IRISH AMERICA Magazines Top 100 Irish-Americans
John E McKillop
Irish-Americans. The Irish-American of the Year is Michael Roarty
nominated for his outstanding contribution to all things Irish. The
list has been expanded to include Irish-born people who are now living
in the U.S. Here is the list in alphabetical order.
HALL OF FAME
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PAUL O'DWYER. The UN Commissioner in the City of New York.
MAUREEN O'HARA. Dublin-born movie actress and sparring partner for
John Wayne.
HONORAY AWARD
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MAYOR DAVID DINKINS. Mayor of New York City and supporter of Irish
causes, e.g., Joe Doherty and immigration reform.
LIZ HOLTZMAN. Ex-Brooklyn District Attorney (1981-89) and now
Comptorller of New York City and supporter for the MacBride Principles.
THE REMAINING 96
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SEAN BENSON. A native of Co. Kildare, Benson is the executive director
of the Irish Immigration Reform Movement.
TOM BERENGER (real name Tom Moore). Chicago-born, Berenger starred in
the movies PLATOON and SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME. Currently plays the
American in Jim Sheridan's new movie THE FIELD.
PATRICK BERGIN. Irish-born, Bergin stars opposite Julia Robers in the
movie SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY.
SENATOR BILL BRADLEY. Senior senator from New Jersey in the U.S. Senate.
JIM BRADY. Former White House press secretary to Ronald Reagan. Shot
and partially paralyzed during the attempt on Reagan's life.
WILLIAM BRENNAN. Native of Newark, New Jersey and son of Irish
immigrants, the 84-year old recently retired from the U.S. Supreme
Court.
TOM BROKAW. Anchorman of NBCs Nightly News TV show. A native of South
Dakota, his father is Huguenot and his mother's maiden name was Conley.
CHRISTOPHER BURKE. Youngest of four children of a retired New York cop.
Burke, who was born with Down Syndrome, is the star of the ABC TV show
LIFE GOES ON.
DAVID R. BURKE. One of the most effective Irish Americans in the East,
Burke channels his accomplishments through the AOH, Comhaltas Ceoltoiri
Eireann, and the Eire Socity. In the AOH he has served in national and
state offices and oversaw the creation of an AOH forest in Co. Kerry.
CHRIS BYRNE. A New York City cop from Brooklyn who is also the musical
anchor of the rock band Black 47.
GABRIEL BYRNE. Dubliner now living in New York, Byrne is an actor who
won an Oscar nomination for his role in the movie MILLER'S CROSSING.
MARION CASEY. President of the New York Irish History Roundtable.
JAMES CLARE. Dublin born General Manager of Gallagher's Steak House, one
of New York's top restaurants.
ALEXANDER COCKBURN. Irish-born columnist for the LOS ANGELES TIMES, the
NATION, and the WALL STREET JOURNAL.
KATE COLLINS. Born in Boston, Collins is Natalie Hunter on the ABC TV
soap opera ALL MY CHILDREN and also has been substitute co-host on ABC's
breakfast show, GOOD MORNING AMERICA. She is the daughter of former
astronaut Michael Collins, who piloted the spacecraft COLUMBIA on the
Apollo 11 mission for the first lunar landing in 1969.
STEVE COLLINS. Dublin-born has been in 19 fights since turning pro in
1986 and has won 18 of them. Made unsuccessful challenge to WBA
middleweight champ Mike McCallum in February.
McCAULAY CULKIN. New York native and star of the movie HOME ALONE.
JOHN CUSACK. Chicago-native and star of the movie THE GRIFTERS.
MAYOR RICHARD M. DALEY. Mayor of Chicago and son of the former owner of
Chicago, Richard J. Daley.
JOHN DALY. London-born Los Angeles resident, Daly is the chairman and
owner of Hemdale Film Corp which brought such movies as PLATOON, BORN ON
THE FOURTH OF JULY, and HIDDEN AGENDA to the screen.
DANA DELANEY. Native of Connecticut and star of ABC TV's CHINA BEACH.
ROY DISNEY. Walt's nephew and vice chairman of the Walt Disney Co.
