Irish America January / February 2019

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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

CANADA $4.95 / U.S. $3.95

The 33rd Annual

BUSINESS

100

Celebrating the Irish in Corporate America

» THE MAJESTIC COUNTY MAYO LAUREL & HARDY THE IRISH STORY WILD WOMAN LOUISE BRYANT POET OF THE PEOPLE PATRICK KAVANAGH A BROOKLYN CHRISTMAS

“I see my CEO job as chief cheerleader.

It’s all about the team, and cheering for them to do their best.”

Eileen McDonnell

DISPLAY UNTIL FEBRUARY 28, 2019

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THE CHARISMATIC LEADER OF PENN MUTUAL TALKS ABOUT HER PARENTS; THE AMERICAN DREAM; AND BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING.

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74470 73334

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$3m

in grants to Integrated Education

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integrated schools

22,000 children throughout Northern Ireland

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The Ireland Funds is proud to salute a great business leader and philanthropist, Eileen McDonnell.

Thanks to you, The Ireland Funds has assisted

Let us help you connect

over 3,200 outstanding Irish organizations and

with Ireland and realize your philanthropic goals.

Visit www.irelandfunds.org

causes across the island of Ireland and around the globe.

Integrated Education is just one example of our commitment to peace and a shared society in Northern Ireland as children from Catholic, Protestant, and other diverse backgrounds are now able to learn together.

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Vol. 34 No. 1 January / February 2019

Features

Elly Bay Beach, County Mayo

78

32

HIGHLIGHTS

32 There’s Something About Mayo

News From Ireland

38 Cover Story: Eileen McDonnell

Irish Eye on Hollywood

Steeped in history and diverse in surroundings, there’s something for everyone in Mayo, Ireland’s third-largest county geographically.

By Darina Molloy

Irish favor birthright citizenship; Winterval in Waterford; Santa Cycle in Dublin. p. 12

Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company CEO Eileen McDonnell evokes her Irish heritage while breaking the glass ceiling and creating a flexible company culture for her employees.

By Patricia Harty & Maggie Holland

Irish faces coming to the big screen. p. 16

Hibernia

Joanie Madden receives the Eugene O’Neill Award; Fenway’s Hurling Classic.

44 33rd Annual Business 100

Celebrating 100 of the best and brightest leaders who all share an affinity for their Irish heritage.

p. 18

Window on the Past

John Gilmary Shea preserved much of the existing knowledge of American Catholicism. p. 90

74 Radical, Romantic, and Doomed

Eugene O’Neill once called Louise Mohan Bryant “a great woman, something out of the old Irish legends, betrayed by life.”

By Rosemary Rogers

78 Patrick Kavanagh

Remembering one of Ireland’s most significant and revered poets, who wrote his accounts of Irish life through reference to the everyday and commonplace.

By Sean Kelly

82 Irish American Partnership

An ocean away yet close at heart, the Partnership ensures Irish children have the educational resources they need to thrive.

By Therese Murphy

82

38

Dave Lewis unveils the Irish connection behind Laurel and Hardy and reviews the new biopic.

p. 94

Christmas Concert

74

A rare interview with the late poet Seamus Heaney will be broadcast on PBS.

p. 102

Sláinte!

Robert Burns, the man behind “Auld Lang Syne.”

86 The Seventeenth Christmas

Pete Hamill’s ode to his father originally appeared in our January 1986 issue.

By Pete Hamill

p. 100

DEPARTMENTS

92 Roots: The Mighty McDonnells

From the Sunday comics to the worldfamous eponym of a chess move, the McDonnell lineage has definitely left its mark.

By Mary Gallagher

Stan & Ollie & the Irish

92

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Irish America Magazine (ISSN 0884-4240) © by Irish America Inc. Published bi-monthly. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1277, Bellmawr, NJ 08099-5277. Editorial office: 875 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1606, New York, NY 10001. Telephone: 212-725-2993. Fax: 212-244-3344. E-mail: submit@irishamerica.com. Subscription rate is $21.95 for one year. Subscription orders:1-800-582-6642. Subscription queries:1-800-582-6642, (212) 725-2993, ext. 150. Periodicals postage paid at New York and additional mailing offices. Postmaster please send address changes to Irish America Magazine, P.O. Box 1277, Bellmawr, NJ 08099-5277. Irish America is printed in the U.S.A.

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First Word Letters Those We Lost Book Reviews Crossword Photo Album Cover Photo: Penn Mutual

TOURISM IRELAND

contents |

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caint | readers forum Donegal Playground

The Flight of the Earls

In “Retracing the Footsteps of the Last Gaelic King of Ireland in Rome,” Nov. / Dec. 2018 issue, Cahir O’Doherty makes a compelling case that “it’s time to reclaim the last days and figureheads of the old Gaelic world” as he traces the Flight of the Earls from Ireland in 1607. An ancient bard poignantly captured that sad chapter of Irish history in verse: Rory our darling and our most gracious Hugh!

And tho’ we named no names beyond the two, Yet in this sailing have we lost a host Of men that fainting Ireland needed most.

The departure of the two earls: Rory O’Donnell of Tyrconnell and Hugh O’Neill of Tyrone set the stage for England’s aggressive Plantation conquest of Ireland. The consequences of that confiscation of Ireland’s land remain a thorny political problem in today’s Brexit negotiations as England attempts to avoid a hard “English” border between the Republic and Northern Ireland. Jimmy Cagney captured this defining chapter of Irish history in this couplet, which he wrote after filming Shake Hands with the Devil in Dublin, 1959: The men of Tyrone and all the six counties (Intransigent seems to describe them) Supply all the bounties from all of those counties So England continues to bribe them.

Elizabeth I, the queen called virgin, Set up the haves and have-nots By usurping the lands of the old Irish clans And gave them to Anglos and Scots.

Essex and Raleigh and Cromwell, All Englishmen of distinction, Had an overall plan for the old Irish clans And the overall plan was extinction.

The epilogue to the great story of the very last Gaelic lord of Ulster, Hugh O’Neill, remains to be written.

– Robert F. Lyons Kennebunkport, Maine

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Hugh O’Neill and Hugh O’Donnell should be remembered and honored for trying to uphold Gaelic Ireland.

– Eileen Keane (online comment)

Our community group, known as Rathmullan The Way Forward, would be very happy to welcome all interested parties to Rathmullan in County Donegal to celebrate our history and heritage, and commemorate the Flight of the Earls from Rathmullan in 1607. I can be contacted via mimcglynn@ eircom.net.

– Michael McGlynn (online comment)

What a wonderful IA Photo Album by Turlough McConnell. I read “Kilcar, My Donegal Playground” from one to end to another. Congratulations on a very endearing family picture and a terrific description of your youthful adventures.

It was a simpler time, whether one was in Donegal or moving up and down the Grand Concourse. Our families may not have been able to give us many material things, but we were given much more – love and encouragement!

– Martin Daly (submitted via email)

We are descended from Hugh and Molly Gildea (niece of Cardinal O’Donnell) of the Beehive Bar Main Street Ardara, through their daughter Columba Gildea – our mother. We too spent our summers in Donegal, in Ardara playing in Main Street and the lovely environs. Eveline Gildea, my mother’s older sister, used to talk of a connection with Kilcar. The Gildeas were Patrick, Mona, Eveline, Patricia, Ena, Frances, Columba, and Loretto, the only one still alive, who will be 90 next year.

– Rosanna L. Achilleos-Sarl (online comment)

Two Doctors of Note

The two articles, on Dr. James Barry [the famous British Army surgeon who was actually a woman] and Dr. J.B. Murphy [who turned surgery into performance art], in your Nov. / Dec. issue are fascinating.

One whom fame eluded ultimately, and the other who embraced fame and self-promotion.

– Dr. Trudy Prescott (online comment)

GAA in The USA

Great stuff. Thanks for the wonderful article [on the GAA championship games in Philadelphia.] The finals each year are such a great experience, win or lose.

Matt Larsen (online comment)

Success story.

At FedEx, we understand what it takes to deliver when it counts.

We’re proud to show our support for the 2018 Irish America Business 100 and we salute those with the drive to never stop pushing forward.

Congratulations Don Colleran and the other Business 100 honorees.

Š2018 FedEx. All rights reserved.

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caint | readers forum

Trip to Ireland Draw Winner

Stephanie Sullivan from Chicago won our Subscription Drive Draw, which included two round-trip tickets on Aer Lingus, and two C.I.E. “Taste of Ireland” tours. Stephanie took her sister Rosemary with her. It was their first trip to Ireland. Thank you to our sponsors, Aer Lingus and C.I.E. Tours. Sign-up for Irish America’s weekly newsletter for news of future subscription draws, at irishamerica.com.

Dear Irish America:

Rosemary and I had a wonderful trip! Thank you!

Ireland is even more beautiful and inspiring in person than in the photos we’ve looked at for years, when we dreamed of visiting there. Our C.I.E. coach driver, Oisin, was helpful and told us memorable stories about his childhood in Ireland. Everyone we traveled with was nice and we all looked

out for each other. They called us the “Chicago Sisters.” We took lots of photos and videos because we saw so many majestic sites. The countryside is breathtaking. We learned so much and this trip has motivated us to learn more about our Irish heritage and culture. We hope to visit again someday.

– Stephanie Sullivan

Rosemary and Stephanie Sullivan pose in front of Trinity College, Dublin, on their first trip to Ireland, courtesy of Aer Lingus and CIE Tours.

Visit us online at irishamerica.com to leave your comments, or write to us:

Send a fax (212-244-3344), e-mail (submit@irishamerica.com) or write to Letters, Irish America Magazine, 875 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 1606, New York, NY 10001. Letters should include the writer’s name, address, and phone number and may be edited for clarity and length.

contributors | Sean Kelly was born in 1940, on

July 22, the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, on a farm outside Montreal, Quebec. In 1972, he migrated to N.Y.C. to co-write the infamous off-Broadway mock-rock musical Lemmings.

He was an editor of the National Lampoon magazine when it was funny – from 1971 until 1978 – during which he “broke his own record for obscurantism several times, reaching an apotheosis with a dense parody of Finnegans Wake.” – Nathaniel Stein, The Daily Beast, July 1, 2013.

He worked extensively in children’s television but his only Emmy (2004) was for the early literacy PBS series, Between the Lions.

He has written (or co-written) many books, only one of which has been translated into Japanese. They include: Saints Preserve Us! (1993) and How to Be Irish (1999, both with Rosemary Rogers), and Irish Folk and Fairy Tales (editor, 1982).

8 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Darina Molloy, for-

mer assistant editor of Irish America magazine, returned to live in her native Mayo in April 2000, after six hugely enjoyable years in New York City, with her husband and their baby daughter.

The intervening years in Mayo have produced three more children and a complete career change – she is now a librarian with Mayo County Library.

Maggie Holland

Rosemary Rogers coauthored with Sean

Kelly the bestselling humor reference book Saints Preserve Us! Everything You Need to Know About Every Saint You’ll Ever Need (Random House, 1993), currently in its 18th international printing.

The duo collaborated on four other books for Random House and calendars for Barnes & Noble. Rogers cowrote two info entertainment books for St. Martin’s Press. She is currently cowriting a book on empires for City Light Publishing.

Pete Hamill

is an American journalist, novelist, essayist, editor and educator, widely traveled and having written on a broad range of topics. Born in Brooklyn, he is perhaps best known for his many writings, fictional and fact, about New York City.

He has been a columnist and an editor with the New York Daily News and the New York Post, and he has written 10 novels and two books of short stories.

hails from Burlingame, California, and graduated from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development in May 2018, where she majored in Media, Culture, and Communication and was a Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar. She works as an editorial assistant for Irish America magazine and is a third generation Irish American, with her Irish roots tracing back to Counties Cork and Galway. She lives in Greenwich Village.

Irish America’s 2018 Business 100 recognizes the best and brightest Irish American leaders at helms of some of the most innovative and powerful corporations in the world We are proud to celebrate Irish America’s 33rd Annual Business 100 and congratulate this year’s honorees, including Kieran Claffey, Colette Cribben, Conall Dempsey, Martin Kehoe, Mark McCaffrey and Tim Ryan.

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Vol. 34 No. 1 January / February 2019

IRISH AMERICA Mórtas Cine Pride In Our Heritage

Founding Publisher: Niall O’Dowd

Co-Founder/Editor-in-Chief: Patricia Harty Art Director: Marian Fairweather

Assistant Editor / Social Media Coordinator Dave Lewis Assistant Editor / Sales and Events Coordinator Mary Gallagher Editorial Assistant: Maggie Holland

Financial Controller: Kevin M. Mangan Accounts: Mairead Bresnan

IRISH AMERICA 875 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 1606 New York NY 10001 TEL: 212-725-2993 FAX: 212-244-3344

Subscriptions: 1-800-582-6642 E-MAIL:

submit@irishamerica.com www.irishamerica.com Irish America Magazine ISSN 0884-4240) © by Irish America Inc. Published bi-monthly.

Mailing address: P.O. Box 1277, Bellmawr, NJ 08099-5277.

Editorial office: 875 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1606, New York, NY 10001. Telephone: 212-725-2993.

Fax: 212-244-3344 E-mail: Submit@irishamerica.com.

Subscription rate is $21.95 for one year.

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Periodicals postage paid at New York and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster please send address changes to Irish America Magazine, P.O. Box 1277, Bellmawr, NJ 08099-5277.

IRISH AMERICA IS PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

10 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

the first word | By Patricia Harty

The Gift of Heritage

H

appy Christmas to all our readers. I love this time of year. New York is abuzz with lights and window displays, and good cheer. ’Tis the season… To make time for a little reflection to go along with a lot of celebration.

To look back on the year, remember the highs and let go of the lows, and look forward to what’s to come.

The holidays are a time when stories get handed down, and children learn of the past deeds of long ago ancestors; how they crossed the seas in leaky boats to get here. Not all of them, of course, but enough. The gift of heritage is a gift that keeps on giving. And one senses, from the honorees profiled in this issue, that it’s a gift that’s been treasured. It is emphasized over career achievements, in the limited space given to our honoree profiles. We see titles and accolades foregone for a mention of a great-grandfather who helped to build the great bridges of New York; and learn of the “Irish spirit” of a mother determined to succeed and accomplish whatever she set her mind to. A woman who sounds a lot like Eileen McDonnell, the subject of our cover story. Eileen worked hard to achieve her goals. She didn’t let obstacles stand in her way, and she inspired others to do the same. And as far as she went, she carried her Irish story in her heart. Hell, she even changed the company’s colors to green. She could do that because she was the boss now. She’d climbed the corporate ladder all the way to the top of Penn Mutual. We are thrilled to have Eileen as the Keynote Speaker for our 33rd Annual Business 100 luncheon on December 12.

There are many inspiring stories in these pages, and in stories of years past.

I find myself looking over our back issues, a lot lately. Depending on the mood, I might pick up a bound copy of our first year, or our 15th. There are 33 bound volumes in all – one for each year we have been publishing. If there is a common thread running through all the stories that rest between the covers, it’s of a people who have consistently succeeded against the odds; a people who found opportunity where there was none; who worked hard, but still found time for a song and a tune.

Sometimes in my trawling, I go looking for Pete Hamill, for surely he’s one of the best chroniclers of Irish America. He gave us a wonderful story for our January 1986 issue, which I’ve reprinted in this edition. Back when he gave it to us, he wrote the following note by way of introduction to the piece. It says it all.

“This story took years for me to write. I tried it a few times when I was young, but I didn’t know enough about life or writing to make its themes clear to anyone else. When I finally put it down on paper, writing it across a long weekend, I knew it still wasn’t right, and a year later I did it once more as a short novel called ‘The Gift.’

“My father is dead now, but I hope I accomplished what I set out to do; to tell him that I loved him. I wanted him to know that while he was alive on this earth, and not save the feeling for the oratory of eulogies. The story of my mother is another matter, full of courage and poetry and laughter, but it was not central to “The Gift” and will have to wait its turn. This is about fathers and sons, and reading it again, I feel what I have felt since he left: that he’ll come up the stairs in an hour or so, singing the old songs, and we’ll sit up late and talk about Leeson Street and Brooklyn and all the ballplayers who have come and gone. I just wish he’d lived long enough to see Dwight Gooden.” – Pete Hamill To read on, go to page 86.

Mórtas Cine.

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hibernia| news

By Maggie Holland

Brexit Uncertainty Makes Ireland More Attractive

ank of America Merrill Lynch has relocated B its main EU banking arm from London to Dublin months ahead of the earliest possible

date of the UK’s exit from the EU. They are one of the first banks to take such steps to deal with the uncertainty looming over Brexit.

The bank merged the London location, which oversees €50 billion in assets, with its Irish subsidiary, bringing the total Irelandbased workforce to more than 800 people, split between two offices.

The new Irish hub will be led by the bank’s former Chief Financial Officer Bruce Thomp-

Irish Favor Birthright Citizenship

s other western countries are endorsing populist agendas on tightening immigration policy, Ireland is voicing its opposition to such restrictions, overwhelmingly in favor of reinstating birthright citizenship.

A Sunday Times poll found that 71 percent favored birthright citizenship, while 19 percent were opposed and 10 percent undecided. Three days later, a proposal on the matter passed a preliminary vote in the Irish Senate.

If passed, the law would grant citizenship to anyone born in Ireland who subsequently lives in the country for at least three years, regardless of his or her parents’ citizenship status.

This would reverse a 2004 referendum in which 79 percent of voters supported the removal of birthright citizenship.

A

Michael D. Re-Elected

rish President Michael D. Higgins has been re-elected for a second term after receiving 56 percent of the country’s vote on October 26.

President and He was first elected in 2011 and First Lady Higgins will now serve another seven years. celebrate his The inauguration took place Sunreelection at the day, November 11, at Dublin Casresidence, Áras an Uachtaráin. tle. This year, the inauguration coincided with the centenary of the end of World War I, and the President had therefore asked that the ceremony be held in the evening to facilitate those who wished to attend Armistice Day commemorations.

Higgins was the first incumbent in 50 years to face a challenge in his reelection. Businessman Peter Casey came in second with 23.1 percent of the vote. Casey got a boost in the polls after he made controversial comments about the Travellers community, comments that many initially thought would derail his campaign. Before the comments, he was polling at about two percent.

Higgins is a veteran politician, having served as Mayor of Galway, Teachta Dála, and senator. He has used his time in office to address issues concerning justice, social equality, social inclusion, sectarianism, racism and reconciliation.

Higgins said he accepted the outcome with “humility, determination, and excitement.” He added, “People are interested in ideas that are sincere and constructive. For words matter, words can hurt, words can heal, words can empower, words can divide.”

I son, and Cork native Rob Cahill will oversee its global technology and operations function.

“After many months of preparation and having just completed our cross border merger, we now stand ready to serve our clients seamlessly in their final preparations for Brexit and for the long term,” said Thompson.

Businesses are not the only ones making moving arrangements. As the Brexit negotiations linger on, some students in Northern Ireland have expressed their reservations about the deal and have made contingency plans regarding the border, with many applying for Irish passports.

The Irish backstop is a big point of concern. If there appears to be more of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, like the one seen above from the 1970s, the students say it will galvanize moderates to turn to Ireland and the EU. 12 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

This drastic shift in public opinion on the matter has followed a few high-profile cases concerning various children’s citizenship statuses.

Although popular among the public, the bill is opposed by the Irish government because of fears that people living illegally in Britain will move to Northern Ireland to have a baby, securing Irish citizenship for their child and residency for themselves, or British citizens will use the same tactic to maintain free movement around the European Union once Brexit is finalized.

The senator who introduced the bill, Ivana Bacik, is confident it will pass in the Senate, but less certain about its prospects in the Dáil, the lower house and principal chamber of the Irish legislature.

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Winterval in Waterford City

n Saturday, November 17, International Rose of Tralee, Kirsten Mate Maher joined Santa and the mayor in Waterford City for the launch of Pictured (l-r): Professor John Brewer, the seventh annual Winterval, Ireland’s largest Acting Director of the Mitchell Institute; Professor Christmas festival. They gathered in John Roberts Adrienne Scullion, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the FacSquare to turn on the city’s Christmas lights, with a ulty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Mary Robinson; Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor musical performance by local band Brass & Co. of Queen’s University Belfast, and Ryan Feeney, Earlier in the day, Santa’s elves hit the streets for Head of Public Engagement. an exclusive “Golden Ticket” giveaway, offering free entry to some of Winterval’s top attractions, including the Enchanted Christmas, a brand new Santa experience at the Old Postal Sorting Centre; the Winterval Express Train and Sleigh; Winterval on Ice; n Tuesday, and rides on the Waterford Eye, Carousel, and Helter Skelter. Clues for the giveaway November were promoted on Winterval’s social media.

6, Former presiOver 500,000 visitors attended Winterval dent of Ireland and UN 2018, which ran until December 23rd. There were over sixty events at Ireland’s ChristCommissioner for mas capital.

Human Rights Mary “These events will certainly sprinkle some festive magic on what is sure to be an amazRobinson delivered the ing festival this year in Ireland’s Christmas Inaugural Senator capital,” said Festival Director Tommie Ryan. Santa’s elves at Waterford City’s Winterval.

O

Mary Robinson Gives Peace Lecture

O

Ireland’s Biggest Santa Cycle Reaches €1 Million Mark for Sick Children This Christmas

n Sunday, December 2, 500 Dubliners dressed as Santa Claus with Christmas lights took part in Ireland’s biggest Santa Cycle, now in its fourth year. After departing from the Phoenix Park, the Santas cycled through Dublin, past Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin, and finished in Clondalkin.

The event was arranged by the Laurels Charity Crew, who won the charity event of the year at the Irish Healthcare Awards in 2016. Since its inception 10 years ago, the Laurels Charity Crew had raised €930,000

O

for various charities, and this year put them over the €1 million mark.

The proceeds from the event went to the Straight Ahead project, a medical support group in association with the Children’s Medical Research Foundation (CMRF) Crumlin.

“It’s always such a lovely day full of enjoyment, with one common goal – to do whatever it takes to help some of Ireland’s sickest children!” said Damien Long, cofounder of the Laurels Charity Crew. There were also Santa Cycles in Limerick and Cork.

George J. Mitchell Annual Peace Lecture at Queen’s University Belfast. Serving from 1990–1997, Robinson was the first female president of Ireland and now works to secure global justice for vulnerable people across the world, with a commitment to empowering the poor and marginalized.

The lecture and subsequent reception was organized by the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at the University.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 13

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hibernia| news University of Limerick Leads the Way on Gender Equality

niversity of Limerick has long been a leader on gender equality among Irish higher education institutions, with the highest percentage of female professors at 33%, and as one of the first two universities in Ireland to be granted the Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network) Bronze award in 2015 for advancing gender equality. Since then, five individual departments at UL have also received the Athena SWAN award.

Gender equality is represented by senior leadership at UL, with eight out of its twelve Executive Committee members being female; having a female

U

Chancellor for the second time in its history, Mary Harney (the first being Miriam Hederman O’Brien, who was appointed in 1998); and both of UL’s two Vice Presidents being women, Professor Kerstin Mey, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Mary Shire, Vice President of Research. Further, 50% of UL’s Faculty Deans, 41% of the Heads of Department, and 53% of UL’s Assistant Deans are women. 60% of UL’s Governing Authority sub committees are chaired by women.

In 2017, UL President Dr. Des Fitzgerald appointed a Special Advisor on Gender and Equality. Research grants totaling almost €1 million have been provided to support academic staff in re-establishing their independent research careers after returning from extended family leave, minimizing the impact of extended leave on research.

Dr. Fitzgerald said, “A lot has been achieved but there is a way to go yet.”

Guestbook Project Marks Good Friday Agreement’s 20th Anniversary

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n Monday, December 3, Guestbook Project, an initiative started

by Boston College Professor of Philosophy Richard Kearney that uses the power of digital storytelling to promote peace and heal divisions, honored the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement with a media reception at Boston College.

Founded in 2008 on the 10th anniversary of the Agreement, the Guestbook Project is an ongoing artistic, academic, and multimedia experiment in hospitality with the purpose of engaging and educating for peace by exchanging stories across divides. Personal stories can be inspirational triggers for change in divided communities, according to Kearney.

The Peace Pedagogy Press Reception included a special screening of Guestbook Project’s recent short film, “In Peace Apart,” which features two students from Derry/Londonderry, a Catholic and a Protestant, exchanging stories and uniforms in the historically divided city. The documentary exemplifies Guestbook Project’s mission to change history by exchanging stories, which foster empathy and understanding.

“As the current Brexit controversy reminds us, borders have become occasions of fierce contestation and are still a huge challenge in our conflicted world: from Northern Ireland to US/Mexico, Isreali/Palestine and beyond,” said Kearney.

14 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Ireland Has Highest Rates of Cystic Fibrosis in the World, But is Leading With Research

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in 19 people in Ireland are carriers of the Cystic Fibrosis gene. In 2010, Professor Paul McNally and Dr. Barry Linnane set up the SHIELD Cystic Fibrosis study, a wide-ranging long-term study into Cystic Fibrosis. It involves over 250 children who have attended Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Tallaght, and Limerick.

As a result of the combined efforts of research teams around the world over the last 20 years, the average predicted survival rate in cystic fibrosis has increased from 25 years to 41 years.

Professor McNally says that there hasn’t been one patient in seven years who has declined to take part in the research study. “Without research there is no progress in medicine. Research is the future. It has at its heart a concept of striving for excellence and constantly driving improved outcomes,” he says.

The study is of longitudinal nature, so samples are taken from patients as young as one and throughout their early childhood years, and followed up until their late teens. Although valuable insights have been made through the study so far, it is very much in its early years.

The ultimate long-term goal of the SHIELD CF project is to better understand the evolution of lung disease in children with CF. McNally added, “The structure of SHIELD CF will allow it to bear fruit for a generation. Research projects like this result in new possibilities, improved quality of care, and longer life expectancy for children with CF.”

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hibernia | irish eye on hollywood

Balfe & Kennedy Race to the Silver Screen

Scary Joy for Ciaran Foy

t will certainly be a happy new year for Dublin born director Ciaran Foy. Foy is the director of the upcoming horror film Eli, featuring Lili Taylor and Sadie Sink, as well as Anglo-Irish actress Kelly Reilly, best known for roles in Flight and Calvary. Eli is about a young boy undergoing treatment for a crippling disease at a creepy, isolated clinic. Soon enough, Eli’s suspicions about the clinic’s creepiness are confirmed, and the demons haunting the facility may get to him before his disease does.

Look for Eli to be released in early January 2019. Foy is making quite a name for himself in the American horror/supernatural market, having previously directed scary flicks such as Sinister 2 and Citadel. Meanwhile, Kelly Reilly has not only been busy with movies. Look for her once again as the lead female character, Beth Dutton, in the Kevin Costner western series Yellowstone, which will begin its second season on the Paramount Network in mid-2019.

I

PHOTO COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

hat do you get when you cast an Irish American, alongside an Irish Englishman, alongside a Scotswoman with a history of playing Irish roles?

A Laurel and Hardy movie, of course! With all of the scenes spliced together by an Irish film editor.

John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan star in the January 2019 release Stan & Ollie. The film is a serious look at the struggles and successes of the famed black-and-white comedy duo. Stan Laurel was a Brit, while Oliver Hardy was an American from Georgia. But Irish American comic masterminds Leo McCarey and Hal Roach decided to put them together in movies, starting with 1927’s The Second Hundred Years, and the rest, as they say, is slapstick history. Stan & Ollie also features Scottish actress Shirley Henderson, who has appeared in Irish films such as Intermission. Directed by Jon S. Baird, Stan & Ollie was also edited by Úna Ní Dhonghaíle, who has done lots of TV editing for shows such as The Crown and Wallander.

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rish actress and Golden Globe nominee Caitriona Balfe is branching out from the excellent work she has been doing for several years now on the Starz network show Outlander. In 2019, Balfe – a Dublin native – will appear alongside Christian Bale and Matt Damon in Ford v. Ferrari, directed by James Mangold, known for gritty flicks such as Cop Land and Walk the Line, as well as the Wolverine movies. Ford vs. Ferrari is about the American team (prompted by Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca, among others) that set out to design and build a vehicle that could finally defeat the Ferrari team at the 1966 Le Mans auto race in France. Look for Ford v. Ferrari in the summer of 2019. Balfe will also have plenty of Irish company when Outlander returns for season number five in 2019.

Irish star Maria Doyle Kennedy has signed on to return for another season on the time-traveling show, this time playing a blind slave owner in colonial America. For two decades now, Kennedy has nicely balanced an acting career, with roles in movies such as Sing Street and Jupiter Ascending, with an equally impressive singing career.

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Reilly, Henderson, Coogan, and Arianda

The Irish Laurel and Hardy

By Tom Deignan

Traveling Back in Time

t would make sense if Outlander – with its Irish cast and time-traveling concept – inspired Irish writer and director Steve Kenny to create his film Time Traveller, which may well earn an Academy Award for Best Short Film. But the real inspiration was the 1980s classic Back to the Future. Time Traveller is about a father and son who are members of Ireland’s traveling community. The son is so obsessed with the Michael J. Fox flick that he sets out to build an exact replica of the DeLorean car that plays a central role in the movie. But things take a serious turn when the family is evicted from the site they’ve made their home. Word is the film even has the blessing of Back to the Future screenwriter Bob Gale, as well as star Michael J. Fox. “It was a real privilege for me to be able to tell an original story that was close to my heart while also paying homage to a film that left a huge impact on me as a child.... building our own DeLorean was pretty cool too!” Kenny has said. Time Traveller has a fine blend of veteran and new Irish talent, including Barry Ward (Maze) and Barbara Bergin (Intermission), as well as new-coming young brothers Tom and Liam Doran. Keep an eye out when Oscar nominations are announced in late February 2019.

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Neeson’s Back in Black and White

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s always, there is plenty of news on the Liam Neeson front. Look for the hunk from Bal-

lymena in February 2019 in the action thriller Cold Pursuit, alongside Laura Dern and Emmy Rossum. Then, when things warm up in the summer, Neeson will appear in the latest entry in the Men in Black franchise, simply entitled MIB. This time around, the MIB team shifts to Europe, with a London-based team of alien-chasers saving the world from killer ghouls. Neeson stars in MIB along with Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Rebecca Ferguson. Finally, just in case you forgot Neeson has the acting chops to appear in serious cinematic fare, Schindler’s List returned to select movie theaters in December, to mark the 25th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s epic Holocaust drama. Neeson, of course, played the title character, who saved over 1,000 Jews during World War II. Often forgotten amidst the hype of Schindler’s List is the fact that it was based on a novel by acclaimed Australian-Irish writer Thomas Keneally.

The Gleaming Gleesons

leeson family update: Don’t look now, Domhnall, but you’re no longer the only son of Brendan Gleeson making waves in show biz.

In recent years, Brian Gleeson has had roles in films such as the controversial Mother! and alongside Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread. He can also be seen in the much buzzed-about TV show (now available in the U.S. on Hulu) The Bisexual. And 2019 is also shaping up to be a good one for Gleeson. He has roles slated in a reboot of the Hellboy franchise alongside Milla Jovovich and Ian McShane, and will also appear in Season 5 of the English-Irish 1920s gangster drama Peaky Blinders, alongside Cillian Murphy. (All four previous seasons of Peaky Blinders are currently available on Netflix. Two words: Binge it!) But don’t feel too bad for Brian’s brother Domhnall Gleeson: Aside from a role in the forthcoming Irish New York gangster flick The Kitchen (expected in the fall of 2019), he will also reprise his role as General Hux in a little franchise you might have heard of known as Star Wars in December 2019.

And of course, Brian and Domhnall’s dad Brendan continues to work. He was in the recent Coen Brothers western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (where he sang an amazing version of “The Streets of Laredo”) and will be seen in the late-2019 love story Frankie, alongside Greg Kinnear and Marisa Tomei.

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A still from Angela’s Christmas

Dornan’s Wars

amie Dornan is working feverishly to branch out from the Fifty Shades franchise, taking on roles in an eclectic mix of offbeat and serious projects. Not long ago, he was in the campy HBO flick My Dinner with Hervé, playing a journalist who gets caught up in the vortex of ‘70s celebrity with Hervé Villechaize. Villechaize had his 15 minutes of fame thanks to a starring role on the cheesy TV hit Fantasy Island. On the other end of the seriousness spectrum, Dornan appeared in the November film A Private War, about war correspondent Marie Colvin. Down the road, keep an eye out on Jamie streaming services or DVD Dornan queues for Dornan in the RTÉ mini-series Death and Nightingales, based on Irish writer Eugene McCabe’s novel.

Set during the notorious Fenian dynamite campaign of the 1880s, Dornan plays a charming young man who crosses paths with a sheltered Irish girl who is looking to break free from her oppressive stepfather.

Dornan’s co-star, Wexford native Ann Skelly, has been earning rave reviews of her own, and was recently dubbed “a rising star you’ll want to keep an eye on,” by Bustle.com.

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Angela’s Christmas

ust in time for Christmas, Netflix has produced a 30 minute animated movie based on a Frank McCourt’s story rooted in his memoir Angela’s Ashes. Entitled Angela’s Christmas, the sentimental cartoon may well earn its place alongside Charlie Brown’s Christmas and The Year Without a Santa Claus when it comes to future holiday favorites. Angela’s Christmas features the voice work of Irish actress and Academy Award nominee Ruth Negga (Loving), and is narrated by Malachy McCourt. The film was directed by Irishman Damien O’Connor, who recently said: “The story is ultimately about family with warmth representing love. That connected into everything visually you have the blue and gold in almost every shot, with gold representing love. As Angela moves through the story she moves from the cold blues into the warmth, eventually ending up fully basked in the gold heat of the famIA ily fire.”

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hibernia | arts Irish Art Sells For Highest Total Ever

n Sotheby’s in London, on IfromNovember 21, a sale of Irish art the collection of Brian P.

Burns – one of the most significant collections of its kind in private hands – brought a total of $4,204,562, the highest total for a private collection of Irish art sold at auction. The transaction brought Sotheby’s overall total for Irish art sales this season to $7.7 million.

The auction opened with a flood of bids for Rowan Gillespie’s The Settlers. Here, a humble 19th-century couple, cap in hand and a small bag by their feet, have made their journey to America. The elongated and frozen poses have shades of Grant Wood’s American Gothic. The figures are loosely based on a photograph of Gillespie's great-grandparents who emigrated to Montreal in the mid-19th century. His great-grandfather found success within his lifetime, working for the Chicago and Grand Trunk Railway.

It was one of six works by the artist, all of which were sold.

The sale was led by Roderic O’Conor’s “Romeo and Juliet”, which sold for $464,331, the highest price for the artist at auction in ten years, and Jack B. Yeats’ Misty Morning, which brought in $364,833.

