens, NY.Patty...
12/14/2022

in 1946, award winning actress & mental health advocate, Anna Maria “Patty” Duke was born in Elmhurst, Queens, NY.

Patty was the youngest of 3 to Frances (McMahon) & John Patrick Duke who both have Irish heritage. John was the son of immigrants from Co. Longford, allowing Patty to obtain dual citizenship in 2013. Patty had a tumultuous childhood in NY with an alcoholic father & depressive, violent mother. John Duke was kicked out of the home when Patty was 6; but by the time she was 8 she was mostly under the supervision of a talent managers, John & Ethel Ross. The Ross’s changed Anna’s name to ‘Patty’ & got her roles on soap operas & print ads.

Patty rose to stardom after her role as a Helen Keller in the Broadway production of The Miracle Worker in 1959 & the subsequent film in 1962. Patty received an Academy Award at age 16 for the part. The Patty Duke Show aired in 1963 for 3 seasons: with Patty playing both roles of Patty Lane & her ‘identical cousin’ from Scotland Cathy Lane. Duke playing Neely O’Hara in 1967’s Valley of the Dolls was polarizing for audiences, many disapproved of her switching to more adult themes. She won a Golden Globe Award in 1969 & an Emmy in 1970. Her speech at the Emmys led to rumors that she was drinking & abusing drugs, but it would come out that she was experiencing mania caused by bipolar disorder that went undiagnosed until 1982. When she was finally diagnosed, Duke became one of the first public figures to talk about her experiences with mental health, including her struggles with disordered eating- all of which she detailed in her published books. She has done advocacy work & research fundraising with the National Institute of Mental Health & the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Duke served as president of the Screen Actors Guild 1985-1988. She was married 4 times by 1986, but she spent her last 30 years with her 4th husband, Michael Pearce. Before Pearce, she was married to actor John Astin, who adopted Patty’s son (actor) Sean Astin. Patty Duke died at 69 years old on March 29 2016 from sepsis caused by a ruptured intestine. In her honor, Sean Astin launched the Patty Duke Mental Health Project Fund.

 in 1961, Anna Mary Robertson Moses, the American folk artist known as Grandma Moses, died at 101 years old at the Healt...
12/13/2022

in 1961, Anna Mary Robertson Moses, the American folk artist known as Grandma Moses, died at 101 years old at the Health Center in Hoosick Falls, NY. Moses’ works are beloved for their depictions of nostalgia for a rural American life.

Anna Mary Robertson Moses was born in Greenwich, NY on Sept 7 1860. Her father Russell King Robertson was a farmer who operated a flax mill; he was a descendant of Mayflower Pilgrim Francis Cooke, and she was a member of both the Society of Mayflower Descendants & Daughters of the American Revolution. Anna Mary’s mother Margaret Mary (Shanahan) Robertson was born in Greenwich to immigrants from Co. Wexford.

Moses’s childhood was spent on a farm in Greenwich & she worked as hired help for neighboring farms in Eagle Bridge, NY. She began painting as a child, using lemon or grape juice, clay, grass, flour & sawdust for materials. The wealthy Vandenberg family hired Anna Mary as a teen & they put her in the local school. In 1887, she met & married Thomas Salmon Moses; they moved to Virginia where they raised 5 children. In 1905, the Moses’ moved back to the Eagle Bridge area, to their new farm.

Thomas Moses suffered a heart attack & died in 1927. Anna Mary never remarried & she kept herself busy by picking art back up as a hobby. She mostly embroidered quilts & needlework depicting farm life for her friends, but arthritis made it impossible to maintain by the time she was 78. She transitioned to painting landscapes & sent some of her work to the Thomas drugstore in Hoosick Falls. Her paintings were purchased by NY engineer Louis J Caldor, who brought them back to NYC & showed them to Dr. Otto Kallir. Kallir organized 80 year-old Anna Mary’s first art show, What a Farmwife Painted, on Oct 9 1940. A reviewer from the NY Herald dubbed her ‘Grandma Moses’ & Hallmark purchased the rights to reproduce many of her paintings to mass produce on greeting cards. From that point on, Grandma Moses was an acclaimed artist across the US.

