Click here to return to The Irish States of America

On June 5 1968, US Senator Robert Kennedy was shot and killed in Los Angeles

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." Oliver Goldsmith to the Irish

"I showed my appreciation of my native land in the usual Irish way: by getting out of it as soon as I possibly could." George Bernard Shaw

Harrigan.

By George M. Cohan

Who is the man who will spend

Or will even lend?

Harrigan, that's me!

Who is your friend when you find

That you need a friend?

Harrigan, that's me!

For I'm just as proud of my name you see,

As an emperor, czar or a king, could be

Who is the man helps a man

Ev'ry time he can?

Harrigan, that's me!

Chorus:

H a double r i, g a n spells Harrigan

Proud of all the irish blood that's in me,

Divil a man can say a word agin me.

H a double r i, g a n you see,

Is a name that a shame

Never has been connected with

Harrigan, that's me!

Paddy: (or Paddy Making) Historian George Potter described the Paddy as "an effigy dressed in rags, its mouth smeared with molasses, sometimes wearing a string of potatoes around its neck or a codfish to mock the Friday fasting and with a whiskey bottle stuck out of one pocket...set up in a public place on the eve of St. Patrick's Day."

Monaghan, William: A Colonel in the largely Irish 6th Louisiana Confederate Corps. He perished leading his troops into battle. The "Bloody 6th's" battle honors include Jackson's Valley Campaign, the Seven Days' battles, 2nd Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the costly assault against the Union line entrenched on Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg, Rappahannock Station, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, the Valley Campaign of 1864: Monocacy, the gates of Washington, D.C., 3rd Winchester, and Fisher's Hill. From a regiment whose ranks once swelled to over twelve hundred men, the 6th Louisiana surrendered a mere four officers and forty-eight men at Appomattox.

Kelly, Joseph. An Irish immigrant and a grocer in St. Louis in the years before the civil war, Kelly organized the Washington Blues in 1857, the city's finest militia unit, closely tied to Fr. John Bannon's Catholic Total Abstinence and Benevolence Society.

A drill performance by the Blues helped raise money for Bannon to build St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Church, which stands today.

In November of 1860, Kelly's unit went to western Missouri to repel Kansas invaders.

In 1861, as a regiment in the 6th Division of the Missouri State Guard, Kelly's un it fought in the battles at Carthage, Wilson's Creek (where Kelly was wounded) and Lexington; in 1862 they were at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Later, most of the regiment joined the 5th Missouri (CSA), which fought in Mississippi and other western battles, including the Atlanta campaign.

Only 23 of the 125 men who enlisted in Kelly's regiment in 1861 returned to St. Louis at the end of the war.

Kelly's Irish Brigade: Confederate war song . Melody - "O Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" variant

Come all you that hold true communion with southern Confederates bold,

I will tell you of some men who for the Union in the northern ranks were enrolled;

Who came to Missouri in their glory, and thought by their power we'd be dismayed;

But we soon made them tell a different story when they met with Kelly's Irish Brigade.

Chorus:

Three cheers for the Irish Brigade

And all true-hearted Hibernians

In the ranks of Kelly's Irish Brigade!

You call us rebels and traitors, but yourselves have thrown off that name of late.

You were called it by the English invaders at home in seventeen and ninety-eight.

The name to us is not a new one, though 'tis one that never will degrade

Any true-hearted Hibernian in the ranks of Kelly's Irish Brigade.

Chorus:

You dare not call us invaders, 'tis but state rights and liberties we ask;

And Missouri, we ever will defend her, no matter how hard be the task.

Then let true Irishmen assemble; let the voice of Missouri be obeyed;

And northern fanatics may tremble when they meet with Kelly's Irish

Gallagher, Peter: A legendary Texas Ranger and later an organizer of Pecos County Texas.

San Patricio county, Texas: Was established after the revolution from Mexico. The date was March 17, 1836, Saint Patrick's Day. The 1850 census listed 1,403 Irish in Texas; ten years later the number was 3,480. In 1980 572,732 Texans described themselves as of Irish descent. The Irish were third among those claiming European ancestry, following English and German.

Dowling, Richard: A Texas Irishman whose company of all-Irish Confederates repulsed the Union fleet at Sabine Pass

Power, James: An Irishman and inside political operative, Powers used his influence to seat Sam Houston at the Convention of 1836.

Texas: Eleven Irishmen died at the battle of the Alamo and fourteen were among those with James W. Fannin, Jr., at the Goliad Massacre.

Nolan,Philip: A native of Belfast, Ireland, was said to be the first Anglo American to map Texas. Whatever his real mission in Texas, Nolan's activities so aroused Spanish authorities that he was killed by a force sent to arrest him in 1801.

Goliad: As many as twenty-five Irishmen probably signed the Goliad Declaration of Independence and four signed the actual Texas Declaration of Independence. Over 100 Irishmen listed in the rolls of San Jacinto, comprising one-seventh of the total Texan force in that battle

Marshall, John: In 1762, Marshall’s estate at Mount Pleasant, near King's College, [later Columbia University] was the site of the first recorded celebration of St. Patrick's Day in New York City

.

Downey, John G: Born in County Roscommon in 1827. He arrived in the California gold fields in 1850, after attending Latin school in Baltimore, serving an apprenticeship in Washington, D.C. and working as a druggist in Cincinnati.

Downey was elected to the State Assembly in 1856 and Lieutenant Governor three years later. Four days after Downey's victory, Governor Milton S. Latham, who had been elected to the U.S. Senate, resigned, making Downey at 32, California's youngest governor. His leadership in that office was a critical force in keeping California in the Union ranks, although the majority of Downey's fellow Democrats were secessionists. He delivered six volunteer regiments to the Union cause.

Peculiar Markings: In 1980, P.M. Leonard and J.L. Glenn, from the Hogle Zoological Gardens, Salt Lake City, visited a rock outcropping in Colorado that was reputed to be inscribed with "peculiar markings." Leonard and Glenn believe they are excellent examples of Consainne Ogam writing

Dinty Moore's: A downtown Los Angeles saloon- bristo, a landmark since 1906, when it opened as a private club for baseball enthusiasts.

Mulholland, William: Born in Dublin in 1855, arrived in Los Angeles in 1876 after sailing the seas and trekking across a continent as far south as Panama City.

Mulholland worked as a ditch tender. By 1878 he was in the employ of the los Angeles City Water Company and was made foreman. When the city assumed operation of the water company, Mulholland was named chief and undertook the construction of the first long-distance, gravity flow aqueduct in the United States, which he completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

The 1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam, causing the death of 385, for which he unjustifiably assumed full responsibility, clouded his career in later years.

Doheny, Edward L: Born in Wisconsin of Irish parents, Doheny arrived in Los Angeles in 1892 having ventured westward first as a government surveyor and later as a miner at the various mineral strikes which dotted the West.

Setteling in Los Angeles he noticed the ubiquitous brea (or tar) especially near Westlake Park. He leased a nearby section and using makeshift tools, began to dig, hitting lethal natural gas at 50 feet and an impressive gusher at 600 feet.

Inspired by Doheny, Angelenos began drilling for oil in their backyards and in empty lots. By 1897 two thousand wells dotted the landscape in a half-mile swath reaching from Doheny's oil derrick to Elysian Park.

White, Stephan: US Senator from California in 1896, the son of Irish immigrents. He was noted for his fight against the powerful Southern Pacific Railroad in their efforts to con trol large parts of the state.

King, Henrey: An Irishman, King, beginning in 1879, served two terms as Los Angeles Police Chief. Working with him were Irishmen Richard A. Ryan, Tax Assessor and William B. Lawlor, Justice of the Peace.

Los Angeles Centennial parade: Held in 1881 representatives of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, organized by the Irish of Los Angeles six years earlier, marched in the parade. The group succeeded the earlier St. Patrick's Benevolent Society organized in 1870.

Ferguson, Daniel: The Los Angeles Census of 1836 lists Daniel Ferguson as the sole Irish resident. However, twenty-seven Irishmen, including a dozen soldiers, were listed in the first United States Census of Los Angeles in 1850. More than a third owned farms by 1870. However, as early as 1857 Irishman Matthew Keller held title to 13,316 acres of Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit.

