Proposition 3-17

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Guinness is sponsoring a site gathering names for Petition 3-17 in support of making March 17 an official holiday in the United States.

Last time I checked, they had 258,974 names on their way to their goal of one million people. The site has already been noted by the Washington Post, the Boston Herald and U. S. News & World Report, among others.

One wonders about the reaction of those opposed to the stereotype connecting the Irish and alcohol, not to mention that of people who concentrate on the religious aspects of the day. Erin go Bragh, everyone!

American Irish Historical Society to Reopen

According to the American Irish Historical Society's site their "headquarters will formally reopen on March 16, 2008 after a two-year restoration and renovation. There will be a series of cultural and scholarly events in Spring 2008. The library and archives of the society are scheduled to reopen to members and scholars in September 2008. "


The society is located at 991 Fifth Avenue, across from the Metropolitan Musem of Art.

Profile of Ireland at N.Y. Times Site

I came across this page about Ireland on the New York Times website this afternoon. It does a nice job of linking to information about the country in a variety of sources--including World Factbook, the U.S. State Department, the World Bank, articles from the Times and many others. It's worth a look.

The Fighting 69th, by Sean Michael Flynn

The New York Irish History Roundtable has had a number of programs relating to the Fighting 69th, including a tour last April of the 69th Regiment Armory conducted by NYIHR President Charles Laverty.

NYIHRers might be interested in the recent book The Fighting 69th: One Remarkable National Guard Unit's Journey from Ground Zero to Baghdad, by Sean Michael Flynn, which deals with the more recent history of the regiment.

John O'Connor Graduate Scholarship, 2007-2008

The NEW YORK IRISH HISTORY ROUNDTABLE announces the

John O’Connor Graduate Scholarship for 2007- 2008

For distinguished graduate work in the history of theIrish in the New York City area.
Open to graduate students at the masters and doctoral levels.

Deadline: submissions should be postmarked by June 14, 2008.

The John O’Connor Scholarship includes a $1000 award for distinguishedgraduate work in the form of scholarly unpublished writing covering anyaspect of the history of the Irish in the New York City area.Submissions should be primarily historical in character. Work completed in related disciplines in the humanities and social sciences will be considered.

Winning submission may be published in the journal, New York Irish History.
Submissions may be in any standard scholarly format and should be atleast 4000 words in length, exclusive of notes and references. They must be typed double-spaced, and stapled. Three copies should be sent.

Please include a one-page resume, a one-page faculty-advisor recommendation, and a stamped self-addressed envelope.

Submissions should be postmarked no later than June 14, 2008.Applicants should send three (3) copies of their work to:
New York Irish History RoundtableScholarship Committee

Post Office Box 2087

Church Street Station

New York, NY 10008-2087

New York Irish in Wikipedia

Wikipedia covers just about everything, so it is not surprising that the Irish in New York have an entry. However, at present, it's quite short and needs to be expanded, so if you are an authority on some aspect of this subject, feel free to edit the entry. It does have a decent list of cross-reference to other Wikipedia articles, and a smallish list of external websites. This list now includes the New York Irish History Roundtable.

The Irish General: Thomas Francis Meagher

The University of Oklahoma Press recently published a new biography of General Thomas Francis Meagher. The publisher says that, "The Irish General first recalls Meagher’s life from his boyhood and leadership of Young Ireland in the revolution of 1848, to his exile in Tasmania and escape to New York, where he found fame as an orator and as editor of the Irish News. He served in the Civil War—viewing the Union Army as training for a future Irish revolutionary force—and rose to the rank of brigadier general leading the famous Irish Brigade. Wylie traces Meagher’s military career in detail through the Seven Days battles, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville.

"Wylie then recounts Meagher’s final years as acting governor of Montana Territory, sorting historical truth from false claims made against him regarding the militia he formed to combat attacking American Indians, and plumbing the mystery surrounding his death."

New York Irish & the Fight for Free Speech

New York Irish &

the Fight for Free Speech

A Lecture by Christopher Finan

Sponsored by

the New York Irish History Roundtable

Saturday, May 3, 2008, at 2:00 p.m.