Moses received the NYS Prize of 1941 & The Women’s National Press Club award in 1949. On her 100th birthday, NY Gov Rockefeller dubbed September 7th Grandma Moses Day in her honor.

 in 1976, American stage actor & singer, John “Jack” Cassidy died in a fire in his West Hollywood apartment. Born on Mar...
12/12/2022

in 1976, American stage actor & singer, John “Jack” Cassidy died in a fire in his West Hollywood apartment.

Born on March 5 1927, Jack Cassidy was the youngest of five children to Irish American William Cassidy & his German wife Charlotte. William was an engineer for the Long Island Railroad & the family lived in Queens, New York.

Jack gained notoriety in his career as a musical performer on Broadway. He earned multiple Tony nominations as well as one Tony award & a Grammy for his role in She Loves Me on Broadway. He made frequent guest appearances on TV programs like Bewitched, Hawaii Five-O & Columbo. He voiced Bob Cratchit in the first animated Christmas TV special, Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962). Jack was cast to play John Barrymore in 1976’s W.C. Fields and Me. With his first wife, actor Evelyn Ward, Jack fathered future teen idol David Cassidy. In 1956, Jack & Evelyn divorced & he remarried within months to actor Shirley Jones. Jack & Shirley had 3 more sons together, Shaun, Patrick & Ryan. Shirley Jones & David Cassidy would go on to co-star in The Partridge Family. Shirley & Jack divorced in 1974.

Jack discovered the Cassidy family crest while researching his Irish heritage. He had rings crafted bearing the crest for each of his sons, his brother & himself. On December 12 1976, Jack fell asleep on his couch while smoking a cigarette. The couch ignited, causing the whole apartment & building to catch on fire. His body was discovered by police & was identified using dental records & the Cassidy crest ring he was wearing.

 in 1995, Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan died. He earned the nickname when he took off from an airfield in Brooklyn on Jul...
12/09/2022

in 1995, Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan died. He earned the nickname when he took off from an airfield in Brooklyn on July 17, 1938, with plans to land in California. Claiming he took a wrong turn, the Irish American pilot landed in Dublin the next day instead.

Corrigan had wanted to fly to Ireland all along, hoping to emulate Charles Lindbergh's solo trans-Atlantic flight of a decade earlier. But the Bureau of Air Commerce denied the request, on the grounds that Corrigan's plane, Sunshine, was too unstable for a long flight over water. Armed with a conditional permit, Corrigan flew to NY. He took off in the morning fog of Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn on July 17, bound for California. Corrigan maintained he was compelled to take off to the east because of the weather & got turned around owing to a balky compass on board. He said he didn't discover his navigational error until he was 26 hours into the flight. The thing is, Sunshine was patched up & lashed together; gasoline actually leaked into the cockpit while the plane was over the Atlantic. He solved that problem by using a screwdriver to punch a hole in the cockpit floor. After a flight of 28 hours, Corrigan reached Baldonnel Airfield in Dublin. He received a warm welcome in Ireland & met Taoiseach Eamon de Valera.

"Wrong Way" and his junk pile of a plane were bundled & shipped home, where he received a ticker-tape parade that drew a bigger crowd than turned out for Lindbergh in ‘27. Everybody figured Corrigan was pulling a fast one, including President F. Roosevelt, who later told him, smilingly, that he believed every word of Corrigan's story. Some aviation authorities would have loved sticking it to their wayward pilot, but Corrigan's goofy feat had so captured the national imagination that the best they could do was a 14-day suspension of his license.

Corrigan wrote & published an autobiography, That’s My Story, less than 6 months after his famous flight. After sending Lindbergh a copy of the book, Corrigan received a friendly 4-page handwritten letter from the aviation icon. Corrigan retired from flying altogether in 1950 & moved his wife & 3 sons to an orange grove in California.

 in 1881, Irish American novelist, playwright, poet & folklore collector Padraic Colum was born in the Co Longford workh...
12/08/2022

in 1881, Irish American novelist, playwright, poet & folklore collector Padraic Colum was born in the Co Longford workhouse where his father worked.

Padraic was the first of 8 children to Patrick & Susan Colum. His father lost his job in 1889 & moved to the US to follow the Colorado gold rush until 1892. Padraic graduated from his local national school in 1898 & became a clerk for the Irish Railway Clearing House until 1903.