Recently purchased Coolmaine Castle in Cork. His brother-in-law, Peter
Dailey, was U.S. ambassador to Ireland.
JAMES T. DOLAN. Chairman of the Irish Youth Fund, Inc, a non-profit,
charitable agency. Also chairman and chief executive officer of NJR
Corp whose main subsidiary is New Jersey Natural Gas Co.
MARIO A. DOLAN, M.D. Born in Buenos Aires and now a New York resident,
Dolan founded the Irish Argentine Society of New York. The gourp's main
goal is the promotion of a relationship between the descendants of the
Irish who emigrated to all the Americas including Mexico, Venezuela,
Peru, Brazil, Argentina, as well as the U.S.
PHIL DONAHUE. Born in Dayton, Ohio, his ancestors on both sides were
potato-famine Irish immigrants. Now hosts the DONAHUE talk show.
TOM DONAHUE. Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, the second most
important position in American labor.
CONGRESSMAN BRIAN DONNELLY. Donnelly, whose parents were from Mayo and
Roscommon, is the Democratic representative from Massachusetts who
sponsored the bill that allowed as many as 25,000 Irish citizens to
enter the U.S. legally.
DENIS DONOGHUE. Born in Tullow, Co. Carlow, Donoghue is the author of
WARRENPOINT, WE IRISH, READING AMERICA, etc.
CONNIE DOOLAN. Native of Co. Cork, is the National Draft Manager for
Guinness and supposedly THE expert on what constitutes a good pint of
Guinness.
MAUREEN DOWD. Her father is a native of Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare.
Dowd is the White House correspondent for THE NEW YORK TIMES.
MIKE DOWD. New York lawyer who has successfully defended battered
women and Irish political cases.
JANE M. DUFFIN. Philadelphia born of grandparents from Tyrone and
Antrim, Duffin is the editor of the IRISH EDITION newspaper in
Philadelphia.
MIKE DUNLEAVY. Son of an Irish transportation worker, Dunleavy is
head coach of the Los Angeles Laker's professional basketball team.
T.J. ENGLISH. Fourth-generation Irish American whose ancestors are from
Tipperary, T.J.'s father played football for Knute Rockne at Notre Dame.
English authored THE WESTIES, a story about the notorious Irish American
gang in Hell's Kitchen on New York's West Side.
MIA FARROW. Her mother is the actress Maureen O'Sullivan. Recently
appeared in the movie ALICE with Woody Allen.
GERALDINE FITZGERALD. Actress/director began her career at Dublin's
Gate Theater in 1932.
JOHANNA FLAHERTY. One of the six official guests of honor at the
reopening of Ellis Island in September 1990. The 84-year-old from
Newcastle West, Co. Limerick came through Ellis Island in 1923.
JAMES FLANNERY. Founder of the Theater Department at Atlanta's Emory
University, Flannery is an internationally notes Yeats scholar and
director.
MICHAEL FLATLEY. Son of Irish immigarnts, became world champion Irish
dancer in 1975. Also won the all-Ireland flute championship three years
in a row. Featured in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine this January as an
"Irish American Dancer."
REPRESENTATIVE TOM FOLEY. Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Spokane, Washington.
WILLIAM GALLAGHER. Massachusetts-native, Gallagher, who has been
blind since his teens, is president and executive director of the
American Foundation for the Blind.
MEL GIBSON. New York-born, Australian-raised movie star is the son of an
Irish railroad worker, and was named after St. Mel's Cathedral in
Longford.
SHARON GLESS. Los Angeles-born star of TV's CAGNEY AND LACEY and THE
TRIALS OF ROSIE O'NEILL.
JAMES HALLISEY. Counsel for the archdiocese of New York, his ancestors
come from Co. Cork.
HELEN HAYES. "First Lady of the American Theater."
MARGARET C. HEGARTY, M.D. Director of Pediatrics at Columbia University-
Harlem Hospital Center and world-renowned children's health advocate.
JACK HEALEY. Pennsylvania-born with roots in Cork and Mayo, Healey
is the executive director of Amnesty International USA.
THEODORE M. HESBURGH. His maternal grandfather was born in Ireland.
