Paul McElhinney 
As we approach Halloween, it is worth looking at the origins of the celebration and how it became such a popular annual event in the United States. The story is an interesting journey into the mists of time. Halloween owes its origin to the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhan of over 2000 years ago, intermingled
As an Irishman who has lived in the United States, I am constantly looking out for examples of how the two countries are linked. There are many. Interestingly, my research has revealed that Adams County is linked with the County of Armagh in Ireland through both counties’ mutual association with apples. Adams County has its
Not only did the Declaration of Independence set out a vision and set of principles for an independent America, it also became the inspiration for many nations seeking independence. Crucially, it inspired the leaders of the French Revolution and those who fought for Irish independence. Four signatories of the Declaration were Irish American members of
It was the second year of the Clinton Presidency, a sweltering summer, when in the month of July 1994, I visited to the town of Gettysburg and its famous Civil War battle site. It was a time when the ‘Washington Consensus’ was at its peak. The Soviet Union and the communist regimes of Eastern Europe
Most visits by US Presidents to Ireland have been ‘Irish vote’-related or homecoming trips to ancestral roots. Trips by Kennedy, Reagan, Obama, Clinton and Biden are cases in point. The visit in late August 1962 of Gettysburg’s most famous resident, former President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was of another hue altogether. Eisenhower visited the town of
Pennsylvania’s deep and lasting connection with Ireland stretches back to the 17th century, shaping the state’s history through waves of immigration, political involvement, business, and cultural life. The first major group of Irish immigrants to Pennsylvania were the Scots-Irish, or Ulster-Scots—Presbyterians who fled religious persecution in Ireland. Welcomed by William Penn’s “oasis of religious tolerance,”