His work with the Clearing House gave him opportunities to meet authors like WB Yeats & Æ. Colum joined the Gaelic League & the board of the Abbey Theatre, & through frequenting the National Library of Ireland he made a lifelong friend in James Joyce. Colum wrote plays for the Abbey Theatre & some of his first poetry was published in Arthur Griffith’s United Irishman paper. He also collected Irish folk songs & claimed to be the author of most of the lyrics to “She Moved Through the Fair.”

Colum married Mary Gunning Maquire in 1912, with whom he founded a literary journal, The Irish Review. They both taught at Pádraig Pearse's experimental schools- Padraic at Scoil Éanna & Mary at Scoil Íde. In 1914 they came to the US for a trip that was expected to last a few months, but they would end up mostly staying in the US for the rest of their lives. The Colum’s moved to NYC & both taught at Columbia & CCNY. After Mary’s death in 1957, Padraic split his time between Ireland & the US.

Padraic took up writing children’s books in the US, a venture that began by translating an Irish folk tale from Gaelic to help him retain the language. He secured a publishing deal for children’s books with Macmillan Publishers, with some of his most important works being The Adventure of Odysseus (1918) and The Children of Odin (1920). In 1922 he was hired to write Hawaiian folklore for children. A first edition of At the Gateways of the Day- Vol 1/3 of his Hawaiian folktale books- was presented to President Obama by Taoiseach Enda Kenny in 2011.

In 1965 Colum sold all of the notebooks, letters & manuscripts he had to Binghamton University Libraries. He died on January 11, 1972 at a nursing home in Hartford, CT & was buried in Dublin.

 in 1941, Japanese bombers launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oah...
12/07/2022

in 1941, Japanese bombers launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, marking the entry of the United States into World War II. 16 members of the US armed forces received the military’s highest decoration following the attack on Pearl Harbor- the Congressional Medal of Honor. One awarded posthumously went to 22 year-old US Navy Ensign Francis C. Flaherty.

Born on March 15th 1919, Francis Flaherty was raised in Charlotte, Michigan. Both of his parents died in 1932, within a few months of each other, so Francis & his three siblings were mostly raised by their grandmother & aunt. His friends & family recall him wanting to become a physician after college, but he enlisted in the Navy in July 1940, just weeks after he graduated from the University of Michigan. He was commissioned as an Ensign in December 1940.

Ensign Flaherty was on the USS Oklahoma at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, & orders were given to abandon the capsizing ship. Ensign Flaherty stayed aboard & held a flashlight to direct the remaining crew down a corridor & out to safety. In doing so, he sacrificed his own life & died in the sunken ship with over 400 other trapped soldiers. Ensign Flaherty was awarded the Medal of Honor “for extraordinary devotion to duty and extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his own life.” The USS Oklahoma was raised from the ocean floor in 1943 & the remains within were given a burial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. In 2019, his remains were identified among the “Unknown” soldiers in the National Memorial using DNA & dental records. In August 2021, Flaherty’s remains were finally laid to rest in the Maple Hill Cemetery in his hometown of Charlotte, between the graves of his parents. Flaherty was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart & the Combat Action Ribbon. Additionally, an es**rt ship used throughout WWI was named in his honor, the USS Flaherty.

 in 1890, Irish American boxer Joe Coburn died at his home in NYC.Coburn was born in Co. Armagh on July 29th 1835 to Mic...
12/06/2022

in 1890, Irish American boxer Joe Coburn died at his home in NYC.

Coburn was born in Co. Armagh on July 29th 1835 to Michael & Mary Trainor. The family immigrated to America in 1850, escaping the Great Hunger when Coburn was 15. They lived in Queens, NY & Joe worked as a bricklayer. Coburn volunteered for the local fire department; his colleagues there arranged his first boxing match. Coburn owned a lower Manhattan saloon throughout his boxing career.

Coburn met with English lawyer, Ned Price, in Boston for an outdoor match at Spy Pond in 1856. They went for 100 rounds in 3.5 hours, until the referee called a draw. In August 1857, Coburn defeated the Irish-born Patsy Flynn at a match in NY. In Canada that November, Coburn defeated Harry Gribbin after 21 rounds. In 1858, Coburn failed to claim the US heavyweight championship from John Morrissey, the Irish American who would later open the Saratoga Race Track. However, in 1862, Coburn was able to claim the heavyweight title after John C. Heenan failed to meet for the fight & forfeited his own title. In Baltimore on May 5 1863, Coburn defeated Michael McCoole after 67 rounds. The fight was illegal, though police were not able to attempt arrests. When Coburn & McCoole tried to fight again the next year, they were both arrested & served 40 days in jail. In 1865 Coburn defeated 2 US champions & chose to retire later that year. Coburn’s title was forfeited, but he returned to the ring in 1871 to reclaim the heavyweight championship. Coburn fought Jem Mace, who injured his hand in the 5th round. By round 12, the referee cut the match, as both men were up to their knees in mud from torrential rain & Mace’s hand was so badly hurt; they agreed to a draw.