Den, Richard: Dr. Den, a native of County Kilkenny, served as the Chief Physician and Surgeon for the Mexican forces during the war with US in 1848. Although he had difficulty receiving reimbursement from either faction, he treated Mexican and the American prisoners alike.

Den and his brother Nicholas, also a Doctor, travelled from Ireland in 1836, via India, Australia, Peru and Mexico.

He devoted himself to preserving the local mission and establishing a Catholic seminary in Santa Barbara. In later years Nicholas Den was one of the seven organizers of the Society of California Pioneers.

Richard Den was summoned by the townsfolk of Los Angeles where he

successfully performed several operations and resulted in the citizens

granting him the tittle of permanent physician of the town.

Kearney, Stephan Watts: General Kearny, head of the First United States Dragoons, is largely credited with winning the war against Mexico in 1846.

MacNamara, Eugene: In 1844, in an effort to stimulate greater Irish settlement in California, a group of Irish-American leaders secured

the endorsement of a plan of an Irish settlement to the San Joaquin Valley.

The group was headed by a young Irish priest, Eugene Macnamara. The plan called for 10,000 Irish immigrants to move into the valley. It was felt that doubling of the non-Indian population would serve to strengthen Roman Catholic institutions, which would act as buffers against the usurping Americans.

The provincial assembly in Los Angeles approved the request on July 6, 1846 and granted the group 3,000 square leagues of land, extending across the eastern half of the San Joaquin Valley. However, the project died

after Federal US forces secured claim to all of Alta California as a result of the United States' victory over Mexico.

Milligan, John: In 1814, John Milligan (or Mulligan)) an Irish sailor, having contracted scurvy, was forced to leave his ship, the Todd, at Monterey. Along with fellow crew member, John Gilroy, a Scotsman, he was allowed by the colonial authorities to become a permanent resident of California. A weaver by trade, Milligan for whom Milligan's Head in the Salinas Valley is named, soon became proficient in Spanish and served as occasional interpreter.

Transplanted Famine Irish: Between 1848 and 1850, Bishop Fenwick of Boston planted a colony of famine Irish in Maine, Bishop Reynolds of Charleston, S. C., diverted some of the immigrants from Liverpool to his diocese. Two French bishops, Mathias Loras of Dubuque and Joseph Cretin of St. Paul, induced and helped many Irish to settle in the states of Iowa and Minnesota, and in 1850 Bishop Andrew Byrne of Little Rock welcomed a colony of Irish Catholics brought over by Father Hoar of Wexford. Of these latter, only a small number remained in Arkansas, the rest going to Iowa, where they established a colony known as "New Ireland".

Death Rates: The official English figures read that in 1847, four thousand one hundred and ninety-two fam ine Irish bound for Canada, died at sea. An additional 5,570 died on Grosse Isle, 712 in Quebec, 5,330 at Montreal, seventy-one at St. John, one hundred and thirty at Lacine, eight hundred and sixty three in Toronto, three hundred and forty-eight at other places in Ontario.

L’Heureux: In 1714, an English ship, bound for Virginia carrying about 24

young Irishwomen was seized on the Atlantic by a French vessel, "L'Heureux". The passengers were brought to Quebec and distributed among different private families to work as maids. Nothing more was ever heard of them.

The Hibernian Society for the Relief of Emigrants fromIreland: Established in Philadelphia in 1790.

The Hibernian Society of Charleston, South Carolina: Established in 1799.

Haughery, Margaret: An Irish American "the orphan's friend", who bequeathed a considerable fortune for the support of the orphan asylum which she had greatly helped to establish. There is a statue of her in the public square.

Heeny, Cornelius: An Irish immigrant in Brooklyn, New York, he gave a large estate to the Brooklyn Benevolent Society in trust for the poor, and especially poor orphan children.

Mullanphy, John: Of St. Louis, Mo., Mullanphy, another prosperous Irishman, established the Mullanphy orphanage, a religious and charitable endowment at St. Louis.

Jackson, Patrick Tracy: One of the founders of New England’s cotton industry. Jackson , the son of Irish immigrants settled at Newburyport, Mass. He built a cotton mill in Waltham in 1813, is said to have probably been the first one in the world to have combined all the operations necessary for converting the raw cotton into finished cloth

He also founded the city of Lowell (named after his partner in business) and connected that city with metropolis of New England by building the Boston and Lowell Railroad

Malone, William: (1817-1836). Alamo defender. Malone fled his home in Alabama for New Orleans after getting drunk and incurring his father's wrath. His father followed him as far as New Orleans, but Malone had crossed over into Texas by late 1835. He served in the Alamo garrison in artillary company where he died.

Smith, Thomas: An Irish-American, he was the last Union general killed in the civil war, at Petersburg, Virginia in April of 1865

Decatur, Steven: An Irishman who single handedly captured the British ship "Macedonian" during the war of 1812.

The Pennsylvania Packet: The first daily newspaper published in the United States (1771) Its publisher was Irishman John Dunlap

Monserrat: In the narrative of the voyage of the Jesuit Father Andrew White aboard the "Dove and "Ark" from England to Maryland in 1633 in Lord Baltimore's expedition, White wrote that on the way to Maryland, the ship put in at Monserrat (one of the smallest of the Caribbean Islands) where they found a colony of Irishmen "who had been banished from Virginia on account of professing the Catholic Faith"

Gaine, Hugh: Established the New York City paper, the Weekly Mercury in 1782. Belfast born, he was also a founding member of New York's Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in 1784.

Ramage, John: Dublin born and trained as a goldsmith, he was one of the earliest Irish-born artists active in New York

Franks, David:A Dublin trained accountant, he compiled the New York City directory in 1786, the guide to the citizens of the city.

Friends of Irish Freedom (FOIF) supported Irish Nationalists in the wake of the Easter Uprising of 1916.

Flynn, Elizabeth Gurley: New York based labor activist and communist.

Emerald Society of New York: First organized in the Department of Sanitation in 1953, followed by those in the Police and Fire Departments.

McSherry, James Author; (1819-1869) Born at LibertyTown, (Frederick)

Maryland. McSherry was the son of James McSherry and Anne Ridgely Sappington, and the grandson of Patrick McSherry, who came from Ireland in 1745 to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and later to moved Maryland. He graduated from Mount St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg , Maryland, in l838 and was admitted to the bar in l840. His eldest, James, became chief justice of Maryland. McSherry is best known for his "History of Maryland" (Baltimore, l849).

Lomasney, Martin: "The Boston Mahatma" Lomasney was born in Boston on March 3, 1859, the son of Irish parents. He got through several years of grammer schol befere leaving work as a shoe shiner and errand runner.

Whie still a child, he entered politics and for fifty years was one of the most powerful political leaders Boston has ever had.

His first taste of politics came during the Tildon-Hayes campaign in 1875 as a worker for the Democrat leader Michael Wells. When Wells died a few years later, Lomasney already had the nucleus of his political machine

in place, organized as the Hendicks Club (est. 1885) The Club was named after his stalwart friend, Thomas A Hendricks (Vice President under Cleveland).

Hiss rise to the status political master was rapid. There w ere set backs of course. At noon, in March of 1894, he was shot while serving as an Alderman by James H. Duncan.

. Duncan fired five shots from a revolver, one of which struck Martin in the leg. The other four shots fortunately went astray, though one shot went through the clothing of Councilman Boyle, it caused no injury.

Duncan was an oil finisher by trade who owned the house in which he lived in Billerica Street. On 24 January he had been ordered by the Board of Health to vacate the premises. He believed that Martin was responsible for the order. In a conversation with a Policeman after the shooting, when asked why he had shot the Alderman, Duncan said:

"I had good reason for doing it. If you knew as much as I do, you would have done it yourself. He is a villain and anything but a friend of the employed."

Martin served in the State Senate (1895) and for four terms in the State Legislature (1899 and 1907). However, he never cared much for the duties of office and was happier managing the campaigns of his friends.

However, it became his custom to accept the post on the Legislature each third term and to fill the intervening terms with younger men under his patronage. In most pre-election conferences Martin held the balance of power and it was his habit to remain non-committal until the last possible moment. Even his own counsel were kept guessing as to who was his man for Congress, Mayor, Governor or whatever other post was to be filled. Usually he would then appear, "almost like a god" out of the electionary machinery, and announce his will and nominee.

