James Francis Smith's Blog (65)

Shanghai to Guadalcanal

The Life and Times of Liam O’Donnell, volume 5 of the Irish-American Story, covers from the end of WWI through to the end of WWII; a period quickly fading from memory. One might wonder how I bridged the awesome gap from our involvement in China during the 1930s to the Pacific campaign in 1942. The answer is easy … I introduced a fictional character to someone who had been in both…

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Added by James Francis Smith on March 18, 2013 at 2:51pm — 1 Comment

My Irish Story James Francis Smith, author of The Irish-American Story Series

 

The grandson of Big John Meehan from Sligo, Mary Ellen McLaughlin-Keane from Galway, Bridget Munnelly from Mayo, and Matthew Smith from Cavan ended up with the least recognized Irish name of them all. I can’t begin to tell you how many times, I’ve been asked, “Smith, huh! English … right?” When I meet up with my ancestor Mac an Gabhann—the one who anglicized our family name to Smith—he…

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Added by James Francis Smith on March 10, 2013 at 2:10pm — 6 Comments

Stephen Moylan, First President “Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick”

The Moylan’s, a merchant family from County Cork, were well off. They had Stephen educated by Jesuits in Paris, since Catholics were forbidden by the Penal Laws from obtaining an education in Ireland. He apprenticed in the family shipping business in Lisbon before immigrating to Philadelphia.…

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Added by James Francis Smith on March 7, 2013 at 7:30pm — No Comments

John Barry, legendary Irish hero in the Continental Navy

If one were to query the public regarding the Father of the American Navy, they would likely hear the name, John Paul Jones. The Scotsman, John Paul, who added the name Jones to gain some anonymity while hiding in the colonies from the…

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Added by James Francis Smith on February 28, 2013 at 3:30pm — 1 Comment

Black with a Tinge of Green

As February’s Black History Month fades into memory and March’s Irish History Month begins its ascendancy, there’s a brief moment where the black takes on a tinge of green.

Few realize that these two ethnic groups, African-Americans and Irish-Americans, who together make up one-quarter of…

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Added by James Francis Smith on February 27, 2013 at 4:30pm — No Comments

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