Sir John Lavery’s Armistice Day, November 11th 1918, Grosvenor Place, London was acquired by Imperial War Museums, selling for $318,909.

There were bargains to be had too. One painting, perhaps one of the most evocative in the collection, Bankrupt by James Brenan (1837-1907), sold for just 50,000 pounds. Bankrupt, is one of Brenan’s many subject paintings where Brenan brings before the public his concern for the state of the Irish poor, especially their education. – Maggie Holland

TOP: Bankrupt

by James Brenan, who documented life in Ireland in the 1800s.

RIGHT: Rohan Gillespie’s The Settlers (height including base, 39 in.) was one of six works by the artist to be sold, bringing in £65,000 GBP.

Silent Testimony

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ear my Voice, a cinematic tribute to those who suffered loss as a result of the Northern Irish conflict known as The Troubles, (1968-1998), was screened at the Core Club in New York on November 26. The film is based on artist Colin Davidson’s exhibition of portrait paintings, Silent Testimony, exploring the common humanity The artist Colin Davidson. of the survivors of conflict as their stories unfold alongside a haunting study of their painted faces.

Born in Belfast in 1968, at the very start of the conflict, Davidson began working on the portraits over a threeyear period. “It never started as a theme,” he said in an interview with Irish America, but he recalled thinking, when he first heard of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, “what about all those who suffered losses during the conflict?” For more on the story see: https://irishamerica.com/2016/03/silent-testimony.

18 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

WALTER SIMON Walter Simon’s son Eugene, 26, disappeared on January 1, 1981.

Eugene was a father of three children and had recently remarried following the death of his first wife.

He was due to become a father again. Eugene’s body was recovered in May 1984 when a bog in County Louth was drained. His remains were identified by the rose gold Celtic cross, worn round his neck, that had belonged to his first wife.

MAUREEN REID Maureen Reid’s husband, and father of their 10 children, James, 44, was killed on January 17, 1976, when a bomb was thrown into the Sheridan Bar in the New Lodge district of Belfast. Maureen never remarried and raised her family on a widow’s pension.

Throughout the years, Maureen referred to James as “Daddy.”

She passed away on March 25, 2015, with her family by her side.

Business. Imagined Better. Together.

Congratulations UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, Dublin, Ireland proudly congratulates members of our North American Advisory Board, Emeritus Board and Alumni Community Aidan Connolly – Chief Innovation Officer, Alltech Colette Cribbin – Partner, PwC James de Hayes – Founder, Principal, Chairman and CEO DeHayes Consulting Group Michael Dowling – President and CEO, Northwell Health Anthony Dunne – US Country Manager and COO, Bank of Ireland Alan Ennis – Chairman of the Board, Glansaol John Fitzpatrick – President & CEO Fitzpatrick Hotel Group North America David Greaney – President, Synergy Investments Enda Kelleher – Vice President, Sprintax Shaun T. Kelly – Global CEO KPMG Kathryn Spain – Managing Director, Head of European Sales, North America, Credit Suisse

For further information contact: Colm Small, Senior Manager Student Recruitment and Admissions Email: colm.small@ucd.ie Tel: + 353 1 7168098

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hibernia | events

Cherish The Lady:

Joanie Madden Receives Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award

ew York-based Irish American Writers & Artists bestowed the prestigious N Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award to traditional Irish musician Joanie Madden at a formal ceremony at the Manhattan Club, upstairs at Rosie

O PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MARIANNE MANGAN

O’Grady’s, New York on Monday, November 12.

The nonprofit group celebrated Madden’s continued contributions to traditional Irish music in America and around the world. Born in the Bronx to Irish parents, Madden was brought up with Irish music. She excelled in the concert flute and tin whistle early on and is now the top-selling whistle player of all time.

She has performed on Grammy-winning albums and documentaries as the front woman of Cherish the Ladies, the acclaimed all-female Celtic music band. She has previously been awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, been named a Fellow of United States Artists, and had a street named after her on the Grand Concourse in her native Bronx.

“The list of Joanie Madden’s honors could wallpaper your bedroom,” said former talk show host and last year’s O’Neill award receipient, Phil Donahue, while introducing Madden. He said that Madden’s DNA contained “music of the heart.”

Paul Keating, the set dance and ceili dance caller, and instructor on Joanie Madden’s Folk’N Irish Cruise called Madden “a force of nature, a giant personality, and perhaps the ninth wonder of the world.” The incoming president of the Irish American Writers & Artists Mary Pat Kelly said, “As her passionate – and numerous – fans around the world can attest, Joanie Madden stands out for her tireless commitment to preserving and passing along true Irish music from one generation to the next.” – M.H.

Nollaig na mBan

ne of the most unique of the many events the Irish American Partnership puts on each year to raise money and awareness of its goals is its celebration of Nollaig na mBan, or “Women’s Christmas,” an old Irish tradition honoring women’s leadership within the family and community, celebrated each year in January by giving women a day of rest and merriment after the Christmas season.

The Partnership commemorates this holiday with breakfasts honoring prominent Irish and Irish American female leaders and the positive impact they have worldwide, as well as giving back to programs in Ireland. In 2019, the Partnership will host two Nollaig na mBan breakfast celebrations, one in Boston and one in Washington, D.C. At the Boston event on January 10, Anne Anderson will facilitate a fireside chat with the eighth President of Ireland, Mary McAleese. At the D.C. event on January 8, Baroness May Blood of Northern Ireland will discuss her work with the N.I. Women’s Coalition and the Integrated Education Fund.

The Irish American Partnership (see page 82) works to empower the next generation of Irish leaders by supporting educational initiatives and community development programs in Ireland.

– M.H.

ABOVE: Talk show legend Phil Donahue presented Joanie Madden with the O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award.

RIGHT: Joanie with her mother, Helen Madden, four of her brothers: John, Patrick, Joe, and Kevin Madden, and her sister in law, Lisa.

TOP RIGHT: Mary Robinson, Ireland’s first female president; and Anne Anderson, Ireland’s first female U.S. ambassador, at the 2017 Nollaig na mBan breakfast.

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Fenway’s Hurling Classic

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enway Park, the hallowed ground of the Boston Red Sox, was taken over by Irish players wielding sticks in what has been described as the world’s fastest game played on grass, on November 18. It was the third time in four years that the Park played host to the Fenway Hurling Classic. Fans of Ireland’s national game came from across the states to watch the action as four teams competed for the Players Champions Cup, in three 40-minute matches.

The reigning Players Cup champions, Clare, lost by a goal to Cork when a late penalty was converted in the first game of the tournament. The second matchup, between Wexford and Limerick, saw Limerick come out ahead, which was hardly surprising given that Limerick are the reigning All-Ireland Champions, having beaten Galway in Croke Park last August. Limerick went on to claim the Players Cup, beating Cork in the final.

The tournament, a joint initiative between the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and the Gaelic Players Association (GPA), in conjunction with Aer Lingus and Fenway Sports Management, featured a modified version of hurling developed for American audiences and U.S. pitches. Known as the Super11s, the games are modified for a short field, and unlike

the traditional 15-aside format, they feature 11-aside, and there is no scoring points over the bar. Goals can range from 2 to 5 points depending on where the player is on the field and how the ball is struck. – D.L.

For more on Super11s listen to Irish America’s The Story podcast by Dave Lewis on Anchor. https://anchor.fm/irishamericasthestory/episodes/ The-GPA-Super11s-e2jh8r

ABOVE: Players Cup Champions, Limerick, celebrate winning over Cork in the final at Boston’s Fenway Park.

(Photo: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Celtic Football Club Dine Out in New York for Charity “You’ll Never Walk Alone,”

the unofficial anthem of Celtic Football Club, was sung loudly and proudly on October 30 at the Celtic FC Foundation’s Inaugural New York Gala Dinner in Manhattan, where they raised an impressive $200,000.

The guest of honor was former

Celtic manager, and former Republic of Ireland manager, Martin O’Neill.

Hugo Straney, the voice of Irish radio in Canada, emceed the evening, which was hosted in partnership with the Ireland Funds of America, and sponsored

by Avolon and Magners.

Celtic FC and its longtime rival

Rangers Football Club, both based in Glasgow, are by far the most successful and popular clubs in Scotland. Their rivalry has become deeply embedded in Scottish culture.

Celtic FC was founded in 1887 by Brother Walfrid, a Marist priest, with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the East End of Glasgow.

The Celtic FC Foundation upholds and promotes the charitable principles and heritage of its founder.

Chair of the Gala Dinner Committee Paul Geaney said, “The goal tonight was to highlight to a new audience the important work the foundation does, to raise money for fantastic new projects the Foundation will deliver, TOP: The Celtic and to add a touch FC Foundation receives a check of Paradise to New from the New York.”

York Friends of – M.H. the Foundation.

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5th Annual HC 50 Gala

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rish America’s annual Healthcare /Life Sciences 50 awards were celebrated at the New York Yacht Club on November 2. In his keynote address, Michael F. Mahoney, CEO of Boston Scientific, talked about his Irish heritage; the influence of his grandfather, a pediatric cardiac surgeon; and the latest technology, such as a pacemaker the size of a thimble, that his company is working on.

The event was sponsored by ICON, a word leader in clinical research, whose CEO Steve Cutler, was in attendance; and Northwell Health who are leaders in charting the future course of healthcare in America.

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HEALTHC

1. Group Shot: 2018 Healthcare and Life Sciences honorees. 2. Honoree Patrick Pilch. 3. Editor-in-Chief Patricia Harty and Co-Founder Niall O’Dowd present Raymond F. Kerins, Jr. of Bayer with his award. 4. Holly Millea with honoree Kevin Burns of Action Wellness, honoree, Dr. Paul Millea with his wife Barbara.

5. Tina Moore, Dr. Steven Cutler, and Steve Duggan.

6. Keynote Speaker Boston Scientific Chairman and CEO Michael F. Mahoney. 7. Honoree Elaine Brennan of True North / Northwell Health. 8. Niamh Hyland, who enchanted the honorees with her rendition of “Wild Mountain Thyme.” 9. Honorees Margaraet Weber and Kathleen Coffey Steimel. 10. Sister Michael Mary Campbell and fellow honoree Mary O’Dowd.

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CARE 50 6

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Photos: Peter Foley

“There are some incredible people here. Kidney transplant

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surgeons, cardiac surgeons, leaders of hospitals, researchers, bio tech companies, it’s so cool to be amongst this society of healthcare where we’re all united to try to advance science to help patients.”

– Mike Mahoney.

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14 13 15

11. Sr. Bernie Kenney and her guests. 12. CEO and Chairman of Boston Scientific Michael F. Mahoney and Patricia Harty. 13. Honoree Elaine O’Hara of Sanofi Pasteur and her husband, Finbar Bleahen.

14. Honoree Mary Anne Gallagher of New York Presbyterian. 15.

Honorees Dr. Patrick Carroll of The Walgreens Co. and Dr. John Murphy of Western Connecticut Health converse with guests. 16. Editor in Chief Patricia Harty presents Richard Mulry of Northwell Health with his award.

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hibernia | events NUI Galway Gala Dinner n Thursday, November 15, NUI Galway O held its 12th Annual Gala Dinner at the University Club in New York City.

This year’s honoree was Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Sean Lane, who graduated with an honors post-graduate diploma in business and a B.A. from NUI Galway. A first-generation Irish American born in New York, Sean is the chairman of the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade and cofounder of the St. Patrick’s Day Foundation. He is being honored in this issue as one of Irish America’s Business 100. Lane gave a heartwarming speech about striking out on his own to seek out a college degree against his father’s wishes, and how he achieved that goal by working his way through school.

The evening featured a special performance by multi-platinum accordion player, and County Clare native, Sharon Shannon. The genre-defying star has recorded and toured with a who’s-who of the Irish and global music industry, and has performed for U.S. presidents Clinton and Obama, as well as Irish presidents Robinson and McAleese. She recently accompanied Irish president Michael D. Higgins on his official tour of China.

The proceeds of the dinner will benefit the Creative Arts program at NUI Galway, which has developed a vibrant artistic ethos over many decades. – M.H.

The Ireland–U.S. Council’s 56th Annual Dinner

n November 8, the Ireland-U.S. CounO cil, a premier transatlantic business organization, held its 56th Annual Dinner at

the Metropolitan Club in New York City.

The council was founded in 1962 to assist in preparations for U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Ireland, and to maximize the positive outcomes that this historic occasion would generate.

The Council presented the 2018 Award for Outstanding Achievement to Brenton L. Saunders, the chairman, president and CEO

of Dublin-headquartered Allergan, to mark his notable and important achievements in building bonds between America and Ireland. The award is a citation of distinction and has been presented to some of the leading figures in Ireland and the United States.

The Council presented their Lifetime Achievement Award to the president of Quinnipiac University Dr. John L. Lahey, in recognition of his highly successful and distinguished career in American education and his enduring and sustained commitment to LEFT: Council President Brian Stack presents the trophy to Brenton Saunders.

BOTTOM: Consul General Ciarán Madden presents Dr. John Lahey with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

24 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

TOP: Sean Lane, the evening’s honoree, pictured with his wife, Cielo.

ABOVE: Sharon Shannon, the legendary Irish musician who performed at the dinner, flying in from Ireland especially for the occasion.

enhancing the educational bonds and cultural connections between America and Ireland. Under Dr. Lahey’s 31-year leadership, Quinnipiac University went from a small local college of 1,900 students and three schools to a major national university with 11,000 students, nine schools, and an indispensible polling institute. As chairman of the board of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, he rescued the parade from controversy by orchestrating the admission of previously excluded gay groups.

The Cúchulainn Award was presented to Dr. Peter Fitzgerald, chief executive and founder of Randox Laboratories. The award, named after an Irish mythological hero, is designed to mark significant achievement in building relations between Northern Ireland and America.

Dr. Fitzgerald, who started his business in a chicken shed in Crumlin, announced in February that Randox will be investing £50 million into three new Centres of Excellence in Northern Ireland, which will deliver cutting-edge technologies to diagnose conditions like cancer, heart conditions, and infectious diseases.

– M.H.

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hibernia | diaspora Irish Post Awards

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he band The Script, actor James Nesbitt, and music legend Chris de Burgh were among the stars honored at the star-studded 2018 Irish Post Awards in London on November 22. Journalist and broadcaster Eamonn Holmes emceed the evening, celebrating Chris de Burgh the Irish impact on the international performing at the Irish Post Awards community.

The Script, who performed at the event, accepted the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Music Industry for their decade of topping the charts. Ireland’s Women’s Hockey Team won the Sporting Achievement award for becoming the first Irish sports team in history to reach a World Cup final this past summer. The award for Outstanding Contribution to Television & Film went to Cold Feet and Bloody Sunday star James Nesbitt.

Elgin Loane, the owner and publisher of the Irish Post, said, “Each of our recipients share a resolute desire to succeed along with an enterprising spirit and a passion for Ireland, and this is embodied in our award categories.”

One of the highest selling Irish artists of all time, Chris de Burgh was presented the Lifetime Achievement award and performed his hit “The Lady in Red” as women in red dresses took to the dance floor. Martin Naughton, KBE, was honored for his Outstanding Contribution to Business.

Finally, for her death defying skydive that raised important funds for Irish pensioners living in poverty across London, 83-year-old Nora Higgins earned the annual Community Award.

As he accepted the honor, Chris de Burgh expressed, “I’ve been lucky enough to get a lot of gold records and platinum records and awards down the years, but getting an award from your home country beats every single one of them.” – M.H.

RIGHT: Michael Flatley, and his wife, Niamh O'Brien, with the actor Jimmy Nesbitt.

BELOW: Ladies dance along as Chris de Burgh sings his famous hit song “The Lady in Red.”

26 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Presidential Distinguished Service Awards President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins presented the 2018 Presidential Distinguished Service Awards for the Irish Abroad on Thursday, November 29.

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ulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy and novelist Edna O’Brien (pictured above with the President), are this year’s award winners in the Arts, Culture, and Sport category. In the field of Business and Education, the awards were given to retiring Quinnipiac University President Dr. John L. Lahey and University of Sao Paulo Professor Munira Hamud Mutran. Palestine-based humanitarian Sr. Bridget Tighe was awarded in the Charitable Works category. The late Tom Power from Australia, Edward J. Ward from the U.S., and Breege McDaid from Britain were presented with the award for their contributions to Irish Community Support. In the Peace, Reconciliation, and Development category, the award was presented to Sr. Mary Killeen of Kenya. Finally, Limerick-born University of Colorado Professor Margaret Murnane, one of the leading optical physicists of her generation, was given the award in the fields of science, technology, and innovation.

Created in 2011, the awards are presented by the president every year in recognition of the service given to this country, or to Irish communities abroad, by those who live outside Ireland. Over the last six years, the president has presented the wards to 61 remarkable recipients, including both of our own co-founders, Niall O’Dowd and Patricia Harty.

The recipients were nominated by Irish diplomats and by members of the public.

Throughout his term, President Higgins has emphasized the global nature of Ireland’s cultural heritage, the significance of the diaspora and the common history and identity we share “despite the borders, oceans, and miles that may separate us.”

– M.H.

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hibernia | events Ronan Tynan Sings for George H.W. Bush

Joanna Geraghty, Craig Vosburg, and Bono.

Concern Celebrates 50 Years

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n Tuesday, December 4, at Cipriani Wall Street, Concern Worldwide US held its 22nd Annual Seeds of Hope Award Dinner, which this year also marked the 50th anniversary of its founding in Dublin in 1968. Over 700 guests attended the international humanitarian organization’s largest fundraising event, helping raise more than $2 million to benefit Concern’s work in twenty-five countries across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.

Joanna Geraghty, President of JetBlue and Concern Worldwide US Board Chair, presented the inaugural Thomas J. Moran Seeds of Hope Award to Craig Vosburg, President of North America for Mastercard.

There was plenty of star power in the gala’s headliners, with U2 front man Bono, a longtime friend and supporter of the organization, and Glamour Magazine editor-in-chief Samantha Barry, who acted as emcee. The two held a twentyminute conversation onstage, where Bono told of the significance of the organization: “Concern changes millions of people’s lives – indeed, they even changed my life, very early on. It Bono and was a trip to Ethiopia in the mid-80s Aline Joyce Berabose. with Concern that began my life as an activist; they turned my life rightside-up. In this moment, there is a lot of soul searching going on, here in the US and the wider world, but we must be very careful of demonizing ‘the other.’”

A real life testament to Concern’s impact, 22-year-old Rwandan Aline Joyce Berabose told the story of how, in the aftermath of genocide, a Concern team at a Congolese refugee camp had helped keep her mother healthy through her pregnancy and childbirth, and implored the audience that “even in the most desperate situations, there is hope. And when you respond, there is an impact on somebody, somewhere. I stand before you as evidence of that.”

Women in Leadership

Sarah Friar, former CFO at Square and now CEO of Nextdoor and one of our 2018 Business 100 honorees, was the Honorary Speaker at The Ireland Funds Women in Leadership Luncheon on November 30th. The event was held at the Four Seasons Hotel and attended by over 400 guests. In a moving moment, Sarah described how the words of Seamus Heaney, her favorite poet, have pro-

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rish Tenor Ronan Tynan sang Silent Night, as well as another song in Irish, at former President George H.W. Bush’s bedside, shortly before he passed away. “Believe it or not,” said James A. Baker III, Bush’s longtime friend and former secretary of state, “the president was mouthing the words.” Tynan also sang “Last Full Measure of Devotion” at Bush’s funeral on December 5.

Tynan has overcome great odds in his own life. His twin brother tragically died from pneumonia at only eleven months old.

Tynan was born with a Ronan condition that caused the Tynan, one of underdevelopment of his the Irish legs, and when he was Tenors. twenty years old he was in a car accident that resulted in the amputation of his legs below the knee. Within a year of the accident, Tynan was winning international track and field competitions, and in 1984 and 1988, he won seven medals representing Ireland in the Summer Paralympics.

In 1998, Tynan joined The Irish Tenors, a project by PBS, along with other Irish singers Anthony Kearns and John McDermott. The trio is very successful, now touring twice annually.

Tynan sang at many of the funerals of the first responders who died on 9/11, and in 2004 he sang at the state funeral for former President Ronald Reagan. He also sang at former President George H.W. Bush’s 80th birthday party in 2004, the start of a beautiful friendship.

–By Maggie Holland

vided her with inspiration: “Walk on air against your better judgement.” The audience was captivated by Sarah’s personal story growing up in Sion Mills, Co. Tyrone in Northern Ireland (the nearby town of Strabane was the most bombed town in the province) before an accelerated career that has brought great success. This was followed by an engaging conversation with Janet Reilly, a former broadcaster and co-owner of the Nob Hill Gazette.

Marjorie Muldowney and Sarah Friar.

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those we lost | passages Patrick O’Neill

(1915 – 2018) atrick H. O’Neill passed at the age of 102 at his residence in New Canaan, Connecticut. He was born in Cordova, Alaska in 1915 to parents Harry O’Neill and Florence Leahy and grew up as the seventh of 12 children in a big Irish family.

Early in life, Patrick found his calling in the mining industry, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who had been a part of the famous Alaska Klondike Gold Rush in 1897. He was only 15 when he first started working in the Chititu Creek Mine, a small gold mine in Alaska. He graduated from what is now the University of Alaska in Fairbanks with degrees in Mining Engineering.

Patrick developed his strong work ethic by working in the mines during the summers to earn his tuition money. In the lead-up to World War II, Patrick obtained his pilot’s license.

From 1941-1945, he proudly served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a B-17 pilot and instructor, attaining the rank of major. His mission was to train many pilots and to test aircraft to insure safer deployments overseas.

After the war ended, Patrick returned to mining in Fairbanks.

Patrick’s mining career took him all over the world. He served as president of International Mining Corporation. Under Patrick’s leadership the company acquired other mining companies in Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, and the United States. Patrick would go on to serve as president or chairman of eight affiliated mining companies and on the boards of several major mining companies, including The Fresnillo Company for 23 years, Zemex Corporation for 30 years, Placer Development, Moly Corp, Rosario Resources, and others. These companies developed and operated some of the western world’s greatest metal resources.

As an outspoken advocate for corporate policies that struck the right balance between profitability, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship, Patrick became an industry leader in calling for measures to improve the health, education, training, and safety of employees. His many lifetime contributions and achievements in the mining industry world-wide were honored with Patrick’s induction into the National Mining Hall of Fame in 2013.

Patrick was a long-time member of the IrelandU.S. Council, having joined the organization in the late 1960’s. He was intensely interested and engaged in the work of the Council. Long after his retirement from active work, Patrick would read each edition of

P

TOP: Patrick O’Neill.

Patrick’s favorite plane, a B-17, and his favorite rank, captain, 1944.

ABOVE: Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin

28 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

the organization’s annual report from cover to cover and connect with the organization’s leadership to share his thoughts and observations, which were always insightful, wise and constructive.

Patrick O’Neill was a kind and humble man who treated all with respect, from presidents of countries to street sweepers. He never forgot that while he had risen so far and achieved so much in his life, he had started off with a shovel in his hand. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sandra, and their children, Erin and Kevin, and five grandchildren.

Many Council members attended the memorial service held to commemorate his life on Saturday, September 22, 2018 at St. Aloysius Church in New Canaan, followed by a reception at Woodway Country Club. – David O’Sullivan

Mícheál O Súilleabháin

(1950 – 2018) eloved composer and Tipperary native Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin died in early November, aged 67.

Lauded chair of music and founding director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, Ó Súilleabháin developed an impressive reputation at UCC as well, producing five CDs of live performances of traditional Irish music, and working to protect its memory in archives across the globe.

O Súilleabháin produced his first record with Gael Linn in 1975, launching a legendary career in his early twenties. He studied under celebrated Irish composers Sean Ó Riada and Aloys Fleischman, eventually achieving a Ph.D. from Queens University Belfast.

Pursuing a penchant for uniting the traditional music of his homeland with classical music, he became a pioneer on a global scale, using his skills as a pianist to meld the two. Sandra Joyce, director of UL’s Irish World Academy of Music, affirmed that in her tribute to the musician’s effect on his colleagues, who were “swept along by his incredible energy, joie de vivre, and vision.”

“He is irreplaceable,” she remarked, “but his legacy is assured.”

The tenacious Ó Súilleabháin joined forces with philanthropist Chuck Feeney in 1991 to establish the Irish World Academy, which has since taken on a life of its own, calling to music students from more than 50 countries around the world to develop their skills in wide-ranging programs in music therapy, dance performance, ethnomusicology, and more. Retiring officially in 2016, Ó Súilleabháin continued performing, saying, “If you look into your heart and body and you find you are carrying this talent and you have a passion to go with it, you have to follow your heart, your instinct.” Ó Súilleabháin leaves behind his first wife, singer Nóirín Ní Riain, their sons Eoin and Michael, his second and current wife Professor Helen Phelan, and IA their son Luke. – Mary Gallagher

B

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hibernia | quote unquote “We have 700,000 people on waiting lists for healthcare, over 500,000 homes without broadband, over 11,000 people homeless, close to 110,000 households in need of social housing, and a quarter of a million children living in poverty.”

– Dr. Sean Healy of Social Justice Ireland commenting in a SJI newsletter. He went on to say that, “the mistaken belief that economic growth will trickle down to benefit everyone in a fair and just manner has led to successive Governments implementing policies that give priority to economic growth over all other areas.”

“Depression cannot be cured by practicing gratitude or eating bananas.”

– Irish writer Marian Keyes, writing in the Irish Times about her struggle with depression.

“Humanitarian aid at its best embodies a very human response of love and care, a force for good against the cruelty and devastation of war and disasters ... and the most powerful reminder of this force for good are the testimonies of those that have received aid, recovered, and rebuild their lives.”

Dominic MacSorley, the CEO of Concern Worldwide, speaking at the annual Seeds of Hope dinner in New York on December 4.

The dinner marked the 50th Anniversary of Concern Worldwide.

“President Bush will be remembered as a wise, respected and courageous politician who was devoted to his country and to public service. He also leaves behind a remarkable international legacy for which he is widely admired.

“Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.”

Ambassador of Ireland to the United States Dan Mulhall, regarding his attendance at the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush.

“The officers, board of stewards and I hereby encourage you to invite your wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, nieces, and female cousins, friends and colleagues to join us for the anniversary dinner.”

“The rulebook of identity in Northern Ireland is almost being torn up by Brexit. There were people who five years ago would have thought it unthinkable to get an Irish passport but they think it now just makes sense. As a Northern Irish unionist, I think that’s what makes Brexit most frightening. If we continue barreling down this uncertain path towards Brexit, it genuinely calls into question unionism in Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland’s very existence ultimately as well.”

Adam Flanagan, one of a group of 17-18-year-old Methodist College Belfast students (pictured above), interviewed by Simon Carswell for the Irish Times, on what Brexit means for them. In some unionist areas the post office ran out of Irish passport application forms within days of the Brexit vote.

Ironically, given that its an all-male club, the Friendly Sons emblem, pictured above, features a lot of women.

For the first time in 235 years, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in the City of New York has invited women to attend its anniversary gala. The quote, above, is from an email Kevin Rooney, the president of the Friendly Sons, sent to members.

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Mighty Steeped in history with landscapes that go from brilliant beaches to windswept boglands, lakes, mountains to islands, pilgrimage sites to pirate queens, Mayo has it all.

By Darina Molloy There’s something about Mayo.

Oh, the Green and Red of Mayo I can see it still Its soft and craggy bogland Its tall majestic hills Where the ocean kisses Ireland And the waves caress its shore Oh the feeling it came over me To stay forever more Forever more.

A

— The Saw Doctors

hhhh, Mayo. There’s something for everyone in Mayo. Whether it’s majestic hills or rolling waves you’re after, you’ll find them here, in this western county, geographically the third-largest in Ireland. Mighty, majestic, magical Mayo – the alliteration just rolls off the tongue. It’s a county of contrasts – of busy, bustling towns and quietly calm countryside; imposing hills and rolling valleys; tranquil lakes and surf-filled seas.

On land, the impressive Great Western Greenway stretches for 42 kilometers – taking in Achill, 32 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Mulranny, Newport, and Westport – keenly populated by cyclists and walkers from all over the world.

The many coastal corners of Mayo – it’s the county with the longest coastline in Ireland – are heaven for surfers, kayakers and sailors of all shapes and sizes.

Inland, its lakes are fishing havens for the many anglers who live locally or visit regularly.

Dotted with museums, old churches, and monasteries, Mayo is full of historical treasures too, and it’s a rare drive in the county that doesn’t involve passing at least one local landmark. Sit back and relax while we take you on a whistle-stop tour, pointing out some of the county’s most endearing features and maybe one or two not-so-well-known gems.

Heading west from Dublin, through counties Kildare and Roscommon, you pass through the little village of Bohola, between the towns of Swinford and Castlebar. Comprising a church, a school and a couple of pubs, it’s a blink-and-you-might-miss-it little place, like many similar Irish villages. But this little spot is renowned as the birthplace of Ireland’s greatest-ever Olympic champion, the great Martin Sheridan. Representing his adopted home of the United

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TOP LEFT: The North Mayo coastline.

TOP: Ballina on the banks of the River Moy.

ABOVE: A couple of kids fishing away at Mulranny.

LEFT: The pretty town of Westport.

States, Sheridan amassed an impressive five Olympic medals in St. Louis (1904) and London (1908). There is a memorial sculpture of him in Bohola. Also hailing from this parish were the well-known O’Dwyer brothers – William served as mayor of New York City in the 1940s and later as American ambassador to Mexico, while attorney Paul was renowned as a great defender of civil liberties and minority rights.

It’s just a short hop from Bohola to the county town of Castlebar, a good spot for shopping and dining, with excellent fare on offer from such tempting restaurants as Dining Room, House of Plates, Bar One and Café Rua. Walking enthusiasts will enjoy the picturesque Lough Lannagh, complete with resident swans and ducks, and outdoor gym equipment strategically dotted around the scenic walk. Those looking for a longer walk, or a bike ride, should take in the Turlough Greenway, which runs 7.5 kilometers from Castlebar to the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life, Turlough.

Nestled in the gorgeous grounds of Turlough Park House, this absolute gem is a monument to those who lived in 18th- and 19th-century Ireland. Housing the museum’s extensive folklife and folklore collection, and also featuring regular exhibitions of interest, it is a vividly interesting place to visit. A new children’s playground in the grounds of Turlough Park uses the natural environment to excellent effect.

For those who have an interest in fishing, Ballina enjoys a reputation as a world-class angling destination, with the River Moy offering several prime fishing spots, including the Ridge Pool – paradise for salmon anglers. Other attractions in the town include the ruins of Moyne Abbey and Rosserk Friary, which date back to the 15th century, and the Jackie Clarke Collection – a massive private collection comprising more than 100,000 items, and now available for public viewing.

Letters from Michael Collins, Douglas Hyde, and Michael Davitt are among the many gems it has to offer, along with rare books, political cartoons, pamphlets, and personal items from leaders of the 1916 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 33

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Rising. Housed in a beautiful old bank building (keep an eye out for the impressive safe) which was redesigned specially, it is the kind of place you could easily get lost in for a few hours!

Ballina’s premium hotel destinations – Mount Falcon, the Ice House and Belleek Castle – are distinctly different but comparable in their attention to detail and determination to offer the perfect guest experience. Not too far from Ballina, worthy detours include the Foxford Woollen Mills, and Enniscoe House in Crossmolina. And, of course, the impressive Céide Fields, near Ballycastle in North Mayo, offer a tantalizing glimpse of prehistoric life and farming in Ireland. Another must-see for nature lovers is the Ballycroy National Park, one of six in Ireland, which is comprised of more than 110 square kilometers of Atlantic blanket bog and mountainous terrain. It’s also home to the Mayo Dark Sky Park, which in 2016 was awarded a gold tier standard of the international Dark Sky Path – meaning it’s now officially recognized as one of the best places in the world to view the wonders of the night.

The pretty town of Westport is one of the few planned towns in Ireland, and the views of the iconic Croagh Patrick and Clew Bay as you enter the town are simply stunning. It is said that there are 365 islands in Clew Bay – one for every day of the year – and on a clear day, when they gleam in the sun, you can find yourself believing it. John Lennon bought one of these islands in the 1960s, but only lived there in the fictional sphere of Kevin Barry’s 2015 novel Beatlebone.

Visit Westport at any time of the year and you’ll find the streets busy with locals and visitors alike, with peak crowds during the summer months. It’s a lovely town to wander through, with some notable restaurants including An Port Mór, Sage, The Tavern 34 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

and Cian’s on Bridge Street. Lovers of traditional music won’t be able to pass by Matt Molloy’s pub, where there is invariably a session to be found, some even involving the man himself. Across the street, Moran’s is a cozy, welcoming pub which has remained largely unchanged through its many years in business.

Westport House is a must-see on any trip to Mayo – with attractions for all ages on site. Built on the site of an old castle belonging to Grace O’Malley (otherwise known as Granuaile, the Pirate Queen), the house is a treasure trove of décor, period features and portraiture. Sample the summertime Victorian afternoon tea or the pop-up Georgian dining experience (www.westporthouse.ie), or enjoy a leisurely saunter through the grounds. The excited shrieks of youngsters enjoying a soaking on the

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water ride can frequently be heard from the adjoining Pirate Adventure Park.

Heading out of Westport towards Louisburgh, you pass directly by the foot of Croagh Patrick in the village of Murrisk, with the Irish National Famine Memorial across the road. It’s a busy spot – the mountain is a magnet for climbers, never more so than on the last Sunday in July, known as Reek Sunday. In recent years, Croagh Patrick has also featured in several adventure trails, including Sea2Summit and Gaelforce West. The summit has suffered a little damage in recent years, due to the high volume of traffic, but there are efforts underway to try and repair it, using the expertise of specialist Scottish contractors.

For those who prefer their walking on a horizontal plain, rather than a steep vertical, the Clew Bay Archaeological Trail – which runs from Westport through Murrisk and Louisburgh to Clare Island – offers the opportunity to explore the thousandyear-old traces of Mayo’s heritage in a day, with 21 archaeological and heritage sites to explore.

Beach lovers will find several spots to choose

from in and around Louisburgh – Old Head is a good spot for kayaking and snorkeling, while the surf is definitely up at Carrowniskey, and Silver Strand is a gorgeous expanse of sparkling sand, exactly as the name implies. The drive from Louisburgh towards Leenane, on the border of Galway, is a visual delight if you are lucky enough to be a passenger.

Passing by hills and mountains, with the gorgeous Doolough (“black lake”) winding alongside, it is simply breathtaking.

The poignancy of the small, stone famine memorial, which marks the death of many locals during the height of the Great Hunger, offers a sharp contrast to the natural beauty of the area. So much of the west of Ireland is pock-marked with these Famine memorials, a constant reminder of the trauma suffered during those terrible years.