He always denied that he was a boss. "A boss gives orders. I don't. When I want something done I ask for it. Just before the election we send out suggestions to the voters. We don't tell 'em how to vote. We just suggest."

It Lomasn ey who gave rise to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, who, although an avowed political enemy, was a close personal friend.

During rallies, Martin would rip loose his collar and tie and deliver a roaring demand for a solid vote for his candidate followed by his love of Ireland.

In the brutal 1918 elections Lomasney fought against another Irish pol, man anmed Kane, who was instrumental in getting Martin's cousin's father-in-law, John F Fitzgerald (or Honey Fritz as he was known), removed from his seat in Congress in 1919, on charges of election frauds.

Peter Tague, Kane's candidate, had been defeated by 238 votes in 1918 by Honey Fritz. Tague had run on stickers in the election after Fitzgerald had defeated him in the primary by only fifty votes. Kane and Tague convinced a congressional investigating committee that along with using mattress voters, Martin Lomasney had seen to it that Tague's stickers were not gummed. The unsticky stickers fell off the ballots in the ballot box leaving Tague's ballots blank and void.

After working for Fitzgerald's grandson in 1946, Kane said proudly: "I kept the grandfather out of the House of Representatives and I put the grandson in."

During the election of 1925, he replied to a charge of corruption with

"They've said a lot of things about me, but remember, they've never proved anything".

Lomasney was never able to get along with Mayor James M Curley, and the two were openly antagonistic for many years. On June 13,1922, Lomasney set in to motion an investigation, passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 121 to 66, to have Attorney-General J Weston open an investigation into the first administration of Mayor Curley. Lomasney alleged contained evidence of graft and maladministration by Curley (a charge that dogged him for years) however the investigation died off.

Lomasney made constant threats to leave the Democratic party, but never did and it was just another of his ploys.

His final political campaign was in the autumn of 1932 during which he suffered a general physical breakdown. The second attack of pneumonia proved fatal and on August 12, 1933 he died at the Hotel Bellevue aged 73.

He had never married.

Lomasney, Joseph: Brother to Bostons politic boss, Martin Lomasney.

A famous New En gland election anecdote concerns both both brothers.

The story goes that an opponent was making the rounds of Boston polling places. At one place he encountered Joseph swinging the vote of a deaf and dumb man by haranguing him energetically with his hands in deaf and dumb sign language. Despairing of any success there he moved on to another place where he tried to out talk Martin in discussions with Irish voters. Martin won the day by addressing them in their beloved Gaelic.

Mansfield, Frederick: (1877-1958) Mayor of Boston (Term 1934-37)

McCormack, John: (1891-1980) Speaker of the House, United States Congress (Term 1963-1970)

Hynes, John: (1897-1970) Mayor of Boston (Term 1950-59)

Tobin, Maurice: (1901-53) Mayor of Boston (Term 1938-44)

Kerrigan, John E. (1906-73) Mayor of Boston, 1945

Fitzgerald, John F. (1863-1950) First Irish-American Mayor of Boston

(Terms 1906-07, 1910-13)

Walsh, David: (1872-1947) First Irish Catholic Governor of Massachusetts

Hancock, John (1737-93) Governor of Massachusetts (Term 1780-1785)

Sullivan, James: (1744-1808) Governor of Massachusetts (Term 1807-08)

Gaston, William: (1820-94) Mayor of Boston (Term 1871-72)

Kennedy Rose Fitzgerald (1890-1996) Mother of President John F. Kennedy

Milmore, Martin: (1844-83) Irish American sculptor of note.

Parnell, Fanny: (1848-82) Founder of the Ladies Land League, poet. Spen t her later years in Boston where she was buried.

Milmore, Joseph: (1842-1886) Irish American sculptor of note.

Hall, William Hall (d.1771) Founder of the Charitable Irish Society in 1737 in Boston.

Hancock, John: An Irish American of Protestant stock.

Sullivan, James: Early govornor of Massachusetts and Irish American of Protestant stock.

Hall, William: Founder of the Charitable Irish Society and Irish American of Protesant stock.

Malcolm, Daniel: Many Catholic Irish were interred at Copp's Hill in the North End of Boston. Its said that British troops often took take target practice on one particular tombstone there belonging to Daniel Malcolm, an Irish merchant whose gravestone read, "A true son of Liberty, friend of the public and enemy to oppression, and one of the foremost in opposing the Revenue Acts."

The Rest Haven Cemetery: At Deer Island near the Boston Harbor.

The cemetary contains the graves of over 850 Irish men and women who died at the quarantine station, which was established in June 1847 when fear of typhus and cholera epidemics motivated city leaders to check Irish ships arriving in Boston Harbor.

After passing through the physician inspection station at Deer Island and

released, many Irish immigrents quickly became ill from the squalor in Irish ghettos along Boston's waterfront. Other were homeless during this period, and were found sleeping in the Boston Common or in doorways with their families. These were transported by horse and cart to Long Wharf, where a boat returned them to Deer Island for treatment or, in some cases, last rites.

Hegarty, Nora: One of the many sad stories of the Irish who lost their lives aboard the Titanic. Just 18, Nora, a native of County Cork, Ireland, boarded the Titanic at Queenstown as a third class passenger with her cousin Jeremiah Burke. Nora was travelling to America to join an order of nuns in New York. Both were drowned in the sinking. Their bodies, recovered, were never identified.

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling: This Irish-American standar d was pen ned by Chauncey Olcott and set to the music of Enerst Ball for Olcott's production of The Isle O' Dreams in 1912.

Olcott was born in Buffalo, New York and produced several shows about Ireland. His other hits included My Wild Irish Rose. Ernest Ball was also born in America, but was devoted to Ireland.

There's a tear in your eye,

And I'm wondering why,

For it never should be there at all.

With such pow'r in your smile,

Sure a stone you'd beguile,

So there's never a teardrop should fall.

When your sweet lilting laughter's

Like some fairy song,

And your eyes twinkle bright as can be;

You should laugh all the while

And all other times smile,

And now, smile a smile for me.

When Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.

In the lilt of Irish laughter

You can hear the angels sing.

When Irish hearts are happy,

All the world seems bright and gay.

And when Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure, they steal your heart away.

For your smile is a part

Of the love in your heart,

And it makes even sunshine more bright.

Like the linnet's sweet song,

Crooning all the day long,

Comes your laughter and light.

For the springtime of life

Is the sweetest of all

There is ne'er a real care or regret;

And while springtime is ours

Throughout all of youth's hours,

Let us smile each chance we get.

When Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.

In the lilt of Irish laughter

You can hear the angels sing.

When Irish hearts are happy,

All the world seems bright and gay.

And when Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure, they steal your heart away.

Danny Boy: The tune was probably composed by Rory Dall O'Cahan (also known as Rory Dall Morison because of living in Scotland many years) in the 1600's. These words were written by Frederick Edward Weatherly in 1913. The first words set to the music were those of Londonderry Air.

The song is one of over 100 songs composed to the same tune.

Weatherly, an English lawyer was also a songwriter and radio entertainer. In 1910 he wrote the words and music Danny Boy, but the tune flopped

until 1912 when his sister-in-law in America sent him a tune called the Londonderry Air. The melody was perfectly fitted to his Danny Boy lyrics, and published a revised version of the song in 1913. As far as is known, Weatherly never set foot in Ireland.

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling

From glen to glen, and down the mountain side

The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying

'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.

But come ye back when summer's in the meadow

Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow

'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow

Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying

And I am dead, as dead I well may be

You'll come and find the place where I am lying

And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me

And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be

If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me

I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me

Census of 1770: The first U.S. government census showed that of the 3 million people in America, 44,000 were Irish immigrants and another 150,000 were of Irish ancestry.

Crimmins, Daniel: The son of Irish immigrants and a one time hod tender, Crimmins owned his own construction company in New York City. His firm would build more than 400 buildings, miles of streets and gas lines, and a large portion of new York City's elevated railway system.

Brown, John (Leadville Johnny Brown) Brown struck it rich in the California Gold Rush of 1849 His wife, Margaret Tobin made her mark when she survived the sinking of the Titanic and will forever be remembered as the "Unsinkable Molly Brown."

