New York Irish History Roundtable - Journal Articles

One of the enduring images of the New York Irish community is their representation in the New York City Police Department. During the past hundred years the department has been led by an almost the new department. The first police officer to die in the line of duty was an Irish New Yorker, James Cahill, who was shot by burglar at Tenth Street and Avenue B on September 29, 1854.1 unbroken string of Irish-American commissioners, and popular opinion has long held that other ranks are dominated by members from the Irish community. Few Irish New... [Read Full Article]

In the 1790s, rural County Armagh was a hotbed of Protestant and Catholic sectarianism. Friction between the two groups culminated in a fierce pitched battle at the Diamond, a country crossroads near the village of Loughgall in 1795. Immediately afterward, become dormant by the time of the Civil War. In 1868 its rebirth officially came about when a handful of members conducted a small parade through the streets of New York. The Irish-American, a New York weekly co-published by Catholic Irishman Patrick Lynch and Protestant the victorious... [Read Full Article]

John Street, in lower Manhattan less than two blocks east of Broadway, is the John Street Methodist Church. It stands on the site of the original Wesley Chapel erected by Limerick native, Philip Embury, in the 1768. The Wesley Chapel, described as "plain and decent," was the first CONSTRUCTION OF THE CHAPEL AND THE CHURCH Philip Embury was also a carpenter. In 1768 he built the Wesley Chapel on John Street on a piece of ground purchased from the widow of the third rector of Trinity Church. This church lot was the first... [Read Full Article]

The name of Peter J McGuire (1852-1906) has receded into the mists of time, yet his contribution to building a trade union movement in America equals that of Samuel Gompers, a contemporary of his, and that of John L. Lewis of a later generation.

There is little doubt that McGuire was a prime mover of the Labor Day holiday, though others were involved as well. While McGuire was not lone advocate of the idea, he was its most articulate champion--a gifted public speaker. He spoke enthusiastically in favor of such a celebration at the... [Read Full Article]

Patrick McNierney has been a consulting engineer with Horst Berger Partners and Severud Associates in New York City. He is also a Deputy Director of the New York City Bureau of Bridges. He holds degrees in engineering from Bucknell and Columbia universities, and is a member of the Columbia University Faculty House. ? 2002. Published with permission of Patrick J. McNierney immediately following the attacks on September 11, 2001. It also deals with his connections, some through his family, with the work that went on there before and after the... [Read Full Article]

In a city as ethnically diverse as New York, it is essential that a politician be sensitive to the needs of many different groups. At the same time, it is impossible for an individual to ignore his or her own ethnic background and simply blend into the melting pot for the sake of impartiality. How then, can mayor of New York City be equitable to all people while remaining supportive of his own ethnic group? This was precisely the task which faced William O'Dwyer, the last Irish-born Mayor of New York City who governed from 1946-1950.... [Read Full Article]

The rise of immigrant Catholics during nineteenth century America resulted in their being "viewed as the pawns of Rome and a moral stain on the sanctified fabric of republican culture." This concern became heated from 1870 until 1890 when New York City's Irish population exploded with over 859,000 new Irish immigrants.2 The resulting demographic shift engendered a radical reshuffling of the electorate; almost half of the voters during the 1890 elections in New York City were immigrants.3 Lines were soon drawn in the struggle to... [Read Full Article]

INTRODUCTION An increasing number of questions from members about the contents of New York Irish History has indicated the need for an index to the Roundtable's journal.

In the index provided below, for published articles there are author, title, and subject entries.

Reviews of books, exhibitions, and/or films are shown in italics, and have author, title, and reviewer entries.

Books listed in the journal, but not reviewed, have no entries. Columns without authors, bulletin boards, letters, editorials, and... [Read Full Article]

Beginning in 1873, John Jefferson Reilly lived and worked for more than eighty years in New York City.

In 1943 he wrote this memoir of the events, people, and places in his life. This document gives us a unique look at the lives of "ordinary" Irish New Yorkers who struggled for success in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Reilly's grandson, Edwin Bolitho, has contributed the memoir to New York Irish History. Mr. Bolitho's mother, Madeline, was the third of four children of John Jefferson Reilly... [Read Full Article]

In March 1934, reflecting on Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first year in office the New York based Irish World expressed the hope that "this good man will be spared for many years to come to serve his people and to lead them back to the principles of real Americanism." 1 This reflected the extremely supportive tone of the paper's coverage of the first year of the New Deal. As far as the Irish World was concerned America during 1933 had seen a "complete revolution" led by a man who "felt the needs of the country... [Read Full Article]