County Limerick-born priest Kelly is a hero to Brooklyn immigrants
Msgr. James Kelly, the 87-year-old pastor emeritus of St. Brigid’s Parish in Bushwick, Brooklyn, got some long overdue attention in 2025. In May, S...
December 24, 2025
by Geoffrey Cobb
Mayor Mitchel, both despised and admired, still divides opinion
Not only New Yorkers, but people around the world are buzzing about New York’s mayoral elect, 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani, who will become the secon...
December 10, 2025
by Geoffrey Cobb
'A gift from Egypt to the world'
I just visited the stunning new Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt. As a writer I am not supposed to be at a loss for words, but this amazing bu...
December 05, 2025
by Geoffrey Cobb
Achill changed Henry's painting
Ironically, the artist who best captured the subtle and ephemeral beauty of the West of Ireland was an outsider. Belfast-born Paul Henry painted ca...
May 08, 2025
by Geoffrey Cobb
Tiny cemetery in Astoria, Queens has intriguing history
Our New York Irish history can often lie hiding in plain sight, especially in Astoria, Queens. If you peer between the cracks of a chain link fence...
May 01, 2025
by Geoffrey Cobb
McCabe: Belfast's forgotten abolitionist
Recently there have been heated discussions about the shameful role of many places in the British Isles in the transatlantic slave trade. One of th...
March 29, 2022
by Geoffrey Cobb
Al Smith was political trailblazer
For 75 years, America’s most powerful politicians have come to New York City for the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. Presidents Obama, ...
March 01, 2022
by Geoffrey Cobb