Kingsley, William: Irish born contractor who did most of the excavation work for the foundation of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Crockett, Davy: Notable frontiersmen killed at the Alamo. Crockett was the son of Ulster Irish.

Travis William Barret. Colonel Travis, an Irish-American of Scotch-Irish stock commanded the Alamo in Texas, where he was killed.

Houston, Sam: Irish-Am erican and gen eral in the Texas Republican Army. He won a

decisive victory securing Texas' independence after the battle of the Alamo.

Meany, George: In 1955, George Meany, a one time plumber's apprentice, became the first head of the merged American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Workers (AFL-CIO), the nation's largest labor organization.

Sweeney, John: President of the AFL-CIO in the year 2001 Sweeny is a second-generation Irish American. The AFL-CIO, which represents more than 13 million working Americans

Masterson, Bat: Son of Catherine McGurk from Northern Ireland, Masterson was a legend in his own time as a gunfighter, buffalo hunter, Indian fighter, and frontier lawman who assisted Wyat Earp in Dodge City. He went on to be a newspaperman inn his later years.

Fort Sumnter: The first two casualties of the American Civil War were Irish-Americans

During the surrender ceremonies, on April 14, 1861, a cannon exploded killing Pvt. Daniel Hough Pvt. Edward Galway was severely wounded and died a short time later.

Brennan, William J. Jr: Supreme Court Justice. The son of milkman, William Brennan, of County Roscommon. With the exception of William O. Douglas, has written more opinions than any other Supreme Court justice in U.S. history..

Stone Wall Jackson: A Confederate Brigadier General, Thomas Jonathan Jackson, commanded a brigade of Virginians. Jackson’s great-grandfather hailed from Coleraine, County Derry. During a battle Jackson held firm in the face of furious assaults against his lines. His unfaltering stand inspired the nickname "Stonewall," and launched a legend in military history.

Halloween: This largely American fesstival comes from the Feast of the Dead (Celtic Samhain). It was the most important of the cross-quarter days, when the 'crack between the worlds' could open up and let the spirits pass through. Ghosts of dead ancestors could revisit the earth, join their descendants at the feast.

Brady, Matthew (1823-1896): Civil War photographer. (see Timothy O'Sullivan)

Brennan, William J. Jr. (1906-1997): U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917): Western scout and showman.

Crockett, Davy (1786-1836): Born to a pioneer family living on the Nolichucky River in east Tennessee, Crockett eventually made his home in the northwest corner of the state. A member of the Tennessee militia, Crockett's second enlistment was under Andrew Jackson at Pensacola. His political career advanced quickly; he spent several terms in Congress as a Democrat, but eventually broke with Jackson. After only one term as a Whig, he gave up on politics and reportedly said, "You can all go to Hell and I'm going to Texas." He settled in east Texas in 1835 and died when the Alamo fell a year later.

Day, Dorthy (1891-1980): Journalist and peace activist; founder of the Catholic Worker movement.

Flynn, Elizabeth Gurley (1890-1964): labor activist and organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World ("IWW"); first woman to head the U.S. Communist Party.

Meany, George: (1894-1980): President of the American Federation of Labor; instrumental in merger of AFL with CIO.

McCarthy, Eugene: (1916- ): Congressman from Minnesota; candidate for President in 1968.

McCarthy, Joe (1908-1957): Senator from Wisconsin.

Carrolls: Of the early Colonial settlers, perhaps none is more impressive then the Fabulous Carrol's of Maryland.

Wealthy even in Europe, the Carrol's arrived in the American Colonies under the patronage of King James the Second. The prospered quickly and became one of Marylands original 18 land owning families as well as one of the largest real estate holders in the new world. They named most of their properties with the same name they had held in Ireland.

Charles Carrol was not only Maryland's delegate to the Constitutional Convention to sign the Declaration of Independence, he was also its only Catholic signature and the last to die, at age 92 in 1832.

Charles Carrol's Daughter, Mrs .Richard Caton, of Catonsville Maryland was the first Grand Dame of American society. Her three daughters, called the three Graces, became, respectively, the Duchess of Leeds, the Marchioness of Wellesy and the Baroness of Stafford.

Cousin David Carrol was a millionaire in his own right as well as Maryland's second largest land holder and was the States delegate to the first Constitutional Congress. His land holding by the way, included the grounds that the Capitol stands on today. And his home in Baltimore was said to be the finest in Colonial America.

John Carrol would become Americas and Baltimore's first Catholic Bishop. Included in his nationwide Domain were 50 Priests and 5 Nuns. An unabashed patriot, Bishop Carrol chastised his fellow Irish Americans for what he saw as their less then enthusiastic acceptance of the New Republic and implored them to sign written loyalty statements to the United States, an act he was widely critized for. During the war, he and Benjamin Franklin embarked on the dangerous and failed plan to recruit French Canadian Catholics into the Colonist cause for freedom.

Guy Fawkes: Guy Fawkes day, called Pope's day in the colonies, was called off by General Washington since he was certain that it would offend his French allies.

Actually most of the celebration was fairly harmless, if crude, with the theme of the day being the collection of money from the lines to buy ale with, but even this was forbidden by Washington

At Valley Forge, New England troops moved the celebration to fall on March the 17th, assuming that Washington would overlook the celebration transference.

The New Englanders stuffed an effigy of Saint Patrick and burned it in front of Irish American troops. A fist fight broke out between the two groups and it was only a matter of time before some one pulled out a musket.

General Washington was called to the scene by his officers.

Washington chastised the New Englanders for their "Childish and ridiculous behavior" and then asked the Irish men to point out the main trouble makers among the New Englands.

The Irishmen refused the offer. For Washington, that was a good sign, cohesion was taking , in a round about way, was taking form.

Washington smoothed the whole incident over by declaring;

"Therefore I too am a great lover of Saint Patrick's day and must settle this affair by making the army keep the day" and then ordered that extra rations of beer be given out to all of the troops.

Bodie: In 1880 Bodie and Aurora California could boast of having branches of the A.O.H and Fenians.

Town Names: A 1914 research project revealed that there are no less then 1,054 town, county or city place names in the United States that begin with either O' or Mc. The researchers also said they found 24 Dublins, 21 Waterfords, 18 Belfasts, 16 Tyrons, 10 Limericks, 9 Antrims, 8 Sligos, 7 Derrys and 6 Corks.

Fair, James: Senator James Fair of Nevada arrived in Washington as a newly elected member of the Senate in 1880 and with him began the long tradition of this cities big name, big dollar scandals.

A humorless, egotistical man, Fair was one of the four Irish¬men to stick it rich in the mines of Nevada in March of 1873.

Fair and his Partners, by the way, were financed in their efforts to strike Gold by a Northern Virginia Irishmen named James Walker who called their new venture The Virginia Mining Company.

For some reason Walker later sold his share of the company to the others for the paltry sum of $100,000.00 dollars and returned home to Virginia.

The mine that the Virginia company hit would eventually deliver in access of 190,000,000.00 dollars in Gold, Silver and other precious metals.

Armed with his new fortune Fair and his wife, and their three daughters crashed the gates of polite east coast society in the early 1880's.

A short time later, at his wife's behest for a permanent social position Fair ran for, and won the Senate seat from Nevada.

But Fair quickly tired of the slow pace of the Senate and busied himself with the cities Nightlife. In fact he busied himself enough with it that three years after his arrival to Washington, his wife filed for divorce on the then almost unheard of and scandalous grounds of Habitual Adultery giving Fair the odd distinction of being first member of Congress to be charged on those grounds.

The jury agreed with Mrs Fair and awarded her a settlement of five million dollars, which was, for years, the largest divorce settlement in the history of the United States. Even so, the award was only a mere fraction of Fairs estate which included forty million dollars in cash, two railroads, a bank, and several thousand rentable properties across the country that netted him $250,000.00 a month.

When he died in 1894 leaving no less then 12 Women claiming to have been his lawfully wedded wife.

"The Blarney of his race" wrote the San Francisco Chronicle "had not been omitted from his makeup, when it suited his pur¬pose, his compliments could charm a robin off a fence."

Fairs presence in Washington as an outrageously rich and lucky Irishmen was soon filled by Thomas F. Walsh who had also struck it rich in the now famous Motherlode in Colorado in 1896.

