Latest news with #IrishAmerican
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
West Clare's Vandeleur Festival reveals line-up for weekend celebration of music, culture and community spirit
Set in the beautiful surrounds of the Vandeleur Walled Garden and Visitor Centre, the festival promises a four-day celebration of music, culture and community spirit. The line-up, which festival organisers announced over the weekend, includes local and international acts. The festival opens on Thursday, June 26, with beloved Kerry comedian Bernard Casey taking to the stage. 'Known for his sharp wit and relatable humour, Casey has sold out major venues such as the INEC, Vicar Street, and The Everyman Theatre, as well as performing internationally in London, New York, and Boston,' festival organisers said. Clare's own award-winning trio, Socks in the Frying Pan, will headline the Friday night, with their 'energetic blend of traditional Irish melodies and modern rhythms' promising a great show. Cherish the Ladies are returning by 'popular demand', according to festival organisers - and they are hitting the stage on Saturday, June 28. Once again, this Irish American supergroup will 'dazzle audiences with their exhilarating mix of traditional Irish music, stunning vocals, and spellbinding step dancing'. Also on Saturday, there will be an opportunity to meet local makers, secure in-store promotions, and see special guests as the brand-new Gifts at Vandeleur Gift Shop by Kilkenny Design is launched. Closing the festival on Sunday, June 29 is country music sensation Gerry Guthrie. The Ballina-based singer and his five-piece band have been entertaining audiences across Ireland and the UK for more than ten years, with their show 'promising a high-energy finale' to this year's festivities. Beyond the headline acts, there will be music throughout Saturday and Sunday at the garden. All evening concerts begin at 7.30pm and are ticketed events. Festival organisers recommend early booking as capacity is limited, with demand expected to be high. A park and ride service will be established for the festival and will operate every fifteen minutes between Kilrush town centre and the festival venue each evening. The 2025 Vandeleur Festival is supported by Clare County Council, the Kilrush Town Team, Kilrush Amenity Trust CLG, and Kilrush Credit Union.
Sunday World
4 days ago
- Sunday World
Irish American community pays tribute to mum-of-three killed in murder-suicide
Arlene Connolly-O'Neill died at the hands of her husband Sean O'Neill on the morning of Wednesday, October 16. The Irish American mother of three who was killed by her husband in a murder-suicide has been remembered in a 'living tribute" at the school where she taught. Arlene Connolly-O'Neill died at the hands of her husband Sean O'Neill on the morning of Wednesday, October 16. There has been an outpouring of grief among the devastated Irish American community in Yonkers, New York, in the aftermath. Now, a tree has planted in her memory as "a beautiful nod to her strong Irish heritage' at the Yonkers elementary school where she had taught for more than two decades. Irish Central is reporting that the Eastchester Police Department shared photos from the unveiling of the tribute at Anne Hutchinson Elementary School on June 3. Arlene Connolly-O'Neill News in 90 Seconds - 7th June According to the police department's social media, teachers and students from the school, as well as two officers, came together to honor Connolly-O'Neill's memory by planting a tree in front of the school as a 'lasting symbol of her spirit and the many lives she touched'. "Students lovingly decorated rocks with green hearts, a beautiful nod to her strong Irish heritage and the warmth she shared with our school community,' the post reads. "May this tree grow strong and proud as Arlene continues to do in our hearts." Arlene, whose parents were from Co Monaghan and Co Galway, was a popular figure throughout the tight-knit Irish American community in Yonkers, where she lived her entire life. On October 16, police said that 47-year-old Arlene was shot multiple times by her 54-year-old husband Sean O'Neill, a retired NYPD Police Officer, before he turned the weapon on himself in their home in Yonkers. On October 23, a joint funeral was held for Arlene and Sean in Yonkers. In a heart wrenching speech at the end of the Mass, Arlene's brother Mark Connolly told the congregation that "no one's really sure why things turned out the way they did." He said: "We want everyone here to know that our family will not be defined by the events of that day but by the love we continue to have for one another." The couple is survived by their three sons, aged 15, 13, and 11 who are now in the care of their extended family. Following the tragedy a 'Go Green for Arlene' campaign launched by the Ladies Guild at the Annunciation Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Yonkers saw homes and businesses throughout the neighbourhood hang green bows and ribbons in her memory. The initiative was backed by the City of Yonkers, as well as numerous local businesses and community groups. In a further show of support, people on social media also changed their profile pictures to an image of a green heart with 'Arlene' written under it, Irish Central reports. An obituary shared by Flynn Memorial Home in Yonkers, described Arlene as "a proud Irish-American" who "cherished her friends and family." While she loved music and New York sports, "above all, her most-adored past time was going on nonstop adventures with her three boys, who were the loves of her life. The boys were her entire universe and she would have moved mountains for them." The obituary reads: "Arlene was a larger than life human being whose beautiful eyes and bright smile could light up a room. Her energy was infectious. 'She is gone too soon and will be dearly missed by so many. The world now has a void that can never be filled. Our hearts are heavy with her loss." According to the local Daily Voice publication, "In the months since her passing, O'Neill's family, friends, and the Eastchester school community have gathered repeatedly to grieve, honor, and celebrate her life." It added: "The tree planting is the latest in a series of tributes that reflect how deeply she was loved."