Traveling from Castlebar, through the picturesque little town of Newport – a popular water sports destination in summer, with plenty of pier activities for youngsters – on the way to Achill, there’s a pub / restaurant called Nevin’s Newfield Inn that is well worth a lunch stop. Pass by this establishment any day of the week and there are always plenty of cars outside, even though it is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The Park Inn Hotel in Mulranny has one of the most stunning views in the area – overlooking the bay on one side and hills on the other.

It’s also a great spot to take a break on the Great Western Greenway – park the bike and grab a coffee and a few photos of that view. The beach in Mulranny, an easy walk from the hotel, is a lovely sheltered little inlet that is very popular with locals in summer.

The road from Mulranny leads directly to Achill Island, the largest island off the coast of Ireland. A wide bridge connects the island to the mainland, and Achill boasts some of the most stunning beaches in Mayo – with Dooega, Keel, and Keem Bay among

TOP LEFT: The National Famine Memorial, Murrisk.

TOP CENTER: Two surfers meet in Keel.

ABOVE: Ceide Field Visitor Center.

FAR LEFT: Saint Patrick statue at the foot of Croagh Patrick.

LEFT: A solitary Cottage on Achill Island.

BOTTOM LEFT: A cheery accordionist at The Rostrevor Inn.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 35

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Mountains near Doolough Pass.

All photos courtesy Tourism Ireland.

the finest. Achill is heaven for those who love watersports – with kayaking, snorkeling, surfing and kite surfing all on offer. Binoculars can be a handy accessory also, as basking sharks and porpoises are regular visitors to the area. A Gaeltacht area, Achill is also renowned for its traditional music scene and for its mountain peaks. The scenic Atlantic Drive, which loops around the island, offers a multitude of stunning views. Other Mayo islands worth visiting include Clare Island, Inishturk and Inishbiggle.

Fans of the iconic 1950s film The Quiet Man will not want to miss out on seeing the picture-perfect village of Cong, which straddles the Galway-Mayo border, with the Quiet Man Cottage Museum faithfully replicating the interior of the cottage depicted in the Oscar-winning film. Cong’s other major attraction is Ashford Castle, the five-star hotel hugely popular with visitors from the US. Hand in hand with the county’s natural features and areas of beauty, Mayo is noted for its writers.

The number of respected writers from the county is quite impressive: George Moore, Eimear McBride,

36 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

E.M. Reapy, John Healy, Sally Rooney, Anne Chambers, Kate Kerrigan and Michael Mullen, to name but a few.

Mike McCormack’s Solar Bones, last year’s deserving winner of the International Dublin Literary Award, sings Mayo from every page. It is a beautiful meditation on life and the importance of family, and McCormack’s wonderful ability to bring the reader right into the Mayo he describes so well makes for a very rewarding read.

Mayo people have achieved acclaim in other spheres as well, including politics. Former Irish President Mary Robinson, now hailed for her crusading work on environmental issues, is from Ballina. Former Taoiseach Charles Haughey was born in Castlebar, while more recent Taoiseach Enda Kenny also hails from the county town. Michael Davitt, who founded the Land League in Ireland in 1879, is buried in his native Straide, and his crucial role in shaping Ireland is commemorated in a small museum in the village. Mayo natives Major John MacBride and Kathleen Lynn each played an important part in the Easter Rising of 1916. Noted soprano Margaret Burke Sheridan was born in Castlebar, but went on to spend much of her life in Italy. Others who have roots in Mayo include former Vice President Joe Biden and Monaco Princess Grace Kelly.

Lastly, no mention of Mayo is complete without reference to its sporting heroes – the senior Gaelic football team who have brought their legions of supporters on an amazing journey over the past few years. Having lost nine All-Ireland football finals since 1989 (they haven’t won since 1951), including the three times they were bested by Dublin with just a point in the difference, they are the team that refuse to say die. With manager James Horan back in the driving seat, Mayo’s GAA fans will be eagerly watching the startup of the championship season in May of next year.

IA GETTING THERE: Mayo has its own airport –

Ireland West Airport Knock. No transatlantic flights to and from there, as yet, but for those traveling via the U.K. it’s a short hop across the water from any of the major airports. The train from Dublin to Mayo takes approximately three hours, and by car from Dublin or Shannon Airports, the travel time can vary from two and a half to three hours.

READ MORE: Exploring Mayo by Bernard O’Hara; The Story of Mayo by Rosa Meehan; Beatlebone by Kevin Barry; Solar Bones by Mike McCormack. www.mayo.ie; www.mayolibrary.ie

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Cheerleader-in-

The 33rd Annual Business 100. Keynote Speaker:

Eileen McDonnell, the Chairman & CEO of Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, discusses her Irish heritage, breaking the glass ceiling, and the way forward.

By Patricia Harty & Maggie Holland

W

hen parents tell their children that they can do anything, it’s all too often taken with too many grains of salt. But Eileen McDonnell believed her parents. She had no reason not to. And it served her well.

When she was applying for a vice president job, a position held by no other women in the company, she brushed off people citing her gender as a reason she wouldn’t get it, telling them that it was irrelevant. They may as well have been saying she was unqualified because she had had chicken for dinner the night before. She knew she could do the job, and that was the only qualification that mattered.

Where others see obstacles, Eileen sees none.

She chalks this up to naïveté, but I think it’s rather a testament to her significant talent. She broke the self-fulfilling cycle that undoubtedly kept women before her out of the boardroom: there were no existing female vice presidents because people thought women couldn’t do the job; people thought women couldn’t do the job because there were no existing female vice presidents.

That soon changed. Although she says she fell into the insurance industry by accident (no wordplay intended), it really isn’t that hard to believe that someone who was originally going to be a nurse would enjoy helping people on a large scale.

It’s the same passion. “Be passionate about helping others and this career will never feel like work,” she says. That’s no accident.

This passion for helping others can be traced back to her mother’s selflessness and her grandmother’s concern for global crises. In fact, she has great appreciation for her all her grandparents. The four of them came from four different counties in Ireland, met in New York, and raised families on Irish music and tradition. They came in search of the American Dream, that their children would one day be better off than they were. Today, as Eileen sits at her desk as chairman and CEO of Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, a Fortune 1000 company, she recognizes that her grandparents’ dream has been realized beyond their imagination.

Eileen honors her Irish heritage through her work.

She handpicked her appointment date as CEO to be

38 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

March 17, in honor of St. Patrick and her maternal grandparents’ wedding anniversary. Soon after, the company color was changed from blue to green. Rugby players from over 300 U.S. colleges and universities now wear the Penn Mutual logo on their jerseys, as Penn Mutual became the title sponsor for U.S. collegiate rugby under Eileen. The rugby players aren’t the only ones with team spirit. A cheerleader in high school and cheerleading coach in college, Eileen thinks of herself as a cheerleader for her Penn Mutual team, even being branded the “Chief Morale Officer” during the recession.

“Happy people, happy company.” That is one of Eileen’s pieces of advice. After getting to know her, one can see where she learned this throughout her life, and that these are words she does indeed live by. Born the fourth child of six to an elementary school principal and a homemaker, Eileen credits her professional diplomacy to her middle-child status. She bridged the gap from the older kids to the younger ones. Today, she uses those communication skills to maintain a flexible work environment for her employees, an environment that drew her to Penn Mutual in the first place.

She made it clear when she came on as CEO that her daughter and family came first, but she would give the company 110% of the time and effort she had left. She extends the same understanding to her employees. When the current CFO, Sue Deakins, first got promoted, she was going to have to give up her weekly Ladies Nine Hole League golf game to attend the executive team meetings, until Eileen suggested they just move their meetings. She knew they wanted Sue as CFO, she knew that Sue enjoyed golf, and she knew that the weekly golf game would keep Sue happy at work. It was a no-brainer. Happy people, happy company.

Eileen learned early in her career the value in adapting to new technologies and incorporating them into a business marketplace after witnessing Wang Industries, once a pioneer in office automation, fall to their demise because they didn’t have a vision on how to move forward with personal computing.

Now at Penn Mutual they say, “Powered by people, enabled by technology.” The company was founded 171 years ago, before telephones, when selling insurance consisted of going door-to-door to sell to their neighbors. Today, as we reach another inflection point, she acknowledges the need to embrace emerging

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-Chief

Eileen McDonnell

Eileen McDonnell, Chairman & CEO of Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company.

technologies in order to find new ways of doing business that will propel them into the next era. Her background in analytics and programming prepared her for the problem solving and intellectual curiosity required of a CEO in an ever-changing industry. “It’s just new techniques,” she says. “But the needs are no less. As a matter of fact, they’re getting more complex.” It’s the perfect job for someone so passionate about addressing others’ needs.

Even though in the United States women now earn more degrees than men, they make up half the workforce, and companies that employ large numbers of women outperform their competitors, there are still so few female heads of companies. Eileen McDonnell is breaking that cycle. Because she knows she can.

HERITAGE: We were Irish all the time: traditional food and culture and

story and music. My grandparents were teaching us how to say the Hail Mary in Gaelic when we were younger, those kinds of things. And then, of course, there was always the St. Patrick’s Day celebration because that was my grandparents’ anniversary.

All four of my grandparents came from different counties in Ireland.

They met here in New York and married and raised families.

They instilled in us a proud history of being Irish and a yearning to stay connected with Irish history and culture in Ireland, but they were proud to be Americans.

My mother’s mother was Anna McIntyre and she was from Carrigallen in Leitrim. She came here as a teenager, worked domestic jobs, and was self-educated. She never had the opportunity to complete high school or college, yet could talk about things that were happening on JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 39

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ditional values. We went to church every Sunday.

My dad set high expectations for us. He was a great listener, and really understood who we each were uniquely. And my mom was always around, selflessly dedicating herself to our family. I really grew up in a loving home.

the world stage. She was very interested in politics and global issues.

My mother’s father couldn’t read sheet music but was a great musician, always playing Irish music on the tin whistle and the flute and the accordion and the violin, all self-taught. His name was Martin King and he was from County Clare. He carried that tradition of music as we were growing up.

My father’s father, Terence McDonnell, was from Monasteraden, County Sligo, and his mother was Veronica McNicholas from Bohola, Mayo.

LOVE STORY: My parents, Barbara and Bill Mc-

TOP: Eileen, pictured with her family at the 2016 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Awards. Eileen was recognized as a descendant of Irish Immigrants by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO).

ABOVE: Eileen and Ireland’s Ambassador to the U.S. Anne Anderson, pictured at the Irish American Business Chamber dinner where Eileen received the Taoiseach Award.

Donnell, had a great love story. They were married for 46 years. Truly, they were soul mates.

My father was the first college-educated person in his family. He was first a math teacher and then an elementary school principal for 25 years, and every year on St. Patrick’s Day he would get on the P.A. system and declare that there was no homework in honor of St. Patrick.

My father taught me early on that God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason, to listen twice as much as you speak. We used to call him “the Quiet Man,” like the Cong movie. He was a quiet, good listener, but when he spoke, he spoke profoundly.

My mother was a homemaker, dedicated to her children. I definitely believe I was able to learn from her about putting others first. She trusted me with responsibility at an early age. She had the right balance of being there to help and guide you, but at the same time give you the skills and the runway to be able to fly on your own. We remain really close.

My parents had six children over eight years, and I’m dead center age-wise between them. It was a very big family by American standards, but it taught me diplomacy. I learned how to get along with multiple personalities in a household. Certainly being in the middle, being able to bridge the gap from the older children to the younger children, I absolutely believe that has helped me throughout my career.

We grew up in a traditional household with tra-

40 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

FIRST JOB: I always worked. I started babysitting back when I was twelve years old, and I’ve been working, one way or another, since then. I worked multiple jobs in high school and college, but my main job was at a local library.

Normally they didn’t take high school kids, but they thought I was responsible enough. At one point the library started opening on Sundays. Nobody wanted to work on Sundays, but I volunteered because we got paid extremely well, and I really enjoyed the independence I had from earning a good living. People ask me, “Why are you successful?” It’s because I’m willing to do things others are unwilling to do. I go back to that moment when nobody would work on Sunday, and I said I would work every Sunday.

INSURANCE POSITIVE: I love the purpose. I am

connected with the mission of helping others. Every day we’re looking for solutions to help people live life to the fullest. Our products work while you’re alive, but our products are also there when people need them most: when someone prematurely dies, or if there’s a concern over whether or not a business can continue. We’re there. We’re the people coming to help. That has really been what I am focused on: how do I help others, help others? So even though I didn’t become a nurse, helping people is what attracted me to insurance, and, more importantly, for 30+ years I’ve been dedicated to that.

CHEERLEADER FOR HER TEAM: I was a cheer-

leader in high school, and then in college my high school hired me to be a cheerleading coach. I still am a team cheerleader today – I see my CEO job as chief cheerleader. It’s all about the team and it’s all about cheering for them to do their best.

As a matter of fact, I joined Penn Mutual in 2008 as the Chief Marketing Officer just before the economy crashed in September. I was the CMO, and they dubbed me the “Chief Morale Officer.”

BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING: It’s interesting, because I was naïve. I really didn’t see obstacles. By age 27 I was made a vice president at Equitable. When I was going for those positions, people would say to me, “What makes you think that you’re going to get that job? There are no other women in that position.

And you’re also young.” And I looked at them like, “What does that have to do with it?”

I didn’t see it the same way other people did. It might have been naïveté, but my frame of reference

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in my mind said that I could do these things.

My parents gave us the confidence to believe that we could do or be anything we wanted, and I just believed them; I didn’t doubt them. Parents encouraging their children early on to believe that they can do anything could just be the spark that ignites something wonderful.

EARLY MENTORS: My principal in high school was the late Fr. Desmond. He was very disappointed in my choice of college studies. I was going on to a local school to be a nurse, and as I was leaving my senior year, he told me that I was destined for greatness, and that I could lead an organization someday. My principal had planted a seed. He saw something early on that I hadn’t seen.

Back in that day, women were directed to become nurses, teachers, secretaries, administrative professionals, and homemakers. So I took the traditional road, but I knew from the first day that I didn’t really want to be a nurse, and after my sophomore year I changed my major. Personal computers were coming on the scene, and they just captured my imagination about what the potential could be.

Molloy College was a predominantly female school, so my computer classes were not male-dominated. But when I went to Wang, it was primarily men. It was fast-paced, and you learn how quickly you have to innovate and be creative, which has helped me in my career. That was an exciting time to be at Wang, but I watched the company go from its peak to a fall from grace very quickly, and that’s how I ended up at Equitable. I found it by accident, which is how a lot of people come into the insurance industry.

I worked with all men and I was really very fortunate because those men wanted to help me succeed.

I never asked someone for help who was unwilling to help me. I think that a lot of women in particular may be afraid to ask for help. By my asking for help, showing my vulnerabilities and being willing to learn, they wanted to help me, and then they were

proud to see me advance. I think decision makers at the time saw in me their own daughters who were going to be entering the workforce. They wanted to help me because they recognized their daughters would soon need help and they’d want someone to return the favor.

I could not be where I am today if I did not have men wanting to help me and see me succeed. For instance, a man named Mike Martin at Equitable was insistent on the fact that I received the appropriate title of vice president. I was coming from being a director, and they had a series of progressions of titling before you became a full vice president. But he really went to bat for me, and I went from director to full vice president, skipping two titles. He felt that if they were going to ask me to do the same job as the other vice presidents, but I didn’t have the title, I wouldn’t have the political clout to get the job done, and it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy that the first woman in that role wouldn’t be successful.

He wanted to make sure that I had not only the appropriate titling and positioning to be successful, but

Eileen accepted the 2017-2018 Neumann University Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development Award. Pictured: Dr. Chris Domes (President of Neumann University); Eileen McDonnell; County Sligo native Sr. Marguerite O’Beirne, OSF (VP for Mission and Ministry); and Lee Delle Monache (Director of Neumann’s Institute).

Eileen was inducted into the Business Excellence Institute (BEX) Hall of Fame in Dublin, Ireland, in 2017. Pictured at the induction ceremony: John Bourke (President of BEX), Prof. Don Haider (former assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury and faculty member of the Kellogg School), Eileen McDonnell, Sir Martin Naughton (sixth wealthiest Irish person / billionaire / businessman), and Dr. Thomas Louis (digital and transformation expert from Switzerland).

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he also argued that I needed to be paid like my male counterparts.

MOTHERHOOD: After my dad’s illness

TOP: Concern Worldwide Seeds of Hope 2017 honoree, Eileen McDonnell, pictured with Bob and Linda Eichler.

ABOVE: Eileen with her daughter, Claire, at Ashford Castle, Cong, County Mayo, Ireland, July 2018.

and spending a lot of time with my family, I recognized that I wanted one myself. I found myself in my forties, having spent the time building my career, and never settling down in a relationship that allowed me to have a family. So, I took time off to adopt my daughter Claire from Russia.

I knew I had great family support and still do, but I didn’t know if I could still meet the demands and challenges of the senior level executive that I was at the time with a new baby, so I left my role as president of New England Financial, announcing that I was adopting a child and stepping out of my corporate career. I don’t ever like to do anything I can’t do well, and I wasn’t certain that I was going to be able to manage motherhood comfortably and also have a career simultaneously. I took a hiatus, during which I was teaching, consulting, and acclimating to motherhood with my daughter.

Claire is fourteen and she’s in eighth grade. She’s Russian, but she likes the Irish stuff. My godmother, my mother’s sister, is Sheila Claire. I’m Eileen Claire, and I named my daughter Claire to carry on the name. My grandfather came from County Clare, so I’m sure that factored into everyone having Clare in our names, but with the “I.” When she was younger, someone at school told Claire that she wasn’t Irish. And I said to her, “What’s your name?” And she said “Claire McDonnell.” I said, “Sounds Irish to me.” I told her that the Irish welcome everyone to be Irish. Not only on St. Patrick’s Day, but every day. She loves being part of our Irish tradition.

CAREER BREAK: During my hiatus [from the insur-

ance business], I was a professor at The American College. What I was initially hired to do was take over the research chair for women in financial services, do specific research around the behavioral sciences of 42 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

women and money, and integrate it into all of the other financial curriculum. Women represent over half the population, and 60 percent of our country’s wealth is in the hands of women today, so they wanted that included in their entire curriculum. I was also on the faculty for their master’s program as a professor of the leadership course, part of the master’s degree in management.

Coming from a family of educators, I always thought that at some point in time I would be a college professor. The hiatus really gave me the opportunity to fulfill another dream, and I loved the intellectual challenge of teaching in a master’s program.

WOMEN AND MONEY: The purpose of my book, Marketing Financial Services to Women, is to shine a light on the unique financial planning needs that women face, among them their longer life expectancy than men, and the gaps in income during child-rearing years.

I was quoted in the Wall Street Journal back in July of 1995, when I was at Equitable, about women and money. It was something that I always had interest in. I was able to bring that research from my hiatus with me to Penn Mutual. Fast forward to today, some of the same commentary can be made about women.

We just announced the launch of a company called myWorth. It’s a business focused on bridging the confidence gap of women and their money. Most women, single, married or widowed, face challenges having financial confidence, no matter how strong they are in their field of study. myWorth is really facing that head-on with the hope of having women gain the confidence that they need. This, to me, is a worthy legacy I can leave as a woman.

Today half of our clients are female, and we have closed the gap on how much insurance coverage women have against their male counterparts. There is plenty more work to be done, and I believe that we are the best-positioned company in the financial services industry to really address this issue. Not only do we have a female CEO who is passionate about this, I have both a board and an executive team that are over 40 percent female. So we walk the talk here.

COMPANY CULTURE: During my hiatus, I had the opportunity presented to me at Penn Mutual, which was a family-friendly environment. When I was interviewed, I told them that if they weren’t going to be comfortable with me prioritizing my daughter first, then I wasn’t the right person. But I also told them that I would give them 110 percent of my time and effort, just maybe in a non-traditional way. And from the time I’ve gotten here, that flexibility has worked.

In today’s business world, you have to create more flexible environments because people want to have lives. They want to have a family life, they want to have a work life, they want to do both well, and you

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have to take a non-traditional look at that in order for that to happen. My encouragement to women is that there are environments out there, they do exist, that allow you to have it all. You just have to find them. I was really blessed to find this opportunity here at Penn Mutual.

We continue to foster that environment. It’s part of the way that we operate here, the way we conduct business. Everybody has their version of life, whether it be aging parents, young children, a pet, or your interests. It doesn’t really take a lot, but it’s that flexibility that makes the difference. It’s not complicated.

People overcomplicate it.

At the end of the day, women, no matter where they are in life, end up with different responsibilities outside of the workplace. Companies must recognize that their dedication and commitment to family obligations doesn’t diminish from their interest in being professional and doing a great job at work.

Up to this point, there has been confusion that if you prioritize family first, then you’re not dedicated to your professional life. That’s bias that has held women back from wanting to be able to do well, and from men considering women for those positions.

There are a lot of “Eileenisms,” as we call them here.

One of them is: “Happy people, happy company.”

ADVICE: For women: find the right climate. For

Your destiny is in your own hands, but you have to navigate your future and chart your course. Believe in yourself first. You can’t ask anyone else to believe in you unless you believe in yourself. I do believe that the American dream is alive and well for those who are willing to dedicate themselves to accomplishing it. Find a way. Find your own path. You have to find your own path because it’s not going to be the same for any two individuals.

My proud uncle, my mother’s brother, who also was named Martin King, was a subscriber to Irish America magazine. He would share it with my mother, and he would say, “I don’t understand why Eileen Claire isn’t in this magazine!” He would say that. I was more junior in my career at the time, and he was just a very, very proud uncle. But now my mother says, “Boy, your Uncle Martin would love to have seen you on the front cover!”

AWARDS: Receiving the Ellis Island Medal was one of my proudest moments.

Representing those of Irish descent and of course my own family, all of this recognition with the Irish community is deeply

the insurance industry: be passionate about helping others and this career will never feel like work.

That’s it to me.

TOP: Barbara and Bill McDonnell, Eileen’s parents.

IRELAND: My appointment date as CEO was March

17 by design. I picked the date as a nod to my Irish heritage, and it was also my grandparents’ wedding anniversary – my mother’s parents, the Kings.

I went to Ireland for the first time about thirty years ago, and I was there again this past July. My sister and her husband were renewing their vows after 25 years of marriage. Our cousin is a priest in Kilmovee, and he came over to Ashford Castle to perform the ceremony.

I took 23 of my family members on a tour of Ireland. We went to Knock, the Cliffs of Moher, Dublin, Quilty – we went all over.

My mother had been to Ireland before with her mother and sister, but my father had never been, so I took them there two years before my father passed away. He was able to go to his parents’ home, and then we went on to London, where he met his mother’s three siblings that he had never met before.

They couldn’t come to the United States because of immigration at the time, so they went to England. It was emotional. It was really wonderful.

AMERICAN DREAM: I think the American dream is absolutely still attainable. You have to believe in your dream and work hard and stay focused to get it.

LEFT: Eileen’s grandfather, the great accordian player Martin King from Quilty, County Clare.

meaningful for me because all four of my grandparents left Ireland when they were in their late teens, and they came to this country looking for better opportunities. They left their parents behind and they came with hopes for a better future. I think about their journey, and where I am sitting right now is why they did it. They couldn’t have imagined.

What an awesome responsibility for me to represent them well, and to give back to the Irish community IA as a result of it.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 43

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33rd ANNUAL

IRISH AMERICA

Business Now in its fourth decade, the Irish America Business 100 has a long history of providing recognition to a fundamental core of American business. It can be easy to assume that the Irish in America and their descendants are a monolithic bloc, but as this list has continually shown, there is no single story of Irish American success, interest, venture, or course.

Those we celebrate here come from all aspects of the unique environment of American entrepreneurs, from start-ups that promise to revolutionize overlooked markets to generations-old staples of the American consumer landscape. They are connected by their shared Irish heritage, and motivated by the same sense of immigrant drive, whether it was passed on through their ancestors or, as for our Irish-born honorees, compelled them to immigrate to the United States in the first place.

It was not that long ago that the act of hiring an Irish man or woman would have been considered a potentially risky act of diversification. Today, it’s impossible to think of corporate America without the Irish. Our honorees are a testament to the power of new cultures, new people, and new ideas. They are a living tribute to the fact that diversity, in all its forms, is what compels innovation and makes American life better for all Americans. We are honored to do our part to salute that ideal.

Congratulations to all our honorees.

Beir Bua!

“I draw inspiration from my father’s mantra: if it were easy, they would all be doing it.”

— Claire Gallagher 44 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

“My mother, Rose Marie Teevan, was orphaned before she was a teenager, so my sisters and I saw the ‘spirit of the Irish’ in a woman determined to succeed and accomplish whatever she set her mind too.”

– Jim Summers

“Where we come from shapes who we are and where we are going.”

– Andrew O’Flaherty

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“As an Irish-American woman, I recognize with great humility that I stand on the shoulders of proud, hard-working giants who were passionate about ensuring I and my contemporaries have meaningful opportunities to contribute to this great world. My beginnings from a mill-town in Massachusetts were made possible by brave people who endured many headwinds, leaving me with a lifelong appreciation for perseverance and a commitment to never take any opportunity for granted.

– Tara Reynolds

“When I think of my Irish heritage,” he says, “I think about the hardworking, industrious men and women in my bloodline who immigrated to America to provide future generations a shot at the American dream. It’s that proud heritage that helps me fuel my drive as an entrepreneur.”

- Brian Hart

“Ireland has always been a great love for me. My parents left Ireland for the economic opportunity of America, but they never forgot where they came from or their extended families in Ireland and America. They taught me the value of hard work, education, and getting right back up when one fails.”

“My Irish heritage means loyalty to family, friends and country as well as helping those who are less fortunate.”

– James Roth

Top Counties: Dublin • Galway • Cork • Derry • Kerry • Limerick Top Colleges Mentioned: University College Dublin Trinity College Dublin University of Notre Dame University College Cork Queen’s University Belfast Ancestral Links: Irish Born

32%

Unknown

15%

5th 6% Generation

1st Generation

12% 2nd Generation

14% 13% 8%

3rd Generation 4th Generation

– Jack Stack JJANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 45

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BUSINESS 100 “Being Irish to me means being compassionate, spiritual, hardworking and loyal. It means never forgetting the importance of family (past, present and future) and the innate need to lead by example.”

– Michele Cusack

William m.

CaSey

Shane CaSSidy Capgemini

EY

William M. Casey is the EY Americas vice chair of transaction advisory services.

He joined the firm in 1983. Over the last decade, he has worked to help double the talent and revenues of Americas TAS practices. Earlier in his career, he leveraged his fluency in both Spanish and Portuguese while working on company transactions in Latin America for over ten years.

Bill is a first-generation Irish American with both sides of his lineage based in Mayo. “The Irish culture is associated with humility, kindness, and a deep appreciation for these qualities in others,” he says. “I work hard to connect with those around me because I want to understand their strengths and how best to communicate with them. This enables all of us to work together and coalesce around our shared purpose of building a better working world.”

Bill was born in Chicago and attended the University of Illinois, where he obtained a degree in accounting. He earned his M.B.A. at DePaul University.

He and his wife, Amy, live in Miami with their two children, Sarah and Hannah.

Shane Cassidy is an executive vice president with Capgemini Insurance Business Unit. His responsibility is to continue to build long-term relationships with Capgemini’s customers and partners through defining and delivering strategy, core capability transformation, and operational excellence, leveraging domain specific skills and Capgemini’s global delivery capabilities.

Shane has supported many of the market’s most transformational programs and helped define long-term strategies that deliver growth and profitability for many of Capgemini’s customers. He has also defined and launched Capgemini’s insurance connect solution that delivers cloud-based core insurance services along with full insurance processing to the market. He is passionate about driving the evolution to digital agility and a revised expectation of product manufacturing and pricing intelligence to the insurance ecosystem.

He notes that his family has always felt a strong connection to its Irish heritage. “It has always been a source of pride, and one I personally associate with hard work, honesty and the importance of meeting your commitments both personally and professionally.” All of these beliefs are underlined by the importance of family and community to success – “without those, the rest is less important, and nothing may be more Irish in my mind than family.”

kieran Claffey

Jim Clerkin

miChael T. Clune

Kieran Claffey is a partner at PwC. He has over 36 years of diversified experience serving multinational clients and dealing with litigation, risk management and regulatory issues. He is chairman of the global board of PwC’s business trust and is a vice president and director of Madison Indemnity of New York. Kieran represents PwC on the technical standards committee of the AICPA. Kieran was a founding member and director of the Ireland Chamber of Commerce in the U.S. and a director of the European-American Chamber of Commerce. He is the national treasurer, executive committee member, and board member of the Ireland-U.S. Council. He is chairman of the finance committee, a member of the executive committee, and on the board of trustees of the Gateway Schools.

Born in Dublin, he is a graduate of University College Dublin and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. He is an active supporter of the Gaelic Players Association.

Kieran, who has won several all-Ireland dancing medals, lives in Manhattan with his sons, Ryan, CJ, and Steven.

With over 40 years of experience in the beer, wine and spirits industry, Jim Clerkin became president and CEO of Moët Hennessy North America in November 2015, having served as president and CEO of Moët Hennessy U.S.A. since 2010.

Clerkin began his career in Ireland, where he rose through the ranks at Guinness, eventually becoming a member of the board of directors. He joined Moët Hennessy in 2008 to take on a new role as executive vice president and COO with responsibility for global brands such as Hennessy Cognac, Moët & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Grand Marnier, and Belvedere.

In his current role, Clerkin helms the U.S. markets in addition to the growth markets of Canada and Mexico, which combined contribute to a volume of nearly six million cases annually.

Clerkin, who served as the Business 100 Keynote Speaker in 2015, was born in Rostrevor, County Down and has been involved with a number of charities including Co-operation Ireland, where he serves as chairman. He is the proud father of four children and resides in Manhattan.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Mike Clune is the chairman of Clune Construction. In 1978, after immigrating, Mike secured an entry-level position with a local construction firm, which he would later buy to utilize as the foundation for the creation of his own company, Clune Construction.

Mike was inducted into the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 1998. Sponsored by the University of Chicago, the award is given to innovative business leaders in the Chicago area who have spearheaded private companies, overcome challenges, and exhibited high levels of excellence, all while demonstrating consistent growth, employment generation, and profitability.

In addition, Mike is dedicated to giving back to the community. He currently serves on the board for Mercy Housing Lakefront, while also lending support to Rebuilding Together and C.R.A.S.H. USA, a non-profit organization which Mike co-founded.

Additionally, he is the Chairman of the Board of the Irish American Partnership, a non-profit that funds education and community development programs across Ireland, North and South.

PwC

46 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Moët Hennessy North America

Clune Construction Company

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JOHN P. “SEAN” COFFEY

DON COLLERAN

AIDAN CONNOLLY

The oldest of seven children born to a mother from Cork and a father from Kerry, Sean Coffey is an accomplished trial lawyer who handles some of the nation’s most high-profile lawsuits. He offers clients the unique combination of a big-law lawyer and former plaintiffs’ lawyer once labeled “Wall Street’s New Nemesis” by Bloomberg Markets magazine. Sean also served as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.

An Annapolis graduate, Sean flew Cold War missions hunting Soviet submarines, interned for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and served as the personal military assistant to Vice President George Bush.

Sean attended Georgetown Law at night while stationed in Washington, then returned home to New York to practice law. Sean continued to serve in the Navy Reserve for 18 years, during which he commanded a P-3C Orion squadron and a component of the USS Enterprise carrier battle group staff. Sean retired as a captain in 2004 after 30 years of uniformed service. In 2010, he ran a spirited but unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination for New York attorney general.

Don Colleran is an executive vice president and chief sales officer at FedEx Corporation. He leads a global organization of approximately 15,000 team members responsible for more than $70 billion in worldwide revenue across multiple FedEx operating companies. Global Sales & Solutions teams execute on the FedEx growth strategy and help customers grow their businesses through unique selling solutions, and by providing opportunities to reach new markets, eliminate trade barriers and expand their businesses globally. Don is also a member of FedEx’s strategic management committee.

Don, who became executive vice president of Global Sales in July 2006, began his FedEx career in 1989. He has since served in a variety of leadership roles in the Asia-Pacific region, Canada and Memphis, Tenn.

A native of Boston, he is a third-generation Irish American with roots in Galway and Cork. He holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of New Hampshire. He is a member of the board of ABM Industries, EastGroup Properties, Youth Program/FedEx St. Jude Classic, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Aidan Connolly is Alltech’s chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts.

Responsible for the commercialization of Alltech’s global research in addition to the company’s corporate account strategy, his expertise is in branding, agriculture and international marketing.

Connolly has been a member of Alltech for more than 25 years.

He is an adjunct professor of marketing at University College Dublin and China Agricultural University. Additionally, he is an executive board member of the International Feed Industry Federation, the National Chicken Council and the National Turkey Federation Connolly is responsible for the highly anticipated Alltech Global Feed Survey, which is released annually. He also led the implementation of The Pearse Lyons Accelerator, a late-stage, agritech accelerator run by Alltech and Dogpatch Labs. He received a bachelor’s degree in commerce from University College Dublin and a master’s degree in international marketing from the University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

Kramer Levin

Federal Express

Alltech

WILLIAM S. CONWAY

ELIZABETH CRABILL

William S. Conway is Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Mutual of America Life Insurance Company and has been with the Company for 36 years. Will is a member of the Company’s Board of Directors, and he is also Chairman, President and CEO of the Mutual of America Holding Company LLC and a member of the Mutual of America Foundation Board of Directors. Will has served on a number of nonprofit Boards of Directors over the years. He currently serves on the nonprofit Leadership Alliance Board of Directors, and he is a member of the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum advisory board under the auspices of the University of Pittsburgh.

Will’s maternal grandmother, Brigid Deeley, was born in Loughrea, Co. Galway. She immigrated, with her brother, in 1911 at the age of 18, and worked as a domestic for a German family in Philadelphia, who required that she change her name from Brigid to Bertha to secure the position, evidence of the prejudice against Irish immigrants at the time. Will’s father’s family is from County Cork.

Elizabeth Crabill is CEO of CIE Tours International, the largest Irish-owned tour operator in the U.S. With more than 15 years’ experience leading sales, marketing, and strategy for some of the travel industry’s best brands, she is one of the leading travel and tourism executives in the United States.

She took the reins of the 85-year old highly established tour operator in 2016, with a mission to expand the digital footprint of the brand, raise the visibility of Irish tourism expertise, and introduce a new generation of travelers to the tour experience. CIE Tours currently sends 50,000 travelers into Ireland and Britain each year, and hosts a team of Irish university students to Morristown, New Jersey, headquarters annually for a year-long student work experience program.

