Irish America magazine
Irish America magazine is a bi-monthly periodical that aims to cover topics relevant to the Irish in North America including a range of political, economic, social, and cultural themes. The magazine’s inaugural issue was published in October 1985. Irish America focuses on political and business leaders, organizations, artists, writers and community figures among the Irish in America through its annual lists, awards, and events including the Wall Street 50, Business 100, and Stars of the South.
Irish America magazine's primary goals are to emphasize the achievements of Irish Americans in each bi-monthly issue, such as former U.S. president Bill Clinton, former president of Coca-Cola and chairman of Allen & Company Donald R. Keough, comedian Kathy Griffin, and film actress Maureen O'Hara.
History
Niall O'Dowd and Patricia Harty co-founded Irish America in 1985. Since then, it reports to have increased circulation to over 100,000 in the United States, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Its writers and correspondents aim to cover news events relevant to the Irish American community, through news stories, features, and interviews. Irish America has targeted Irish Americans from the worlds of politics, music, movies, theater, business, dance, books and academia to appear on the covers of the magazine over the years.
Awards
Irish Americans of the Year
2011 Dr. John L. Lahey
2010 John Fitzpatrick
2009 Kevin Cahill
2008 Tom Moran
2007 Hillary Clinton
2006 Raymond Kelly
2005 Maureen O'Hara
2004 John Sweeney
2003 Michael Flatley
2002 9/11 Rescue Workers
2001 Jerri Nielsen
2000 Eileen Collins
1999 George J. Mitchell
1998 Frank McCourt
1997 Ted Kennedy
1996 Bill Clinton
1995 Jean Kennedy Smith
Wall Street 50
Now in its 13th year, the Annual Wall Street 50 aims to highlight the accomplishments of Irish Americans in the financial community. Irish American targets honorees for their business acumen, including financial leaders not only from New York, but from across the nation. Each year one of the honorees is chosen as the Keynote Speaker. Recent Keynote Speakers at Irish America's Wall Street 50 Awards Celebration have included:
20101 Robert J. McCann: CEO of Wealth Management Americas UBS; former Vice Chairman and President of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.'s Global Private Client Group
20092 Brian T. Moynihan: President and CEO of Bank of America Corporation; former head of Bank of America's Global Banking and Wealth Management
20083 Brendan McDonagh: CEO of HSBC-North America Holdings, Inc.
2007 Charles P. Carey: Vice-Chairman CME Group; former Chairman Chicago Board of Trade
2006 John G. Duffy: Chairman and CEO Keefe, Bruyette & Woods
2005 Robert J. McCann: Chief Executive Officer of Wealth Management Americas UBS; former Vice Chairman and President of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.'s Global Private Client Group
2004 Donald R. Keough: Chairman of the Board of Allen & Company Inc.; Former president, COO, and a director of The Coca-Cola Company
2003 Michael J. Rice: President, Private Client Group at Prudential Securities Incorporated
2002 Thomas C. Quick: Vice Chairman of Quick and Reilly/Fleet Securities Inc.
2001 Denis Kelleher: Founder and CEO of Wall Street Access
2000 Christopher 'Kip' M. Condron: President and CEO of AXA Financial, Inc.
There has been a Guest of Honor at every Wall Street 50 event. Recent Guests of Honor have included Golf Champion Pádraig Harrington (2009) and Republican Senator John McCain (2008), among others.
Business 100
Irish America honors corporate success in the Irish community across the United States with the annual Business 100. Each year, 100 honorees are featured in an edition of the magazine, and their accomplishments are celebrated at a luncheon. The magazine also welcomes one guest as the Guest of Honor. Recent Keynote speakers at this event have included the following:
20104 Anne Sweeney, Co-Chairman Disney Media Networks and President, Disney-ABC Television Group
20095 Liam Casey, founder of PCH International
20086 Donald Keough, chairman of Allen and Company, and former CEO of Coca-Cola
2007 Paula Dobriansky, US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland
2006 James Quinn, President of Tiffany & Co.
2005 John Hartnett, Senior Vice President of Palm Inc., and A. G. Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble
2003 Dennis Swanson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Viacom Television Group, and James McCann (businessman), President, CEO, and founder of 1-800-Flowers
2002 Tom McEnery, former Mayor of San Jose, California, and Susan Kelliher-Ungaro, Editor in Chief of Family Circle
2001 Tom Coughlin, former President of WalMart Stores, Inc.
2000 Joe T. Ford, Chairman and CEO of Alltel
1999 Brian Connolly, former Executive Vice President of Avon Products North America, and William D. Walsh of Sequoia Associates
1998 Anne Sweeney, Co-Chairman Disney Media Networks / ABC Television Group
1997 Charles Feeney
Stars of the South
Since 2006, Irish America magazine aims to pay tribute to the Irish contribution to the Southern United States as the Stars of the South. The honorees are feted at an annual celebratory dinner in Atlanta.