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Donegal man to be deported from US following driving charge after more than 15 years in Boston
A Donegal man living in Boston for more than 15 years is facing imminent deportation to Ireland after being detained by US immigration officials for violating his visa waiver. The 40-year-old man, who has two American-born children aged nine and 10 and has built a successful business in the Boston area, was recently arrested and brought to a detention centre run by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a driving-related conviction. He did not want to be identified. The man's lawyer John Foley, an experienced immigration attorney in Boston, said he pushed for the release of his client with an ankle bracelet and 24/7 monitoring but officials declined, saying that they had no discretion in the case. READ MORE 'No matter what I said, it didn't matter. What I am shocked about is how there is no movement at all; there was no discretion at all,' said Mr Foley. 'Never say never but before I went in, I thought there was a 10 per cent chance [of his release]. Now it is 1 per cent.' The Irish man originally travelled to the US on the visa waiver programme – under which visitors to the US can stay for tourism reasons for up to 90 days without a visa – in his early 20s and did not return home. Undocumented immigrants who overstay the period of the visa waivers are left in a precarious legal position if apprehended by immigration officials as they have no recourse to the judicial process and face immediate processing for deportation. [ Deportation anxiety in Irish America: 'I would have a clean slate before travelling' Opens in new window ] There has been a renewed crackdown by the US government on undocumented immigrants since president Donald Trump took office in January. Mr Trump has pledged to carry out the largest deportation effort in US history, promising to deport all foreign people living in the country without permission. Mr Foley said his client from Donegal was now coming to terms with the inevitability of deportation at some stage over the next 10 days. 'They will take him to the airport in chains and shackles and when the flight boards they will take the handcuffs off and allow him to leave on his own,' said the lawyer. 'His main worry is his family, then his business, which is operational. He has family to go back to in Ireland but he came to Boston as a young guy and built up a business here. He hasn't been back to Ireland in 16 years.' A colleague of Mr Foley's is representing another Irishman who is also being detained by ICE and is facing deportation under visa waiver violations. Mr Foley is expecting more undocumented Irish in Boston and other Irish-American communities to be apprehended by ICE in the months ahead. He described the mood among the undocumented community in Boston as one of 'real fear.' 'Before they leave the house they are looking up and down the street. They might spend nights in different places,' he said. Mr Foley said a state prosecutor told him recently that witnesses were not showing up as witnesses because there was 'a fear of being any place where they could be approached by ICE'. He said that people who overstay a visa waiver had no rights to 'judicial processing', especially if 'they have any kind of criminal charge hanging over them; it doesn't even have to be a conviction'. 'One guy told me he was screwed by a boss who didn't give him overtime and he can't say anything in case that boss makes a phone call,' said Mr Foley. 'In the past ICE didn't respond to those one-off calls. Now, they do.' As Trump's deportations begin, what now for the undocumented Irish? Listen | 23:49
Irish Times
09-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Pope Leo XIV: Irish-American Catholic community celebrate the rise of one of their own to the papacy
The election of Robert Francis Prevost as the first US pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church surprised many around the world and brought pride to Chicago's southeast side, where he was born and raised. The 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter was born in 1955 and grew up in Dolton, a historically working-class Catholic suburb. Chicagoans celebrated the rise of one of their own to the papacy, including those in the city's strong Irish-American Catholic community. Paddy Homan, vice-president of philanthropy and community affairs at the Plymouth Place retirement community, was with a resident when he first saw the news on TV. READ MORE 'She was overjoyed,' he said. 'It was just a great message of hope, having one of our own there.' [ Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Mass after election as successor to Francis Opens in new window ] Homan, who is originally from Cork, moved to Chicago in 2007 and is also a professional tenor. 'I'm just so proud that this guy would be chosen, not just because he's from Chicago but because he spent decades and decades in the service of others.' Homan suggested the 69-year-old's time commitment to service is 'symbolic' of the city. 'Chicago is a city of big shoulders; they look out for one another.' Prevost and his two older brothers were raised by their parents in Dolton. His father, a US naval service veteran of second World War, was a school principal, while his mother worked as a librarian. Both died in the 1990s. [ Who is Robert Prevost? The American cardinal who is the new Pope Leo XIV Opens in new window ] Fr Michael Gilligan, rector of San Rocco oratory in nearby Chicago Heights, said he was 'flabbergasted' by the news. 'The cardinals elected an American, not because he's an American but because he's really a nice guy.' Gilligan, whose grandparents hailed from Kerry and Limerick, said Pope Leo XIV would get 'a royal welcome' if returns home. 