Hesburgh served as president of Notre Dame University for 35 years.
NEIL HICKEY. Son of immigarnts from Ballinspittle, Co. Cork, Hickey
is the New York bureau chief for the weekly TV GUIDE.
MARY HOLT-MOORE. President of the Bronx Gaelic League, she is the Grand
Marshall of the 1991 St. Patrick's Day parade in New York.
ANJELICA HUSTON. Daughter of director John Huston and one of the rising
movie stars in Hollywood.
PETER JENNINGS. Canadian-born, Jennings is the anchorman of ABC TV's
WORLD NEWS TONIGHT.
CHRISTOPHER KEENE. Native of California, Keene is general director of
the New York City Opera.
GENE KELLY. The Hollywood legend from Pennsylvania.
JIM KELLY. Star quarterback of the Buffalo Bills professional football
team.
COURTNEY KENNEDY. Fifth of the 11 child of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy, she
is the president and chief executive officer of Citizens Curopean
Enterprises.
CONGRESSMAN JOE KENNEDY. Son of Robert Kennedy, he is a representative
from Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives.
SENATOR TED KENNEDY. Senior Senator from Massachusetts in the U.S.
Senate.
DONALD KEOUGH. President and chief operating officer of Coca-Cola.
SENATOR BOB KERRY. Kerry, grandson of Irish immigrants and junior
Senator from Nebraska in the U.S. Senate, lost his leg in Vietnam and
won the Congressional Medal of Honor.
JOANIE MADDEN. Madden, whose parents are from Tipperary and Clare, is
the only American to win the All-Ireland tin whistle championship.
TOMMY MAKEM. What else can you say about this Irish singer.
CONGRESSMAN THOMAS J. MANTON. Manton, whose parents are from Roscommon
and Mayo, is the representative from Queens in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
WELLINGTON MARA. Owner and president of the New Jersey Giants
professional football team, winners of the Super Bowl.
JACK McCARTHY. TV voice of the St. Patrick's Parade in New York for 41
years.
MALACHY McCOURT. Limerick-born actor and host of the radio talk show
TALK BACK.
JO McNAMARA. A Dubliner, McNamara is a dance instructor at the Irish
Arts Center in New York.
SENATOR GEORGE MITCHELL. Mitchell, from Maine, is the Senate Majority
Leader in the U.S. Senate.
CONGRESSMAN JOE MAOKLEY. Massachusetts representative in the U.S. House
of Representatives, Moakley is one of the saviors of the Irish
immigration reform bill in 1990.
TOM MONAGHAN. Raised is an orphanage, Monaghan is chief executive
officer of Domino's Pizza and owner of the Detroit Tigers professional
baseball team.
BRUCE MORRISON. Former representative from Connecticut who steered the
major immigration reform act of 1990 through the House Immigration
Sub-Committee.
CHRIS MULLIN. Brooklyn native and player for the Oakland California
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS professional basketball team.
DR. MAUREEN MURPHY. Dean of Students at Hofstra Univ, New York, Murphy
is past president of the American Conference for Irish Studies.
ALLEN E. MURRAY. Murray, a native New Yorker whose mother came from
Ulster, is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer
of Mobil Corp.
BILL MURRAY. Chicago-native and movie star.
JOSEPH E. MURRAY, MD. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1990.
JANET NOBLE. Author of AWAY ALONE, a drama about illegal Irish
immigrants.
PEGGY NOONAN. Brooklyn-born former speechwriter for Presidents Reagan
and Bush and author of WHAT IS AW AT THE REVOLUTION: A POLITICAL LIFE IN
THE REAGAN ERA.
TIM O'BRIEN. Native of Minnesota and author of THE THINGS THEY CARRIED.
MSGR. WILLIAM B. O'BRIEN. Founder and president of Daytop Village, the
international drug-rehabilitation program. His mother is from Galway and
his paternal grandparents are from Cork.
MAURA O'CONNELL. Ennis, Co. Clare singer, who was with the Irish group
De Dannan, is now based in Nashville.
JOHN CARDINAL O'CONNOR. "Shanty Irish" Scranton, Pennsylvania native,
now Prince of the Catholic Church.