2010's Stars of the South honorees included:
Patrick Berrigan, City Prosecutor of Slidell, Louisiana and Assistant District Attorney of Slidell City Court
Steve Cahillane, President of the North American Group for Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE)
Stephen Cross, Executive Vice President for Research of the Georgia Institute of Techology
Archbishop John F. Donoghue, retired Archbishop of Atlanta
John Maschinot, Master musician and member of A Do, a classic Irish piping and fiddling duo
Joseph M. Hassett, Accomplished lawyer and Yeats scholar, author of "W.B. Yeats and the Muses"
Patrick J. McGahan, Chairman of PJM Investments
Betty Scott Noble and Susan Dougherty, contributors to Agnes Scott College
Irish America Hall of Fame
In 2010, Irish America magazine began inducting members into the Irish America Hall of Fame, which honors the extraordinary achievements of Irish-American leaders — from their significant accomplishments and contributions to American society, to their personal commitment to safeguarding their Irish heritage and to the betterment of Ireland. Honorees include:
Donald Keough : Chairman of the Board of Allen & Company Inc.; Former president, COO, and a director of The Coca-Cola Company— Inducted November 2010
Dr. Kevin Cahill : Medical Doctor and Chief Medical Advisor for Counterterrorism — Inducted March 2011
Bill Clinton : 42nd President of the United States — Inducted March 2011
Mary Higgins Clark : World renowned author of suspense novels — Inducted March 2011
Charles Feeney : Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and Humanitarian — Inducted March 2011
Michael Flatley : Lord of the Dance — Inducted March 2011
William Flynn : President and CEO of the Mutual America and chairman of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy — Inducted March 2011
Denis P. Kelleher : Founder, chairman and CEO of Wall Street Access - Inducted March 2011
Jean Kennedy Smith : American diplomat, former United States Ambassador to Ireland, founder of Very Special Arts — Inducted March 2011
James D. Watson : Nobel Prize winner for mapping the structure of DNA — Inducted March 2011
Contributors
The following writers have contributed to Irish America magazine:
Thomas Cahill
Jim Dwyer
T.J. English
Pete Hamill
Thomas Hauser
Mary Pat Kelly
Colum McCann
Frank McCourt
Peter Quinn
Michael Scanlon
Interviews
The following have been interviewed in Irish America magazine over the past 25 years:
Kevin Barry (author)—February March 2011
Sebastian Barry—April May 2005
Mischa Barton—April May, 2006
Joe Biden—August September 2001
Cathie Black—2000
Bono—April May 2002
Tom Brady—April May 2005, December January 2006, April May 2006
Jimmy Breslin—May June 1997
Pierce Brosnan—June July 2003
Gabriel Byrne—November 1987, September 1990, February March 2000
George Carlin—June July 2006
Mary Higgins Clark—July August 1991, April May 2001, April May 2003, October November 2005, February March 2011
Bill Clinton—March April 1996, April May 2001
George Clooney—April May 2001, April May 2002, April May 2006
Patrick Dempsey—April May 2003, April May 2006
Matt Dillon—April May 2006
Emma Donoghue—February March 2011
Maureen Dowd—October November 2005, April May 2006, August September 2001
Roddy Doyle—April May 2006
T.J. English—June July 1999
Colin Farrell—August September 2002
Michael Flatley—March 2002
Harrison Ford—November December 1993
Brendan Fraser—February March 2010
Pádraig Harrington—October November 2007
Anjelica Huston—May 1986, Sept 1991, March April 1995, April May 1999, June July 2003
Brian Kelly (coach)—December January 2011
Mary Pat Kelly—February March 2009
Caroline Kennedy—May 1992, April May 2003
Ted Kennedy—October 1992, June July 2002
Also listed as Edward Kennedy—May 1991, March April 1997, April May 2001, April May 2002, April May 2006
Claire Kilroy—February March 2011
Kevin Kline—April May 2001
Bill Maher—October November 2008
Mary McAleese—May June 1998
Frank McCourt—Sept. Oct 1996, June July 1987, March April 19998, April May 2001, October November 2005, April May 2006
Van Morrison—November 1988
Bill Murray—November 1988, October November 2005
Paul Murray (author)—February March 2011
Gregory Peck—June July 1997, April May 2001, August September 2003 October November 2005
Regis Philbin—April May 2005
Colin Powell—April May 2001, April May 2005
Martin Quigley—February 1987
Nora Roberts—April May 2003
Coco Rocha—June July 2009
Mickey Rourke—September 1987
John Patrick Shanley—December January 2006, September 1988, August September 2002, December January 2005
Martin Sheen—October November 2000
Micky Ward—February March 2011
Bill Whelan—October November 2009
Online
Selected content from each issue appears on Irish Central in its own section of the website, along with news from the Irish Voice newspaper and Home and Away (newspaper).