New York Genealogical &

Biographical Society

122 East 58th Street, Manhattan

Irish Americans have played prominent roles in the fight for free speech in the United States, and many of the most important and controversial battles for free speech in the United States were fought in New York City. For example, Irish nationalist Jeremiah O’Leary, a New York attorney and ardent supporter of Irish nationalism, was one of the Americans prosecuted for criticizing United States’ participation in World War I. O’Leary was publicly excoriated by President Woodrow Wilson for his pro-Irish and anti-War statements. O’Leary’s pro-Irish publication, the Bull, was suppressed by Postmaster General Burelson, and O’Leary himself was arrested and indicted for his characterizations of the military draft as part of an effort supporting the British colonial empire.

Similarly, Margaret Higgins Sanger, the daughter of an Irish immigrant stonecutter and a New Yorker, was prosecuted by special agent Anthony Comstock, acting on behalf of the U.S. Postal Service, for mailing copies of her avant-garde women’s rights magazine, The Woman Rebel. Another Irish New Yorker, Governor Alfred E. Smith, helped bring an end to the Red Scare that followed the war and vetoed legislation that would have restricted the rights of Socialists and other critics of the status quo. And State Senator James J. Walker, later Mayor of New York City, led the forces that defeated a book censorship bill. “No woman was ever ruined by a book,” Jimmy Walker said during the debate. (Of course, some of the most vigorous Irish American defenders of American free speech were Irish and were appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court – Frank Murphy, William Brennan and Anthony Kennedy – but they lacked the good fortune of a New York background.)

Too little attention has been paid to the Irish American contribution to the fight for free speech, an issue in which the New York Irish can take pride in the achievements of their forebears. This unique program will focus on these achievements.Christopher Finan is a longtime supporter of the Roundtable and president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. He is currently chair of the National Coalition against Censorship and a trustee of the Freedom to Read Foundation. He is the author of Alfred Smith: The Happy Warrior, and lives in Brooklyn.
Admission to this event is free. There is a suggested donation of $3.00 for refreshments.

Guinan's Pub Closing

This may be a little outside our normal range geographical interest, but it's still worthy of note-- the New York Times recently had an article on the closing of Guinan's Pub in Hudson New York. Guinan's had been in operation since 1959 and had a monthly Irish night. It will be missed.

St. Patrick's Day on YouTube

Fans of the St. Patrick's Day parade might want to get ready for this year's event by checking out postings on YouTube such as these two from New York and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn .

Ireland House Program

NYU's Glucksman Ireland House, which has generously supplied space for past NYIHR programs, will be hosting Fr. Thomas Shelly, who will discuss the history of Irish Catholic New York City for the release of The Bicentennial History of the Archdiocese of New York, 1808-2008. The program ill take place on

Thursday, February 7th at 7 P.M. at

Glucksman Ireland House NYU.

For more Ireland House events see their calendar.

Family Roots Radio

Readers of this blog who are interested in genealogy and family history might want to wander over to Family Roots Radio.

43 Years and Still Looking

43 Years and Still Looking

The Online Revolution in Genealogical

and Historical Research

A Lecture by Tom Kemp

Sponsored by the New York Irish History Roundtable

Saturday, April 5, 2008, at 1 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

National Archives and Records Administration,

201 Varick Street, 12th Floor, Manhattan

Tom Kemp has been tracing his family history for the past 43 years. When he started, he only knew that William Kemp and Frances Stark were born in "Ireland."

Now he has tracked down thousands of Kemp and Stark cousins who migrated from County Cavan and County Limerick to countries all over the world. Tom will share his research tips and discuss some online tools like the Family History Library's New FamilySearch (which is currently undergoing internal testing) and GenealogyBank. (www.GenealogyBank.com)Come see how the online revolution is again transforming how we research our family history. Tom will also announce a special offer for Roundtable members and our friends.Thomas Jay Kemp is the Director of Genealogy Products at NewsBank, the parent company of GenealogyBank.com.

He has been a librarian for over 40 years and previously served as the director of two major genealogy libraries in New England.Admission to this event is free. There is a suggested donation of $3.00 for refreshments.
Seating for this event is limited to forty attendees. Those who wish to attend should send an e-mail to:

roundtable@irishnyhistory.org to reserve a seat. Your reservation will be verified by e-mail or telephone, whichever is your preference.