In 1877, Coburn was arrested for assault against a police officer. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but was released after 6. Coburn then fought 7 exhibition bouts with Boston’s John L. Sullivan from Dec 1882 to March 1883; followed by 3 with Herbert Slade. His last fight was at 54 years old against the 62 year-old William Clark in 1888. Coburn lost after three rounds. He was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013.

A lively and music-filled edition of the Kennedy Center Honors was held in Washington, D.C. Sunday on behalf of the late...
12/05/2022
U2 reveal their pride at Kennedy Centre award: ‘It’s been a four-decade love affair with America’

A lively and music-filled edition of the Kennedy Center Honors was held in Washington, D.C. Sunday on behalf of the latest group of worthy honorees, including Irish American actor/filmmaker George Clooney; Irish rockers U2; soul legend Gladys Knight; singer/songwriter Amy Grant; and composer/conductor Tania Leon.

Among the principal themes of the evening, were the many philanthropic/good will activities generated from within this year’s crop of honorees — especially Clooney and U2 band members Bono and Dave “the Edge” Evans, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. Their deeds were emphasized during the affair by A-listers that included Julia Roberts for Clooney and Sean Penn for U2.

Read more about it here.

U2 accepted a lifetime artistic achievement honour from the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC last night, saying America had always “smiled on Ireland”.

 in 1841, Marcus Daly was born in Ballyjamesduff, Cavan, the youngest of 11 children on a small farm. He left Ireland ag...
12/05/2022

in 1841, Marcus Daly was born in Ballyjamesduff, Cavan, the youngest of 11 children on a small farm. He left Ireland aged 15, eventually became known as the "Copper King." He discovered the richest copper vein in the world, parlaying it into a massive industrial empire of mines, smelters, railroad lines, & newspaper holdings. Before his death in 1900, Daly's power, influence, & nostalgic nationalism had turned Butte into a haven for Irish immigrants.

He moved to NYC first for 5 years, doing odd jobs until he had saved enough money to buy passage to San Francisco where a sister lived. Daly worked as a ranch hand, logger & a railroad worker, before he had his first experience of mining in California, where he teamed up with a young Irishman Thomas Murphy. Daly found a job in a silver mine of the Camstock Lode in Virginia City, Nevada, where he met George Hearst who became his financial backer.

By 1871, Daly was at Ophir, Utah, foreman for the Walker Brothers, a banking & mining syndicate in Salt Lake City. 1872 he met his wife, Margaret Evans, while inspecting a mine at Ophir with her father - she lost her balance on an incline & tumbled into Daly’s arms. They were married that year when she was 18 and Daly was 30. Two children Margaret Augusta (Madge) & Mary (Molly) were born in Ophir.

In 1876 Daly was sent by the Walker Brothers to Butte Montana to assess prospects of the silver-producing Alice Mine. He bought it, keeping a 1/5 interest himself. In 1881 he sold his share to buy the Anaconda mining claim from Irish-born prospector & adventurer Michael Hickey, a Civil War vet, who could not afford the machinery to get below 150ft. A huge vein of copper was discovered. Thomas Edison had just built the world’s first electric power plant in NYC & the use of the telegraph was exploding - copper was used in the wiring. But the ore had to be shipped to smelters in Wales. Daly realized he could add to his profits by building a smelter 28 miles west of Butte, in his new town of Anaconda. By 1890, his mines were producing over 17 million dollars worth of copper a year.

He treated workers very well, encouraging employees to join the union.

The Christmas Market is in full flight today! Come up to Celtic Hall on New Karner Road! Irish music, food, gifts, and c...
12/03/2022

The Christmas Market is in full flight today! Come up to Celtic Hall on New Karner Road! Irish music, food, gifts, and clothing, hand crafted goods. The pub is open and showing the match! Santa will be here at noon! Massive raffle. Ho ho ho!