Walsh moved to Washington in 1903 and built his outrageous Mansion at 2020 Massachusetts avenue N.W, with its 60 rooms for the then on heard of price of $835,000.00 dollars, or roughly 80 million times the average Washingtonians salary at that time. The mansion now houses the Indonesian Embassy.

Walsh's daughter, Evelyn, married Washington Post owner Edward Beale Mclean and moved to his no less conspicuous estate called McLean gardens which covered most of upper Wisconsin Avenue and included a private zoo.

Shields, James: Immigrant James Shields, who had given up his job as a New York laborer and decided to take his chances in the American West, enters local politics and is eventually appointed Territorial Governor of Oregon.

Shields moved to Illinois in the mid 1830's, (which was then the frontier) and took his law degree. During the Mexican American War, he was cited for bravery and promoted to the rank of Major General. Restless, he moved to Illinois and was elected to the United States Senate.

He moved again, this time to the newly formed state of Minnesota and was once again elected to the Senate. After the civil war he moved to Missouri and again served as a United States Senator from that state until his death in 1879. He is still the only American (and probably always will be) to serve three States as Senator.

Corrigan Douglas: "Wrong Way Corrigan" was an aviator/mechanic living in Inglewood California. In 1932, he decided to use his $900.00 life savings to purchase a beat up and very old Curtis-Robin's airplane at an auction.

His intentions were to fly solo across the Atlantic.

But his plane didn't look like it would make it off the run way, much less half way across the globe.

Corrigan worked on the plane day and night and finally had it ready for inspection for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The F.A.A. inspector looked the plane over and said "We don't authorize suicide"

Corrigan flew the plane across country anyway, in 27 hours nonstop to New York, a feat that was worthy of front page coverage at that time, But Corrigan's flight went unnoticed.

Billionaire Howard Hughes had just completed a three day flight around the world, and in comparison Corrigan's flight didn't seem as challenging.

A few days after Corrigan had touched down in New York, he took off from Floyd Bennett field again, telling the control tower he was headed back to California.

Twenty four hours later he touched down in Baldonnel Airport, outside Dublin. He asked the Airport official on duty "Isn't this Los Angles?"

"No" replied the Official "Your in Ireland"

"Well then" said Corrigan "I guess I flew the wrong way"

The press picked up on the story and a depression racked America, badly in need of a laugh, loved it.

When he returned to the state's, "Wrong Way" Corrigan was given a ticket tape parade down New York's Fifth Avenue. Hollywood churned out a movie on his adventure, called "The Flying Irishman."

With Corrigan in the staring role

A decade later, Corrigan used his fame to make an unsuccessful bid for the United States Senate.

True to his own legend, until his dying day, Corrigan never admitted that he had fully intended to fly to Ireland in the first place.

McDivitt, James: In 1965, Irish American Astronaut James McDivitt joined the Gemini (and later the Apollo) space program. Two years later, it was fitting that an American with the fine name of Michael Collins should pilot the Apollo 11 and land mankind on the Moon.

The Kings Philips War: An estimated 8% of the colo¬nial troops fighting King Phillips and his rebellious tribes, were Irish born immi¬grants.

Sullivans: Some 250 Sullivan's served in the American Revolutionary army John Sullivan was born in Limerick Ireland in 1696 and moved to New Hampshire as a young man where he taught school for 60 years.

He had seven sons, all served as officers in Washingto¬n's army, one as a Major General.

Of his other sons, one went on to become the first Federal Judge appointed in New England, another the Governor of Massa¬chusetts. His grandsons in¬cluded, a Governor of Maine, a United States Senator and the New Hampshire Attorney Gener¬al.

The Kathrine: After the war of 1675, New England's Puritan colony found them¬selves forgotten by mother England and almost with out food and supplies to get through the winter.

The Mayor of Dublin Ireland outfitted a ship called the Katherine and loaded her down with food and essentials and sent her to the Americans.

The Katherine stopped in almost every port in New England and distributed the food and clothing to 47 villages and town¬ships, saving an esti¬mated 2,350 people from certain death.

The Wild Irishman of Vermont: Representative Matthew Lyon of Vermont was said to be one of the worst tempered men ever to arrive in Washington.

A radi¬cal for American Nation¬alism, Lyon was censured from the Con¬gress with his most notable outburst being his at¬tack on Con¬gress¬man Griswold of Maryland.

Later jailed for a similar attack the scrappy Irishmen was reelected while in jail and was later elected to Con¬gress from Kentucky after his move to the frontier.

Mrs. Glover: There is very little known about Mrs. Glover except that she was an Irish wash¬erwomen hung by the neck dur¬ing the Salem witch hunts conducted by the Reverend Cotten Mather who charged the women with being a witch. Mather based his charge on the allegation that Glover had tormented a group of young neigh¬bors girls and that dur¬ing her trial she defied the Judge by refusing to speak in English "only in Irish, which is her native tongue"

Hibbins, William: Hibbins was an ambitious young man who arrived in Salem Massachu¬setts from his native County Cork in 1634. He some how ended up marry¬ing the sister of the states Governor Richard Bellingham.

From there he built up a small but respect¬able fortune and later became a Boston city magistrate. He died in 1654. His wife Anna, died two years later, hung by the neck as a witch, in the middle of Boston commons.

The couples considerable estate was willed to their sons John and Joseph Hibbins who refused to leave their homes in Bally¬horick Ireland to collect their fortune in Ameri¬ca.

Cape Cod Irish: In the winter of 1626, a 40 foot vessel on its way to Virginia from Ireland carrying a boat load of mostly inden¬tured Irish servants, crashed in Orelean on Cape Cod

The areas Governor, a Mr. Bradford took the shipwrecked Irish on to his estate for the winter writing of them "They were an orderly group who helped to harvest the years crops and conducted themselves in a peaceful fashion"

Most of the Irish stayed on until the following summer then contin¬ued on to Virginia, but a few ran off and lived with the local Indians.

One English pilgrim, known only in history as Mr. Fellis fled to Boston with one of the Irish servant girls who it turned out had become his mistress.

The Emerald Waterway: Is the official name given to the Chicago River each Saint Patrick's day. A less official tradition is that off duty members of the Chicago Police department pour green dye in the river to bring across the point a bit brighter.

Charitable Irish Society of Boston: The society held one of the first St. Patrick's Day's parades in America, on March 17, 1737 in Boston, sponsored by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston to raise funds for ill, homeless, and unemployed Irishmen.

Paddy Whack: An American term from the late 19th century meaning to throw a temper tantrum.

Revolutionary War veterans: New York City's St. Patrick’s day parade was started with an annual march by Irish -American Revolutionary War veterans in 1762.

McGroarty, Julia: Some Irish American Women made tremendous but little noticed gains in America, such as Sister Julia McGroarty founded Trinity College in Northwest Washington in 1897, the first Women's Catholic University in America.

From there, large numbers of Irish American women graduated as Nurses and Lawyers including Mary O'Toole, the first Female Judge to sit on the Districts Court and teachers like Anne Sullivan who dedicated her life to her Student Helen Kellor and initiated so many advances for the hearing impaired through out the world.

Teachers: In Rhode Island, Irish women, far outnumbered Irish men in the state enough so that by 1869 Irish Women were the single largest Immigrant group in Providence and Pawtucket and Warren, most of them working in the states textile mills.

Although it took decades, the Irish American Women would find their entrance into the American mainstream through education.

By 1908 Irish American Women would make up 24% of the teachers in the Providence public school system and over 26% in nearby Fall River. So great was the demand for education among Irish women that St Patrick church in Providence decided to open the first Catholic all girls school, the first in the nation, in 1843.

In Chicago, one out of three public school teachers were Irish American, in the New England States the figure ran to 20%

By 1908 Irish American Women in Connecticut made up 28% of the states teachers

Mary Harris Jones, called Mother Jones was a labor organizer and strike leader for almost 60 years, having taken part in some of the most violent and deadly labor disputes of the Rockerfeller owned Colorado gold mines of 1913-14.

Jones was the daughter of an Irish national (her grandfather was also a nationalist, he Jones remembered seeing him hung by the neck by British soldiers in the front yard of their home in Ireland)

In the mid 1840's Jones father, now with a death warrant on his head for rebel activities fled Ireland with his family aboard a Canadian bound steamer. Arriving in Canada in 1850, the family lived in poverty.

