The regiment that Robert E. Lee christened is going strong at 150

PART 1 IN A TWO-PART SERIES

By Lt. Col. Kenneth H. Powers, NYARNG (Ret.)…

  By Joseph Gannon

 The Minstrel boy to the war is gone,

in the ranks of death you will find him.

His father's sword he hath girded on,

and his wild harp slung behind him.

It would be hard to find a life that more perfectly illustrates the grit, determination, and pure courage of the Irish in America in the 19th…

By Brian C. Pohanka

Now I like Garryowen,

When I hear it at home,

But it's not half so sweet …

 By Joseph E. Gannon

By John J. Concannon

By a stroke of good fortune, I became involved in an Irish/Irish American book writing project that is dear to my heart.

(Left: "Brothers of Ireland" by Don Troiani depicts the 69th New York and 9th Massachusetts Infantry regiments in battle at Gaines Mill,…

By Joe Gannon…

By Joseph Gannon

Many men become known as heroes for their bravery in battle, for their willingness to face death in an effort to kill the enemy and obtain an objective, or for helping win the war for their country.

They are often celebrated by millions of their countrymen and…

Left, Marine Pfc. John Patrick White, born in Caherdaniel, County Kerry.

Five of the 28 Irish-born GIs who perished in the Korean War were born in County Kerry, including Marine Pfc. John Patrick White (left). Four were born in Cork, Roscommon and Limerick. Mayo was the birthplace for three, Leitrim and Antrim two,…

By Pat Hickey

No textbook tells the story of James J. Shields, but his personal story and resume are among the most impressive of any American, in any era.

(Left: "Churubusco" by James Walker, 1819-1889. James Shields fought there during the Mexican War.)

Shields'…

Ah! Why, Patrick Sarsfield, did we let your ship sail

Away to the French Flanders from the green Innisfail.

For far from your country you lie cold and low:

Ah? Why Patrick Sarsfield, ah, why did you go.

We prayed, Patrick Sarsfield, to see you sail home,

Your flag waving victory across the white…

By Joe Gannon

• Part 2: 'Who Stood the Victors Crowned'…

By Joseph Gannon

• Patrick Cleburne: Confederate 'Meteor Shining Brightly'
• Cleburne's Incendiary…

This five-part series on the 69th New York Irish Brigade at the 1st Battle of Bull Run is drawn from the book "The Irish Brigade and Its Campaigns," by Tipperary native David P. Conyngham, published in 1866. Conyngham served during the Civil War, for a time with Meagher's Irish Brigade, and finally as a correspondent for the New York Herald. In part 4 of 5…

by Joseph E. Gannon

(Left: The final, tragic, moments of Patrick Cleburne, as painted by artist Don…

United States Marines have traveled several hundred miles overland, freed American prisoners of war, helped capture a Muslim city, and are now planning a regime change. That sounds like a possible present-day headline, but in this case the date was April 27, 1805, and the exploit was one of the most famous in the long and storied history of the United States Marine…