A graduate of Smith College with an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, Elizabeth, whose Irish heritage is on her mother’s side of the family, is actively involved with the promotion of international tourism and development of new travel experiences throughout Ireland for all ages and interests.

Mutual of America

CIE Tours International

“Ireland has always been a great love for me. My parents left Ireland for the economic opportunity of America, but they never forgot where they came from or their extended families in Ireland and America. They taught me the value of hard work, education, and getting right back up when one fails.”

– Jack Stack

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 47

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BUSINESS 100

COLETTE CRIBBIN

GERARD P. CUDDY

MICHELE CUSACK

Colette Cribbin is a partner at PwC. She has over 29 years of diversified experience serving U.S. and multinational financial services institutions in an audit and advisory capacity. She spent the first 6 years of her career with PwC London. She is the leader of the NY Metro Assurance Insurance practice for PwC, a practice that serves many of the largest global and domestic insurance companies.

In addition to supporting a variety of U.S. charitable and community organizations, Colette, together with her husband are the founding members of the Sarojini Mohan Baliga educational trust, the purpose of which is to sponsor and support quality education of girls from poor families in the south of India.

Colette grew up in a farming community near Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. She is a graduate of University College Dublin and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in addition to being a CPA licensed in several U.S. states. She was an avid camogie player and has an All-Ireland medal playing with University College Dublin. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, Gurudutt Baliga.

Gerard Cuddy joined Beneficial Bank in 2006 and was named President and CEO in January 2007. Gerard and his team led Beneficial in its two step stock offering, converting from a mutual holding company to a fully public bank. Under his leadership, Beneficial has focused on providing the bank’s customers with the tools and knowledge to help them do the right thing financially.

Gerard is a board member of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and is the recipient of many awards including the La Salle University’s Leadership Award, the Rutgers University Leadership Award, the Distinguished Catholic Graduate Award, and the American Catholic Historical Society’s Barry Award.

Gerard holds his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Villanova University and earned his Masters of Business Administration from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He and his family reside in Rosemont, PA. On his father’s side, his grandfather was from Co. Laois, while his grandmother (Graham) was from Co. Dublin. On his mother’s side his grandfather (Conway) was from Donegal, and his grandmother (Carton) was born in the U.S. Donegal parents.

As Northwell Health’s Chief Financial Officer, Michele Cusack manages the health system’s dayto-day finance operations. As Senior Vice President, she manages various corporate financial operations, including financial reporting, budgeting, cash management, internal audit, tax management and other financial functions that collaborate with revenue cycle, managed care and operations teams across the organization.

Michele, a Certified Public Accountant, has an administrative role on the Finance and Audit Committees of Northwell’s Board of Trustees, and she is a member of Hofstra University’s Zarb School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board.

Prior to Northwell, Michele worked at Deloitte & Touche. She holds an MBA and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Hofstra University.

Michele resides in Long Island with her husband, James, and their four children. Her father is from Co. Limerick and her mother is from Co. Leitrim. She says, “Being Irish to me means being compassionate, spiritual, hardworking and loyal. It means never forgetting the importance of family (past, present and future) and the innate need to lead by example.”

PWC

BENEFICIAL BANK

Northwell

JAMES D. DAVIDSON

JULIE DAVIS

A. JAMES DEHAYES

Jim Davidson is President of EOI Service Company, Inc. and a founder of the company.

Recognized as an expert in voluntary benefit programs, Jim has published numerous articles on voluntary benefits and related topics and has been a featured speaker in both life insurance and benefits industry association meetings nationwide. Jim is a past director of the Chicago Association of Life Underwriters, a past member of the Employee Benefits Committee of the Illinois CPA Society, and past President of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists. He was inducted into the International Worksite Marketing Hall of Fame in 1999 and, in 2009, was named Benefits Selling Magazine’s Broker of the Year.

Jim and his wife Ellen have recently moved to the Seattle area. Growing up in Chicago, he says, “I had the wonderful experience of not just an extended Irish family, but the Irish heritage on full display in two major institutions, the Church and city government. That showed me not only the warmth of the Irish culture but the strength of the Irish and other immigrants who came to build up this country.”

As a private wealth advisor at Goldman Sachs, Julie provides advisory services to individuals, families and non-profit organizations. She helps clients with all aspects of investment and wealth management. She is a leader of the Investment Management’s Women’s Network, cultivating events for women across the division. In addition, she serves on the Junior Board of Harmony Program, an after-school musical education program for underserved children in New York City.

Julie is a fourth-generation Irish American with roots in County Cork. Her great-grandparents immigrated to Chelsea, MA in the early 1900s and met at a dance for a local church. They eventually moved to Rhode Island for opportunities at Union Rubber and Shepard’s, sending money home to Ireland. She credits her persistence and love for finance to the spirit of her grandfather who taught her that you can never give up on yourself, and most importantly, you can never give up creating a beautiful life for your family.

A. James DeHayes is chairman of DCG Corporation, a financial services consulting firm he founded in 1983. The firm specializes in strategic acquisitions as well as marketing and distribution enhancements. He has successfully guided clients through the complex process of designing and developing distribution systems tailored for new products, enhancing productivity and profitability of existing distribution, and adjusting legacy distribution to new competitive realities.

He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program, a chartered life underwriter and chartered financial consultant from the American College, and holds an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

Jim is a member of the North American advisory board for the UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School, and a second-generation Irish American, whose mother’s family has roots in Belfast. Jim is a native of Milford, CT, and a resident of northern California since 1977. He and his wife, Carolyn, celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary this year.

EOI Service Company

48 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

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DeHayes Consulting Group

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SHANNON DEEGAN

JAMES DELANEY

CONALL DEMPSEY

Shannon Deegan is Senior Director of Google’s Real Estate Development, Investment & Operations, Workplace Services & Security organization. He also heads ThinkCo – Google’s Real Estate Innovation group. Joining Google in 2007 as the director of people operations, he led the M&A team, served as lead business partner to Google’s global business organization, and as head of central staffing. Previously, he worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. in New York, in the financial industry in Asia, and as an advisor to the prime minister of Canada.

He also played hockey at a professional level with the Los Angeles Kings.

Shannon has a B.A. from the University of Vermont, an M.Phil. in international studies from Trinity College Dublin, and an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management. Born in Verdun, Quebec, Shannon lives in Ottawa, Ontario, with his wife, Patti, and their three children, Conal, Orla, and Bridget. In the late 1840s, Shannon’s ancestors sailed to Canada to join Montreal’s growing Irish community in Pointe St. Charles.

James Delaney is founder and chairman of VinGo and Cool Way Direct. These companies specialize in the temperature controlled shipping and logistics of adult beverage and produce.

He was also the founder of the leading Irish transport and freight company City air Express, which still operates successfully today.

James immigrated to the United States in 2000 with his wife, Mary Beth, and five children, Kathryn, Edmund, James, Elizabeth, and Hannah. Originally from Ratoath in County Dublin, James was educated at Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare and graduated from Trinity College Dublin. He is a keen golfer and was a member of the St. Margaret’s Golf Club in County Dublin.

James is currently on the board of the Irish humanitarian organization Concern Worldwide U.S. He is also an active board member of the National Association of Wine Retailers.

A Partner at PwC since 2005, and currently based in Silicon Valley, Conall serves as the Firm’s Global Technology Leader, playing a significant role in delivering the firm’s advisory, assurance and tax expertize across PwC’s multi-national, technology industry client base.

Having joined the Firm’s London office in 1993, Conall transferred to Philadelphia in 1997 and has undertaken expatriate assignments in Seoul, Korea and Helsinki, Finland, as his career has progressed. In addition to his current leadership role, Conall is also a client service Partner who leads diverse, international and multi-disciplinary teams serving complex, global clients in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications industries.

Born in Belfast, Conall attended St. Mary’s Christian Brothers Grammar School in the city and is a graduate of the Queen’s University of Belfast.

He currently lives in Los Gatos, CA with his wife Caroline and children, Niamh, and Aidan. He travels extensively in his various roles at PwC and regularly visits Ireland, which allows him to reconnect with his passion for Irish sports and culture.

BRIAN DESMOND

JOHN DOOLAN

MICHAEL DOWLING

Brian Desmond serves as Chief Marketing Officer at Guidewire Software, a company that serves the property/casualty (P/C) insurance industry. He is responsible for the development and execution of global marketing efforts, including demand creation, positioning, branding, and communications.

Brian joined Guidewire in 2006. During his 12year tenure, the company has become an industryleading brand, growing revenue tenfold, and expanding its customer base from 20+ to 330+ insurers. Brian has a track record for B2B marketing innovation, examples of which include designing a value-based consulting to generate demand; account-specific outreach; and self-publishing of thought leadership narratives leveraging multimedia.

Brian grew up in Cork City, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1992. He began his career at Accenture. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Economics and Marketing from University College of Cork.

Brian notes: “The quality of Irish leaders in the U.S. and worldwide, I believe, is a testament to the strong support system Irish society affords: in terms of support from family, culture, and education.”

John Doolan serves as Vice President of Sales Operations for HEINEKEN USA, the world’s most international high end brewer, and brewer of some of the world’s most popular beers and ciders.

Throughout his 14-year tenure, John has led managed sales strategy and key-stakeholder engagement for the company’s 16 beers and ciders within its portfolio, including Heineken, Heineken Light, Amstel Light, Dos Equis, Newcastle Brown Ale, and many more. His passion for the beer industry when he began his career at the Guinness Import Company in 1995. John has a track record for strong business results during his time, most notably via his term as Regional Vice President, Northeast, which remains one of the company’s strongest and most vital revenue streams.

John grew up on Long Island, NY with parents from Cork City and Longford. He earned a BA in English from Iona College, and a certificate of Business Management from the University of Notre Dame. He currently lives in Connecticut with his wife, Mary, and daughters, Cate and Elizabeth, and is active in the Gaelic-American Club of Fairfield, CT and is a member of the Knights of St. Patrick.

Michael Dowling is president and CEO of Northwell Health. He began his career as a faculty member at Fordham University as a professor and the assistant dean at the Graduate School of Social Services. In 1983, under Governor Mario Cuomo, he served as deputy secretary and director of Health, Education, and Human Services. He became executive vice president and COO of Northwell in 1997, and was named president and CEO in 2002.

Born and raised in Knockaderry, County Limerick, Michael had to help support his family from an early age, inspiring him to push further and achieve his dreams. “No” was never an option, he says. “If you tell me I can’t do something, that’s when I become determined to get it done.” A University College Cork graduate, he was the first person in his family to attend college. Afterwards, he went to New York and earned a master’s from Fordham. Michael and his wife, Kathy, live on Long Island with their two children, Brian and Elizabeth. In 2017, he had the honor of serving as the grand marshal of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Google

Guidewire Software

Vin-Go & Cool Way Direct

Heineken U.S.A.

PwC

Northwell Health

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BUSINESS 100

BUSINESS 100

RONAN DUNNE

TONY DUNNE

Ronan Dunne is executive vice president and group president of Verizon Wireless with responsibility for all aspects of operations, including marketing operations, wireless operations, network operations, customer care, and digital operations. Previously, he was CEO of O2 for eight years and a member of the Telefónica SA executive committee. While at O2, Ronan built his reputation for brand and customer experience, being recognized as CEO of the Year and O2 as Brand of the Year in 2015.

Born and raised in Dublin, Ronan qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte before moving to London in 1987, where he held senior positions with Banque Nationale de Paris, Exel plc, and Waste Management Intl. He is also a member of the Global Irish Network, a participant in the Irish government’s Global Irish Economic Forum, and works closely with Enterprise Ireland and the IDA. “I’m a very proud of my Irish heritage and of the role played by the Irish diaspora globally,” he says. “As a business leader I draw heavily on that heritage and value greatly the opportunity to represent our country and our culture.”

Tony Dunne is Bank of Ireland’s U.S. Country Manager; he joined the Bank in 2011 after moving to New York, and has overall responsibility for all of the Group activities in the U.S. He also holds the position of the U.S. branch’s Chief Operating Officer.

Bank of Ireland operates in the U.S. through its branch in Stamford, CT and its representative offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Its NYC Innovation Lab, supports the bank’s customers as they seek to grow their business and enter the U.S. market.

Tony holds a Bachelor of Commerce from University College Dublin, is a qualified accountant (FCCA) and CFA charter holder. He previously worked for DZ Bank, Merrill Lynch and Halifax Bank of Scotland in both Ireland and the UK. In addition, Tony is on the Board and Executive Committee of the Institute of International Bankers, as well as chairing its Membership Committee, and was the co-chair of the inaugural NYC Championing the Youth of Munster dinner.

Tony, who grew up in Athlone, Co. Westmeath is a proud Leinster man. He lives in Manhattan with his wife Andrea and their two young children.

Alan Ennis is the chairman, president and CEO of Glansaol, a luxury brand beauty company with an integrated portfolio of premium brands including Laura Geller, Julep, and Clark’s Botanicals.

Prior to joining Glansaol in 2015, he served as President and CEO of the $2.5-billion Revlon company from 2009.

Born in Dublin, Alan comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. His grandfather on his mother’s side (based in Leap, County Cork) opened his own convenience store and his paternal grandfather (from Cahir, County Tipperary) was the manager of a local creamery. Learning their ways, Alan obtained a degree in commerce from University College Dublin and an M.B.A. in business administration from New York University.

“There is an intimacy to Ireland and Irish people that cannot be recreated in the U.S.,” he says.

“The very reasons that some people leave Ireland – too small; everyone knows your business; the weather – are the most endearing characteristics of Ireland.” Alan and his wife, Michelle, have three children, Bridget, Timothy, and Daniel.

MARY CALLAHAN ERDOES

SARAH FEARON

TOM FINN

Mary Callahan Erdoes is chief executive officer of J.P. Morgan’s Asset Management division, a global leader in investment management and private banking with $2.4 trillion in client assets. She is also a member of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.’s Operating Committee.

Mary joined J.P. Morgan in 1996 from Meredith, Martin & Kaye, a fixed income specialty advisory firm. Previously, she worked at Bankers Trust in corporate finance, merchant banking, and high yield debt underwriting.

Mary is a graduate of Georgetown University and Harvard Business School. She is a board member of Robin Hood, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and the U.S.-China Business Council.

She also serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Investor Advisory Committee on Financial Markets.

An Illinois native, her great-grandparents emigrated from counties Cork and Tipperary. She lives in New York with her husband and three daughters.

Sarah Fearon is an Irish New Yorker, a graduate of New York University and the High School of Performing Arts. Her paternal grandparents came to New York by way of Dumintee, County Armagh.

Her maternal great-great-grandparents came to New York by way of Boherbue, County Cork.

Sarah has been with The Corcoran Group real estate firm for 12 years. She has been a repeat member of Corcoran’s Multi-Million Dollar Sales Club, has ranked top 25 in the company and top 500 in Corcoran’s parent company, National Realty Trust. She has been featured in The New York Times “Big Ticket” column as well as Cory Kilgannon’s Character Study “Selling Properties and Punchlines.” Staying connected to her Irish roots through the arts, she has performed in Ireland’s Electric Picnic in Co. Laois with members of the Irish American Writers and Artists for which she is a board member. She has participated in the 1st Irish Festival, performed at the inaugural IrishCentral Creativity & Arts Awards at the American Irish Historical Society and several programs with the Rockaway Artists Alliance.

Tom Finn is the president of Procter & Gamble Global Health Care, a position he has held since 2007. Tom has spent over 30 years with P&G in a variety of global leadership roles. He has served as a long-standing board member for both the largest hospital system in Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Health Collaborative. He is an appointed member of Ohio Governor Kasich’s Advisory Council on Health Care Payment Innovation and holds a B.A. in economics from Hamilton College.

Tom is a native of Syracuse, New York and is a second-generation Irish American with paternal ancestry from County Cork. He credits his Irish heritage as playing a big role in his professional career, saying, “I feel the culture and attitude rolemodeled by my grandparents and later adopted by me was a big part of this success. They taught me to work hard, play ethically, constantly learn new things, be comfortable with change, and embrace the fact that you must successfully work with and through others to accomplish great things.”

Tom and his wife, Deborah, live in Cincinnati with their two children, Lindsay and Ashley.

Verizon Wireless

J.P. Morgan Chase

50 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Bank of Ireland

The Corcoran Group

ALAN ENNIS Glansaol

Procter & Gamble

Congratulations TO KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Eileen McDonnell,

&

all the 2018 Business 100 honorees.

From Sean Coffey

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BUSINESS 100

THOMAS FITZGERALD

DAVID FITZGERALD

EDWINA FITZMAURICE

Tom, born in Glin, County Limerick, serves as Vice President and Business Development Officer at Sterling National Bank. He is proud to be part of the success that has grown the bank to $33 billion in assets, and works to help local businesses and non-profits manage their financial needs, growth, and development.

Prior to joining the Sterling team, Tom owned a Coca-Cola franchise for 30 years, and one of his most memorable moments was crossing the finish line of his first New York City Marathon with a can of Coke held high in his hand.

Tom serves on the board of directors for Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster counties and is deeply committed to the agency’s mission to help those in need. He has a deep affection for the people of Ireland and enjoys their remarkable sense of humor, warm welcome, and open door for family, friends, neighbors, and strangers alike – and always with a smile.

Tom, and his wife Madeline, live in Orange County’s beautiful Town of Warwick where they raised four children, now grown, James, Thomas, Amy, and Dale.

A father of six and grandfather of three, Dave Fitzgerald founded the advertising agency Fitzgerald & Co., where he remains chairman. His company was named Best Agency in the Southeast

by Adweek and for five straight years was named one of the best Atlanta companies to work for by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, which also named him one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs this year.

A second-generation Irish American, Dave ran the Order of the Green Jacket of Ireland, which helped raise funds for Irish athletes in the 1996 Olympics. He is on the boards of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, and the National Advertising Review Board. He is chairman of the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade and St. Joseph’s Health System and is a member of the Global Irish Economic Forum.

Dave received his B.S. and M.B.A. from the University of Dayton, where he was honored with the Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.

Having visited Ireland over 40 times, Dave calls his Irish heritage “a source of great pride.” He became an Irish citizen in 2004 and traces his family to counties Kerry and Mayo.

As the global advisory markets leader at EY, Edwina Fitzmaurice is responsible for the markets strategy and business development activities for EY’s consulting business, which covers 140 countries and 65,000 people. Previously, Edwina ran EY’s IT strategy practice in London and spent 15 years in the life assurance sector as the CEO, COO, CIO, and nonexecutive director of a number of international life assurance companies based in the International Financial Services Centre in Dublin.

Edwina is the founder of the EY Educating Girls initiative, which has raised over $50,000 to put 30 girls in an orphanage in India through high school and college, and serves on the board of the Innovation Value Institute. She is a patron of the Irish Arts Center and of the Manhattan Theater Club.

Born in Dublin, Edwina holds a computer science degree and M.A. from Trinity College Dublin.

“We strongly identify with the Ireland that we know, which is based on family and community, friendliness, equality, and tolerance,” she says. Edwina and her husband, Aidan, have two daughters, Rachel and Jessica, and are based in New York.

Sterling National Bank

Fitzgerald & Co.

EY

JOHN FITZPATRICK

WILLIAM C. FORD, JR.

SARAH FRIAR

John Fitzpatrick is president and CEO of the Fitzpatrick Hotel Group, North America. He served as chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and was chairman of the Hotel Association of New York City for three terms. He is the chairman of the American Ireland Fund and on the board of the IrelandU.S. Council.

Active in a number of philanthropic activities that aid children and advance the peace process in Northern Ireland, John was conferred with an honorary OBE in 2008. Queen’s University Belfast awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Science in economics in 2011, and in 2013 Dublin City University bestowed him with an honorary philosophy degree. He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2002.

In 1993, John founded the Eithne and Paddy Fitzpatrick Memorial Foundation in memory of his parents. The foundation has generated more than $4 million for charities.

As executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, William Clay Ford, Jr. is leading the company that put the world on wheels into the 21st century. Bill joined Ford in 1979 as a product planning analyst.

A member of the board since 1988, he became chairman in 1999 and is also chairman of the board’s finance committee. He served as CEO from October 2001 to September 2006.

Bill is vice chairman of the Detroit Lions football team, a member of the boards of the Henry Ford Foundation and the Henry Ford Health System, and is chairman of the New Michigan Initiative of Business Leaders for Michigan. In 2015, in recognition of his commitment to education and his devotion to the Detroit community, Bill was given the Ambassador for Humanity Award by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute.

Bill holds a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.S. in management as an Alfred P. Sloan fellow from MIT. He is the great-grandson of founder and innovator Henry Ford, who was the son of an Irish immigrant from County Cork.

Sarah Friar is CEO of Nextdoor, the world’s largest private social network for neighborhoods.

Prior to Nextdoor, Sarah served as Chief Financial Officer at Square. Under Sarah’s leadership, the company launched its initial public offering in 2015 and added $30Bn in market cap.

Before her tenure at Square, Sarah served as Senior Vice President of Finance & Strategy at Salesforce. Sarah also held executive roles at Goldman Sachs, as well as leadership positions at McKinsey. She sits on the boards of Walmart, and is currently the Board Vice-Chair of Spark, a non-profit serving at-risk middle school students.

Sarah grew up in Northern Ireland and earned her MEng in Metallurgy, Economics, and Management from the University of Oxford and her MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where she graduated as an Arjay Miller scholar. She says of her parents: “As the local nurse, and local mill HR manager, they taught me the power of making communities stronger, one person at a time.

Fitzpatrick Hotel Group

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claiRe GallaGHeR

Joanna GeRaGHty

tHomas Goodwin

Since she came to New York from Ireland over seven years ago, Claire Gallagher has established a track record of success as a financial advisor by helping the Irish American community navigate through the complexities of business, estate, and financial planning. Her determination and work ethic earned her the gold medal as Penn Mutual’s #1 emerging advisor in the country in 2017.

Claire’s mother, Patricia, comes from Dundalk.

Her father, Terry, is from Drogheda.

Claire serves on the emerging leaders’ board of the Children’s Medical Research Foundation, an organization that is committed to providing worldclass research equipment and treatment to better the lives of children living with an illness. Claire is also a member of Cooperation Ireland, a nonpolitical and non-denominational charity dedicated to peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland.

Claire, who lives in Queens, New York, with her husband Kevin, graduated from Dublin Institute of Technology with a BSC in Environmental Health.

She says, “I draw inspiration from my father’s mantra, ‘If it were easy, they would all be doing it.’”

Joanna Geraghty is JetBlue Airlines’ executive vice president of customer experience, a role in which she leads over 12,000 employees across 100 airports, customer support team, and inflight service team.

Joanna joined JetBlue in 2005, first as the airline’s vice president and associate general counsel and director of Litigation and Regulatory Affairs, and the executive vice president chief people officer from 2010 to 2014. Previously, she served as a partner at law firm Holland & Knight. Joanna received her B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross, New York in 1994, and went on to earn a master’s degree in international relations from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 1997 and a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law in the same year.

Joanna, who is a third-generation Irish American, chairs the board of the Irish non-profit organization Concern Worldwide U.S. Though a resident of New York, she considers herself based in all locations that JetBlue flies.

Tom Goodwin is a partner at McCarter & English and practices in the areas of commercial litigation, franchise and distribution, unfair competition, restrictive covenants, and product liability.

Additionally, Tom chairs the firm’s franchise and distribution law group.

Born in Dublin, Tom later attended Fordham University where he earned his B.S. and J.D., was a three-time MVP and captain of the soccer team, and is a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He is director of the Ireland-U.S. Council and the Children’s Medical & Research Foundation at Crumlin Children’s Hospital in Dublin.

“Being Irish means I will always have two homes,” he says. “The home I made here in the U.S. where I established a family, and the home I left behind physically but that I always hold dear in my heart. It also means I never forget that America is a nation of immigrants and a beacon to many seeking to improve their lives, and those of their children.” Tom and his wife, Elaine, reside in New York and have three children – Ernie, Brendan, and Jennifer – and eight grandchildren.

david GReaney

JoHn R. GReed

Jim Hackett

David Greaney is the President of Synergy Investments, a Boston based real estate investment firm that owns and operates 25 Boston area buildings comprising of approximately 3,000,000 square feet. Over 350 companies, retailers and organizations occupy space in the Synergy portfolio.

A native of Limerick, David is a graduate of University College Dublin, and a Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts.

Prior to founding Synergy, David held positions in the investment management groups of Harvard University and PwC. He has received numerous awards from organizations, including the Boston Irish Business Association, and the Irish Chamber of Commerce.

In 2015, David was included in the Boston Business Journal’s Power 50, which recognizes the most influential Bostonians. He has served on the Irish American Partnership’s Board of Directors since 2016. Through the Partnership, David gives back to his former secondary school, St. Nessan’s (now known as Thomond Community College), by funding academic achievement awards for 20 students annually.

John R. Greed is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mutual of America Life Insurance Company. Previously, John was Mutual of America’s Chief Financial Officer, a position he held until April 2015.

Prior to joining Mutual of America in 1996, John was a partner with Arthur Andersen. He currently serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Greater New York Councils of the Boy Scouts of America, the Board of the Police Athletic League and the Citizens Budget Commission as well as the Board of Trustees of La Salle University and Thirteen WNET NY. He is also a member of the Archdiocese of New York Finance Council.

He makes his home in Philadelphia with his wife, Theresa, and has two adult children, Timothy and Megan.

Jim Hackett was named president and CEO of Ford Motor Company in May 2017. Under Hackett’s leadership, together with Bill Ford, Ford is committed to becoming the world’s most trusted company, designing smart vehicles for a smart world that help people move more safely, confidently, and freely.

In March 2016, Hackett was named chairman of Ford Smart Mobility, a subsidiary of Ford formed to accelerate the company’s plans to design, build, grow, and invest in emerging mobility services. Before Ford, Hackett retired as CEO of Steelcase after spending 20 years leading the global office furniture company. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in 1977.

The Hacketts are from the southern and central parts of Ireland, from counties Waterford and Cork in the south to County Carlow in the east and County Galway in the west. The family moved to Ohio in 1852, leaving his great-grandfather, William, the last to be born in Ireland, in 1851. Both he and his later son, William J. Hackett, married women of Irish descent and all were farmers in central Ohio.

Empire Wealth Strategies

Synergy Investments

JetBlue

Mutual of America

McCarter & English

Ford Motor Company

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 53

©2018 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights

SAP CONGRATULATES

THE 2018 IRISH AMERICA BUSINESS 100 HONOREES We applaud these innovative leaders for their extraordinary impact across the globe.

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BUSINESS 100

BRIAN HART

JEFFREY HAYZLETT

PATRICK HEALEY

Brian Hart is the founder and president of Flackable, a national public relations and digital marketing agency he brought to life in 2014 at the age of just 27. The agency, based in Philadelphia, represents a national client base of financial and professional service firms.

Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Brian graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in strategic communications and frequently returns to the university as a guest speaker and lecturer. In 2017 he joined Inc. magazine as a weekly online columnist covering leadership, entrepreneurship, marketing, and public relations. Brian’s previous recognitions include being nominated to PR News’s 2017 Rising PR Stars 30 & Under, Lehigh Valley Business’s 2016 Forty Under 40 and Adweek’s 2015 PR Industry 30 Under 30.

Brian is a fifth-generation Irish American.

“When I think of my Irish heritage,” he says, “I think about the hardworking, industrious men and women in my bloodline who immigrated to America to provide future generations a shot at the American dream. It’s that proud heritage that helps me fuel my drive as an entrepreneur.”

Jeffrey Hayzlett is a primetime TV host of CSuite with Jeffrey Hayzlett and Executive Perspectives Live on C-Suite TV, and business podcast host of All Business with Jeffrey Hayzlett on C-Suite Radio. He is a best-selling author, and Chairman and CEO of C-Suite Network, home of the world’s most trusted network of C-Suite leaders. A well-traveled public speaker, former Fortune 100 CMO, and author of four best-selling business books: The Hero Factor: How Great Leaders Transform Organizations, and Create Winning Cultures, Think Big, Act Bigger: The Rewards of Being Relentless, Running the Gauntlet, and The Mirror Test. Jeffrey is also an inductee into the National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame. A leading business expert, a former Bloomberg contributing editor and primetime host, he has appeared as a guest celebrity judge for three seasons on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump.

Jeffrey’s roots trace back to his family’s ancestral home in Derry. He spends his time between his native Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and New York City.

Patrick Healey MBA CFP is the founder and president of Caliber Financial Partners, based in Jersey City, NJ. He is a lifelong resident of Hudson County, N.J. and a more than 22-year veteran of the financial services industry with an extensive background in structured finance, investment banking, and equity research.

He earned his M.B.A. in finance, management, and entrepreneurship from New York University’s Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in economics with minors in German and accounting from the College of the Holy Cross. He is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma business school honor society, and a former NCAA Division I soccer player at Holy Cross.

Patrick, is an avid traveler, endurance athlete, and wine enthusiast, and he applies this same passion for life as he does in working with clients. He says: “Growing up in NJ, my parents and grandparents instilled a strong appreciation for our family’s origins. My great grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Inishfree in the early 1900’s, and I still have relatives living in counties Donegal, Cork, and Mayo today.”

Flackable

C-Suite Network

Caliber Financial Partners

AUDREY HENDLEY

TOM HIGGINS

NICHOLAS KEANE VITA

As President of American Express Travel, Audrey Hendley leads one of the largest multi-channel consumer travel agencies in the world. She is responsible for delivering premium travel and lifestyle services to Card Members through a network of over 9,000 personal advisors, overseeing the digital travel booking experience, travel benefits and programs, supplier partnerships, and marketing and engagement strategies for the premium Card Member base.

Audrey has earned many of American Express’ top awards, and was inducted into the company’s Hall of Fame in 2012. Her teams have also won the Chairman’s Award for Innovation.

As an advocate for women in business, Audrey serves as Chair for the New York Women’s Interest Network. She also serves on the Board for World Education Services, a non-profit organization that helps international students and professionals to achieve their educational and professional goals.

Audrey is an Honors graduate of Trinity College in Dublin, where she received her master’s in Marketing Management. She and her husband live in Westchester with their two growing teenagers and the family dog.

Tom Higgins is CAO of First Data and serves on the management committee. He leads cyber security, physical security, business resiliency, and crisis management and is the driving force behind First Data’s military and veteran’s affairs function that focuses on the employment of military members, their spouses, and veterans.

In 2010, Tom retired from a 24-year career with the U.S. government where he worked in the national security and foreign policy areas and as a member of the senior executive service. A U.S. Navy veteran, Tom attended the U.S. Naval War College and is a graduate of the State University of New York-Maritime College.

“My Irish ancestors on both my father’s and mother’s sides of the family came to the U.S. to seek opportunity, freedom, and success,” Tom says. “I have always believed it was my duty to achieve something that would honor their journey and their struggle.” He is second-generation Irish American on his father’s side, with connections to Mayo, and fifth-generation on his mother’s side, which is rooted in Kerry. Tom and his wife, Fiona live in New York.

Nicholas “Nick” Keane Vita is the founder and CEO of Columbia Care LLC, the nation’s leading cannabis company. His background, 25-years as corporate leader, strategic advisor and investor, gave him the experience and inspiration to create Columbia Care LLC, its mindset and “vertical” structure. Columbia Care cultivates, manufactures and dispenses its product while putting its focus on the patient, their personalized treatment and interaction with their individual PharmaD (pharmacists with PHD in biology and chemistry). This model has made Columbia Care the most successful of all network dispensaries in the United States.

A graduate of Columbia University, Nick began his career as a strategic advisor at S. G. Warburg then as a member of the Healthcare Investment Banking Department at Goldman Sachs. Prior to Columbia Care, Nick was a Partner and served as the Chairman of the Investment Committee at Apelles Investment Management, LLC. In 2018 Nick was awarded a Tribeca Film Festival Disruptive Innovation Award for his efforts to combat the opioid crisis as CEO of Columbia Care.

His grandmother Helen Keane was born in Ireland.

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56 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

First Data

Columbia Care

If you’re lucky enough to be Irish, you’re lucky enough.

Congratulations to Visa, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Al Kelly and all other honorees of Irish America Business 100.

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BUSINESS 100

thoMaS Keaney

Martin Kehoe

enda Kelleher

Thomas “Tom” Keaney is the Chief Strategy Officer for Rubenstein, a strategic communications and reputation management firm, where he has worked since 2001. Tom’s role encompasses a range of communications activities, including crisis management, digital and content strategies, entertainment and media, as well as corporate, public and policy affairs. Tom’s clients include, Jerry Seinfeld, and David Letterman, and Tom is also an Emmynominated executive producer of Letterman’s “My Next Guest.” television series on Netflix.

Prior to joining Rubenstein, Tom worked on Capitol Hill for 15 years. He served as Chief of Staff to Representative Robert Matsui (CA) for nine years, after having been Matsui’s press secretary and legislative director.

Tom and his wife Judy live in Brooklyn with their 15-year-old triplets, Ella, Tommy and Nora. He graduated from the University of Michigan, and is a board member of the Prospect Park Alliance in Brooklyn. His Irish ancestors hailed from Caladh an Chnoic in Connemara, where he visits often. His Irish ancestry also extends to the Martin, Keefe and Real family names.

Martin Kehoe is a partner with PwC in New York. He has over 30 years of experience serving multinational clients across a variety of industries.

Martin was born and raised in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, where he attended the Christian Brothers School and played Gaelic football, hurling and rugby. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin with an honors degree in business and joined PwC after graduation where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Martin subsequently moved to New York City with PwC, becoming a partner with the firm in 1996. He says, “It is great to be part of the U.S. business environment and the Irish community in this inclusive and vibrant city.”

Martin is married to Mary Kelly from Bree, Co. Wexford, with whom he has two daughters, Allison and Laura. He serves on the board of Young People’s Chorus of N.Y.C., recently named “Youth Choir of the World.” He is also an active supporter of the Gaelic Players Association, and the American Ireland Fund. Martin is a member of the A.I.C.P.A., the New York and California State Societies of Public Accountants, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Enda Kelleher is the Vice President of Sprintax, which is part of the Kilkenny based firm, The Taxback Group. He is responsible for leading the U.S. team with a particular focus on the non-resident market Sprintax supports non-residents in preparing and managing their U.S. taxes and last year assisted over 125,000 with their taxes.

Prior to joining Taxback, Enda worked with Dublin based company Mace Promotions, where he was responsible for international business development, working in markets including the U.S., Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, China, Singapore and across Europe.

He holds a Bachelors of Business and Legal Studies and a Master’s of Science in Marketing Practice, both from University College Dublin.