SINEAD O'CONNOR. The singer.
CHRIS O'DONOGHUE. Limerick-native started as TV reporter in Baltimore
and is now TV reporter with Channel 9 in New York.
AIDEEN O'KELLY. In cast of the daytime TV's soap opera THE GUIDING
LIGHT.
RYAN O'NEAL. Movie actor who starred in BARRY LYNDON.
CIARAN O'REILLY. Originally from Cavan, O'Reilly is the founder of the
New York-based Irish Repertory Theatre Company.
TOM O'REILLY. Chief executive officer of Heinz Foods and chief
stockholder in Irish Independent Newspapers.
LAURENCE O'SHAUGHNESSY. President of the O'Shaughnessy Foundation.
MARCUS O'SULLIVAN. Native of Cork, O'Sullivan is a track star.
MAUREEN O'SULLIVAN. Native of Roscommon, O'Sullivan appeared in 34
movies between 1932 and 1942 including THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET.
BILL PARCELLS (born Bill O'Shea). Parcells is the name of the relative
who brought up the coach of the New Jersey Giants championship
professional football team.
SEAN PENN. Movie star and ex-husband of Madonna.
MIKE ROARTY. Roarty, whose parents are from Donegal and Mayo, is
executive vice president and director of corporate marketing and
communications for Anheuser-Busch.
TIM RUSSERT. Senior vice president and Washington bureau chief of
NBC news.
JIM SHERIDAN. A Dubliner, movie director of MY LEFT FOOT and THE FIELD.
Morna J. Findlay
>THE REMAINING 96
>----------------
>
>SEAN BENSON. A native of Co. Kildare, Benson is the executive director
>of the Irish Immigration Reform Movement.
M
--
Morna Findlay JANET:mo...@uk.ac.ed.lfcs
Thanksgiving For a National Victory (Robert Burns)
Ye hypocrites! are these your pranks? To murder men and give God thanks?
Desist, for shame! Proceed no further: God won't accept your thanks for murther.
David Harrington
February.
>
> TOM O'REILLY. Chief executive officer of Heinz Foods and chief
> stockholder in Irish Independent Newspapers.
>
>
That sould be J. Anthony "Tony" O'Reilly.
--
David Harrington internet: d...@eire.unify.COM
Director, ACCELL Development ...!{csusac,pyramid}!unify!eire!dgh
Unify Corporation voice: +1 916 928-6255
3901 Lennane Drive, Sacramento, CA 95834 fax: +1 916 928-6401
Robert Murphy
>>
>>THE REMAINING 96
>>----------------
>>
>>SEAN BENSON. A native of Co. Kildare, Benson is the executive director
>>of the Irish Immigration Reform Movement.
>What is this?
>
The Irish Immigration Reform Movement is an organization devoted to
changing the U.S. government's immigration policy with respect to Irish
citizens.
Why is this an issue? It turns out that Ireland is the number two country
(behind Mexico) in supplying illegal aliens to the United States. Many of
these people are highly-educated, but because of their status work menial
jobs, sometimes at illegally low wages, and generally have to put up with
a lot of crap from employers, neighbors, and others for fear of being
turned in to the immigration cops.
Over the last 10-15 years or so, the U.S. immigration quotas have been
weighted in favor of Asian immigrants, especially those from countries
we feel guilty about (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, etc.). The IIRM would
like to get a higher quota for Ireland, and also would like to make it
easier for those who are already here to qualify for legal status.
I am not associated with IIRM, so some of these statements may be inaccurate
or incomplete, but this is my understanding of what they're about.
Bob Murphy
bob...@autodesk.com
S.G. Walker
>IRISH AMERICA magazine has published their annual ranking of the top 100
>Irish-Americans. The Irish-American of the Year is Michael Roarty
>nominated for his outstanding contribution to all things Irish. The
>list has been expanded to include Irish-born people who are now living
>in the U.S. Here is the list in alphabetical order.
This has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard of in my
life. Winning accolades simply for being famous and having Irish ancestors
somewhere along the line is unbelievable!!
Only in America................(I hope!!).......
Stevie