Join us tomorrow morning at 10.30 at Celtic Hall for our annual Christmas Market. We have over 30 vendors selling handcr...
12/02/2022

Join us tomorrow morning at 10.30 at Celtic Hall for our annual Christmas Market. We have over 30 vendors selling handcrafted goods and our own giftshop has fantastic Irish jewelry, clothing, books, and holiday foods!! We will also be selling Irish sausages on a hard-roll, Cottage Pie, Barmbrack, and tea and coffee.

There will be live music with Steven Gray and Don Kelly, and a special guest will drop by around noon!!

We have a huge raffle with prizes from the vendors, the Irish American Heritage Museum, and tickets to see Joanie Madden and Cherish the Ladies Ladies tomorrow night at Troy Savings Bank too.

Support local artists, shop local, and have a great Irish Christmas tomorrow at the Irish American Heritage Museum's Christmas Market at Celtic Hall on New Karner Road!

Address

21 Quackenbush Square
Albany, NY
12207

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 12pm - 4pm
Sunday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

+15184271916

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New Location for the Irish American Heritage Museum, Albany.

The mission of the Irish American Heritage Museum is to preserve and tell the story of the contributions of the Irish people and their culture in America, inspiring individuals to examine the importance of their own heritage as part of the American Cultural mosaic.

For centuries, they left because they couldn’t stay, or because they wanted to go, or a combination of both. Community became very important to the new arrivals, and so Irish immigrants gathered together in slums near the port or traveled further to meet family members or neighbors who had made the journey earlier and could help give them a start.

They experienced prejudice, hardship, trials, and sometimes good fortune. In turn, some of them displayed prejudice, wrestling for position in often-ruthless cities. Many served their new country in the military, some became labor leaders, politicians, teachers, and innovators. Some achieved great fame, others infamy. Most would remain nameless, living ordinary lives, proud of their heritage, working hard, and becoming American.

Although this museum tells the story of the Irish in America, with a few changes, it could tell the story of almost any immigrant. It is the story of leaving home and family to build a life in a new place. It is a testament to the courage of those who faced the unknown and conquered fear and discrimination to become Americans.


Comments

I saw Origin Theater's presentation of Rory Duffy's film "Belfast and Brexit; A Fragile Peace" yesterday. A remarkably good look at the past and present of the situation.They showed the first thirty minutes of the film followed by a discussion between Ambassador Nancy Soderberg and Professor John Watson of NYU. Soderberg was very much involved from the early meetings up to the actual Good Friday Agreements. She was well worth listening to.The current situation re: the Border is very tricky. Let us hope that a peaceful resolution will come soon and that ultimately we will have a united Ireland. I am looking forward to seeing the complete film. Things have come a long way since the early sixties.
Are you tired of trying to think of something to make for dinner during COVID? Take the night off!!
Come Support the Schenectady Hibernian Hall
1748 State Street, Schenectady
Dinner Fundraiser–Sunday, December 13th, 2020
Public is welcome for this dinner
Take out only- pick up 2pm - 4pm or until gone
➢Complete corned beef and cabbage dinners: corned beef, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and homemade soda bread - $13.00
➢Shepard’s pie- beef/veggie filling with traditional mashed potatoes, and homemade scone - $8.00
Enjoy a delicious meal and support a good cause!!
Also looking for Volunteers to help with traffic, packing orders, and handling money.
Contact Steve Mackey if you can help [email protected]
HeIloo
i work with ophan and less fortunate children in Africa,we're currently in search and praying God to give us good heart people to support our program,most of the days our orphanage children are going without food,Convid-19 has greatly affected our normal running we urgently need help from well wishers ,may God bless and allow you to see this message,as we look forwad to hear from you.
Happy Birthday, Elizabeth! The museum is lucky to have you!!
Please enjoy my ten-minute short film entitled "Mersey Boys: A Letter from Al Moran." Shooting was done in Galway and Wicklow, Ireland in October of 2017. The cast included actors from Ireland, the United Kingdom and the USA. The story revolves around a fictional encounter between an Irish American college professor and three of the Beatles in a Liverpool pub, circa 1960.
Lucky him!
Does anyone know where you go tomorrow to get your bib for the race?
What time does the race start?
The castles of Ireland should be rebuilt this way!
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