Dr. John L. Lahey:
2011 Irish American of the Year
The president of Quinnipiac University is honored as a leading educator and keeper of our heritage. When John L. Lahey was a boy, he once accompanied his father, a hard-working bricklayer, to a worksite. He wanted to see what his father’s job was all about, and to try it out for himself. His grandfather, Daniel Lahey, an immigrant from Knockglossmore, Co. Kerry, had been a stone mason, so the...
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Dr. Kevin Cahill:
Irish America Hall of Fame
Several buzzwords, not all of them kind, have been used to describe the current state of health care in America. The word that guides Dr. Kevin Cahill’s nearly 50-year career in medicine is ‘solidarity.’ “Solidarity is a wonderful Latin American word that means “Are you willing to get down in the mud with people?” he says. “So that’s why I stay practicing medicine.” Solidarity...
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President William J. Clinton:
Irish America Hall of Fame
Politician, peacemaker, and hero to millions of Irish. As a major supporter of the Irish peace process, Bill Clinton moved mountains. The 42nd President of the United States took the strongest position on Irish issues ever taken by an American president. In 1994, he granted a visa to Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, fulfilling a campaign promise and stating “the U.S. cannot miss this rare...
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Mary Higgins Clark:
Irish America Hall of Fame
A bestselling author who is proud to call herself “an Irish girl from the Bronx.” The oldest living resident of New York died recently at age 111 and in a New York Times article only months earlier, she told the reporter that she had kept her mind alert by reading Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark. A Higgins Clark novel keeping someone alive? Usually someone dies in the first few...
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Chuck Feeney:
Irish America Hall of Fame
The billionaire who selflessly and quietly gave it all away. Charles “Chuck” Feeney has amassed billions of dollars in wealth. However, he doesn’t own an opulent house, a car or a Rolex. He prefers taking cabs, riding the subway, or just walking when he’s in New York. He flies economy, even on international flights. And since the 1980s, he has given away his fortune to humanitarian and...
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