Enda moved to the U.S. with his wife, Caroline, in early 2014 and having lived in Chicago for two years, he is has been a proud New Yorker for almost three years. He visits Ireland three or four times a year, often to coincide with a rugby match, and says, “If I’m lucky, I get to spend time in Achill, running the Greenway and enjoying fresh scones from our neighbor Helen.”

ann Kelleher

alfred f. Kelly, Jr.

Shaun Kelly

Dr. Ann B. Kelleher is senior vice president and general manager of Manufacturing and Operations at Intel Corporation. She is responsible for the company's worldwide manufacturing operations, corporate quality assurance and corporate services. Kelleher joined Intel in 1996 as a process engineer, going on to manage technology transfers and factory ramp-ups in a variety of positions spanning 200mm and 300mm technologies, including factory manager of Fab 24 in Leixlip, Ireland; site manager of Fab 11X in Rio Rancho, New Mexico; and plant manager of Fab 12 in Chandler, Arizona. She then became general manager of the Fab Sort Manufacturing organization where she managed all aspects of Intel's high-volume silicon manufacturing.

Before assuming her current position, Kelleher was co-general manager of the Technology and Manufacturing Group where she was responsible for corporate quality assurance, corporate services, Intel product supply chain, corporate supply chain and strategic planning for the company's worldwide manufacturing operations. She holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering, all from University College Cork in Ireland.

Al Kelly is the CEO of Visa Inc. Prior to joining Visa in October, 2016, Kelly was President and CEO at Intersection, a technology and digital media company which is an Alphabet- backed private company based in New York City. Mr. Kelly was a Management Advisor to TowerBrook Capital Partners, L.P. in 2015, while simultaneously serving as Chair of Pope Francis’ visit to New York City. Kelly was also the President and CEO of the 2014 NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Company, the entity created to raise funds for and host Super Bowl XLVIII. Previously, Kelly held senior positions at the American Express for 23 years, including serving as President from July 2007 to April 2010. Kelly currently serves on the board of directors of Visa as well as several entities in the Archdiocese of New York. He is Chairman of the Board of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

He is also a Trustee of New York Presbyterian Hospital and Boston College. Kelly holds a B.A. degree in Computer and Information Science and a Masters of Business Administration degree from Iona College. He is second-generation IrishAmerican with roots in Cork.

Shaun is the global chief operating officer for KPMG International. In this position, he manages the day-to-day operational aspects of KPMG’s global strategy and oversees the delivery of the firm’s global initiatives.

A native of Belfast, Shaun joined KPMG International’s Irish member firm in Dublin in 1980 and transferred to the San Francisco office in 1984. He was admitted to the U.S. partnership in 1999.

Shaun earned a B.Comm. with first class honors from University College Dublin, is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, and a certified public accountant. Shaun is co-chair of KPMG’s disabilities network, and a member of KPMG’s diversity advisory board. He is treasurer and member of the executive committee of Enactus. He also serves as chairman of the North American advisory board of the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business and is on the boards of the American Ireland Fund and the Irish Arts Center in New York.

Rubenstein

Intel

58 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

PwC

Visa Inc.

The Taxback Group

KPMG

Congratulations to

Jerry Lombard for being recognized as a distinguished business leader by

Irish America Magazine

And a special salute to Eileen McDonnell — a previous awardee and worthy recipient. Janney is proud to be a part of the Penn Mutual family of companies.

JANNEY MONTGOMERY SCOTT LLC 1717 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 | 215.665.6000 | www.Janney.com © JANNEY MONTGOMERY SCOTT LLC | MEMBER: NYSE, FINRA, SIPC

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BUSINESS 100

george keLnhoFer

Patrick keough

Sean Lane

After proudly serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, George Kelnhofer began his over 30 year career in the textiles industry at Hyde Park Industries, rising to the rank of President. After the sale of Hyde Park, George joined Gehring Tricot Corp as Vice President of Circular Knits, and serves as a member on its Board of Directors.

George’s greatest accomplishment in business thus far, is the creation of highly specialized protective fabrics, specifically the Marine Corp F.R.O.G (Fire Retardant Operational Gear), and the Army and Marine Corp P.U.G (Protective Undergarment) designed to protect military personnel from the damaging and life-threatening impacts of blast wounds created by IED explosions and shrapnel in combat.

George’s grandfather, Patrick J. Killen immigrated in 1911 and worked as deep water wielder.

His final assignment, prior to his retirement in 1960 was wielding the underwater footings of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. George says of his grandfather, “I’m proud to have inherited the sense of duty to others, embodied in the Irish.”

George is on the Executive Board of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 3 in Doylestown, PA.

Patrick Keough is founder, president, and CEO of Lion Group Consulting, which provides strategic corporate communications counsel and develops compelling internal and external content that increases employee engagement and improves the public image of leading companies and brands.

As corporate storytellers and content creators, Lion Group Consulting works with clients to develop communications strategies, build effective messaging, and produce impactful videos and other collateral materials to achieve critical communications milestones that create sustained value.

Before founding Lion Group Consulting in 2009, Patrick managed the multi-platform communications needs of such illustrious global brands as Johnson & Johnson, Chevrolet, Samsung, and Coca-Cola.

Patrick holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, where he also currently serves as an executive fellow of the Keough School of Global Affairs,and an M.A. from the University of Georgia. Patrick and his wife, Megan, live in Rye, New York, with their four children.

Sean Lane is a senior vice president and financial advisor at Morgan Stanley with over 23 years of experience in the industry. He is responsible for providing expert financial planning, risk management, and investment advice to ultra-high networth individuals, families, endowments, and foundations. Sean holds an honors post-graduate diploma in business and a B.A. in French and English literature from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and is a board member of the university’s foundation. He holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Financial Planner designations.

Born in New York, Sean is Chairman of the N.Y.C. St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the St. Patrick’s Day Foundation. He is also on the board of the 69th Regimental Trust, the Abbey Theatre Advisory board, and the leadership circle for the NorthWell Health Department of Medicine. His mother hailed from County Mayo and his father from Galway. Sean lives in Garden City, New York with his wife, Cielo, and their two children, Sarah and Ryan.

JeroMe LoMbard

MichaeL F. Mahoney

LiSa MccaFFrey

In 1983, following his graduation from LaSalle University, Jerry Lombard joined Janney Montgomery Scott, a major wealth management firm headquartered in Philadelphia. He was named Vice President of Investments in 1986 – one of the firm’s youngest financial advisors to achieve that title. In 1992, he was given responsibility for the firm’s Money Management Services unit and was named First Vice President. He built Janney’s advisory services platform over the next decade, from $1 million in revenues to over $300 million at present. In 2004, Jerry was named President of Janney’s Private Client Group, responsible for all functions of Janney’s 100+ branch offices, 800+ Financial Advisors and their respective support teams, over 1200 employees in all.

Jerry’s paternal grandparents came to the U.S. as children in the 1920s; Jack hailing from Co. Waterford and Mary (nee, O’Donnell), from Co. Cork. Jerry lives with his wife of 36 years, Audrey, in Ambler, Pennsylvania. They have a daughter, Joanne, and two sons, Patrick, and Kelly, one grandson, and one granddaughter. All are as proud of their Irish heritage as Jerry is.

Mike Mahoney is CEO and chairman of the board of Boston Scientific Corporation, a global medical technology leader with more than $8 billion in annual revenue and commercial representation in more than 100 countries. Since joining Boston Scientific in 2011 he has focused on addressing the needs of the healthcare landscape by driving improvements to patient outcomes and increasing healthcare economic efficiency and access. Under his leadership, Boston Scientific has brought many transformational medical devices to market. He became president, CEO, and a member of the board in 2012, and was elected chairman in 2016.Before joining Boston Scientific, Mike held leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, Global Healthcare Exchange, and GE Medical Systems.

Mike serves on the board of Baxter International and the American Heart Association. He earned a B.B.A. in finance from the University of Iowa and his M.B.A. from Wake Forest University. Mike, who served as Irish America 2018 Health Care / Life Sciences Keynote Speaker, has roots both in Mayo and Cork. He and his wife, Julia, have three children.

Lisa is passionate about championing underrepresented people and women in technology industry with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. With over 20 years’ experience in Silicon Valley as a practitioner and leader of Human Resources, she sets the innovative and strategic direction for People and Culture and implements programs that support a best place to work. She has held leadership roles at some of the Valley’s hottest startups such as HashiCorp, Act-On and Hortonworks, as well as leadership roles, at technology giants such as Business Objects, SAP, Genentech and Sun Microsystems. Lisa is currently consulting with several leading Silicon Valley venture firms around developing their people strategy for the work force of the future.

Lisa’s great grandfather was born in Swinford, Mayo in 1866, and her great grandmother was born in Inishbofin, County Galway in 1875.

They immigrated to the United States and were married in Pennsylvania in 1893. Her great-great cousin, Marie Coyne created and still runs the Irish Heritage Museum in Inishbofin, County Galway

Gehring Tricot Corp.

Janney

60 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Lion Group Consulting

Boston Scientific Corporation

Morgan Stanley

Startup People Consultant

Congratulations, Gerry Cuddy.

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BUSINESS 100

MARK McCAFFREY

JIM McCANN

STEVEN P. McCARTY

As PwC’s U.S. technology, media, and telecommunications sector leader based in Silicon Valley, Mark is responsible for leading an experienced team of professionals who advise clients in the technology, media, and telecommunications industries. He is frequent speaker at industry conferences throughout the world and hosts several annual workshops for financial and operational executives and board members. He also lectures at colleges and universities on the subject of leadership. A graduate of Pace University, he is also on the board at the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose and Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation.

Mark’s family emigrated in the mid-1800s and settled in Brooklyn, New York. His grandfather Daniel, worked at a printing press in Manhattan and his father, Jerry, the first McCaffrey to attend college, graduated from Saint John’s University, and subsequently spent his entire 45 year career at New York Life Insurance, retiring as an executive.

Mark’s wife, Lisa, also one of Irish America’s Top 100, is a technology executive whose family reside on Inishbofin, County Galway.

Jim McCann is a successful entrepreneur; business leader, author, media personality, and philanthropist whose passion is helping people deliver smiles. Jim’s belief in the universal need for social connections and interaction led to his founding of 1-800-Flowers.com, which he has grown into one of the world’s top gifting companies.

Jim’s willingness to embrace new technologies has enabled him to stay at the forefront of consumer and social trends. He has expanded his company’s offerings to become a leading player in the gift baskets business, including brands like Harry & David, Cheryl’s, The Popcorn Factory, and 1-800-Baskets.com. His focus on customer engagement has enabled the organization to stake out an industry leading position in social and mobile commerce, earning numerous awards for its initiatives in these exciting new business areas.

A third-generation Irish American with roots in Armagh and Limerick, Jim is chairman of 1-800Flowers.com, non-executive chairman of Willis Towers Watson, and director for Scotts MiracleGro and International Game Technology, as well as for several non-profit organizations.

Steven P. McCarty, C.P.A., C.M.A. is the leader of UHY Corporate Finance and a partner with UHY L.L.P., a National C.P.A. firm. He is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and Great Lakes region executive committee.

McCarthy has been both a repeat nominee and winner of Crain’s Detroit Business “Dealmaker of the Year”award. He is a regular speaker around the country on cutting edge tax strategies, operational excellence and best in class corporate controls. He recently visited UHY offices Ireland while presenting at the ILN European Regional Conference on International M&A in Belfast.

McCarty has hosted events raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity in memory of his brother Dan. Growing up as the youngest of eight boys in a close-knit Irish family, loyalty and integrity have helped him evolve into the respected businessman, husband, father, and person he is today. McCarty resides in Michigan with his wife Kristen and daughters Jenna and Megan, a current student at Michigan State University.

Go Spartans!

BILL McDERMOTT

DANNY McDONALD

MARY McEVOY

Bill McDermott is CEO of SAP, the world’s business software market leader. He leads the company’s more than 95K employees and 2+ millionperson ecosystem in executing SAP’s vision to help the world run better and improve peoples’ lives.

Since becoming CEO in 2010, Bill’s innovationled strategy for SAP has resulted in expansive increases in customers, total revenue, market value and profitable growth. One of the most popular leaders in business, Bill’s employee approval rating on website Glassdoor hovers around 99%. Bill is a member of the European Roundtable of Industrialists, the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Business Council. He also serves on the boards of performance apparel maker Under Armour, engineering software maker ANSYS, Inc. and security solutions leader Dell SecureWorks. He has received numerous awards for his civic leadership, including GENYOUth’s Vanguard Award, City Year’s Idealist of the Year, the We Are Family Foundation’s Visionary Award and the Children’s Aid Society’s Promise Award. He is a proud supporter of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Jefferson Health. His roots are in Roscommon.

Danny McDonald is one of America’s top culinary business owners and one of New York City’s best-known restaurateurs. He is the owner and designer of the city’s most successful restaurants and pubs, including Swift Hibernian Lounge, Puck Fair, Ulysses’ Folkhouse, and most recently Pier A Harbor House. Swift was said by Crain’s to have “revolutionized the Irish Bar scene” when it opened in 1995, and The Dead Rabbit has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including ‘Worlds Best Bar 2016. Most recently Danny has focused on Pier A Harbor House, which as an immigration hall played a major part in the Irish-American experience, including welcoming, in 1888, Danny’s own great-grandmother, Anna McGary, as a four-yearold from Rooskey, Co. Roscommon.

A leading figure in the Irish American community, Danny has created many cultural events including the NYC Oyster Festival and Bloomsday on Stone Street. For all his success, Danny says he is most proud of his daughter, Molly, a graduate of journalism from Boston University. Danny was born in the U.S., raised in Laois, and has a B.A. in economics and geography from Trinity.

Mary McEvoy is vice president of global procurement at PepsiCo, where she has global responsibility for commodities spanning sweeteners, food oils, energy, and grains. After starting in PepsiCo as an R&D chemist, she has held positions of increasing responsibility across the portfolio during her 19-year career.

Mary earned a B.Sc. in physics and chemistry from the University of Dublin and began her career in chemistry in New York. A native of Kilkenny, she is an inveterate hurling fan, and an avid supporter of the “Black and Amber” Kilkenny county team. A terrific athlete herself, Mary was an active camogie, soccer, and Gaelic football player who played for New York at the allIreland junior football level.

Off the field, Mary brings her positive approach to her community. She serves on the advisory board of Self Help Africa, is a board member of Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and is the co-founder of LEAP, a novel leadership acceleration program which links Irish and Irish American female professionals with community organizations to solve real business challenges.

PwC

SAP

62 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

1-800-Flowers.com

Pier A Harbor House

UHY LLP

PepsiCo

First Data is proud to support the

33rd Annual Irish America Business 100 First Data is committed to building next-generation commerce solutions for millions of businesses and financial institutions worldwide. We enable frictionless shopping experiences securely and at scale across all channels, globally. With superior technology solutions and data analytics, we solve unique business challenges. Helping clients grow is at our core. Whether optimizing the economics of payment acceptance or enhancing consumer loyalty with mobile apps, First Data delivers.

Š 2018 First Data Corporation. All rights reserved. The First Data name, logo and related trademarks and service marks are owned by First Data Corporation and are registered or used in the U.S. and many foreign countries. All trademarks, service marks and trade names referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners. 503545 2018-11

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BUSINESS 100

ANDREW McKENNA

WILLIAM J. McLAUGHLIN

Andrew McKenna is one of Chicago’s premier businessmen and a member of the Irish America Hall of Fame. Currently, he serves as chairman emeritus of McDonald’s Corporation and chairman of Schwarz Supply Source, a position he has held since 1964. He is also a director of Ryan Specialty Group, McDonald’s Corporation, and the Chicago Bears Football Club.

The father of seven and grandfather of 24, Andrew is a native Chicagoan who himself is one of six children. His father, Andrew J. McKenna, Sr., was a first-generation Irish American with roots in counties Mayo and Monaghan. In addition to his private sector positions, he is a director of Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, the Ireland Economic Advisory Board, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Metropolis Strategies, among others.

A Notre Dame graduate with a B.S. in business administration, Andrew was awarded the university’s Laetare Medal in 2000. He served as the chairman of the board of trustees from 1992 to 2000 and continues on the board today. He earned his J.D. from DePaul University.

William “Bill” McLaughlin is president of McLaughlin & Morgan, Inc., a growth strategies company that assists U.S. firms entering Europe via Ireland, and Irish companies entering the U.S. Bill founded the Irish American Business Chamber & Network in 1999 and is currently chairman emeritus. He has hosted the Taoiseach and President of Ireland, and other luminaries, and has participated in the Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin in 2011, 2013, and 2015. He serves on the board of the Global Interdependence Center, Neumann University, the President’s Advisory Council of LaSalle University, and SMART States, and is an active member of The Union League of Philadelphia and the Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute.

Bill’s maternal grandmother, Mary Murtagh, immigrated from Kiltimagh to Philadelphia where she met her future husband, Thomas Byrne, also from Mayo. His paternal great-grandfather was from Donegal. Bill and his wife Natalie now own the Mayo farm Mary Murtagh Byrne left in 1889.

They reside in Newtown Square, PA and have three grown children.

KEVIN McMANUS

MARGARET MOLLOY

MICHAEL J. MORRISSEY

In his role as SVP and North American Leader for Services of SAP America, Kevin McManus has responsibility for all customers in the southern U.S. Since joining SAP in 2005, Kevin has been involved in over a dozen post-merger consolidations utilizing SAP technology, and has held many roles within field services. His accomplishments include the largest global implementation of SAP CRM service, the largest SAP upgrade, and the successful deployment of SAP’s industry solution for media.

With roots in counties Fermanagh and Sligo, Kevin is a fourth-generation Irish American who takes pride in the McManus line of “funny men” – his great-grandfather was a well-respected vaudeville performer. “In a world of text messages, I want an Irishman to deliver context and humor,” he says.

Kevin was born in Rochester, New York, and obtained a B.A. in economics and finance from the University of Texas at Dallas, where he remains based with his wife, Alexia, and three sons, Ian, Gavin, and Donovan.

Margaret Molloy is global chief marketing officer at the branding firm, Siegel+Gale and Creator of WearingIrish. A native of Offaly and a Harvard Business School and University of Ulster graduate, she is regarded as one of the most influential global marketing leaders. Her accolades include: Forbes’ top CMOs on Twitter; Top 50 Power Women by Irish America; Overseas Business Woman of the Year 2017 by Image magazine; and 2017 Marketer of the Year by The Drum. She is chair of The Marketing Society in New York, a sought-after conference speaker, and contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company and more.

Margaret created WearingIrish in 2016 as a passion project to tell the untold story of Irish fashion designers. Acclaimed by the iconic Women’s Wear Daily, WearingIrish is now a movement online and offline.

Follow Margaret on Twitter @MargaretMolloy and Instagram@WearingIrish.

Margaret lives in Manhattan with her husband, economist Jim O’Sullivan, and their sons, Finn and Emmet.

Michael J. Morrissey is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Insurance Society. The IIS is the largest and most diverse organization of the global insurance industry.

Mike is involved in, and a member of, various organizations in the insurance industry, such as the Steering Committee of the Insurance Development Forum; Board of Overseers of St. John’s University School of Risk Management; the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Insurance and Asset Management; the National Bureau of Economic Research; special advisor to the Asia Pacific Financial Forum; and the Board of Governors of the Asia Pacific Risk & Insurance Association.

Mike holds a B.A. from Boston College, a MBA from Dartmouth, and completed the Harvard Business School Corporate Finance Program. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Three of Mike’s four grandparents were born in Ireland, in Cork on his father’s side, and in Galway on his mother’s. Mike’s mother and father retired to Glandore in Co. Cork for several years upon his dad’s retirement, and after returning to the U.S., continued to summer in Glandore until his dad’s passing.

KIERAN McGRATH CA Technologies

Kieran McGrath is the executive vice president and chief financial officer of CA Technologies, one of the world’s leading providers of information technology management software and solutions. Kieran joined CA in 2014 after a thirty year career with IBM, where he held a variety of finance leadership roles domestically and internationally, including several years working in Dublin during the Celtic Tiger boom of the late 1990s.

Kieran is a first-generation American whose parents, John and Elizabeth (née Canning) McGrath, hail from Elphin, County Roscommon, and Mohill, County Leitrim.

Kieran was born in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan and raised in Queens, where he attended Holy Cross High School and earned a B.S. in accounting from St. John’s University.

Kieran and his wife, Debbie, reside in New Milford, Connecticut, and are the parents of three grown sons, Brian, Sean, and Brendan.

SAP

64 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

McDonald’s & Schwarz Supply Source

Siegel+Gale

McLaughlin & Morgan, Inc.

International Insurance Society

It comes down to vision.

KPMG LLP would like to congratulate all the 2018 Irish America Business 100 honorees.

In particular, we are proud to recognize and commend our KPMG partner, Shaun T. Kelly, Global Chief Operating Officer.

Shaun, your professionalism and excellence, community involvement, and ability to think beyond borders is an inspiration to us all. kpmg.com

© 2018 KPMG LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership and the U.S. member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. The KPMG name and logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of KPMG International. NDPPS 823969

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BUSINESS 100

Brian moynihan

William J. mullaney

Sheila m. murphy

As Chairman and CEO of Bank of America Brian Moynihan leads a team of more than 200,000 employees dedicated to making financial lives better for people, companies of every size, and institutional investors across the United States and around the world.

Bank of America was named the top global bank on Fortune magazine’s 2018 “Change the World” list.

It was also voted the best company for working mothers by Working Mother, and been named a winner of AnitaB.org’s 2018 Top Companies for Women Technologists. Moynihan leads the company’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council and is a member of the Museum Council for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. He is graduate of Brown University and the University of Notre Dame Law School.

When Brian served as Irish America’s Keynote Speaker in 2009, talked about his Irish ancestors who immigrated in the 1850’s and became farmers. “Both my parents come from small towns in upstate New York where the Irish part of their families had farms and then opened some stores.”

Bill Mullaney is a managing director in Deloitte’s insurance practice. In this role, he works with life, annuities, property, and casualty clients on wide range of strategic and operational issues.

In addition, Bill is very active in understanding the growing influence of fintech/ insurtech companies and counsels clients on the potential disruption these start-ups can create to the products and business models of insurers. He has over 30 years of insurance industry experience.

Born in the Bronx, Bill is a first-generation Irish American whose parents hail from counties Roscommon and Cork. “Growing up, we learned the value of hard work and perseverance mixed with a strong dose of Irish and American pride,” he says. “I see it in my siblings and my children. It has served us all well.”

He received a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, his M.B.A. from Pace University, and a chartered life underwriter designation from the American College. Bill and his family live in New Jersey.

Sheila Murphy is Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel at MetLife. She leads the U.S. Regulatory and Retail Litigation Group and serves on the Advisory Board to MetLife’s U.S. Women’s Business Network; is co-chair of the Legal Affair’s Academy; a member of the Boards of Directors of Power Play and the National Association of Women Lawyers, and a co-chair of the CARE’s Women’s Network of New York.

Crain’s NYC named her to its 2018 Legal List of Leading Women Lawyers in New York City. In addition, Sheila is an Advisory Board Member of the Thomson Reuters Transforming Women’s Leadership in the Law. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served on the Comparative Labor Law Journal and the School of Management at the State University of New York at Binghamton where she graduated magna cum laude.

Sheila, whose ancestors are from Donegal and Antrim, said: “My Irish heritage has instilled in me a strong sense of self and loyalty, resilience and the ability to laugh and love.”

Kathleen murphy

eileen murray

Dermot J. o’Brien

Kathleen Murphy is president of Fidelity Personal Investing. She assumed her position in January 2009 and oversees a business with more than $2.6 trillion in client assets under administration, 20 million customer accounts, and over 15,000 employees. Her business is the nation’s number one provider of individual retirement accounts, one of the largest brokerage businesses, one of the largest providers of investment advisory programs, and one of the leading providers of college savings plans.

Prior to joining Fidelity, Kathy was CEO of ING U.S. Wealth Management. She received her B.A. summa cum laude from Fairfield University and earned her J.D. with highest honors from the University of Connecticut.

Fortune magazine has consistently named her one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business.

She is a third-generation Irish American – her father’s family is from County Cork and her mother’s family is from County Kerry. She is married with one son.

Eileen Murray is an award-winning leader in the financial services industry and currently serves as co-CEO at Bridgewater Associates and co-chair of the management committee. She has over two decades of Wall Street experience, having held senior leadership roles at Duff Capital Advisors, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Suisse, where she was appointed the first female member of the executive board.

Eileen currently serves as a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Irish Arts Center. In 2015, she received an honorary doctorate from Manhattan College, from which she also holds B.S. in accounting.

One of nine children, Eileen grew up in Upper Manhattan’s Dyckman Housing Project (“as diverse a community as you can imagine”). With roots in counties Cork and Galway, she credits her parents’ Irish values, work ethic, and views on diversity as a key advantage doing business in a global economy. “Diversity of thought was encouraged,” she says. “As a result, what I tend to focus on are commonalities, what brings people together, not the differences – which is what keeps these Irish eyes smiling.”

Dermot J. O’Brien is the chief transformation officer for ADP, a global market leader in Human Capital Management (HCM) technology and service that ranked 243rd on the 2018 Fortune 500 list, and is a member of the company’s Executive Committee. Dermot joined ADP in 2012 and leads the company’s efforts to transform itself for future success by accelerating its focus on delivering a bestin-class experience to clients and associates globally.

Dermot started his financial services career at Morgan Stanley, spending nine years in various roles, including head of Human Resources for Japan. He is a founding member of the Human Resource-50 Group, served as a member of the Peer Round Table, Center for Executive Succession Advisory Board and Hackett Advisory Board Council; and named a Fellow by the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR). A native of Dublin, he holds a degree in finance from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University, where he has been a frequent guest lecturer.

Dermot is the son of the late Dermot O’Brien, 1957 All-Ireland GAA captain for County Louth and well-known Irish entertainer.

Bank of America

Fidelity Personal Investing

66 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Deloitte

Bridgewater Associates

Metlife

ADP

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tOM O’Brien

Daniel O’Day

anDrew O’flaherty

Tom O’Brien is a life long bank executive. Tom began his banking career in 1977 almost straight out of college. He was made President & CEO in 1984 at the age of 33. He has been a senior executive with six area banks including five where he served as CEO, most recently the $2.5 billion Sun National Bank.

Tom did his undergraduate work at Niagara University where he earned a BA in political science and economics. He completed his studies for an MBA in Finance at Iona College.

He currently serves on the board of the Prudential Insurance Company Funds where he is the audit chairman. He is also a director and treasurer of the Jacob Marley Foundation, which is the legacy of his close friend killed in the World Trade Center in 2001. He has volunteered for many years on the board of the Flax Trust in Belfast and supported St Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland both organizations have honored him for his efforts.

Tom, who Irish roots are in counties Clare, Tipperary, Waterford, Limerick and Galway, has three wonderful sons Thomas, Jr., Christopher and Stephen.

Daniel O’Day is the COO of the pharmaceutical division of Roche, the world’s leading biotech company, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and with offices in more than 150 countries, including Ireland. O’Day was appointed COO in 2012 having previously been the COO for the diagnostics division of Roche since 2010. Starting in 1987 as part of Roche’s commercial and sales team, Daniel then moved to Switzerland for roles in global marketing and lifecycle management in 2001. Since then, he has been head of corporate planning in Japan, general manager in Denmark, and president of Roche Molecular Diagnostics in California.

O’Day was born in Texas and is a third-generation Irish American with family from Ennis, County Clare on his father’s side. “The perseverance of my Irish ancestors is a daily motivation to me professionally and personally,” O’Day says. His first job was landscaping, which, he says, “inspired me to pursue my education.” He attended Georgetown University and Columbia University, receiving a B.S. in biology and an M.B.A. Daniel currently lives in Switzerland with his wife Mara and children Tierney, Meghan, and Brendan.

As Global Vice President, Customer Operations at SAP, Manhattan native Andrew O’Flaherty leverages lessons learned across the regions while assisting and supporting the firm’s GTM strategy.

He joined SAP in 2005 and has held numerous positions there, including senior program director, director of the retail project management office, and director of retail consulting services. In 2013, SAP named him North America’s Vice President of the Year.

Andrew is a second-generation Irish American with Galway and Roscommon ties. He has studied the story of his family name in great detail, saying, “The inscription over the Gates of Galway – ‘The ferocious O’Flahertys from whom God defends us’ – indicates the family’s colorful history.” He adds, “Pride in my heritage that I have passed down to my sons, Brendan and Connor, and will be passed to my new grandson, Keane. Where we came from shapes who we are and where we are going.”

Andrew holds a degree in business from the State University of New York and lives in upstate New York with his wife, Colleen.

Patrick O’keefe

Patrick O’keeffe

Mary ann Pierce

As founder and CEO of O’Keefe, Patrick has been active as a financial consultant and turnaround advisor. He is also CEO of Glycadia, a diabetes research company, and was recently named CEO of Grow Michigan, a mezzanine fund formed by the Michigan Strategic Fund, and has been elected to First Independence Bank Board, one of the largest minority owned Banks.

In 2018, Patrick was named the recipient of the M&A Advisor Leadership Award for his contribution to the restructuring industry, joining Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross in receiving this award. Most recently, he was named Detroit 500 as one of the most influential businessmen in Detroit.

Patrick says his Irish ancestry has made him a better consultant for troubled transactions dealing objectively with the perils of adversity. Born in Detroit, Patrick graduated cum laude from Michigan State and holds an M.B.A. from Wayne State. He is a fourth-generation Irish American with a paternal Cork connection and believes that the Irish people’s “strong commitment to family” has made him a better father to his children, Bryan, Caitlin, and Matthew. He and his wife Carol, live in Michigan.

As Senior Vice President of people for American Airlines, Patrick J. O’Keeffe is responsible for all aspects of traditional human resources functions within the company. He also oversees benefits and wellness programs, as well as supports business units through People business partners.

Born in San Francisco, Patrick lived in Newmarket, Co. Cork, during his teen years, and graduated from the University of Limerick with a B.A. in business studies, accounting, and finance.

He is a first-generation Irish American, with his mother’s family rooted in Coleman’s Well, Co. Limerick and his father’s in Newmarket, Co. Cork.

“Mom and dad were both from big families and immigrated to the U.S. when they were in their late teens,” Patrick says. “They met in San Francisco and realized they had the same last name, and grew up 30 miles apart in Ireland.”

Patrick eventually came to the U.S. himself, beginning his studies at Rice University in Texas for an MBA in business administration. He is today married to Frankie Perez, with whom he lives in Texas.

Founder & CEO, MAP Digital: MetaMeetings™, a corporate event platform and Smart Venues” for Convention Centers worldwide. She serves on the boards of Digital Irish, IIBN-NY, is an advisor for the MIT Enterprise Forum, NYC, Dublin’s “Inspirefest;” and was named a Belfast Ambassador for 2019. Mary Ann Pierce is also the technical director of the UNCTAD sponsored “Economic Equality Moonshot” that fosters Women-run STEM businesses solving Sustainability Development Goals 2030 in order to “Make Women Wealthy,” especially in Emerging Markets. She has worked with J.P. Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Lehman Brothers, The Wall Street Journal, Novartis, and Havas. She taught digital events design at New York University. In 2017 Meetings & Conventions Magazine named her as one of the “Top 25 Women in Events “ stating: “Pierce is ahead of the curve, as the rest of the industry now embraces data capture and analytics as the next frontier.” She hails from Glangevlin, Cavan, and Grangemockler, Tipperay and has a cherished network of the #FutureIsFemale colleagues in Ireland and around the world.

Banker

O’Keefe

Roche Pharmaceuticals

American Airlines

SAP

MAP Digital

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BUSINESS 100

Tara reynolDS

Truman reynolDS

JameS J. roTh

Tara Reynolds is the Head of Marketing & Business Development for MassMutual Financial Advisors, leading a coordinated effort to serve diverse consumers and high potential markets with relevant holistic financial solutions. The team also delivers a go-to-market approach that unites national and local branding and campaigns to help local firms attract and retain clients and advisors.

Before joining MassMutual in 2008, Tara spent 17 years at Prudential Financial, where she began her career in Prudential’s management development program. Tara earned an Executive MBA from Rutgers University and is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Providence College. She maintains several industry designations, including CLU, ChFC, CASL and ChSNC (Special Needs Planner). Tara also serves as a Vice Chair on the board for the Council for Disability Awareness.

In addition to helping others achieve financial preparedness, Tara enjoys her family, friends, gardening, board games, outdoor fitness and the Boston Red Sox, and celebrates her Irish heritage with memories of decades of Irish step dancing and participation in many a New England Feis!

Truman Reynolds has a long history of developing information technology companies. He was one of the first members of Computer Associates and owned technology businesses in Texas operating as an authorized IBM remarketer until he sold to an IBM related company in 1990. He continued as an independent consultant after the sale of the businesses, managing joint application design and development projects.

After relocating to California in 1999, Truman created a business plan with The Adams Wine Group that launched one of the top wine logistic and technology services supporting the major California and Oregon wine producing regions. He served as the Vice President and General Manager until recently when he facilitated the sale of the business to 24Seven Enterprises. The combined companies will have the scale and capabilities to compete more effectively in the global marketplace where Truman will serve as Chief Strategy Officer. He says his County Leitrim ancestors passed on “the passion and perseverance to solve business challenges in a business first approach.”

Jim Roth is Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Mutual of America. He is also Chairman, President and CEO of Mutual of America Investment Corporation and Mutual of America Institutional Funds, and a member of the board of Mutual of America Holding Company LLC and the Mutual of America Foundation.

Prior to joining Mutual, he enjoyed a 25-year career as an FBI agent, including almost 13 years as the Chief Counsel for the FBI’s New York office.

Jim is a graduate of Fordham Law School and was a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Fordham University School of Law from 2001 through 2015. He is also a member of the Lawyers Committee for The Inner City Scholarship Fund.

Jim is one of eight children of Mary and John Roth and he had grandparents on both sides who were of Irish descent. He and his wife Frances (nee McTague) have three children and four grandchildren and reside in New York City. Jim said: “My Irish heritage means loyalty to family, friends and country as well as helping those who are less fortunate.”

Tim ryan

John SaunDerS

Dan SchmeDlen

Tim Ryan is US Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC. He has over 28 years of diversified experience serving clients in the financial services industry in the U.S. and internationally. Ryan also serves on the US Board of Partners and as well as the Network Leadership Team. He previously served as Vice Chair, where he was responsible for the strategy function and stakeholder relationships.

Tim previously led the firm’s Assurance practice, its US Financial Services Practice, and Consumer Finance group. He recently launched the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ -- the largest ever CEO driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Tim is a certified public accountant in Massachusetts and New York and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society and the Center for Audit Quality. He graduated from Babson College where he studied accounting and communications. Tim is a Boston native, and proud father of six children. He is a first-generation Irish American, with roots in Galway and Cork.