Still in her teens, Jones married an Irish steel worker and moved to Memphis where she had four children. In the cholera epidemic of 1860, Jones lost her husband and her three infant children.

"I waited alone" she wrote "no one would come to me, they were all afraid of the cholera, I wrapped my tiny babies in their blankets and I buried them"

Mary eventually found her way west and became a strike leader for the Irish dominated labor unions the forming in the gold mines there. She participated in some of the bloodiest labor strikes out west including a three month battle against the management of the Rockerfeller owned gold mines in Colora¬do.

Eventually Mary fell in to the bad graces of the more moderate forces then took over the countries trade unions, and was eventu¬ally forced out of the Labor business.

However in her forced retirement she became a media favorite and on her 100th birthday, May Day 1930, a crowd gathered outside her home to help the old women celebrate.

She died six months later.

In her last public statement she said of herself "I'm still ready for battle but I'm to worn out to move. But let it be said of me that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower when I thought a flower would grow"

Lease, Mary Elizabeth The so called "Queen of the Populists" was the daughter of an Irish nationalist who was killed on the side of the Union during the American civil war.

After the war Mary went to the great plains states and went to work making her hell fire and brimstone speeches to the Irish settlers there.

Before long she was caught up in the class struggles of the 1880's and 1890's leading strikes and speeches against the forces of big business, big capitol and its influences on the Federal and local governments.

Her actions were far different from the "go with the program" Irish pols of her day and almost unheard of for a women.

Popular legend has it that Lease was the model for the Wicked Witch of the West in the novel "The Wizard of Oz"

Moore, Annie: Of the 17,000,000 immigrants who passed through Ellis Is¬land between the years 1892 and 1924, 15 year old Annie Moore of County Cork Ireland was the first of all of them to be pro¬cessed through that port of entry.

When welcoming party of federal and city officials waited to bestow the honors to the first person off of the steam ship Nevada, that a German man, sensing there might be prize money involved pushed Annie out of the way and made his way down the gangplank.

One of Annie's two brothers, sensing the importance of the matter at hand, raced down the gang plank and lifted the German over his shoulders and carried him back to the boat, allowing Annie enough time to be the first to step ashore.

Annie did well in the United States, eventually moving to Texas, where she married a direct descendent of Daniel O'Conn¬ell.

Together they managed to end up owning an entire city block in a small Texas town, and eventually branch off into hotels and restaurants.

Annie's husband died a few years later in a flu epidemic and Annie herself died at a relatively young age when she was struck and killed by a train on her way to visit her brother.

In June of 1988, Annie's daughter, journeyed back to Ellis Island, for ceremonies marking the opening of the Parks genealog¬ical center. She was presented with a passenger list from the USS Nevada and in return donated ten dollars in gold coins to the Islands Commission.

A statue of Annie Moore was unveiled in Cobh Harbor Ire¬land in February 1993,by Irelands President Mary Robin¬son.

Grey Haired Irishmen: It was noted by Theodore Parker in 1850 that the rarest sight in America at that time, was that of a gray haired Irishman.

There was some truth to the statement.

Sickness, alcohol addiction, and the diseases that had leveled them in Ireland, took their toll among them in America as well.

The Irish man became known as the perishing class, with a death rate, twice that of the general American population, a sad legacy that would follow for two more generations.

In the decades that covered the 1850's, 60's and 70's. a full 80% of all Irish children died at birth. Death of the Irish male was twice that of the American born male and for Irish women, the statistics were about the same.

Irish Wages: Was a term that originated out of the appalling low rates of pay given to the generally unskilled menial Irish immigrants when they entered the American work force in large numbers in the mid nineteenth century.

By 1880, the term was usually associated with railroad workers pay rates. But low wages and its resulting poverty, followed them in to the new American slums they created in the cities.

Ryan, Thomas Fortune: In transportation, the Irish worked both sides of the track. On the management side, Thomas Fortune Ryan would eventually gain control of New York cities transpor¬ta¬tion lines to add to his tobacco, banking, insur¬ance, railroad, rubber and mining monopolies that he con¬trolled across the globe.

.

Designers: Not only did the American Irish carry the sod and bricks to put up the nations sky scrappers they also designed them as well.

The designs of Louis Henri Sullivan would become the forerunners to modern architectural outlays, particularly in Sullivan's development for skyscrapers and steel framed build¬ings.

Sullivan designed some of the leading building of his time including the transportation building at the worlds Exposition in 1893, the Bayard building New York, and the Gage building in Chicago.

Another Irish American Architect of note was Kevin Roche who designed the United Nations Plaza, the Oakland Museum, the Central Park Zoo and the E.F Hutton building among others.

Roche's father, Eammon, was an early supporter of Irish freedom and was an I.R.A organizer in his native County Limerick, in Ireland and later was elected to the first Dail in 1918, after having served several long and bru¬tal jail terms by the British for his Nationalist.

Another is John Mccomb, who designed and built the New York City Hall building and Madison Square Garden was designed by Charles McKim, who also built the old Heralds Square Building, the Boston Public Library most of the building at Columbia University, the Peirpoint Morgan Library, and PennCentral sta¬tion. He also restored or completed a number of projects including the University of Virginia and the white house.

McMillan, Edwin: A professor at Berkley, McMillan helped co discover the first transuranium element, neptunium, and later the discovery of plutonium in 1940. He also made tremendous inroads in perfecting sonar and radar. He won the noble prize for chemistry in 1951.

Murray, Joseph: Murray was a Medical researcher Murray pioneered kidney transplants in the United States. He later won the Noble Prize.

McCollum, Elmer: Mccollum made vast in roads in the study of vitamins in relationship to diet, growth and disease. His finding would eventually build the vitamin industry in the United States in to a multi billion dollar market.

Hearst, William Randolf: Hearst started one of the largest privately owned communications compa¬nies in the history of the world.

Ford, Henry: Ford was the son of Irish immigrant parents went in to building cars at the turn of the century and for a short time played with the idea of producing gasoline out of crushed Irish potatoes in case their was ever a gas shortage but no one wanted to invest in the concept.

Monaghan, Tom: Monaghan may not have invented Pizza but he did bring it into the realm of big business, very big business. Monaghan was born into poverty and grew up in foster care system. As a young man, he purchased a failed pizza parlor and decided to try something different in the restaurant business.

Murray, Thomas E: Thomas Edison holds the single largest number of U.S. Patents for an individual in the history of the United States, but right behind him is Irish American Thomas E. Murray (over 1,100 patents)

Gregg, Michael: The Gregg shorthand system took its start in Ireland where the originator Michael Gregg was born. Gregg immigrated to the United States in 1893.

Horgan, Stephan: A Virginian, Horgan came up with the idea of developing a process for newspapers to reproduce clear photographs on to paper by converting black and white photographs in to half tone shots. The basic process is still used today in the newspaper industry.

Dolmens: While the second world war raged on, a farmer on Great Chebeague Island Maine discovered a drawing of Celtic head on a hidden rock on his property, in that same year, in an area of Salem, New Hampshire, called Mystery Hill, A Celtic sacrificial table was found. The table is thought to be 1500 years old. A few years later in Lynn, Massachusetts, Ancient Irish Dolmen's are found. Dolmens could be used as huts but were more often used as altars by Druids.

Casey at the Bat: The real Casey at the bat was a Hartford, Connecticut school teacher named Daniel Henry Casey .

The poems, author, E.L. Thayer, was once Casey's school mate at Worcester High School. Thayer was the editor of the school paper The Monophippic Gazette, the first high paper in the country. In the papers first issue in 1881, the smaller Thayer chided the much larger Casey for his weakness in Latin.

A while later, Casey confronted Thayer in the schools hallway, and looking down at the much smaller boy, Casey stormed off after an exchange of words, the two young men never spoke top each other again.

Seven years later, in 1888, Thayer was now earning his living as a poet in residence to the San Francisco Examiner and decided to do a poem about Baseball.

Needing a larger then life ball player as his central figure, Thayer reached back to his childhood and pulled out Casey's name and ran his Casey at the Bat poem in the Examin¬er.

A while later, the actor, De wolfe Harper read the poem aloud at a dinner given for the professional ball club, the New York Nationals.

The reading was a smash hit and went on to become part of American popular folklore.

