Super Bowl 50 will be played February 7, 2016 at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is fitting as the first ever Super Bowl was held in California on January 15, 1967, when the Packers beat the Chiefs at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. The NFL will kick off Super Bowl 50 festivitiesRead more..
My grandmother Mary Garvey was born on October 18th, 1894 in Farmhill, Claremorris, County Mayo. She was the oldest of six children born to Anne Mullen Garvey and Peter Garvey. She left for America in 1914 at age 20 and came to New York via Ellis Island. She soon married a successful young engineer, John Edward O’Connor, whoseRead more..
The Hibernian legacy of the Giants baseball team. This year the San Francisco Giants won their second World Series in three years. Not since the days of John McGraw and their Irish heyday have the Giants enjoyed such post-season success. Jerrold Casway traces the team’s history. To appreciate the legacy of the San Francisco GiantsRead more..
The Comstock Lode in Nevada, uncovered in 1859 by two Irish laborers, ultimately produced more than $500 million worth of silver, a large share of which went to the Irish-American “Big Four” – James Fair, James C. Flood, John Mackay, and William O’Brien – who had left New York for the bigger opportunities of theRead more..
Grand Marshals of St. Patrick’s Day Parades across the nation. From New York to Hot Springs, Arkansas, and from Rock Island, Illinois to New London, Wisconsin, thousands of people from a range of backgrounds will come together to cheer on and participate in St. Patrick’s Day Parades. Here’s a look at some outstanding Irish AmericansRead more..
On a whistle stop tour of the West Coast in early December, which included stops in California, Oregon, and Arizona, President Mary McAleese met representatives of local Irish and Irish-American organizations to strengthen cultural, trade and business links between the two countries. On December 11, The University of San Francisco (USF) awarded President McAleese anRead more..
Hard times are falling on communities across the country, and even in the affluent San Francisco area, belts are tightening and the economy is in decline. But on a recent December afternoon, on an island in the middle of the Bay, on a plot of land surrounded by cracked concrete and crumbling buildings, a livelyRead more..
in 2005, when it became clear that the Ronald Reagan Pub in Ballyporeen, Tipperary was no longer a viable novelty to locals or tourists, Irish-American businessman and Republican booster Frederick Ryan Jr. facilitated the bar’s relocation to Simi Valley, California, also the site of Reagan’s presidential library. This anecdote is humorous and poignant, and –Read more..
This photograph of my grandmother Ella Theresa Shea was taken in 1880 when she was 14 years old. She was crowned the Queen of the May at the traditional May Day Festival in newly-opened Golden Gate Park. Ella was born in San Francisco on May 18, 1866, the second of nine children, to James SheaRead more..
It may sound like a joke. But an Irishman could be the future King of England. Hard to believe? Yes. Far-fetched? Maybe. But in theory, it is a possibility. Admittedly, it would take quite a few deaths and a change in the law before it could happen. But in that case, Aaron Long whose parentsRead more..