John Saunders is president and CEO of public relations giant FleishmanHillard and was Irish America’s 2016 Business 100 keynote speaker. 2018 speaking engagements included the Web Summit in Lisbon and the annual Leadership Lecture at Dublin City University. Saunders began his career as a journalist at RTÉ. In 1990, he joined FleishmanHillard and helped it develop into Ireland’s largest public relations consultancy.

Prior to his appointment as president and CEO of FleishmanHillard, he served as regional president for Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

Saunders is only the fourth individual to hold his current title in FleishmanHillard’s 72-year history. He is an Honorary Life Member of the Public Relations Institution of Ireland and is in the ICCO Hall of Fame in 2011.

A native of Dublin, Saunders has been married to his wife, Jean, for 38 years. Together they have three children, Colin, Caroline, and Hannah, and two granddaughters, Matilda and Maisie. He currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and has been grand marshal of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Dan Schmedlen is CEO of LTC Global, Inc., a national finance and insurance distribution company. Under Dan’s leadership, LTC Global has grown significantly and in July 2018 successfully executed the first-ever rated term securitization of Long Term Care insurance commission assets.

Prior to joining LTC Global in 2007, Dan was a global finance partner in the New York City office of Nixon Peabody LLP. Dan earned a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D., cum laude, from Washington & Lee University School of Law, where he was an editor of the Law Review.

Dan, who grew up in central Philadelphia with one brother, is a sixth-generation Irish American through his mother, with dozens of Hearn and McCaffrey aunts, uncles and cousins. “Our extended family’s Irish warmth (including in song) and unconditional love, contributed greatly to our confidence, both as boys, and adults,” he writes.

Dan and his wife, Nida, and their three children, Jurgis, Elena and Henry, live in Cos Cob, Connecticut, where Dan coaches his sons’ tackle football teams and races dinghies in the Long Island Sound during the winter.

MassMutual

PwC US

68 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

24Seven Enterprises

FleishmanHillard

Mutual of America

LTC Global

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CONGRATULATIONS

IRISH AMERICA BUSINESS 100 from Tom O'Brien

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BUSINESS 100

EILEEN SCULLY

CAROLINE SIMMONS-MAHON

ALFRED J. SMALL

In July 2015, Eileen Scully launched The Rising Tides to advise organizations on making their workplaces more equal for female employees, establishing a business culture that supports their professional and personal lives. A TEDx speaker and author, in early 2019 her book, In the Company of Men: How Women can Succeed in a World Built Without Them, will be published, showcasing the stories of women who have had remarkable success in maledominated spaces and are widening the path for other women.

Born in Connecticut, Eileen had always been aware that she was adopted and of Irish stock, but did not learn that she was a first-generation Irish American until, pregnant with her own daughter, she sought out the medical information of her birth parents. “My first trip to Ireland was in 1984 and I felt a strong connection to the country. It made perfect sense later, when I learned of my lineage,” she says.

Her daughter, Kathleen Erin, now lives in London.

Eileen, who attended Hofstra University and lives in Massachusetts, is also active on the boards of the Get In Touch Foundation and the Innovadores Foundation.

Caroline Simmons-Mahon is an on-premise sales manager for Castle Brands, a leading New Yorkbased distributor of spirits with a large portfolio of Irish brands including Knappogue Castle Irish Single Malt, Clontarf Irish Whiskey and Boru Irish Vodka.

Prior to joining Castle Brands, Caroline established a career in the restaurant industry working in a variety of roles at eateries across Manhattan including The Carriage House, which she co-owned with her husband Richie Mahon.

Originally a native of Thurles, County Tipperary, Caroline was brought up in Rathgar, County Dublin where she began her career at Aer Lingus, the nation’s national airline. She is passionately involved in the Irish-American community in New York, and sits on the advisory board of the Irish Business Organization, and is an active member of the Dublin Society, a networking group based in NYC. She is also an avid supporter of many charitable organizations in particular Self Help Africa and Concern Worldwide, both of which hold a place in the hearts of many Irish people living on this side of the Atlantic.

Alfred J. Small is senior vice president and chief financial officer of Castle Brands, a producer, marketer, and distributor of spirits with a strong portfolio of Irish brands, such as Clontarf Whiskey, Boru Irish Vodka, and Brady’s Irish Cream. He has over fifteen years of experience in finance, operations, and compliance in the spirits industry.

Alfred joined Castle Brands during its early stages in 2004, playing a critical role in taking the company public and in its growth over the subsequent years. Previously, he was a practicing accountant at Grodsky, Caporrino & Kaufman. He is a certified public accountant and holds a B.S. from the State University of New York.

A fourth-generation Irish American on both sides of his family, Alfred traces his father’s lineage back to County Tipperary, and his mother’s to County Clare. “Growing up in a family proud of its Irish heritage provided me with the work ethic, charity, loyalty, and humor to meet all challenges head-on,” he says.

Alfred lives on Long Island with his wife, Joanna.

They have four children, Alfred, Matthew, Gabriella, and Giovanna.

KATHRYN SPAIN

KELLEY SPILLANE

JACK STACK

Kathryn Spain is the head of European equity sales in North America for Credit Suisse.

Currently based in New York, she previously managed the international distribution platform for the Western U.S. out of San Francisco for 12 years. Prior to Credit Suisse, she held positions with Investec Asset Management, Barings Asset Management, and Bank of Ireland.

“At a time when the European and Irish economy are really coming into their own, I am proud of being able to represent a European bank known for excellence in research in the North American markets,” she says.

Born in Dublin and a graduate of University College Dublin, Kathryn has worked in the U.S. for over two decades. “I have found that being Irish has been a real door opener in life and business,” she says. “There is a real trust in Irish people that is very special.” Her surname comes from the Spanish armada that shipwrecked off the west coast of Ireland in 1588.

She and her husband, Tom, live in New York with their three children, Emily, Cara, and Laurel.

Kelley Spillane is senior vice president of global sales at Castle Brands. He joined Castle Brands during its start-up and has been an integral part in the company’s substantial domestic and international growth. Previously, Kelley was with Carillon Importers, where he was instrumental in the development of Absolut Vodka and the launch of Bombay Sapphire Gin. Kelley takes enormous pride in his Irish heritage, noting, “The company I helped start was primarily focused on Irish products and they represent today a significant portion of our overall sales.” He says that growing up in an Irish Catholic home with 11 brothers and sisters “made for an extraordinary experience and has provided my children a wonderful extended family to form bonds with. As I grow older, I look forward to making contributions to the Irish community at large that will advance opportunity and strengthen bonds between our two countries.”

Spillane is third-generation Irish American with his father’s family originating in Ballyspillane, County Kerry, while his mother’s family comes out of Ballyferriter in Dingle.

Jack Stack has spent over 40 years in banking.

He currently is the Supervisory Board Chairperson of Ceska Sporitelna, the largest bank in the Czech Republic, and also serves on the Boards of Ally Bank, Erste Bank (Austria), and Mutual of America Capital Management.

Jack was CEO of Ceska Sporitelna from 2000 thru 2007, where he led a transformation of the bank, previously considered the worst bank in Central Europe (according to The Economist), to one of the best performing banks in Central Europe. Prior to Ceska Sporitelna, Jack spent 22 years at Chemical Bank and its successor, Chase.

Jack is Bronx born and graduated from All Hallows High School (where he serves on the Board), Iona College, and the Harvard Business School. He is first generation Irish American; his father was from Duagh, Co. Kerry and his mother from Derrygoolin, Co. Galway. Jack says his parents “taught me the value of hard work, education, and getting right back up when one fails.”

He and his wife live in Manhattan; they have one grown daughter, Alanna, and three grandchildren, Asher, Nora and Luke.

The Rising Tides

Credit Suisse

70 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Castle Brands

Castle Brands

Castle Brands

Ceska Sporitelna

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BUSINESS 100

BILL SULLIVAN

TED SULLIVAN

JIM SUMMERS

Bill Sullivan is the global head of Capgemini’s financial services market intelligence group, responsible for Capgemini’s global portfolio of financial services and overseeing a team of strategy consultants and sector analysts to help Capgemini’s financial services clients across the globe address complex strategic issues.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Bill attended Tufts University and graduated with a B.S. double major in economics and psychology. Over the past two decades, he has overseen the development of some of the industry’s most recognized thought leadership, including the World Wealth Report, Asia-Pacific Wealth Report, World Retail Banking Report, and World Insurance Report. He was recently named to the Financial Brand’s FinServ25 Most Influential Voices in Banking and serves on the panel of judges for the PWM/The Banker Global Private Banking Awards.

Bill currently resides in Virginia with his wife and two daughters, after a period between 2009 and 2012 in which the family made their home in the city of Hyderabad, India, where he ran Capgemini’s marking intelligence team.

Ted Sullivan, is Head of Industry – Telecommunications, Media and Entertainment, and a global client partner at SAP America’s consulting practice, serving over 300,000 customers in 190 countries. With more than 18 years of experience focusing on strategy and operational consulting, Ted previously held executive positions at dRSTi360, which he co-founded, IBM, and KPMG. Ted traces his mother’s ancestors to Co. Tyrone, and his father’s to Co. Cork. He is a founding member of the Metro Atlanta Police Emerald Society and has served as the Georgia president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians as well as on the national board. He has served twice as parade chairman of the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade. He also serves on the boards of Wildlife Aviation Group and Adaptive Learning Center. Ted visits Ireland every year to reconnect with friends in Navan, Cork, and Northern Ireland, where he has participated in various political forums. He holds a B.S. in accounting and finance from Troy State University and currently lives in Atlanta. He enjoys playing golf with his daughter, Mary Lois.

Jim Summers is the president of Senior Market Sales, Inc. (SMS), a leading independent marketing organization in the insurance and financial services industry. Under Jim’s leadership, SMS has grown to serve more than 50,000 independent agents and advisors, providing access to health and wealth solutions, technology and support that help agents better serve the growing retirement market. Jim has served on many industry committees and was honored as The Underwriter of the Year by the Nebraska Association of Health Underwriters in 2013.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Jim graduated from Rockhurst College with a degree in marketing.

He served for over a decade as a key organizer of the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Kansas City. “The best parade was the year my uncle Ben Teevan, born in Ireland, was the Grand Marshal of the parade,” he said. Jim’s mother was the first child in her family born in the U.S.. They hailed from County Cavan.

His father’s family, from County Cork, moved to a small farm community in Missouri.

Jim and his wife Deb, live in Omaha, Nebraska.

They have three married children and two grandchildren.

Capgemini

SAP

JIM WALDRON

Prime Clerk/Duke Law School

As a senior advisor at Prime Clerk, Jim Waldron cultivates client relationships, communicates regularly with the bankruptcy community, and assists with the development of marketing strategies. He is also the director of EDRM, an eDiscovery initiative, at Duke Law School and previously served for three decades as the Clerk of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. A Newark native, he attended St. Benedict’s Prep, earned his law degree from Rutgers Law School, and his B.A. from St. Vincent College.

Jim is a second-generation Irish American and the president of the County Mayo Foundation. The Foundation, a tax exempt entity, raises funds in the US from Mayo diaspora which benefits over 30 Mayo-based charities. “All four grandparents immigrated from County Mayo. When they came over they were policeman and laborers,” he says. “My father’s mother lived with us for the last 10 years of her life and embodied all the qualities of a strong Irish woman – faith, love, endurance, and commitment. My father went to engineering school at night and my mother got her master’s from Columbia University. We were taught to be proud of our heritage.”

He and his wife, Kathleen, live in New Jersey and have three children and one grandson.

Senior Market Sales

JENNIFER WESTON

Castle Brands

Jennifer Weston joined Castle Brands in 2006, currently serving as onpremise sales manager for Metro-New York.

Castle Brands, a developer and international marketers of premium and super premium beverage alcohol brands. Jennifer is part of the team responsible for driving the sales upwards of two million cases a year, globally.

With a focus on metro New York, Weston is solely responsible of influencing over 100 establishments to pour from the Castle Brands portfolio. A native New Yorker, her success stems from over 25 years in the hospitality industry where trust, relationships and strong values cement bonds for life.

Jennifer’s passion in the industry goes back to her family’s business; she was often found behind the bar at her father’s restaurant Jimmy Weston’s, located in midtown for over two decades.

Jennifer, whose paternal grandparents live in Co. Roscommon, has also dedicated her time to volunteering with a number of charitable organizations, such as; supporting families dealing with pediatric cancer through the Francis Pope Memorial Foundation, and supporting those with Autism and other special needs through SNACK*. She currently resides in Long Island City, New York.

A “ s an Irish-American woman, I recognize with great humility that I stand on the shoulders of proud, hard-working giants who were passionate about ensuring I and my contemporaries have meaningful opportunities to contribute to this great world. My beginnings from a mill-town in Massachusetts were made possible by brave people who endured many headwinds, leaving me with a lifelong appreciation for perseverance and a commitment to never take any opportunity for granted.”

– Tara Reynolds 72 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Congratulations to the Business 100 and Irish America Magazine

Andy McKenna

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By Rosemary Rogers

LOUISE MOHAN BRYANT

Radical, Romantic, and Doomed

I

John Reed and Louise Bryant (circa 1915).

t took a movie, 1981’s Reds, to both lift Louise Bryant from obscurity and reduce her to the sniveling acolyte of American communist John Reed, Annie Hall in a babushka. Wrong. For all her (many) faults, Louise Bryant was always her own woman – a fearless journalist, activist, suffragette, and talented writer. She was also reckless, with a compulsive need to court danger, and a study in contradictions – a chronic dissembler who sought the truth, a free love disciple who threw fits of jealousy, a communist who twice married rich men and a feminist who was a serial seducer. Fiercely romantic, she always wanted to have a life of drama, tragedy, fascinating people and great events. She got her wish.

Louise’s father, Hugh J. Mohan, was a first-generation Irish journalist, orator and, befitting his convivial personality, traveling toastmaster. The Mohan family records were destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake, a fortuitous event for Louise, ever sensitive about her age. After Hugh took off (or, as Louise claimed, “died”), her mother married railroad worker Sheridan Bryant, allowing Louise to take her stepfather’s name and continue to fudge her birth date. She fudged other YALE LIBRARY facts too, claiming at various times she was a relative of Oscar Wilde or the granddaughter of an Irish lord.

She moved to Portland, Oregon, and, always a free spirit, Louise lived on a houseboat where she entertained friends including wealthy dentist Paul Trullinger, known for his good humor and largesse with laughing gas. Enamored by her Bohemian style and beauty – “slender with vividly pretty Irish features, reddish-brown hair…heart-shaped face” Trullinger proposed, promising Louise she could keep her maiden name, continue her suffrage activism, and have a private studio to write and paint.

It was 1909.

By 1915, Louise was a star in Portland but, getting restless living a bourgeois life married to, of all things, a dentist. Even the laughing gas parties had

74 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

become a bore. But her life changed forever when she met John Reed, a war correspondent and committed radical who was in Portland visiting his family. The attraction was mutual, instant, and intense.

Jack’s boyish energy, infectious idealism, and burly physique belied his delicate health and chronic kidney problem. He was not without contradictions either: a Harvard classmate said, quite truthfully, he was as “American as apple pie” – a description that later carried some irony when Jack became the first American to be buried at the foot of the Kremlin Wall.

After falling in love with Louise, Jack wrote a friend, “I have found her at last. She’s two years younger… wild and brave and straight, and graceful and lovely to look at.” Louise was indeed “lovely,” but actually two years older, something Jack never discovered thanks to the San Francisco earthquake.

In short order, Louise dumped the dentist and moved to Greenwich Village to be with Jack.

Greenwich Village in the period before World War I was the center of the arts, leftist politics and sexual liberation, as close as America got to the Left Bank.

Reed’s circle of friends was composed of radicals like him who looked with disdain on the “Uptowners,” the moralists north of 14th Street. They looked with disdain too on the newly arrived Louise Bryant; her beauty led all to assume she was vapid and unintelligent, one friend sniping, “Jack’s found himself a willing colleen.” But leave it to a profoundly homely anarchist, Emma Goldman, to come up with the real zinger, “I do wish sometimes I were as shallow as a Louise Bryant; everything would be so simple.”

Almost overnight the darling of Portland became the dud of Greenwich Village.

In time Louise found her voice, a modicum of acceptance and a few friends who realized she was more than a shallow colleen. A peripheral figure on the scene was the morose, alcoholic Eugene O’Neill who arrived after a stay at a tuberculosis sanitarium and an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Jack was particularly generous to him, urging O’Neill, who preferred the company of vagrants and sailors, to join the “Social Register of Greenwich Village Bohemia” as they wended their way to Provincetown Massachusetts in the summer of 1916. Louise was later to write of that time, “Never were so many

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John Trullinger painted this oil portrait of Louise Bryant, the wife of his cousin Paul Trullinger, in 1913.

“Louise Bryant was something out of the old Irish legends.”

– Eugene O’Neill

On their return to New York, O’Neill stayed with the theatre company but was heartbroken when Jack and Louise headed upstate and married. Marriage might be a bourgeois convention, but Jack felt it a necessary one, since he was having kidney surgery and wanted to protect Louise if he died.

He recovered, but his convalescence in Baltimore was prolonged, leaving Louise the opportunity to reunite with O’Neill. Free love got even more complicated after Jack’s return, when she found him in bed with the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. Hardly the longsuffering, faithful wife, Louise nonetheless ran out of the house in hysterics and didn’t speak to Jack for months.

But when it seemed the United States might enter World War I, Jack and Louise focused and jilted, respectively, the poet and the playwright. Together they traveled the country, speaking out against a war that would have the working man fight and die for capitalists. When their country did enter the war in 1917, the couple turned to the revolution fomenting in Russia; this would be their chance to see the proletariat rise up.

As soon as Louise and Jack arrived in Russia in 1917, they seemed to be always in the right place at the right time, witnessing one of the most important events of the 20th century. They were there on October 23, 1917, when Lenin secretly entered Petrograd to lead the Bolshevik overthrow of the provisional government. Reed’s reportage became his book, Ten Days That Shook the World, a classic still read today. The kid from Oregon made no secret of his advocacy for the new PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA Russia, “They no longer needed priests to people in America who wrote or painted or acted pray them into heaven. On earth they were building a ever thrown together in one place.” kingdom brighter than any heaven had to offer.”

The Provincetown Players were a visionary theatre Louise, originally charged with giving “the group, the first to recognize O’Neill’s genius and woman’s angle” to the Revolution, outgrew that asstaged his one-act play Bound East for Cardiff. signment, giving a first-hand account of action, inDuring the production O’Neill fell hopelessly in love cluding getting shot at and almost killed. She with Louise but, out of loyalty to Jack, kept his feel- interviewed all the key players, including Lenin and ings to himself. It was left to Louise to make the first Trotsky, for her book, Six Red Months in Russia. Her move, sending him a note that suggested urgency, “I writing is vivid and powerful, Trotsky has a personmust see you alone.” They met, and in this small fish- ality “like Marat, vehement and serpent-like” and ing village Louise came up with quite a fish tale – Lenin is “monotonous and dogged…with absolute Jack, she confided to O’Neill, was too ill for a sexual moral indifference.” relationship, his kidney and all that. He believed her, Jack needed to remain in the Soviet Union, so free love and all that, and they began their affair, one Louise returned to New York alone, now a recogthat everyone in the tight-knit community (saving nized Russian authority, and an instant celebrity on Jack Reed) knew about. It was a classic love triangle, the lecture circuit. Inspired by the liberated women a theme that first appeared in the playwright’s she saw in Russia, she used her new fame to again Strange Interlude and would continue to reappear lead suffrage protests, even landing in a Washington throughout his work. jail. Her vanity, never tiny, was now amped up, JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 75

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wild women |

CREDIT: WIKIPEDIA

William C. Bullitt, Bryant’s third husband, who in 1933 became the first U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union.

Louise Mohan Bryant

emboldening her to contact O’Neill, now in a relationship with Louise-lookalike, Alice Boulton. Once again Louise wrote saying she “must see” him, claiming she had just tromped thousands of miles of frozen terrain to be with him and would even forgive him for being with “some girl in the Village.”

O’Neill, sorely tempted by his long-term temptress, wisely declined. No matter, Louise moved on knowing Jack at last was on his way home. But once he landed in New Bryant in Greenwich York, Jack was arrested for violating the EsVillage in pionage Act and forbidden to leave America.

1916.

This was a problem: he needed to return to Russia to get their support for the American Communist party.

No less a personage then James Larkin, Irish long-forgotten maiden name, Mohan.

Republican and socialist, who was in New York, Janet Flanner of the New Yorker introduced Louise stepped in. Larkin got Reed forged papers and to the lesbian subculture of the Left Bank – Sylvia smuggled him out of the country on a Swedish Beach, Gertrude Stein and sculptor, Gwen Le Gallifreighter. But as soon as Jack arrived in Finland, enne, with whom Louise began an affair. Then, he was put in prison on the orders of a party oper- almost as if she were paying for her sins, however veative, the shifty Grigory Zinoviev. When Louise nial, Louise developed a rare and disfiguring disease, got word that Jack was freezing and starving in a Adiposis dolorosa. The disease caused fatty tumors Finnish jail, she was determined to get to him. Fi- to develop under her skin; there was no cure but much nally, after months of really tromping through suffering and Louise, never much of a drinker, turned frozen terrain, she found him, “sadder and older” to absinthe – and lots of it – to ease her pain. The (he was 32). It was 1920 and they were both disil- gross Adiposis, the alcoholism and the lesbian affair lusioned with the Revolution, disgusted with the were all too much for Bullitt, who divorced Louise, Bolsheviks’ lust for power, and saw the leaders as gaining custody of Anne. dictators and executioners. Both wondered if they Bullitt took Anne to Ireland, where she was to had been played – were they a pair of what Lenin spend most of her childhood while Louise kept trywould call “useful idiots”? ing and failing to get news of her daughter. (The Louise was by his side when Jack, much re- news her mother never heard was that Anne Moen duced by a year of imprisonment, died of typhus Bullitt lived out her life on a 700-acre estate in in 1920, a few days short of his 33rd birthday. County Kildare, where she became one of Ireland’s Despite his recent treatment by the authorities, first female horse breeders.)

Jack’s funeral was one of pageantry; the Russians Janet Flanner once offered a horrifying picture of now claimed him as a mythic figure in their his- Louise’s last days: “It was a rainy night when I tory. His widow was front and center until she fainted was walking along Rue Vavin in Montparnasse. and was hospitalized – Louise had gotten all the Literally out of the gutter rose a terrifying creature. drama she had dreamt about as a young girl.

Her face was so warped I didn’t recognize her.”

The Third Act of Louise’s life started well. She Louise died penniless in a $2-a-night hotel in 1936. traveled throughout Europe as a foreign correspon- She was 50 (really). dent for William Randolph Hearst and it was in Paris Somerset Maugham fictionalized her downfall in she met William C. Bullitt of Philadelphia, a million- The Razor’s Edge, where she was “Sophie,” an aire and former diplomat. Bullitt, as men do, fell addicted American expatriate who descended into madly in love with Louise, pursued her across Eu- drugs and promiscuity. Her biographer, Mary rope and finally off-loaded his socialite wife. Much Dearborn, offers a newer, revisionist take, seeing like Louise scandalized Portland in 1916, she and Louise as a true 20th-century heroine, her place in Bullitt were the talk of Paris when they married in history stolen by “gender politics” and a vindictive 1923. Again, playing the San Francisco earthquake ex-husband, Bullitt, who warehoused her papers in card, she told Bullitt she was 29 when she was actu- a Dublin basement. But the last word should go to ally 38. The communist was soon living the life of a Eugene O’Neill, who knew her best. Hearing of her rich man’s wife in Paris and gave birth to a daugh- death, he said she was “a great woman, something IA ter, Anne Moen Bullitt, the “Moen” a tribute to her out of the old Irish legends, betrayed by life.”

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Patrick Kavanagh

PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA

Sean Kelly remembers one of Ireland’s most significant and revered poets.

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reland, from 1932 until 1973, was ruled by the eminently austere statesman Eamon de Valera, in cahoots with John Charles McQuaid, the outstandingly chaste Archbishop of Dublin. The former dreamed of “athletic youths, sturdy children and happy maidens, living the life that God desires that men should live.”

The latter issued a ban on tampons, expressing concern that they “could harmfully stimulate young girls at an impressionable age.”

At the time, Seán Ó Faoláin called his homeland, “unimaginative, commonplace and circumscribed... a dreary Eden.” Seán’s good friend, the writer Honor Tracy, described it as “a sparsely populated land where only the pious and the unhinged assemble in any numbers.”

Against that damp, dismal theocracy, “that Green density of gombeen men, crawling hack, bogus patriot and pietistic profiteer” [*] there were, of course, rebels, preeminently Brendan Behan and Patrick Kavanagh. Unfortunately, they hated each other.

Behan was a Dubliner, born and bred, but Kavanagh was born in the back of beyond – on a small farm in the townland of Mucker, the parish of Inniskeen, in Co. Monaghan. Inexplicably, as a teenager he began to write poems. In 1929 he submitted a few to the Irish Statesman, a Dublin literary periodical edited by George Russell, who rejected them but encouraged him to keep writing. After Russell published some poems in 1929 and 1930, Kavanagh walked 50 miles to Dublin to visit him personally, and Russell became his literary patron.

Macmillan published his first collection, Ploughman and Other Poems, in 1936, while he was still working “the stony grey soil” of the farm.

“Inniskeen Road: July Evening” The bicycles go by in twos and threes – There’s a dance in Billy Brennan’s barn tonight, And there’s the half-talk code of mysteries And the wink-and-elbow language of delight.

The following year, he moved to London, where he was commissioned to write his autobiography, a memoir of an idyllic childhood, full of beautiful, charming characters and innocent humor. (In time to come, Kavanagh would bad mouth The Green Fool, as “a stage-Irish lie.”)

In 1939, he returned to Ireland, not to rustic Monaghan but to urban Dublin, and in 1942 published his most celebrated work, the epic poem “The Great Hunger”:

Clay is the word and clay is the flesh Where the potato-gatherers like mechanised scarecrows move Along the side-fall of the hill – Maguire and his men.

The subject of the poem, Patrick Maguire, has lived with his mother until her death at the age of 91.

By the time he inherits the farm he is 65, and it’s too late to think of a wife and children – a fate common for Irish eldest sons. Kavanagh’s conclusion is that: The hungry fiend Screams the apocalypse of clay In every corner of this land.

Of course, the poem was repudiated by members of the Literary Renaissance, who had sentimentalized the simple, mythical, mystical peasants of rural Ireland.

In those days, both Behan and Kavanagh did their drinking in McDaid’s, a pub on Harry Street just off Grafton. Behan had already dismissed Kavanagh as a “Culchie,” a “bogman,” and “the fucker from mucker.” Now, upon learning that the sexually frustrated Maguire in the Great Hunger poem occasionally masturbates, Behan took to calling the older poet “Paddy the Wanker.” According to Anthony Cronin in Dead as Door Nails, he “aroused in Kavanagh feelings of loathing and apprehension... phony and blackguard were the words he used oftenest.” Kavanaugh even refused to stand for the National Anthem, on the grounds that it was “a come-all-ye written by Behan’s oul granny.” (It was, in fact, written by Behan’s uncle, Peadar Kearney).

During – and after – the years of the Emergency, as WWII was called in Ireland, the poet made a precarious living as a freelance journalist. He contributed a twice-weekly gossip column to the Irish Press under the pen name “Piers Plowman” and was a book reviewer, staff reporter and film reviewer for the Catholic weekly The Standard. His dream of solving his financial difficulties by marriage to a

The poet, pondering the Stony Grey Soil of Monaghan at his native Inniskeen.

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rich, preferably American, woman eluded him.

(Although he always appeared to be utterly destitute, surely Kavanagh’s penury was ameliorated by advances from publishers for books he didn’t write, support from his doctor brother Peter, some revenue from the farm he’d inherited, and occasional funds from – of all people – Archbishop McQuaid.)

In 1944, while he was living in a hovel at 19 Raglan Road, the poet beheld Hilda Moriarty, a medical student just 22 years old and considered one of the most beautiful women in Dublin. The 40year-old, disheveled, impoverished poet attempted, without success, to woo the maiden. Interviewed on RTÉ in 1987, Hilda told how she abraded him about writing about cabbage and turnips and potatoes. Kavanagh replied that he was a peasant poet. Hilda told him that he should write about something else.

The result was a most beautiful poem, – and song: On Raglan Road on an autumn day I met her first and knew That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue; I saw the danger yet I walked along the enchanted way And I said let grief be a fallen leaf at the dawning of the day.

Kavanagh had begun writing Tarry Flynn in 1940, under the title Stony Grey Soil. Published in 1948, the novel describes a young farmer’s struggle to rise above the burden of family, Catholicism, farm work and lust, all set in 1930s rural Ireland. The author himself called it, “not only the best but the only authentic account of life as it was lived in Ireland this century.” Of course, the novel was banned and remained out of print until well into the 1960s. Irish authors censored in Ireland were “the best banned in the land,” said Kavanagh’s bête noire Brendan Behan.

After Behan’s prison drama, The Quare Fellow, made its debut in Dublin in 1954, the young play-

80 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

wright was hailed as the next Sean O’Casey. In 1955, after losing a foolish, protracted lawsuit, Kavanagh had a cancerous lung removed.

It was the best thing that ever happened to him.

“For many a good-looking year, I wrought hard at versing but I would say that, as a poet, I was born in or about nineteen-fifty-five, the place of my birth being the banks of the Grand Canal.” (Self-Portrait, the text of a TV documentary, RTÉ, 1962).

“Canal Bank Walk” Leafy-with-love banks and the green waters of the canal, Pouring redemption for me, that I do The will of God, wallow in the habitual, the banal, Grow with nature again as before I grew.

Seamus Heaney described the two parts of Kavanagh’s career as “a heavenly place” and “a placeless heaven.”

Late in life, during the 1967 “Summer of Love,” he and Allen Ginsberg both read at a poetry event in London, where admiring hippies showered Kavanagh with flower petals. That fall, the Abbey Theatre had a major success with their stage version of his novel, Tarry Flynn. While attending the opening performance, he was taken ill and on November 30, died in a Dublin nursing home. He had outlived Behan, his much younger nemesis, by three years. Hilda sent a wreath of roses, shaped as the letter H. Patrick Kavanagh is commemorated with a bronze sculpture sitting in peaceful solitude on a bench on Mespil Road, beside his beloved Grand Canal. (Dubliners refer the installation as “the crank on the bank.”) A statue of Behan sits likewise near water – on Upper Dorset Street, beside the Royal Canal, where he once heard the old triangle go jingle-jangle. [*] John Ryan, Remembering How We Stood.

PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA

The monument for Patrick Kavanagh, located at the bank of Grand Canal in Dublin.

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Ocean Away YET Close at Heart AN

The Irish American Partnership ensures Irish children have the educational resources they need to thrive.

BY THERESE MURPHY

O

nly 11 km off the coast of Connemara lies the island of Inishbofin, a stunning seafaring community with a single primary school, a church, two pubs, and a handful of seasonal hotels. Dotted with Iron Age forts, medieval monasteries, and sandy white beaches, Inishbofin has long been a popular destination for those seeking a bit of adventure. Yet, for the 180 year-long inhabitants, life can be lonely and difficult.

For Michael T. Clune and his children, Inishbofin represents nearly 100 years of philanthropic commitment to a community that has profoundly impacted their lives. The association began with Clune’s grandfather, Michael J. Clune, who served as Postmaster of Clifden, Co. Galway from 1923-1935. Every time the postmaster visited Inishbofin, he grew more inspired by its hardworking people and more determined to give them as much as he could. He passed this legacy of commitment and love to his son, Michael A. Clune (known as Melice), who later took his own family with him on visits to the island. Melice and his wife May, enchanted by the warm hospitality of the Bofin people, made lifelong friends, organized Christmas food drops and later launched the Diving Centre, which became a valuable source of tourism for Inishbofin.

Over time, the name Clune became synonymous with generosity on the island.

Melice and May’s son, Michael T., remembers the appreciation of the Bofin people and resolved to continue his family’s generosity at a young age. And he has – Michael T. Clune is now chairman of the Irish American Partnership, another 82 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

TOP: The Irish American Partnership supports education and community development programs across Ireland, North and South. .

BELOW: Map showing the schools that have benefited from Partnership programs.

name known for its philanthropy across the island of Ireland. The Irish American Partnership reflects both the kindness of the Clune family and the splendid tradition of Ireland’s generosity, unique among the nations of the world. The organization, with its focus on education and economic development, grew to prominence amidst the turmoil of the Troubles.

Founded in 1987 by a group of Irish and IrishAmerican leaders, the Partnership has since sent over $30 million dollars to Ireland, North and South, funding over 500 schools. Originally seed-funded by the Irish government and philanthropist Chuck Feeney, and endorsed by Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, the Partnership provided an avenue for a growing diaspora to engage with Ireland in an accessible way.

Under its first president, Joseph F. Leary Jr., the Partnership grew its membership and gained a favorable reputation across Ireland. President Leary became known for personally delivering grants to Northern Irish schools – risking his own safety to acquire a deeper understanding of the needs of these schools and their hopes for the future. This demonstration of solidarity, paired with his willingness to talk to people on all sides of the conflict, won him the trust of both communities. President Leary’s unwavering commitment to the next generation forms the basis for the Partnership’s current activities today.

The Partnership’s Direct Grants to Primary Schools program encourages members of the Irish diaspora to honor their heritage by giving back to the very schools and communities that shaped their ancestors and contributed to their own success. Donors can select a specific school, town, village, county, or community

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initiative to fund, allowing them to make a contribution with a deeper, personal meaning behind it.

Current CEO Mary Sugrue, a Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry native and teacher by training, believes that gifts to education and community development are the most impactful ways for the diaspora to give back to Ireland. “Education has been the gift passed along from one generation of Irish to the next, allowing the Irish diaspora to thrive all over the world. At the Irish American Partnership, we seek to continue this legacy through targeted grants to education and community development programs across the island of Ireland.

By supporting the Partnership’s work, you not only upgrade a rural school’s library or send a disadvantaged student to university, you reaffirm Irish America’s steadfast commitment to Ireland. Through our members, the Partnership aims to preserve the Irish heritage, culture, and way of life – of which we are all so proud – for a new generation to enjoy.”

Nearly half of the schools that the Partnership supports are rural schools with under 100 students.

These schools speckle the Irish countryside, surrounded by rolling hills and winding country roads.