Over the years a series of pretenders to the throne claimed to be the real Casey including baseball near great's Daniel Michael Casey and later, catcher Tim Casey laid claim to the tittle of the real Casey.

Dunn, Jack: Oriole's owner Jack Dunn would start the brilliant baseball career of Baltimore own Babe Ruth after he saw him play at Saint Mary's Industrial school in 1902.

Free School: In 1870 Baltimore Irish could boast of its own Irish free School.

Dooley, Thomas Anthony: In 1961, the world was shocked and saddened by the sudden death of 34 year old Dr. Thomas Anthony Dooley of cancer. As a young man, Dooley had built up a lucrative medical prac¬tice but left it briefly (or so he thought) in the early 1950s to work with refugees from Communist North Viet Nam. Moved and saddened by their plight, he stayed on in Southeast Asia, at great personnel risk and hardship, assisting the worlds poor and forgotten.

Dooley attacked the overwhelming odds he faced in jungles with a Celtic fury and dedication.

He established a series of Hospital and when money ran out to support them, he wrote two best sellers about his experiences and poured that money back into the hospi¬tals empty tills.

To the rest of the world, Thomas Dooley personified the best of a nation, a people and a race.

Although his work is almost forgotten now, his unselfishness and courage in¬spired an entire generation in the very early sixties.

Thompson, Charles: Charles Thompson was born in Derry, Ireland, and came to the United States as an orphan. He went on to become a friend of Benjamin Franklin and the first headmaster of the prestigious Latin school.

Thompson settled in the wilds of what is now the state of Delaware and was quickly adapted by the local Indian tribes in the area who renamed him "The one who speaks the truth always" and appointed the Irishmen as their representa¬tive to the British court.

Thompson went on to become an early supporter of American independence John Adams called him "The lifeblood of the cause of our independence"

He was chosen to be the first Secretary of the First Conti¬nen¬tal Congress in 1744 and was appointed to the post repeatedly until 1789.

It was Thompson who designed the Great Seal of the United States, who drew up the procedures for electing a President, the first to read the Declaration of Independence in public on July the 9th, 1776, and was the first to inform George Washing¬ton that he had been elected President. Thompson retired from the government at age 60 to translate the Septuagint in to English.

Eris: The name of the professional sailor, native of Galway; sailed with Columbus; volunteered to remain on Hispaniola where he was reportedly murdered by Indians.

Barrymore, John/Ethel: Distinguished performers on stage and screen.

Boone, Daniel: Established the settlement of Kentucky, 1775.

Bryan, Alexander: Of Armagh, Ireland, he settled in Milford Connecticutt

in 1639. In 1661 he bought the last 20 acres the local Indians owned in the district for "6 coats, 3 blankets and 3 pairs of breeches."

Burk, John Daly: Noted author of a four-volume History of Virginia was political protege of Thomas Jefferson.

Burke, Aedanus: Chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court in 1778 Burke represented his state in the First Congress in 1789.

Burke, Thomas: With his brother, Aedanus, he arrived in America in 1764. Thomas represented North Carolina in the Continental Congress from 1776 to 1781. Elected governor of North Carolina; captured by the British, he died shortly afterwards.

Carless, Joseph: Of Westmeath, Ireland. Settled in St. Louis after the failure of the 1798 Rebellion. Established the Missouri Gazette, 1808 the first newspaper west of the Mississippi River.

Carrel, Dennis: During Captain John White s Fourth Voyage to Virginia "two Irishmen, Darbie Glaven and Dennis Carrell" were put ashore on St. John (Virgin Islands) in 1587 to collect supplies and fill water barrels. For some unrecorded reason they were left behind when the ships sailed and vanished.

Carey, Henry Charles: Son of publisher Mathew Carey, won renown as an economist.

Carey, Mathew: A leading Dublin newspaper editor. Fled to America in 1784 to escape prosecution for criticism of the British government. Founded the Pennsylvania Herald in 1785 and the Columbian Magazine in 1786, and became a prominent publisher and bookseller in Philadelphia.

Butler, James: Irish immigrant. Settled in Massachusetts in 1653. At his death in 1681 he was the "largest landowner" in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Butler, Pierce: US Supreme Court Justice in 1923.

Byrnes, James: Son of Irish immigrant settlers in South Carolina, served as Secretary of State.

Ford, John: Emigrated f rom County Cork in 1847. His grandson, Henry,

established the Ford Motor Co., the world s largest manufacturer of automobiles.

Farley, James A.: Political fixer who served as Postmaster General during the FDR administration

Farrell, James T.: A Chicago novelist and communist in the 1930s wrote "Stud Lonnergan"

Farrelly, Patrick: Irish immigrant, served in the House of Representatives in 1824 from Pennsylavania

Field, Darby: Sent by Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1640 to explore northern New England. He discovered the White Mountains.

Finegan, Joseph: General in the Confederacy

.

Fitzgerald, John: A native of Wicklow, Ireland, he served as staff officer under General Washington

Emmet, Thomas Addis: A leader of the United Irishmen, banished from Ireland, he arrived in America in 1804. He was admitted to the New York Bar by a special act of the legislature and in 1812 became attorney general of New York.

Dunne, Finley Peter: the creator of "Mr. Dooley" sketches

Egan, Maurice F. Irish-American writer and educator was appointed Minister to Denmark; he negotiated the 1916 purchaseof Danish West Indies (US Virgin Islands).

Embury, Philip: A native of Ballingane, Ireland. He lead a a band of Irish Methodists that founded the Wesley Chapel on John Street in New York City, one of the first Methodist church in America.

Emmet, Thomas. A: Established the Irish National Federation of America was organized in New York City in 1891. Grandson of the Irish hero.

Ford, John: Macho, hard drinking film director and winner of directorial awards of the Motion Picture Academy.

Dunlap, John: Of County Tyrone. Was the printer to the Continental Congress, printed the first copies of the Declaration of Independence. His paper The Pennsylvania Packet, at first a weekly, was transformed in 1784 into the first daily newspaper published in the United States.

Dulany, Daniel: Born in Queens County, Ireland. Dulany arrived in Maryland as an indentured servant in 1703. After gaining his freedom, he won admission to the Maryland bar in 1710. He became a judge, attorney general of the province, a member of the legislature (1722 1742) and of the Governors Council (1742 1753) He championed the Colonial cause in his pamphlet "The Rights of the Inhabitants of Maryland to the Benefit of English Laws" (1728). His son, Daniel (1722 1797), was secretary of the province of Maryland (1761 1774) and a leading opponent of the Stamp Act.

Duane, William: A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. Emmigrated to

Pennsylvania and began editorship in 1795 of The Aurora in Philadelphia. This newspaper was a leading propaganda machine of Thomas Jeffersons Democratic Party. Duane was named adjutant-general during the War of 1812.

Duane, William John: Secretary of the treasury under President Andrew

Jackson.

Cleburne, Patrick: General in the Confederate army.

Clinton, Charles: Of Corbay, County Longford. Clinton settled in Cape Cod in 1729. He and his wife, also a native of Ireland, later settled in New York.

Clinton, DeWitt: Son of James Clinton, served as governor of New York, 1817 1821 and 1825-1828.

Clinton, George: Governor of New York, 1777 1795 and 1801 1804, and served as vice president of the United States, 1805 1812.

Clinton, James: The son of Charles Clinton became a brigadier general during the Revolutionary War

Coleman, John: A sailor on Henry Hudson's Half Moon, Coleman was killed in a clash with Indians on the coast of New Jersey in 1609. The place where he died was named Coleman's Point, (now Sandy Hook) Coleman was buried in Coney Island.

Connor, Henry: Served in the House of Representatives, 1824, from North Carolina.

Conway, Henry: Served in the House of Representatives, 1824, from Arkansas

Cox, James M: Democratic candidate for the Presidency.

Cudahy, Michael: Of Kilkenny, Ireland. Founded the Cudahy Packing Co.in 1890 , one of the principal meat-packing corporations in the U. S.

Dongan, Thomas: Of Kildare, Ireland. Governor of New York. He held the post until 1688, and was subsequently named Earl of Limerick.

Duane, James: Elected first post-Colonial mayor of New York City in 1784. A former member of the Continental Congress, he held office until 1789. His father, Anthony Duane, had emigrated from Ireland in 1717.