'He's not Irish, you have to forgive that. But I think he'll be very successful pope.' Prevost completed elementary school locally and, in 1969, travelled to Michigan to attend St Augustine Seminary High School. He spent some time at a now-closed seminary not far from Dolton and then went on to study at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. He returned to Chicago soon after, gaining a degree in theology from the Catholic Theological Union on the southside of the city in 1982 before being ordained in Rome later that year. He moved to Peru in 1985, serving for a decade as a priest and a teacher in Trujillo in the northwest of the country before returning to Chicago. Prevost was elected to lead the Augustinians' Midwest province in the US in 1999 and moved to Rome in 2001 to head the global Augustinian order. He returned to Peru in 2013 and was appointed bishop of Chiclayo two years later, remaining in that position until becoming a cardinal in 2023. [ Pope Leo's social conscience won't go down well with JD Vance and Maga America Opens in new window ] Prevost has faced criticism for his handling of sex abuse cases in both the US and Peru. In one case, he was accused of allowing Fr James Ray to live in a friary near a Catholic elementary school in Chicago in 2000, despite allegations against Ray of abusing minors. The Vatican denied that Prevost approved the accommodation. Earlier this year, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) submitted complaints to the Vatican about six cardinals, including Prevost. Dan McNevin, a member of SNAP's board of directors, said the group was 'disappointed' by Prevost's election to the papacy. 'He just didn't do anything special that would give us any confidence he has the ethics or the morality to do the right thing for survivors. So in that respect, we are concerned.' McNevin said he and SNAP hoped to collaborate with the Vatican under Pope Leo XIV. 'This is a pivotal time for the Catholic Church,' he said. 'We are concerned that he won't be a champion of transparency as a pope, but we really hope that he will.' Homan shares a broad optimism for the future of the church. 'I hope this pope will be that unifying voice that can stretch across the different nationalities and faiths and traditions,' he said. 'Of course, now we have to trace has he some ancestry going back home to Ireland.'
Irish Independent
08-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Irish businessman Declan Kelly joins David Beckham and Gary Neville to buy Salford City FC
In the deal, Kelly, founder of advisory business, Consello, will co-chair the northern England based club with leading UK financier Lord Mervyn Davies. The two, together with Beckham and Neville, are understood to have orchestrated the acquisition over the last number of months, assembling several leading investors. Commenting on the acquisition, Kelly said today that the new ownership structure brings the right mix to take Salford to the next level. He said: 'The group comprises some of the best in the world at what they do and has been put together for the sole purpose of driving the club forward. Utilizing the knowledge and skills of this group, our goal is to create a path to achieve new and sustainable success for SCFC both on and off the pitch.' Kelly's New York City headquartered Consello - which has offices in Ireland - will also be responsible for building out the club's commercial operations in the UK and around the world, while drawing on the expertise of the broader investor group, made up of individuals with backgrounds in sports, entertainment, banking, law and technology. Mr Kelly and Gary Neville have developed close ties over recent years, with the former Man Utd captain a Partner in Consello in both UK and Ireland. Gary Neville said that the unique partnership with a diverse range of minds and expertise is held together by a love of football. The SKY football pundit said: 'Football will come first, however it's critical that we drive the club towards sustainability in the next four to five years. I can't wait for the next part of this journey.' Beckham, meanwhile, spoke of the Salford area's importance to him and his excitement about taking the club to the next level. Beckham - who turned 50 on May 2nd - said: 'I grew up in Salford….I have such fond memories of my time living there and the place and its people played such an important part in my early life in football. Salford City is at the heart of its community….it has a rich history and I am delighted to be a part of the next chapter.' The uniquely structured 'members club' also includes another Irish businessman and founder of private equity firm Clipper Street Capital, Colin Ryan, as well as Americas Chair of DLA Piper and Consello Advisor, Irish American Frank Ryan. The move will see the new shareholder group invest significantly in the club, the team and its facilities are targeting promotion to the Championship over the next five years. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. However, it is believed that the collective have raised around $15m-20m to boost Salford's sporting and infrastructural ambitions over the next five years. Each member will hold a 5pc or 10pc stake, totalling at 80pc and the remaining 20pc has been earmarked for additional partners. Gary Neville and David Beckham had previously owned the club in partnership with several other members of the famed Class of 92 including Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt, alongside businessman Peter Lim. The new consortium's investment in Salford City will build on the work undertaken over the last several years at the club, which transformed it from a semi-professional team in the eight-tier of English football to the fourth tier, including four promotions in five years and narrowly missing out on this year's League 2 play-offs last weekend. The fortunes of the club have also been the subject of a number of 'fly on the wall' documentaries for SKY television. Consello is headquartered out of New York and advises many of the world's most important companies and CEOs. Its clients are understood to also include many US multinationals operating in Ireland, where the company launched offices last year. The company now has offices in 10 locations around the world, including Dublin, Belfast and the midwest.
