People
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Meet Dan Harrell, Philly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal
Dan Harrell is one of my favorite people in the Irish community and this year I and thousands of others will get to watch him lead one of the oldest parades in the United States, the Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Dan is a big, burly man, possessing many amazing talents yet always quick to laugh at himself. Born in Philadelphia’s Presbyterian Hospital on December 4, 1943, to Agnes Bridget McDaid (Drimarone, County Donegal) and James Oliver […] Read More
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Villanova Senior Named 2023 Philadelphia Mary from Dungloe
AnneMarie Caffrey Mentei, a 21-year-old Villanova University senior was crowned the 2023 Mary from Dungloe at the Donegal Ball in early December at The Irish Center in Philadelphia. She accepted her crown from Olivia Lisowski, who wore it for several years because she was unable to travel to Ireland for the international event because of the Covid pandemic. AnneMarie is an Irish Studies major, and is minoring in Peace and Justice and Spanish. At Villanova […] Read More
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Larry Kirwan’s IABCN Acceptance Speech
On Friday February 24, musician, writer, and playwright Larry Kirwan received the Irish American Business Chamber & Network (IABCN) 2023 Uachtarán (President) Award in Philadelphia from Irish Ambassador to the USA, Geraldine Byrne Nason at a Union League luncheon. (Photo Tom Keenan) Kirwan, a Wexford native who emigrated to New York at the age of 21, may be best known for being the front man of the rock band Black 47 and a political activist. […] Read More
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Irish Poet Takes New Post at Villanova
Each spring since 2000, Villanova University chooses a distinguished Irish writer to hold its Charles A. Heimbold Jr. Chair of Irish Studies. Named for a Villanova graduate who was former CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb and US ambassador to Sweden, the Heimbold chair has since become one of the most prestigious Irish studies positions in the United States. The 2023 Heimbold Chair holder is Mary O’Donoghue, who has published books of award-winning poetry which include Tulle (Salmon Poetry, […] Read More