They are the fabric of their local communities. As the principal of grant recipient St. Joseph’s National School in Co. Laois wrote: “There is no village as such. Just a church, school and GAA field.” These rural schools struggle to provide their students with the resources they need. As Principal Mary Mitchell of Tibohine National School in Castlerea, Co. Roscommon explained: “The school and the youth are the essence of the community and without the

children, our beautiful villages and the spirit of rural Ireland would be lost.”

Irish primary schools (also called national schools) have been operating on reduced budgets since the 2008, when austerity measures were introduced. Ten years later, Irish education budgets have not yet reached pre-austerity levels. Ireland’s education system has greatly suffered from these budget cuts, forcing schools to increase class sizes, cut teachers, and make do with their existing resources. This leaves no funds for integrating technology into the classroom or even for purchasing science materials. Since two of Ireland’s largest educational priorities are development of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects and improvements in literacy, the Partnership provides grants directly to schools to help them buy science materials and build their libraries.

Sugrue explains: “In the predominantly small, rural schools that our grants benefit, the money goes a long way. Each school has a story, and each grant provides a unique purpose. For instance, many schools operate in very old buildings and spend all their government funding on necessary repairs; thus, a Partnership grant alleviates the burden of schools needing to choose between fixing a leaky roof and buying new books or science supplies. Parents and local communities fundraise as much as they can, but too often come up short.”

Irish American Partnership board member Dave Greaney gives back to his former secondary school, St. Nessan’s (now known as Thomond Community College), by funding academic achievement awards for 20 students annually. The Greaney Family Scholarship promotes academic achievement at Thomond by rewarding the top-performing students with cash scholarships. Thomond Community College is a sec-

TOP LEFT: Michael T. Clune and his family on Inishbofin.

TOP: Students demonstrate their project at the RDS Primary Science Fair in Belfast, sponsored by the Irish American Partnership.

ABOVE: General P.X. Kelley, USMC (Ret.), former commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and Chairman Emeritus of the Irish American Partnership’s board of directors gives back to his mother’s native Cork City with an endowed scholarship.

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TOP: Partnership board member Dave Greaney (pictured with students) gives back to his former secondary school, St. Nessan’s (now known as Thomond Community College), by funding academic achievement awards for 20 students annually.

TOP RIGHT: Students from Scoil Naomh Gobnait, Dungarvan, Waterford, show off their new books purchased with the Partnership grant.

ABOVE: Grant recipient Drumgallagh National School, located in Ballycroy, Co. Mayo.

Drumgallagh used the Partnership grant to purchase new books for its 26 students.

To learn more about the Irish American Partnership’s work, visit the Partnership website at www.irishap.org or contact the office at (617) 723-2707.

ondary school located in Moylish, a disadvantaged area of Limerick City, and caters to a low-income student population. The impact of these scholarships has already been transformative; as soon as the program was announced, students were lining up to enter the library after school to complete their assignments.

It has provided a tangible reward for academic achievement that incentivizes all students to reach their full potential.

“When I look back on my time in St Nessan’s, I had great teachers, I got a great education which helped me go on to study at University College Dublin. Ultimately it helped me go on to the U.S., where I’ve had great success, and it all started back here.”

General P.X. Kelley, former commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and Chairman Emeritus of the Irish American Partnership’s Board of Directors, sought to honor his Irish roots by giving back to a place his mother held dear. Inspired by her fond recollection of the Shandon Bells ringing as she played in the schoolyard, General Kelley established the Kelley Family Endowed Scholarship to provide resources to five primary schools in Cork City in perpetuity. The schools rotate, but all are within earshot of the famed bells – the same bells of his childhood stories. The ability to give students in his mother’s hometown a great education, and with it the opportunity to stay, live, and work in Cork, is a profound way to connect with his Irish heritage and honor his mother’s sacrifice.

No school demonstrates this better than Inishbofin National School. The only primary school left on the island, it is the glue that binds the community together. One does not have to look far to see how easy it would be for the island to lose its inhabitants to the pressures of modernity; neighboring Inishshark swiftly depopulated in 1961. Even on Inishbofin today, older students must make the arduous com-

mute to Galway to attend secondary school – boarding with local families during the week and returning to the island each weekend. However, this is not feasible for young children. The absence of a primary school would force families off the island, risking its future. In this way, Inishbofin National School is not just a school – it is the lynchpin to this charming island’s survival.

Chairman Michael T. Clune wanted to honor his family with a special gift to Inishbofin. In June 2016, Clune brought his children back to the island to pledge $25,000 to Inishbofin National School through the Direct Grants to Primary Schools program. As Michael T. Clune handed the check to his children to present to Inishbofin National School, he entrusted them with a family legacy that has endured nearly 100 years. Clune’s grant has been used to purchase iPads, computers, a telescope, and a weather station for the school, connecting students to the outside world. While new technology may seem frivolous in this rugged, rocky environment, it is paramount for keeping students competitive in the modern economy. With the decline of fishing as a source of livelihood, islanders need new ways to survive. They hope that their children will harness their technological skills to stay and make a living in this tightknit community – blending the benefits of modernity with the character of small town life.

However, this cannot be achieved without a strong foundation in STEM at their local primary school.

Acting Principal Celine McCormack greeted Michael T. Clune’s family when they visited last summer. She could not express how much this grant meant to her rural school: “Isolation takes many forms when living on an island, but in the school we believe that access to a wide variety of books and good technology is definitely one way to tackle this issue. They enable us to build bridges to the rest of the world, which will affect the present lives of our island children and the future generations to come.” While Clune’s grandfather couldn’t have fathomed the technology making its way to Inishbofin, he certainly would have been IA proud of his family for getting it there.

PLEASE NOTE: The Irish American Partnership empowers the next generation of Irish leaders through education and community development,

funding primary schools, science education programs, university scholarships, job training, and community development initiatives across Ireland, North and South. The nonprofit provides the diaspora with a tangible connection back to Ireland through philanthropy and events with government officials.

Its members span the United States, united by their love of Ireland and desire to give back. The Partnership operates with low overhead, committed to maximizing the impact of each contribution. Its independent audits support this; in 2017, 94% of Partnership revenue was spent on program expenses.

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The 17th Christmas

By Pete Hamill

he Greyhound roared up the Jersey Turnpike in the rain, its fierce power leaving the cars behind, the thick wheels ripping through the gathering pools of water with the driving stateliness of a cruiser. The bus that was carrying us home for that 1952 Christmas smelled of stale smoke and damp wool; on that detail, memory does not fail.

Sailors stood in the aisles, soldiers dozed in their seats, and all the racks were heavy with duffel bags and seabags. Across the wide back seat there were four paratroopers who had come on board at Philly, and they were singing with the help of a bottle of Four Roses. The darkness was punctuated by struck matches or bright explosions of white light from cars passing in the other lanes, and we stared out at the rain-glossy roads, past the small neat tons and the clumps of dark forest, out past the neon of roadside taverns, past the blue-white glare of gas stations and the bright wilderness of those first crude shopping centers, to the place where our girls were.

I was in love then with a girl named Kathleen Q., and I sat at my window seat, watching the raindrops carve small rivers across the glass and trying, as young men have always done, to conjure her face. Stuffed in the waist of my Navy blues was a wallet that contained photographs of her: an angular girl with thin legs and wrists, wearing a long dark coat, standing in Prospect Park with benches curving around behind her in the direction of Monument Hill. Her face had a look of wan sadness. All through boot camp in Bainbridge, I had looked at those gray sad pictures at random hours of the day or while standing guard duty at garbage dumps at night or whenever I tried to match the neat, precise Catholic girlsschool handwriting of her letters to someone who actually existed.

But after a while she had become those photographs, and in the darkness that night, going home at 60 miles an hour after three months away, I tried to remember the texture of her skin, the timbre of her voice, the sound of her laughter, and tried to control what was happening in my stomach as I fought off the anxious knowledge that she might no longer be there.

At some point the paratroopers started to sing Jo Stafford’s “You Belong to Me,” a big song that year in the Navy bases and the Army camps, because it was about women promising fidelity to men who were going away. We were boys, of course, but we were trying very much to be men, and a lot of us were going away to die in Korea. As we approached the flats of Jersey, they were singing about the pyramids along the Nile and the jungles when they’re wet with rain and how you should remember, darling, all the while, that you belong to me. I moved deeper into the seat, 86 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

thinking about taking Kathleen Q. home to her house on Seeley Street the night before I went away, sitting with her on her porch, talking about the great cities of the world and how I wanted to see them all, while she looked at me with puzzled blankness; thinking about that September night and its sense of fracture; thinking about how I was seventeen and a half now and on my own at last; and always thinking about her and how I was coming home for Christmas with its promise of warmth and snow.

The bus dropped us off at the old terminal on Thirty-fourth Street. The place smelled of gasoline fumes and frying hot dogs and too many people. I remember a blond girl breaking from a crowd and rushing to a guy in an Army uniform; a group of guys in wraparound coats and what we used to call gingerella hats grabbing an Italian guy and hoisting him into the air as if he were Audie Murphy and had just captured the whole Chinese Army; a silent chorus of blacks in civilian clothes waiting for buses bound for the South; several older women crying as other young men boarded buses for departure – all of it played against the harsh mechanical roar of engines and city noise and a jukebox playing somewhere.

Nobody was there to meet me. I hadn’t really expected anyone; we had no telephone at home because we could not afford it; even if we could, I would not have had the money to call from Maryland with the exact time of arrival. I told myself that it didn’t really matter. As I stepped into that bus terminal crowd at midnight, it seemed to matter more than I ever thought it would; even today, after a thousand airports, some trace of that first empty return stays with me. When I arrive somewhere late at night, a part of me always hopes that a girl will call my name.

I went out onto Thirty-Fourth Street, with the seabag on my shoulder, and walked to Eighth Avenue to take the subway home.

Suddenly, a drunk lurched across the wet street and a taxi screeched to a stop in front of me. “Damm son of a bitch,” the cabby yelled; the drunk spun away like a stunned dancer, and I started to laugh. I hadn’t seen a drunk in three months, and I knew I was back in New York.

At Jay Street-Borough Hall I crossed the platform and got on the D train. That was our train, the one that serviced the neighborhood, the one that took the young guys to their first jobs as messengers on Wall Street, the one where you might see a familiar face. But I didn’t recognize anyone, and as the train pushed through the tunnel, making the hard metallic turn at Bergen Street and out onto the high trestle over the Gowanus Canal, I wished I had arrived earlier and that I could have called Kathleen. Below me, the Gowanus looked like a smear of fresh tar, and the Kentile sign burned against the sky, and in the distance my slice of Brook-

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lyn lay in brooding darkness.

When I got out at the Seventh Avenue stop, the rain was over. I looked through the window into Diamond’s Bar and Grill, but my father wasn’t there. He wasn’t in Fitzgerald’s either, and before going up to the house, I crossed the street and looked into Rattigan’s. Someone waved from the bar and I waved back, but I didn’t see Billy Hamill anywhere.

We lived at 378 Seventh Avenue between Eleventh and Twelfth streets. There was a small butcher shop to the left and Teddy’s Fruit Store on the right, and when I went in, I saw that the mailbox was still broken and the hall smelled of backed-up sewers and wet garbage. There were, of course, no locks on the doors and I stood for a moment in the yellow light of the 30-watt bulb, shifting the seabag to the other shoulder. Two baby carriages were parked beside the stairs, and in the blackness at the back of the hall, I caught a glimpse of battered garbage cans with their long day’s cargo. I started up past the apartments of all the other’s: first floor right, Mae McAvoy; on the left, Poppa Clarke; second floor right, Anne Sharkey and Mae Irwin; left, Carrie Woods. Carrie was a tiny sparrow of a woman who kept dogs and drank whiskey, and the dogs began a ferocious attack at the locked door, trying to get at me as I passed. There were traces of dinner smells in the hall. I was almost there.

Our door was not locked. I dropped the seabag in the hall and went into the darkness, groping for the light cord. I found the cord, and a transformer hummed for a few seconds, and then the round fluorescent light on the ceiling blinked on. The room was as I remembered it: a white-topped gas range where the old coal stove had once stood against the far wall, the sink to the left beside the window that had never been opened, a Servel refrigerator with a broken handle next to the bathroom door, a closet beside the front door with a curtain covering the disorder within, a table in the center of the room, linoleum on the floor, and a clothesline running the length of the room because we had no backyard. Roaches scurried across the table, panicked by the harshness of the sudden bluetinged light. I could hear movement in the darkness of the railroad flat, and then my mother was coming through the rooms. “Oh, Peter, you’re home,” she said, and embraced me and hugged me.

And then she stopped and stepped back and told me how good I looked and how I had put on some weight and what did I want to eat. The tea kettle was on before I could answer, and then I started asking about my brothers Tom and Brian and John and Denis, and my sister Kathleen, and my mother asked about my boot camp and what it was like and where I was going when Christmas leave was over and how she hoped it wasn’t to Korea. The tea was strong, served Irish-style with milk and sugar, and my mother said they had waited for me to come home before getting a Christmas tree.

Behind us in the darkness, there were sounds of people sleeping and the sweet smell of children and milk and diapers.

“Where’s Dad?” I said after a while.

“Oh, he’s sleeping.”

“Sleeping one off?” I said.

It must have seemed cruel, but she ignored it.

“He waited up for you,” she said. “But none of us knew what time you’d be coming.”

“Tell him to wake me when he gets up in the morning.”

Later I lay under a blanket on the living-room couch, listening to the familiar sounds of home and safety, of forms breath-ing in the darkness, steam hissing in radiators, and the buses moving heavily on the street outside. I started to doze and was banged

awake by the scream of fire engines hurtling down Eleventh Street to some random tragedy. I lay there for a long while, thinking about how uncomplicated and simple a matter it was to love my mother but how my father was another matter. I thought again about Kathleen Q., uneasy still, and somewhere near dawn I fell asleep.

Christmas really did mean something in that neighborhood, if you were poor and Irish. The Depression was still a fact there, lingering like the roaches after the rest of the town had raised the money for an exterminator. My mother had arrived in America on the day the stock market crashed; my father came in 1923, on the lam from antiCatholic bigotry in Northern Ireland. They were the Irish without property, and in that year in the early fifties, there seemed little hope that they would ever really own anything. Food always came before possessions. So Christmas became one of those brief seasons of celebration, when you held back the dark with tinsel and laughter and noisy evenings and cheered the fact that you had moved through another year.

At lunchtime the next day, my father came home; he worked across the street for the Globe Lighting Company, on the third floor of the old Ansonia Clock Factory, which had been for a while the largest factory in America and was now a dirty red-brick pile. I could hear him coming up the stairs, one step at a time, humming quietly some fragment of an old song. He was a short, compact man then, with glossy black hair, and there was a picture on the wall of one of the bedrooms that represented all the mystery of him to me.

The photograph was brown and beginning to fade, and it was a group portrait of young men in soccer uniforms who played for a team of Irish exiles called St. Mary’s Celtics. One of them was my father.

In 1951, I had worked for a year in the sheet metal shop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and men there told me about how good my father had been, when he was young and playing soccer. He was JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 87

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The 17th Christmas fierce and quick, possessed of a magic leg, moving down those Sunday playing fields as if driven by the engines of anger and exile, playing hardest against British teams, the legs pumping and cutting and stealing the ball; hearing the cheers of strangers, and everybody drinking after the games until the late hours in the speakeasies, singing songs they learned across an ocean. Until one day, in one hard-played game, a German had come out of nowhere and kicked, and the magic leg had splintered and my father fell as if shot, and someone came off the bench and broke the German’s jaw with a punch, and then they were pulling slats off the fence to tie against the ruined leg and waited for an hour and a half for the ambulance to come from Kings County Hospital while they played out the rest of the game. The players and the spectators were poor; no one owned a car. And then at the hospital he was dropped in a bed, and there were no doctors, and across the room detectives were questioning a man whose stomach had been sliced open in a fight, and the ceiling reeled and turned, and there was no feeling left in the magic leg. When the doctors finally showed up the next morning, the leg was thick with gangrene, and they took the leg off above the knee. When he talked about it later, he never mentioned the pain. What he remembered most clearly was the sound of the saw.

And so I had grown up with his presence in the house but never had the kinds of things other kids had with fathers. We never went out to play baseball or kick a football around a field. He was a stranger I had come to love from a distance. He drank a lot in Rattigan’s across the street, and at night he would come in with some of his friends and they would sit in the kitchen and talk about fights, with my father illustrating Willie Pep’s jab on the plastic knob of the lamp cord or throwing Ray Robinson hooks into the wash on the kitchen line. He loved to sing, and I always liked the outrage and the passion that he would force into the lines from “Galway Bay,” about how the strangers came and tried to teach us their ways, and scorned us just for being what we are… We were what we were in that neighborhood, and we didn’t care what the strangers thought about us. I loved that hard defiance, and I would lie in the next room listening to them, as they brought up the old tales of British malignance and murders committed by the Black and Tans. But I didn’t really know him; he had left school at 12 to work as a stonemason’s apprentice and had struggled for a while at night school at Brooklyn Tech; but he didn’t really know how to deal with me when I tried to do homework, and in many ways he was still Irish and I was American. I loved the way he talked and the way he stood on the corner with a fedora and raincoat on Sunday mornings, an Irish dude waiting for the bars to open, and I loved the way he once hit a guy with a ballbat because he had insulted my mother. I just never knew if he loved me back.

He came in that day and said, “Hello, Magee,” and shook hands and embraced me, and then sat down to tomato soup and cheese sandwiches and talked about how that son of a bitch O’Malley was talking about taking the Dodgers out of town and how Archie Moore was fighting Joey Maxim for the light-heavyweight championship that week and how Eisenhower looked like somebody’s aunt. I didn’t have much to say, and after lunch he went out, telling me he would see me later.

I put on a pair of pegged pants and a zipper jacket and told the kids I would be back in a while but that I had to make a phone call first. I went over to Mr. B’s to call Kathleen, because the candy store had a booth with a door on it. Her mother answered. She said hello, but the tone was evasive and cool, and something moved and flopped again in my stomach, and I thought about how her let88 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

ters had come every day for a while and then had tailed off and become ambiguous. I hung up and went out to get the Seventh Avenue bus down to St. Joseph’s to see the girl I thought was mine.

The funny thing now is that I have no idea why I loved that girl; all I can remember was breaking up with her. I waited for her outside that school, which was in downtown Brooklyn. There were Christmas decorations everywhere, sponsored by the big downtown department stores. Christmas music blared from Davega and Modell’s, and I stood there rehearsing things to say, wondering what I should do. I suppose all of us were the same in the fifties: Would we kiss her or waltz her away or come quietly to her and surprise her? I never knew how to handle such things and still haven’t mastered the craft. It didn’t matter because suddenly she was there, in a swirl of girls in green uniforms, and she was awkward and shy and perhaps a little ashamed, and I knew it was over.

We went home together on the D train and walked through Prospect Park toward her house, and she tried to tell me how it was better this way, how I was in the Navy, and she, after all, was still in high school, and wouldn’t it be better to wait for everything until I was discharged? I said that would be three and a half more years, and I didn’t want to wait, and didn’t she understand, and a lot of other things that I can’t remember now. We sat on a bench in the cold, looking out over the lake in the park, the whole area deserted and gray, and the heights of Monument Hill rising behind us, while thin shelves of ice gathered at the edges of the lake, like frost on a window.

Was there another guy? I asked. And she sat there quietly while I shivered in the zipper jacket, and she tried to tell me how I could finish high school in the Navy and later go to college and how she loved to read my letters and how good my drawings were. But she never answered the question, and then she was saying good-bye.

I left her on the corner of Seeley Street, feeling cold and desolate and went down the block to a bar called the Parkview and started to drink beer with the bricklayers. Someone made Moore a lock over Maxim and talked about this kid Floyd Patterson beating both of them, and then two ironworkers started to argue over the best way to operate a crane, and around seven-thirty I was pretty drunk.

I called her on the telephone, to tell her I loved her and that I wouldn’t go back to the Navy if that was what she wanted. I would go AWOL, maybe I could change my name, and it would all be okay. She hung up on me, and I walked out into the night.

I couldn’t call home and wanted badly to see my brother Tom. But I went instead to a place called Boop’s on Tenth Avenue and Seventeenth Street, where all of us used to drink with someone else’s draft card and where the bookmakers watched the fights and where there were a lot of Italian hard guys I liked a lot. I called Timmy Lee and he came up, and then a few of the others showed: Tommy Conroy, Joe Kelly, Joe Griffin from the Gremlins, Vito Pinto, Jack McAlevy. Most of us were home on leave, and we were all happy to be together, playing boss and underboss with the Italians, listening to the jukebox and bragging about imaginary sessions with imaginary women in the towns where there were no neighborhood witnesses. Around midnight, Joe Griffin said to me, “Hey, I hear Kathleen is going out with Tommy Twiggs. What happened?” And I said I didn’t know about it; when did that happen?

He shrugged and said forget it, forget her, there’s more than enough ass in the world. But she’s not ass, I said, and Joe, who was a happy short guy with a great smile, said something about how they’re all the same under the covers and ordered another round.

Around three o’clock I took a guy named Porky into the back room for a talk. I was bleary with beer. Porky was one of the older

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guys, hard if he wanted to be, the biggest Joe Miceli fan in the world, and I liked him a lot. I asked him if he could get me a gun.

“Hey, whatta you want wid a gun, kid?”

“I want to kill someone.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, kid.”

“He took my girl.”

“You are 17, 18. Girls, there’s millions a girls. You’re, what, in the Navy? See the world. Forget this bitch, whoever she is.”

And I thought after a while that Porky was right, and we went back to the bar, with Porky draping his arm around me, and I guess he told the other Italian guys to take care of me, because for the rest of the two weeks’ Christmas leave they treated me as if my closest friend had been hit by a truck. That night we closed Boop’s, together, to go back to the Seventh Avenue end of the neighborhood. I woke up in the morning with a thick tongue and dirty fingernails, and my shoes were spattered, and I couldn’t remember coming home. There was someone I was supposed to call, but I couldn’t remember who it was. It certainly wasn’t my lost girl.

We bought the tree all right, with my brothers Tommy and Brian and me going down to the main neighborhood shopping street of Fifth Avenue, arguing with the guys selling the trees out of stake trucks like hot suits. We didn’t have money for lights, but there was a lot of angel hair and aluminum streamers and gaudy balls from other Christmases and that crepe paper in a brick pattern to plaster all over the chimney.

On Christmas Eve my father was out, and the children had gone to bed early. I sat for a while in the kitchen with my mother. Christmas was always the most difficult time of the year for her, because she wanted so much to make her children happy and didn’t have the money to buy anything very fancy. She made do with stockings filled with tangerines and walnuts, bought on credit at Jack’s grocery store, or managed to stretch her credit at one of the department stores, but every subsequent Christmas there seemed to be one more child to please, and it wasn’t easy. The women like her waited until Christmas Eve and headed for the stores on Fifth Avenue to get the remainders at cut rates.

“I’m going out to do the last-minute shopping,” she said.

“Is there anything you want?”

“No, get some stuff for the kids. I’m okay.”

She shook her head slowly over the cup of hot tea, looking quite sad in the land where the streets were paved with gold. I told her I still had about $20 from my leave pay, but she told me to keep it, that she had enough to manage. But then she started quietly to cry.

“God,” she said, “I just wish I could do everything right. I just wonder what God is doing this for.” I didn’t know what to do or how to react; she had always been the strong one in the family, the one who didn’t drink and who helped us to survive. I left $15 on the table and went out into the night.

I decided it was time to drink for the first time in Rattigan’s.

There were strict unspoken rules in that neighborhood; if you were under age, you did not drink where your father did his drinking, because he should not be responsible for what you might do. I was still under age, but they knew I was in the Navy and I decided to go in. Rattigan’s was a dark place with an unused food counter to the right and a long mahogany bar across the far wall, with a lot of whiskey bottles and piled in rows, a television high over the left, and Schlitz signs bubbling against the back mirrors. My father was sitting on a stool near the entrance to the back room, sipping

a beer and talking to some friends. I went right to him.

“Hello, Dad,” I said.

“Hello, Magee,” he said, and he seemed genuinely pleased to see me. I put the five on the bar. “You drinking?” I said casually. “Of course,” he said. And George Loftus, a short, wizened bartender, pulled us a couple of drafts. My father started introducing me around. I remember meeting a huge cabdriver named John Mullins, a guy named Johnny the Polack, a cop named Joe Whitmore. The place filled up, as men relieved of children came in for some solace.

Near the windows at the other end of the bar there were three guys in their twenties drinking whiskey.

After a while, my father started getting boozy and sentimental.

He had his arm around me and started telling me how proud he was that I was serving my country, and when I sat on the stool beside him, he squeezed my left leg. “Christ, I wish I had your legs,” he said, and that reminded him of something, and he started to sing.

The other guys loved to hear him sing then, and he did “Patty McGinty’s Goat” and “O’Hara from Tara, McNamara from Mayo,” and the “Green Glens of Antrim.” He was into “Galway Bay” and had reached the point where the strangers came and tried to teach us their ways, when one of the younger guys at the other end shouted down the bar.

“Hey, knock it off, I can’t hear myself t’ink.”

The bar suddenly went silent. My father got off his stool, the song snapped shut, and stared down the bar. “Who’s the wise guy?” he said. The three guys were laughing now, and one of them said, “I’m terrified.”

That was all my father needed. He went down the bar, limping heavily on the wooden leg, and as the first of the young guys turned, my father hit him right on the chin with a hook, and the guy went down. The one next to him turned, ready to punch, and I hit him with a right hand, and he went down. The third guy put his hands out, palms forward, placing himself out of it, and the first guy got up, and my father knocked him down again. Together we beat them a little more, and then we dragged them out the door and left them on the sidewalk. The noncombatant member of the trio went out the back door. It was just like a western, and my father and I went back to the bar together with our arms around each other, joined in a union based on drinking and violence that we had never had before.

“Where was I, Magee?” he said.

“The strangers came and tried to teach us their ways…”

Before he resumed the song, he turned to Joe Whitmore and said, “This is my son Peter, in whom I am well proud.” I don’t know where he got that line, but we closed the place, singing together into Christmas morning. When we got back upstairs to the kitchen, he showed me what Moore was going to do to Marciano, throwing the short right hand at the lamp cord, the way he used to do it with his friends, and after a while we went to sleep.

When I went back after New Year’s on the bus, there were more soldiers and sailors than before. They talked in the quiet night, about going to Korea and their girls and what they had received for Christmas. I didn’t care that much about Brooklyn now, with my girl gone and most of my friends in the service; in some odd way, I felt free, as the bus moved west to Oklahoma and other strange and exotic places. I hadn’t received much for Christmas in any ordinary way; but my father loved me back, and there was no other gift I wanted.

First published in Irish America magazine in January 1986.

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A Savior of History

John Gilmary Shea preserved much of the existing knowledge of the beginnings of American Catholicism.

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by Ray Cavanaugh

onsidering the Irish-American influence on U.S. Catholicism, it makes sense that someone of Irish descent – John Gilmary Shea – undertook to preserve much of the existing knowledge of the beginnings of American Catholicism. A prolific writer and dogged rescuer of rare manuscripts, Shea became known as the “father of American Catholic history.” At this point, however, his name receives rather little attention.

Shea was born in New York City on July 22, 1824. His mother came from an established New England family of part-Irish lineage, and his father was a native of County Limerick who emigrated to the U.S. at age 25 and later served as principal of the Columbia College grammar school in New York City. In this same school, the younger Shea received his early education. A sickly youth, those who knew him well “realized that only the greatest care would carry him to mature manhood,” wrote Peter Guilday in his book John Gilmary Shea: Father of American Catholic History, 1824-1892.

Too frail to partake in sports, Shea gravitated to reading and at a young age evinced a strong interest in Catholic history. In his early teens, he took a job as a clerk for a Spanish merchant in order to learn the Spanish language. He then wrote a biography of Cardinal Alvarez Carrillo de Arbornoz, which saw publication in the Young People’s Catholic Magazine. Shea later attended and graduated from St. John’s College (now known as Fordham University).

As he continued to pursue his interest in Catholic history, he studied law and gained admittance to the New York State bar in 1846. Two years later, though, he entered the Society of Jesus. Upon entering the Society, he discarded his given middle name, Dawson, and adopted the middle name of Gilmary (“servant of Mary”). He would retain this new name for the rest of his life, even though he left the Jesuits in 1852, having realized that his primary

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vocation was neither as a priest nor as a lawyer, but as a historian.

Shortly after becoming a layman again, he married one Sophie Savage in 1854. They proceeded to have two daughters, who would eventually assist their father as research aides in his historical endeavors. The same year Shea married, he published his History of the Catholic Missions Among the Native American Tribes of the United States, 15291854, which explored the efforts made by French, Spanish, and English-speaking priests.

When Shea’s historical career began, U.S. Catholic history was largely untouched terrain, and most American Catholics had little to no knowledge of the historical progress of the Church in their country. Worse yet, materials related to the Church in early America were being discarded, either out of ignorance of their value or, in some cases, due to anti-Catholic sentiment.

Shea – who wrote an editorial calling on Catholic institutions to use more care with their oldest manuscripts – safeguarded many preciously obscure records, thereby facilitating the survival of information on early American Catholicism.

He also authored many religious textbooks for schoolchildren and helped illuminate the efforts made

by Catholics in the American Revolutionary War. Furthermore, he founded the U.S. Catholic Historical Magazine, the stated purpose of which was “to tell the story of the early struggles of priest and faithful, of heroic effort and often of heroic death.” Additionally, he served as editor for such publications as Sadlier’s Catholic Almanac and the Catholic News.

Both Fordham and Georgetown universities awarded Shea honorary degrees, and he was the first ever recipient of the Laetare Medal, which the University of Notre Dame awards each year to a member of the Catholic laity who exemplifies excellence of work and character. Upon receiving this medal in 1883, he declared, “What I have done is little, terribly little, in comparison to the work that lies untouched.” Modest in public, he remained a quiet, reclusive and almost cloistral figure, as related by his biographer, Guilday, who adds of Shea: “his was a life with the past rather than with the present.”

Some intensity in the present was needed, however, for him to undertake his extensive works on the past, most notably his four-volume History of the Catholic Church in the United States. In the preface to the first volume, he admitted his recurring regrets at having attempted such a colossal endeavor.

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Though it exhausted him in his final years and went unfinished at the time of his death, Shea’s magnum opus would inform and inspire many thousands of Catholics, be they priests, nuns, or laypersons.

His works were influential but not very lucrative for him. In fact, most of his steady pay came from editing popular, non-Catholic magazines, and even this income could prove insufficient, as he twice had to sell his library in order to alleviate financial hardship.

In January 1889, while entering an elevator in Manhattan, the 64-year-old Shea slipped, injuring his left kneecap and rupturing a ligament. He never fully recovered from this accident, and amid his otherwise declining health, he knew he was racing against mortality in the effort to complete his mammoth History. The race ended on February 22, 1892, when he died at age 67 in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

On his deathbed, he had worked out an agreement with Georgetown University, which acquired his li-

brary in exchange for some financial assistance to his surviving family. This library, along with a collection of the historian’s correspondence and manuscripts, is currently found in the university library’s special collections division.

Despite his cautious and dedicated research, Shea’s works are not flawlessly accurate, though his errors often resulted from his being unable to access all the necessary source materials. Whatever his shortcomings, they were not due to a lack of objectivity: he pursued the historical truth wherever it took him, even if it forced him to reveal something undesirable about the Church. He also omitted some items that many in the Church accepted as fact but which he deemed as unhistorical.

On some occasions, Shea incurred criticism from priests who felt his works were not sufficiently pro-Church. As much as he valued his religion, when it came to his vocation, the primary bias was IA pro-history.

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roots |

by Mary Gallagher

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The Mighty McDonnells

he name McCounty Monaghan, where the Donnell acname has remained popular. counts for a The McDonnells of Clare widespread and Limerick descended from group of indiDomnall Mor O’Briain (d. viduals of 1194), a descendant of Irish Irish or Scottish heritage. Cathigh king Brian Boru. The egorized as a patronymic (a sept of his descendants was name labelling by male ancesrenowned for producing potor), McDonnell is an anglicizaetry in the kingdom of tion of the Irish Mac Domhnall, Thomond. meaning “son of Domhnall” (proLater McDonnells made a lasting nounced DOH-nal). Domhnall is conimpression over the centuries in and clusively of Scottish origin, deriving from out of Ireland. In deeds good, bad, and the migration of Donald of Islay’s (d. 1423) desometimes ugly, they boldly bore the surname scendants from Argyle to County Fermanagh in for us to remember them. the 1300s. They served as gallowglasses – proScotsman Alastair Ruadh MacDonnell (c.

1725-1761) was the 13th chief of the McDonnell fessional warriors – for a number of the kings of clan of Glengarry. He was brought up a Jacobite Northern Ireland, becoming indispensable, per– a supporter of the Scottish-Catholic Stuart manent occupants. family and their claim to the throne of England They accumulated strength over the next few and Scotland, which led to British confiscation centuries, culminating in a title in 1620 for Randal MacSorley MacDonnell (d. 1636), apof some of his lands. Later, MacDonnell was rupointing him Earl of Antrim. He was rewarded as mored to be the secret agent “Pickle,” a Scottish the fourth son of Sorley Boy Macspy set on Stuart heir Prince Charles Edward Donnell (c. 1505-1590) – angli(“Bonnie Prince Charlie”), by cized from Somhairle Buidhe, London. While MacDonnell meaning “yellow summer travlived to see some property reeller” – who defended the territory stored, his reputation would from invaders English and surnever recover. rounding Gaelic Irish alike. ProA top student at Oxford nunciation of the name in Antrim and Westminster, Sir Alexander McDonnell (1794-1875) led to confusion that enables Mcknew the essential value of an Connells to share this lineage, as education to an individual’s future. do some McDonalds.

After a breakdown in front of the House of As is often the case with cenLords, he fled home to Belfast, accepting the apturies-old Gaelic names, a “true” pointment of Resident Commissioner of the origin of McDonnell (alternatively Board of Education in Ireland, and worked to seMacDonnell before regulated cure reforms in the Irish educational system, bespelling) is uncertain. Its roots lieving that Ireland and England could function have been narrowed to three in harmony if the Irish were permitted the opporsources: Scotland’s aforementunity to achieve their full potential through acationed Argyle, Ulster, and Mundemic instruction. ster. Ulster’s County Belfast-born Alexander McDonnell Fermanagh held a FROM TOP: (1798-1835) proclivity for chess won him pocket of native McRandal MacSorley MacDonnell, notoriety for challenging the world’s leadDonnells in Clankelly, Alastair Ruadh ing player of the time, Louis-Charles who were the most MacDonnell, Mahé de La Bourdonnais, in 1835. Openpowerful family in the area before the Sir Alexander McDonnell ing a match with a twist on the King’s 1200s, after which they resettled in 92 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

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Gambit ensured the duration of McDonnell’s legacy: his method has been coined “the McDonnell Gambit.”

