He did the crime, he did the time, and then he disappeared — again. — I should have known better when I decided to write an article about Barry Manilow’s Irish roots. As an Irish American fanilow, I wanted to know which town or city could lay claim to him (shout-out to Limerick!), but that’s not where…

Every one of us is an amalgamation not only of all our ancestors, but of their decisions, and in 1831, Ambrose Hawkins was contemplating moving his family from America to Africa. …

This is an updated version of an article that was first published in Irish America in 2013, but for obvious reasons, has become freshly relevant. How can you not love a name like Finnegan Biden? I find it charming when family names are given fresh life in ensuing generations, and…

Manx, Music, Military, Moxie and More — What can’t Hannah Waddingham do? I’m late to the party discovering her talents in her portrayal of team owner, Rebecca Welton, in Ted Lasso, but oh, how I wish I had seen her in Spamalot, Into the Woods, or Wizard of Oz. And if I weren’t enchanted enough already, her…

Genealogy has been an unexpected door-opener for me leading to many “Who the hell let me in here?” moments over the years — not the least of which are the opportunities I’ve had to interact with President Biden. As an Irish American, I rarely miss a chance to delve into…

I Just Wanted to Figure out Who They Were, but Found Myself Ensnared in a Victorian Melodrama — No names were given, but the caption grabbed my attention: “English singing girls — imported by Italian padrone — ret’d by Britannic, Nov 19 1890.” As part of my series about immigrants featured in the virtually unknown E.W. Austin collection of 1890–1892 photos, I’ve enjoyed writing about Percy Hemingway, Sultana…

This Picture Is Worth Far More than a Thousand Words — The fact that this image exists is remarkable enough, but the story that spilled out of it is even more so. Included in a scrapbook of immigrant photos taken between 1890 and 1892 by E.W. Austin who worked at the Barge Office while Ellis Island was being constructed (well before…

America’s highest ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, recently made his presence known with his inaugural address in this role, a poetic A to Z inventory of values that inspires or schools, depending on how the listener feels about democracy and decency. Intrigued like millions of others…

A Special Photo Finds It Way Home 130+ Years Later — Bessie Lillicrap must have been exhausted when she arrived in New York with her children. The family had left Liverpool on October 7, 1890 and finally disembarked on the 18th. That’s a long time to be at sea with nine children, the oldest of whom was only 12.