Celebrating Irish Heritage and History

The Winter Olympics have taken over the news this past week, featuring four Irish athletes competing in freestyle, alpine, and cross-country skiing. Of course, Irish athletes are not uncommon in global sporting events, particularly when they are descendants of Irish…

Today on President’s Day, we look back at the Irish contributions to the American Federal Government. When people think of Ireland and American presidents, it’s often through Irish-American President John F. Kennedy. However, as those who have been following our…

Perhaps one of the most famous Irish artists featured in our collections is George Russell (1867-1935), a mystical painter who went by the pseudonym of “Æ”. Russell is remembered for his fantastical artwork, political work, philosophical writing, and connections to…

Welcome back, dear reader, to the American Irish Historical Society’s archival blog. After a month focused on the production of our new exhibit, we return this week to share a little news…about news. These days, we read most of our news on the web. Circulating printed…

For our final blog post of the year, we turn to a very special section of our archives, and bring to light a Christmas story brought to us directly from Ireland. Our archives feature many different newspapers, some published in the states and others brought over…

On 12 June, 1857, a girl was born in Limerick. Named Bidelia Crehan by her parents, she soon after came to the United States, settling in Brooklyn and making a quick path to theatrical stardom. After a mistake on a program misspelling her surname as C. Rehan, she…

Ireland has a rich cultural history in its own nation. Ancient kings, folklore and mythology, rebels, and even Irish culture in America all lend themselves to a reading of Ireland as a vast narrative of cultural pride. However, those familiar with Irish writing will…

Written by Laoise McDaid Mabelle Gilman Corey, the third inhabitant of our current headquarters at 991 Fifth Avenue was far more than just the wife of William Ellis Corey. She was a Broadway star, and a woman of wit, beauty and unapologetic ambition. Her life spanned…

Walking past a park in New York, you may see the familiar sight of a chess player engaged in a game on a park table. In Central Park, we even have the Chess & Checkers House, built in 1952 near 64th Street and hidden away in the foliage. This tradition has charmed…