James Smith McDonnell (1899-1980) was an aviator and aeronautics engineer. After founding his own company, the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, in St. Louis, Missouri, it became the states biggest employer, building the first spacecraft to send an American into orbit. The company joined with California’s Douglas Aircraft Company to become McDonnell Douglas in 1967, keeping McDonnell on as chairman and CEO. Joseph McDonnell (1951-1981) was a hunger striker in the I.R.A. prison hunger strike of 1981, taking up the mantle after his friend Bobby Sands, who had led the imprisoned soldiers in protest died. The strikers went to extreme measures in demand of rights including the choice of their own clothes. McDonnell, whose family had been viciously targeted as one of only two nationalist families in their West Belfast neighborhood, joined the I.R.A. in 1972 and ran as a candidate in the Free State general elections of 1981 while in prison. McDonnell died after 61 days without food, and is buried next to Sands in Milltown Cemetery.

Mary McDonnell (b. 1952), is an American actress of Irish descent on both sides. Though her steady career has afforded numerous roles, McDonnell is best known for portraying Captain Sharon Raydor in linked police procedurals The Closer and Major Crimes.

Artist Patrick McDonnell (b. 1956) is a comic writer and illustrator known for the daily comic strip Mutts. He shifted to children’s books in the mid-2000s, and was awarded the Caldecott Honor in 2012 for his biography of Jane Goodall, Me...Jane, for young readers.

Lady Flora McDonnell (b. 1963) is an award-winning children’s book author based in the U.K. The oldest daughter of the ninth Earl of Antrim, McDonnell launched her career in the early 1990s, releasing works including Splash!, Giddy Up!, and I Love Animals!, for which she received the Mother Goose award as a first-time author in 1994. Her son, Sorley, is presumably named for their ancestor, the aforementioned Sorley Boy MacDonnell.

No list of influential McDonnells would be

complete without the subject of this issue’s cover story, Eileen McDonnell. As the chairman and CEO of Penn Mutual Life Insurance, McDonnell has shown great merit in a competitive arena as one of 53 female CEOs of a Fortune 1000 company. Under her leadership, Penn Mutual works to accommodate women and veterans in developing a sound financial plan for their future, with programs to assist them on their way. Her expertise at keeping the company in sync with cuttingedge advances in the life insurance industry underscores the resilience of her forebears.

The McDonnells have thrived over the centuries, keeping their name alive by rising through the ranks and proving that they are as “worldmighty” as their name implies. The clan’s ancient motto, His Vinces, Latin for “By these conquer” has been borne out by their legacy. IA

FROM TOP LEFT: James Smith McDonnell Joseph McDonnell Mary McDonnell Patrick McDonnell LEFT: Lady Flora McDonnell

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 IRISH AMERICA 93

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movies|

by Dave Lewis

Stan & Ollie, and the Irish

Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly shine on the stage and the screen.

S

PHOTO COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

tan & Ollie finds the legendary comedy duo at a low point in their professional lives. No longer the box-office success they once were, they attempt to reignite their careers by embarking on a extensive tour of Britain and Ireland. Directed by Jon S. Baird from a screenplay by Jeff Pope, with brilliant performances by Steve Coogan as Stan Laurel, and John C. Reilly as Oliver Hardy, the movie opens when the duo are at their peak in 1937, as they make their way onto the set at Hal Roach Studios.

Here’s where it all began for the duo. The Roach lot, called “The Lot of Fun” due to the hilarity being filmed, was the creation of Hal Roach, born in Elmira, New York, Roach was the grandson of Irish immigrants, who, prior to finding his way in Hollywood, where he started off in bit parts in silent films, had worked as a mule skinner and gold prospector, before buying a lot in Culver City and producing his own films.

McCarey, born in Los Angeles, the son of a boxing promoter, had tried various careers, including a stint as an amateur boxer, and writing vaudeville sketches and songs, before he found his way to Roach’s studio, working his way up from writing scripts and movie gags to eventually directing.

It would be McCarey and Roach who would be responsible for jumpstarting Stan Laurel’s directo-

94 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

rial career and later putting him together with Hardy as a team, thus creating a comedy pair who still have loyal fans today.

The story goes that Hardy, who was known for his hearty appetite, burned himself while cooking a leg of lamb, so badly that he couldn’t finish a film he was working on with McCarey, who asked Laurel, who at the time was working as a gag writer at the studio, to step in.

Laurel proved himself to have a brilliant sense of timing, and rubbery face that could display a range of motion, on screen, important in the silent film era.

He went on to play opposite Hardy in such films such as Duck Soup and Sugar Daddies. McCarey, realizing that the audiences loved it when the two were on screen together, paired them as a team in The Second Hundred Years. From then on they made hit after hit.

Stan & Ollie opens with Laurel and Hardy enjoying the peak of their success, and then jumps 16 years ahead to 1953, when their stars are in decline, and they are trying reignite their careers. They land in Newcastle, and take to the road, playing at one second-class music hall after, another with poorly attended audiences, and an agent played by Rufus Jones who is less than thrilled to be working with the two old hats, and whose focus is on a young up-andcomer. The tour is made more complicated in that the two are accompanied by their wives, played by Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda. As the tour picks up, and they start to sell out, we see the pair try to rekindle their friendship even as old wounds open up again. In real life, the dispute between the two didn’t last as long as it does on the screen, but the conflict is used to build drama and it’s an effective tool, as Coogan and Reilly really step it up to show us that fully fledged humans beings existed behind the Hollywood veneer.

Of course, it’s a moot point, but one can’t but help think that Coogan, whose mother is from Mayo, and Reilly, who the press report is applying for his Irish citizenship, would have had a blast with Hal Roach and Leo McCarey. And the scenes when the movie takes Laurel and Hardy to Ireland to play at a theater in Cork are worth the price of admission alone.

Die-hard Laurel and Hardy fans will be thrilled with Coogan’s and Reilly’s performances. The incredibly skilled actors display all of the individual, and team, hallmarks of the real Laurel and Hardy.

From Laurel’s toothless long-faced grin, and head scratching to Hardy’s stare down the camera and his tie waving, Coogan and Reilly show us that they are masters of their craft. (As we go to press, it was announced that J.C. Reilly is up for a Golden Globe award for the part).

Stan & Ollie is both a joyous ode to two comedic legends, and a reminder of the debt we owe to Hal Roach and Leo McCarey, for countless hours of laughter that the Laurel and Hardy films have IA brought to our lives over the years.

IRISH.

RELENTLESS. COMPASSIONATE. WORLDWIDE.

Rwa | 14 cora.r © 2018 Concern Worldwide US Inc

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book notes | by rosemary rogers

Being New York, Being Irish T

Reflections on Twenty-Five Years of Irish America and New York University’s Glucksman Ireland House.

Alice McDermott speaking at G.I.H.

Being New York, Being Irish is available now in all good bookstores and online at www.iap.ie.

erry Golway assembled Irish and Irish-American writers to give voice to Being New York, Being Irish, a tribute to Glucksman Ireland House on its 25th Anniversary. The name, Glucksman Ireland House, always seemed somewhat offbeat, as “Glucksman” and “Ireland” don’t sound like they belong together. But they do. Lew Glucksman, a Jewish American, loved all things Irish, most particularly his Irish-American wife, Loretta Brennan Glucksman.

The 1993 opening of Glucksman Ireland House was a unique sight, even for Greenwich Village. A bagpiper led a procession of writers, poets, musicians and academics, described by Seamus Heaney as a combination of the “Indomitable Irishry of mind / With the Big Apple of Knowledge.” The march ended at 1 Washington Mews, where Loretta, Lew and Taoiseach Albert Reynolds cut the ribbon and opened the doors. Once those doors were opened, scholars seeking a masters degree or studying the Irish language walked in. As did, over time, Liam Neeson, George Mitchell, Bono, Pete Hamill and curious New Yorkers of every ethnicity. It was in Glucksman Ireland House that Patricia Harty, editor and co-founder of this magazine, met, on a an otherwise empty elevator, the shooting star of Irish America, John F. Kennedy Jr. The timing was as serendipitous as a rainbow – the early days of Glucksman Ireland House coincided with the early days of the Celtic Revival of the 1990s.

Suddenly Irish was “in”: its music, movies, writers and riverdancing were everywhere, and it was finally acknowledged that, yes, Ireland did indeed save civilization. House director Robert Scally explained the resurgence: “We had outlived the old parochial ideas of what it means to be Irish.” But before that, Scally says, “Irish history was something the Clancy Brothers sang about.” Glucksman Ireland House changed all that. Two years after opening, it hosted an event recognizing the 150th Anniversary of the Irish Famine, an international conference on world hunger making An Gorta Mór even more relevant today.

Colum McCann opens Being New York, Being Irish with a Joycean riff on the Irish, the Diaspora (“we are a scattered people”) and the immigrant experience. Alice McDermott tells of her childhood disdain for Irish music, only to have her son, Patrick, become a virtuoso on the Irish tin whistle and flute.

He was, as his teacher explained, playing for his ancestors. Dan Barry waived his own Irish-American experiences to give a loving and humorous story about Frank McCourt and the phenomenon of Angela’s Ashes. Irish-born mystery writer John Connolly recalls one of his early book signings in New York, where his sole fan dispatched him to buy beer.

96 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Colm Tóibín, author of Brooklyn, arrived in New York in 1989 as a member of the new breed of Irish immigrants, so much freer than those that came before. Yet he still felt the “old ghosts lingering…Irish people coming to America in search of a last chance.”

Ray O’Hanlon of the Irish Echo talks of today’s even newer breed who, when they look back at “home,” see an Ireland no longer drenched in poverty but one caught up with America and Europe. They see an Ireland that will soon be the only English-speaking country in the EU. Paul Muldoon’s poem “1916: Eoghan Rua Variation,” is witness to the Rising in the style of Eoghan Rua or Owen Roe, an 18th-century poet / playboy / prophet. Former poet laureate Billy Collins submits “Irish Spider,” beautiful, simple and strange. Another fine poet who just happens to be the president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, thanks Glucksman Ireland House for giving newer generations of Irish-Americans access to their culture and heritage.

Peter Quinn, as gifted an historian as he is a novelist, also thanks Glucksman Ireland House for its commitment to renewing Irish identity. Quinn laments later generations of Irish Americans who prefer to look to the future, ignoring the history of their ancestors. If they studied the 1916 Rebellion, they would learn how a ragtag army wrested freedom from the greatest empire in history. “The dream proclaimed on O’Connell Street in 1916 allowed Ireland to resume its place among the nations of the world.

Glucksman Ireland House provides a home for that dream in the heart of New York City, at the global crossroads of people and ideas.”

During World War II, a U.S. sailor, the offspring of Hungarian Jews, found himself in Ireland and fell in love with the country, its people and culture. The love stayed embedded in his heart, later leading him to Loretta Brennan Glucksman and Glucksman Ireland House. Together, determined to bring Irish Studies to NYU, they brought its president, Jay Oliva, to Ireland and so began the genesis of their dream. In time Loretta and Lew built a home in Cork, fittingly in the city of Cobh, the departure point for so many Irish leaving for New York. It was there Lew received a degree from University College Cork, it was there he was named “Honorary Corkman” and it was there he died in 2006.

But it’s Loretta Brennan Glucksman who wins the greatest honor of all, a poem written for her by Seamus Heaney. He praised “this lass of Allentown” for her generosity and grace, likening her to Maud Gonne: “She is foremost of those that I would hear praised” Said Yeats of Maud but for us LBG Is she to whom all glasses must be raised.

Join us: www.irishap.org

Congratulations to Board Chairman Michael Clune and Board member David Greaney for their inclusion in the Irish America Business 100.

Education has been the gift passed down from one generation of Irish to the next, allowing Ireland’s diaspora to thrive around the world. We empower the children of Ireland by supporting educational initiatives and community development programs across the island, North and South. Visit us at www.irishap.org.

Follow us:

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review of books | recently published books A Keeper FICTION

By Graham Norton

A

s a friend commented recently, is there anything Graham Norton can’t do? He’s already got the perfect chat show, the reasonably decent wine varieties, and even added best-selling novelist to his array of talents two years ago with Holding. And now, the socalled difficult second novel has landed and it’s every bit as readable as the first was. A man of many talents, indeed. There are one or two moments in A Keeper that don’t quite stand up to close scrutiny, and at times you may have to work a little on your suspension of disbelief as a reader, but on the whole it’s quite engaging and enjoyable.

Elizabeth Keane has returned to Ireland from New York after the death of her mother, and Norton really captures the sense of disconnect she feels so keenly. An only child, she suffers the attentions of her aunt and uncle, and her cousin’s excruciatingly nosy wife. Her own son has not travelled with her, having decided to spend time with his father on the West Coast instead.

After a few half-hearted attempts at putting some order on her mother’s house, Elizabeth finds a stash of old letters. To her surprise, she realizes they are from the father she never knew, and about whom her mother never spoke.

Piecing together their relationship, she then learns of a surprise bequest in her mother’s will.

Norton flashes between “then” and “now” in order to flesh out the gaps between the lines in the letters from this unknown father of Elizabeth’s. And what gaps there turn out to be, as it all goes a little Gothic horror in parts.

There is a strange interlude section featuring Elizabeth’s son, which may have better belonged in another book entirely, but that aside, there are some wry observations on small-town life from Norton, and the family interactions are very warmly described.

– Darina Molloy

$26 / 326 pages / Hodder & Stoughton

98 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Future Popes of Ireland

By Darragh Martin

reland, 1979. While the country rhapsodizes over Pope John Paul II in the Phoenix Park, Bridget Doyle has her heart set on her family issuing forth the first-ever Irish pope. When her daughterin-law is delivered of triplets nine months later, including the obligatory John Paul, she reckons it’s a good start. But Catherine Doyle’s death in childbirth means that Granny Doyle will be left to bring up the triplets and their older sister Peg. Thirty years on, it’s a safe enough bet that none of the Doyle children will be the reason for white smoke issuing from the Sistine Chapel. Definitely not the two girls, at any rate, but even the boys seem as far from papal material as is humanly possible. Damien is trying to work up the courage to tell his Granny he’s gay; and the indisputably charming John Paul is a legend in his own lunchtime, but also one of the biggest chancers going.

In his defense, he is the apple of his Granny’s eye, which causes ructions with his siblings.

The third triplet, Rosie, wants to save the planet, but hasn’t otherwise figured out what to do with her life.

None of them have much contact with their older sister Peg, who lives in New York City. They’re used to not talking about her, ever since she ran away from home in her teenage years. With life bursting from every page, and a social commentary on Ireland (both modern-day and 1980s) woven through the narrative, this is a buoyant, joyous, irrepressible book – a bit like the character of John Paul himself.

There’s plenty of food for thought throughout – from keen observations on the gas pipeline in North Mayo, to homophobic bullying in schools, to the financial crash that had life-changing effects for so many Irish people. On the whole, it’s very a much a book of its time, and a very enjoyable read. – Darina Molloy

I

$21 / 448 pages / Harper Collins

The Writing Irish of New York Edited by Colin Broderick

he Irish have been writing about New York for nearly as long as they’ve been in New York, from the plays, poems and fiction of Charles James Cannon (born in New York to Irish immigrants in 1800), to immigrant sagas such as Annie Reilly by John McElgun.

Add this new collection, edited with style and wit by Colin Broderick, to the long list of impressive New York Irish literary efforts. With work by superstars such as Colum McCann, Billy Collins, Dan Barry and Malachy McCourt, and hidden gems by Kathleen Donohoe, as well as Irish America contributors Mike Farragher and Mary Pat Kelly, The Writing Irish of New York has no trouble earning its spot on the bookshelves of any respectable Irish reader, from New York, or otherwise.

“When I first arrived in America, I was living in the Bronx,” writes Broderick, the author of two memoirs, That’s That and Orangutan, as well as the screenplay for the film Emerald City.“I was an angry, drunk young carpenter, and I hated the term ‘Irish American.’ How dare anyone who did not have an Irish accent say they were Irish! It’s ridiculous, right?”

Indeed, this eclectic collection - not to mention Broderick’s own brief, insightful biographical sketches of (among others) Maeve Brennan, Eugene O’Hara, Frank O’Hara and John F. Kennedy Jr. – stands as a testament not only to Broderick’s passion for reading and writing, but his own education on the depth and breadth of Irish American storytelling.

As Broderick puts it: “It took me a long time to shed my ignorance, to embrace the Irish diaspora, not just here in America but in Australia and England and everywhere else we drifted after hunger sent us fluttering like sycamore seeds in the fall.”

The Writing Irish of New York is the latest proof that those seeds produced beautiful things. – Tom Deignan

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$19.95 / 271 pages / Lavender Ink

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Auld Lang Syne With the New Year in mind, Edythe Preet writes about Robert Burns: Scotland’s Immortal Bard

By Edythe Preet

n case any reader has ever wondered how a gal named Preet could claim Irish ancestry, here’s my genealogy: my maiden name was Burns, my father was George Burns (mom heard many a “So are you Gracie?” wisecrack), and dad’s mom was a McCaffrey, born in County Fermanagh. Like thousands of Northern Ireland’s population, Margaret McCaffrey was a descendant of the Scots who immigrated to neighboring Éire during the 16th and 17th centuries.

While Dad was Irish to the core, he held one particular Scotsman in highest esteem: Robert Burns, Scotland’s Immortal Bard. Dad loved poetry, and he took great pleasure reciting his ancestor’s rhymes (especially the racy or politically barbed verses) with vigor and full brogue. So it is to the Scots-Irish among us that I dedicate this article.

Every New Year’s Eve, as the clock strikes 12, people the world over raise their glasses in a toast and their voices in song: “Lest auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind ... we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet for auld lang syne.” Those heartfelt words, enjoining us to always remember and hold dear the good times and good friends we have known, were penned by Robert Burns.

Illustration to Robert Burns’ poem “Auld Lang Syne” by J.M. Wright and Edward Scriven.

CREDIT: WIKIPEDIA

100 IRISH AMERICA JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

Burns, the man, was a humble country farmer.

Burns, the poet, was a romantic, a humorist, a philosopher, a champion of human rights, and a fervent patriot. Born January 25, 1756, he lived in a time of international political upheaval that witnessed the American, Irish, and French revolutions, which changed the course of history. His sentiments won the hearts of his countrymen and patriots everywhere, and his words are etched forever in the English language.

“A man’s a man for a’ that,” the phrase that has become a mantra of oppressed people the world over, is found in the allegorical epic “Tam O’Shanter.” “The best laid schemes o’ mice and men’’ appears in “To a Mouse,” and “To see ourselves as others see us” in “To a Louse” (which he was inspired to write one Sunday in church while watching one of the loathsome blood-suckers crawl about a fellow parishoner’s shoulders). The poem “Man Was Made To Mourn” addresses the injustice and inequality of the human condition, and “My Love Is Like a Red Red Rose” is the paragon ode to ardent and enduring love.

Throughout his life, Burns fought the force of the establishment with the power of poetry. Nothing, and no one, escaped the scathing satire and wry humor of his pen. At a time when speaking up was the surest and quickest route to exile and deportation, Burns boldly criticized the Crown, the Church and the entire legal profession. He wrote of justice, honor, love and freedom – the highest of human ideals. He articulated the grief of his disenfranchised nation and encouraged all people far and wide who would dream of higher aspirations.

From his deathbed, Burns whispered, “In a hundred years, they will remember me,” and indeed they have. On January 25 in bonny Scotland and wherever those of Caledonian descent are found, Burns Night Suppers honor the Bard in a way that would please him immensely – with food and drink and caustic verse aplenty.

The stars of the evening, other than Burns himself, are the haggis and malt whisky. Taken separately they are notably delicious, consumed together they are ambrosia fit for the gods. Though many food critics disparage the haggis as coarse peasant fare, this most quintessential of Gaelic dishes is truly a gourmet’s delight.

Admittedly, perusing haggis recipes can be somewhat off-putting because they call for minced offal (heart, tongue, liver and lung) to be mixed with oats, salt and pepper, then stuffed into sheep or cow tripe (stomach), trussed, closed and boiled for hours. Letting the description dissuade you from tasting it would be a classic case of judging a book by its cover. Indulging in a plateful of steaming, spicy, sliced haggis is one of life’s great taste treats, especially when said slices are liberally doused with a

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fine, aged, malt whisky.

How haggis came to be Scotland’s best-known menu item is a matter for conjecture. In prehistoric times, slices of meat could be smoked over an open fire and kept for later use without spoiling, but the humbles or innards spoiled quickly, and it was necessary to consume them as soon as possible.

Prior to the invention of pots and pans, the easiest way to cook bits and pieces of meat was to place them in the animal’s bag-like stomach and boil the whole affair in a water-filled pit heated with red-hot stones. Adding grain (in Scotland and Ireland, it was oats) allowed the nutrient-rich juices to be absorbed rather than dissipating into the cooking liquid.

By the late 18th century, Scotland had been joined with Ireland, Wales, and England to form the United Kingdom, and while haggis was still the most popular Scottish meal, many gentrified Scots were attempting to modify their national culture by adopting English pronunciation to fit into the new society. Burns lambasted the trend by writing “The Address to the Haggis,” a pointed social satire in a full, flaming Scots dialect.

It was an instant hit. More than 200 years later, it is still recited in a broad brogue at every Burns Supper.

The night’s other star player is malt whisky. Arabia gets the credit for devising the alcohol-distillation process, which was subsequently discovered by monks traveling through the Middle East in the early days of Christianity. When the Church began sending missionaries to Ireland and Scotland in the sixth century, the pious prelates applied the same technique to a brew of the local grains – malt and barley – and invented malt whisky. Gaels took to the drink like ducks to water.

Should you choose to host a Burns Night Supper, be advised that there is a formula to the event. The evening festivities begin with a welcome, followed by recitation of the “Grace Before the Meal,” which Burns delivered when he supped with the Earl of Selkirk who shared the poet’s libertine political views.

“Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it.

But we hae meat and we can eat, And sae the Laird be thankit.”

The meal begins with a serving of cockaleekie soup, after which a steaming hot haggis is ceremoniously brought into the room to the wail of bagpipes. An honored guest then recites “The Address to the Haggis” and all toast his performance with glasses of whisky, after which the noble haggis is retired to be sliced and dished up with portions of its traditional accompaniments – neeps and tatties (mashed turnips and potatoes).

While waiting for dinner to be served, the evening’s honored guest speaks to the memory of the Immortal Bard, and more whisky is downed. Then a gentleman delivers “The Toast to the Lassies” (usually full of tongue-in-cheek wordplay) and more whisky is downed. Then a lady responds with “The Toast to the Laddies” (usually a wee bit bawdy) and more whisky is downed.

While dining on the haggis (over each serving of which is poured a healthy measure of whisky), guests take turns reciting their favorite Burns verses, and after each performance more whisky is downed. When the dishes have been cleared, it’s time for dancing to the tune of fiddles and bagpipes, and between each reel more whisky is downed.

When everyone is nigh unto swooning from the heady pace of the dance, all hoist their once-again full glasses of whisky in a final toast and raise their voices in song: “Lest auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind, we’ll take a cup o’ IA kindness yet for auld lang syne.” Sláinte!

sláinte | good cheer

RECIPES

NOTE: Full information on staging a Burns Supper – including poems, toasts, and songs – can be found at www.milwburnsclub.org/bsupper.htm

Cockaleekie Soup – Personal Recipe

6 leeks, washed & sliced thin 3 cups boiling water 11⁄2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons butter 11⁄2 cups chicken broth 1 ⁄2 cup cream

Place the sliced leeks in a medium soup pot with the water and salt; simmer for 5-7 minutes until tender but not mushy. Add butter and chicken broth, bring to a boil. Stir in the cream.

Makes 5-6 cups soup.

Mashed Neeps & Tatties – The Robert Burns Club, Milwaukee

11⁄2 pound potatoes, peeled & quartered 11⁄2 pound turnips or rutabagas, peeled & quartered Cream Salt and pepper

Modern Haggis – The Robert Burns Club, Milwaukee

⁄2 pound calf’s liver ⁄2 cup oatmeal 2 tablespoons shortening 1 medium onion 1 ⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 ⁄4 teaspoon black pepper 1 ⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 ⁄2 teaspoon mace 1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt 1 1

Boil the liver and parboil the onion. Reserve 1⁄2 cup of the stock. Mince the liver and onion together until the texture of coarse meal.

Lightly brown the oatmeal and then mix all the ingredients together, along with the reserved stock. Place in a greased bowl. Cover with aluminum foil and place in a steamer. Steam for 11⁄2 hours. Serves 4-6 Haggis lovers, or 6-8 more dubious diners.

In two separate pots, cover potatoes and turnips with water and boil until tender.

Drain, combine, and mash, adding cream as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serves 6-8.

A plate of mashed neeps, tatties and haggis.

PHOTO BY: BERNT ROSTAD/FLICKR

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christmas concert

Seamus Heaney

Explains the Miracle of “St. Kevin and the Blackbird”

A Southern Celtic Christmas Concert

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TOP: Seamus Heaney in Glendalough.

ABOVE: The musician John Doyle, one of many performers taking part in the concert.

he sudden death five years ago of the Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney (19392013) evoked an unprecedented outpouring of grief around the world. Generally acknowledged as the greatest poet of the age, Seamus (as he was known to everyone) was beloved as much for his down to earth humanity as for the wisdom, honesty and lyrical beauty of his work.

A rare interview with Heaney is one of the many features of the TV special, “A Southern Celtic Christmas Concert”, now being broadcast on PBS for the sixth year in succession.

The Heaney section is filmed in Glendalough, the hauntingly beautiful monastic site that inspired “St. Kevin and the Blackbird,” Heaney’s poem based on the fable of the sixth century Irish monk. The presence of Heaney suddenly appearing amidst the ancient gravestones of Glendalough has a startling power. Equally powerful, in a different way, is the moment when Heaney playfully climbs into the cell once occupied by the saint to show how he might have enticed a bird to settle in his outstretched palm, nesting there long enough for its young to grow up and fly on their own.

In his 1995 Nobel Address, Heaney spoke of “love’s deep river” as the meditative state to which contemplative prayer has led Kevin, suggesting that it is only love that can transcend the artificial boundaries that divide people from one another in our increasingly barbaric world.

James Flannery, the host, director, and executive

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producer of “A Southern Celtic Christmas Concert,” interviewed Heaney for the show. He recently spoke to Irish America editor-in-chief Patricia Harty, saying that St. Kevin’s message of love is emulated by our current pope. “It would seem that Pope Francis is challenging us to embrace a similar unity founded on ‘the miracle of love,’ a love which has no limit, natural or supernatural, thus establishing a universal brotherhood of souls,” she said.

Flannery further noted how children have a special identification with the poem. “My six year old grandson even wants me to take him to Ireland so he can see where the miracle took place some fifteen hundred years ago,” he said. “It strikes me that this realization of the deeply spiritual side of Ireland is what has attracted people to the national broadcast over the past six years.”

Produced in Ireland, in the mountains of Appalachia, and on the stage of the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts at Emory University, “A Southern Celtic Christmas” celebrates in music, dance, poetry, song and story the high spirits and mystical beauty of the Christmas traditions of the Celtic lands and their connection with similar traditions of the American South.

Highlights of the show are performances by a number of world-class artists, including Moya Brennan, Alison Brown, John Doyle, Joe Craven, “Riverdance” composer Bill Whelan, and the soulful gospel IA harmonies of Rising Appalachia. – M.E. A Southern Celtic Christmas Concert is available on DVD from Compass Records for $16.95.

John Lahey and Enda Kenny, former taoiseach of Ireland (2011–17)

Honoring Service to Ireland Quinnipiac University proudly salutes President Emeritus John L. Lahey on receiving Ireland’s Presidential Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes outstanding service to Ireland or Irish communities by those who live outside of Ireland.

Quinnipiac is home to Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum, with the world’s largest collection of Famine-related art.

A substantial portion of the collection is currently on tour in Ireland. The traveling exhibition, Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger opens in Derry in January 2019. qu.edu | Hamden and North Haven, Connecticut IrishAmericaComingHomeAd_FINAL.indd 1 Untitled-8 1

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crossword |

By Darina Molloy

ACROSS

2 Not light (4) 6 See 19 across (6) 7 Mount ______ in Donegal (7) 9 See 28 across (4) 10 Of key importance (5) 12 See 17 down (6) 15 Small seaside resort in Sligo (10) 16 _____ of Kerry (4) 18 Warmed and slightly browned bread 19 (& 6 across) The hard-bitten detective character in Ken Bruen’s Galway-based series (4) 23 This started life as a Cork newspaper, but it’s now a national title in Ireland (8) 24 See 25 across (5) 25 (& 24 across) Van Morrison’s second studio album, recorded in NYC (6) 26 Lyrical stanzas (4) 28 (& 9 across & 41 across) This Dublin landmark is known universally as the GPO (7) 29 (& 3 down) A favourite sweet treat in Ireland around Christmas (5) 30 To utter a loud, prolonged, mournful cry (4) 31 (& 39 across) The BBC named her among 100 ‘inspiring and influential’ woman

33 35 38 39 40 41

after her campaigning on the cervical cancer crisis in Ireland (5) See 19 down (4) To ___, With Love: 1967 British drama film (3) Put or keep out of sight (4) See 31 across (6 This popular Irish singer will play a large home gig next year (6) See 28 across (6)

DOWN

1 (& 8 down) The ‘queen’ of Ballymaloe died in June 2018 (6) 2 Iconic theatre company synonymous with Galway (5) 3 See 29 across (4) 4 Following a presidential pardon last year, this infamous murder case has been once again spotlighted in a new book by Margaret Kelleher (10) 5 See 11 down (6) 8 See 1 down (5) 11 (& 29 down & 5 down) The new Mrs. Shane McGowan (8) 13 Both mountain and waterfall share this name in Killarney, Co. Kerry (4) 14 Galway is known as the City of the _______ (6) 17 (& 12 across) One of Dublin’s main

Win a subscription to Irish America magazine

19 20 21

22 24

27

shopping districts (7) (& 33 across) Nora Roberts also writes under another name (1, 1) To offer a particular sum of money for something (3) (& 37 down) Excitement is building ahead of the May clash between New York and Mayo GAA at this location (6) Untidy or dirty (5) Heist movie starring Liam Neeson and based on 1980s British tv series of same name (6) See 30 down (7)

Please send your completed crossword puzzle to Irish America, 875 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1606, New York, NY 10001, to arrive no later than January 23, 2018. A winner will be drawn from among all correct entries. If there are no correct solutions, the prize will be awarded for the completed puzzle which comes closest in the opinion of our staff. The winner’s name will be published along with the solution in our next issue. Xerox copies accepted. Winner of the November December crossword: Gerald O’Callahan, Manasquan, NJ

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29 See 11 down (4) 30 (& 27 down) This Australian actor is currently touring with a musical show, and brings it to Dublin in May (4) 32 Having or showing no skill (5)

34 The central organ of the nervous system in humans (5) 35 Prefix meaning half (4) 36 ____ On: popular 1980s album by Christy Moore (4) 37 See 21 down (4)

November / December Solution

A new book from Irish Academic Press

Being New York, Being Irish

Reflections on Twenty-Five Years of Irish America and New York University’s Glucksman Ireland House Edited by Terry Golway

Through deeply personal essays that reflect on their own experience, research and art, some of the best-known Irish writers on both sides of the Atlantic commemorate Glucksman Ireland House NYU's 25th anniversary by examining what has changed, and what has not, in Irish and Irish-American culture, art, identity, and politics since 1993.

Contributors include Alice McDermott, Dan Barry, Colum McCann, Colm Tóibín and Marion R. Casey.

visit

as.nyu.edu/irelandhouse for more information

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photo album | Patricia Duffy

My Wonderful Irish Mother

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TOP FROM LEFT: The author’s grandparents on their wedding day; Patricia and her children; The Barr-Sardia wedding.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Frank Duffy in his sunday best.

y mother, Patricia Duffy, was born December 7, 1927. She was one of two children raised by Rose and Frank Duffy in Oakland, California. Frank Duffy and his brother came to the United States from County Cavan, Ireland. Frank had a small grocery store in Oakland, which afforded them a lovely home near a small creek in Oakland Hills. Mom said that Grandpa’s Irish brogue was so thick that she sometimes had to translate for her friends. Grandpa Frank was a fun-loving prankster.

He was known to have a neighborhood card game going on in the back of the grocery store. Dad told us later he thought he was part of the “Irish Mafia.”

Grandma Rose “a Gallagher girl” Duffy worked as an Army nurse in World War I and had many memories of “her boys” that she cared for during that time. She lived with her grandchildren in her later years. She would recall a dream she had the night before. “I was sitting in Mass, with my white gloves on and my lace cap on my head – prim and proper. In the dream, I was at a funeral for a young man, and the priest called me to the altar to ‘clean him up.’” We all laughed at how ridiculous the dream was! This is just one of her Irish tales of everyday life that was our Irish humor. We would sit around the

Please send photographs along with your name, address, phone number, and a brief description, to Patricia Harty at Irish America, 875 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1606, New York, NY 10001. If photos are irreplaceable, then please send a good quality reproduction or e-mail the picture at 300 dpi resolution to submit@irishamerica.com.

We will pay $65 for each submission that we select.

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table telling stories from our day and make it a joke so that everyone would laugh!

My mother’s brother, Joseph, died during childbirth. Mom was petite and vivacious. She was a “toe” ballerina and danced for the Oakland ballet. She played the piano beautifully. She made exquisite clothes but preferred to wear jeans and “cream and coffee” shoes. She married Henry Wright Barr at the Saint Francis Cathedral in San Francisco. My father called Grandma Rose “Boss” as an enduring nickname. Grandma Rose took care of Grandpa Frank until his death from Alzheimer’s disease in 1961.

Dad graduated from UCLA Medical School when I was five. After graduation, my sister Ginger and brother Patrick moved to Sacramento, California. My sister Mary Anne and adopted brother John came shortly after. Being raised in East Sacramento, I attended Sacred Heart School and Sacred Heart Church. It was an Irish Catholic community with five to eight children in each family: O’Conners, O’Neils, and Flanagans. The 42nd Street 4th of July celebration in which all the neighborhood children decorate their bikes and ride around the block is renowned. My mother’s happiest times were raising her children.

Patricia Duffy’s legacy is her Irish humor, grounded Catholic beliefs, and focus on family. She made sure all of us learned how to play sports and received an education. I mirrored my parenting style after that of my mother.

I am proud that my children, Sara and Steve, are my best friends.

In her final moments, Mom was still guiding me and comforting me. I miss her but know that she is with me all the IA time in my heart.

– Beverly Barr Sardia

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