History
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Irish on The Inside: Book Review/Commentary
The late author Tom Hayden – a civil rights activist, Vietnam War protester and one of the infamous Chicago Seven – left behind a treasure trove with his historical account of what it means to be Irish in America. It is also a joyful personal awakening, a riveting memoir – and epiphany of sorts. I have not read anything comparable by any other contemporary Irish American that captures the Irish American experience so well. Tom Hayden, who […] Read More
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How the Irish Built Philadelphia
By Aidan McElwee Photo: Dublin-born Matthew Carey, publisher, economist, and philanthropist in Philadelphia Philadelphia has been a home for Irishmen and Irishwomen for generations. William Penn himself was Irish on his father’s side. At the turn of the 19th century, 5,000 Irish-born people were living in Philadelphia. By 1860, 95,000 Irishmen and Irishwomen lived in Philadelphia marking the largest immigrant population in the city. Today, 10% of the entire city has Irish roots, roughly 160,000 […] Read More
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With a Final Ceremony, Philadelphia Irish Memorial Set for Big Move
With a final blessing by Father Ed Brady Saturday morning and a bittersweet ceremony, the iconic Philadelphia Irish Memorial at Front and Chestnut is temporarily moving from that location, which it has occupied for 20 years, to a new spot at Foglietta Plaza, Front and Spruce. The solemn occasion was observed with the U.S. and Irish national anthems by Tim Kelly and Theresa Flanagan Murtagh, and lowering of the flags. The move is necessitated by a long […] Read More
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August 25 Banquet to Honor Heroes of Duffy’s Cut
In August 2004, brothers Dr. Bill Watson from Immaculate University and Rev. Dr. Frank Watson were part of a team that began excavation at Duffy’s Cut, a mass grave of 57 Irish immigrant railroad laborers along the SEPTA railroad tracks in Malvern. Excavation at the site, based on research from the old Pennsylvania Railroad, suggested the bodies were buried at the site following their deaths in 1832 from cholera—and, as the evidence also suggests, gruesome […] Read More