Ford, Patrick: Of Galway, Ireland, founded The Irish World in New York City in 1870. It is the oldest of the major Irish-American newspapers in exsistence.

Turchin, Symon: Commander of the ship The Due Return, which arrived at Jamestown in January 1625. It was written that "Symon Turchin, who had been banished out of Ireland and was reported strongly affected to Popery." He was forced by the Governor of Virginia to sail back to England.

Walsh, Robert: The son of an Irish immigrant, Walsh started The American Review of History and Politics, the first quarterly journal in the United States. He was also editor of the American Register (1817-1818), the National Gazette (1819-1836), and the Magazine of Foreign Literature. He served as American consul in Paris, 1845 1851.

Walsh, Thomas: A Attorney General during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration

Watson, Matthew: A native of Ireland, settled at Barrington, Rhode Island, he supplied much of the brick for New York's urban expansion during the eighteenth century, as he remained active in business until age 100.

White, John Campbell. Dr: White Belfast in 1798. He was elected first president of The Benevolent Hibernian Society of Baltimore.

Sullivan, John: The son of, James Sullivan a governor of Massachusetts, John Sullivan was known as the conqueror of the Iroquois.

Talbot, George: Talbot "an Irish gentleman," received a land grant in Maryland in 1680, which he named New Ireland and subdivided into estates called New Munster, New Leinster, and New Connaught. It included what is now Hartford and Cecil Counties, Maryland, and part of Newcastle County, Delaware, and was settled by Irish immigrants.

Sullivan, John: Sullivan and his brother Cornelius were listed as settlers, in Virginia land records in 1935. Cornelius possessed of considerable property, died in 1672,

Sullivan, Daniel: Of Cork, Ireland, he settled in Nansemond County, Virginia, in 1690. Sullivan was elected to the House of Burgesses. His descendants, who spelled the name Sullivant, were pioneers in the settlement of Ohio.

Sullivan, James: Elected governor of Massachusetts in 1807. He was a son of John Sullivan, of Limerick Ireland.

Smith, Jeremiah: An Irish immigrant. Began operating the first paper factory in America in 1725 in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Stewart, Alexander T: Of Lisburn, County Antrim, Ireland. He arrived in the United States in 1820, opened a small dry-goods shop in New York City

which became a massive retail store, A. T. Stewart and Company.

Saint Gaudens, Augustus: Born in Dublin, Ireland of a French father and an Irish mother, he was a New York based, world-renown as a sculptor.

Shaw, John, Commodore: Shaw emigrated from Ireland in 1790 and commanded the United States Naval Squadron in the Mediterranean during the war of 1812.

Rogers, William Barton: The first president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ruchford, Dennis: An immigren t fromWexford, Ireland he

accompanied William Penn on his first visit to Pennsylvania. in1682 and was named a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1683.

Rusk, Thomas Jefferson: Rush was the son of an Irish immigrant stonemason. He settled in Texas in 1835. A year later, he was a member of the convention that proclaimed Texas an independent republic. He served as Secretary of War, Commander in Chief of the Army, and Chief Justice of the supreme court. In 1845 he was president of the convention that voted for annexation to the United States. He was Texas first US Senator.

Rutledge, John: Rutledge and his brother Edward were founding members of The Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick founded in Charleston, South Carolina. Both became governors of South Carolina.

Pollock, Robert: An immigrant from Donegal, Ireland, he arrived in Maryland in 1672. Their son, William, who shortened his name to Polk, was the great-grandfather of President James K. Polk.

Patterson, Edward: Patterson and his brother William, natives of Dungannon, County Tyrone, Ireland, settled in New Britain, Connecticutt in 1738 and were the first manufacture of tinware in America

Sheridan, General Philip H.: A General in the Union Army during the the Civil War.

Patton, James: Of Derry, Ireland, in1736, he received a grant of land west of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Augusta County, Virginia, which was settled largely through his efforts. He was killed by Indians in 1755.

.

Mullen, John: Mullen and his partner Patrick McGloin established a Texas colony of 200 families at San Patricio in 1828.

McCarthy, Charles: An immigrant from Cork, in 1677 he led a party of forty-eight Irish immigrants in the founding of East Greenwich, Rhode Island

Maguire, Francis : An Irish adveturer, he came to Jamestown, Virginia

in 1607 remained about one year. He wrote an account of his visit and submitted it to the Spanish Council of State.

MacCarthy, Daniel: From Cork, Ireland, he settled in Virginia, and became a Burgess in 1705 and Speaker of the House in 1715 and 1720.

Ball Sarah: First cousin of Mary Ball, George Washington s mother.

Macdonough, Thomas: Commodore Macdonough, the grandson of irish immigrents, defeated the British at Plattsburgh

Makemie, Reverend Francis: Of Donegal, Ireland, he organized the first American Presbytery, in Virginia in 1706. Makemie had been an evangelist since his arrival from Ireland in 1683, and is regarded as the founder of Presbyterianism in America.

McCormack, John: A powerful Speaker of the House of Representatives.

McKean, Samuel : Served Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives in1824.He later became a United States senator.

McLane, Louis: Served Delaware in the House of Representatives in 1824.He later became a United States senator and was secretary of state under President Jackson.

McLoughlin, John: Son of an Irish immigrant, he was, in 1824, the chief benifactor for the Hudson's Bay Company at the fur-trading post of Fort George near the mouth of the Columbia River. He was the sole authority in the area that is today Oregon, Washington, Northern California, Idaho, and adjacent portions of Nevada and Wyoming, as well as northwestern Canada as far as the Yukon.

McCourt, Frank: Irish born writer, although born in the United States and lived most of his life in New York. Penned the highly acclaimed Angela's Ashes.

McKenna, Joseph : First Irish American Catholic to be appointed Attorney General of the United States and the first Irish American Catholic to to hold a Cabinet office. He served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1898 to 1925.

Jones, Teague: Native of Ireland, landowner in Yarmouth, Massachusetts.

In 1660, he was fined in 1660 for refusing to take an oath of fidelity to the Crown.

Kearny, Philip: Noted union general in the Civil War.

Gookin, Daniel: The son of an early Irish settler in Virginia, moved to Massachusetts and in 1644 became a member of the Governor s Council, major general of militia, and superintendent of Indian affairs.

Hogan, Robert. Dr: President of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick founded the Irish Emigrant Society in New York City in 1814.

Lewis, Thomas: Of Belfast, Ireland. A carpenter, Lewis arrived in New Amsterdam (Later New York) in 1657 under contract to the Dutch West India Company. Under the name of Thomas Lodewicksen he became captain of a cargo vessel plying the Hudson River between New Amsterdam and Albany. He was a special protege of Governor Stuyvesant, and is mentioned in Stuyvesant s correspondence as "Thomas the Irishman".

Logan, James: Of Armagh, Ireland. In1699, Logan as secretary to William Penn. He later became a member of the provincial council, mayor of Philadelphia, acting governor (1736 1738), and chief justice of Pennsylvania

Loudon, Samuel: An Irish native, in 1776 he founded The New York Packet and American Advertiser, a weekly newspaper

Lynch, Charles: Son of Colonel Charles Lynch, also served as governor of Louisiana.

Lynch, Dominick: A native of Galway, Ireland, he arrived in New York in 1784 and became one of te citys leading merchants and patron of the arts.

Kyrle, Richard: Governor of South Carolina in 1684.

Johnson, William: Of Meath, Ireland. He settled in the Mohawk Valley, New York in 1738. In 1755 he was named superintendent of Indian Affairs. On his death he was succeeded by his nephew Guy Johnson who directed Iroquois attacks against the colonists during the Revolutionary War.

Game, Hugh: Of Belfast, Ireland. Arrived to the United States in 1745, and founded the New York Mercury, which became one of the leading Colonial newspapers.

Meade, Andrew: Of Kerry, Ireland, he settled in Nansemond County, Virginia,1690, and later became a burgess, judge, and colonel of militia. Among his descendants was General George Meade

Mellon, Archibald: A native of County Tyrone, Ireland, he settled in Pennsylvania in 1816. His great grandson Andrew Mellon was Secretary of the Treasury (1921-1932) and ambassador to Britain. They are one of the wealthest families in America.