#NewsFlash | Local Irish Immigrants Tell Their Life Stories On New Podcast
BY QEDC It's In Queens
After more than a decade with the New York Irish Center in Long Island City, Paul Finnegan recently stepped down to promote a long-time tradition on the Emerald Isle: Kissing the Blarney Stone.
The Glendale resident, who hails from Galway, is now presenting CenterPieceNY, a free podcast that shares personal accounts by long-standing members of the local Irish community, most of whom arrived in the United States in the 1950s, 1960s, or 1970s and participate in NYIC activities. (It’s available on most podcast channels, including Spotify and Stitcher.)
The latest episode features Father Kelly, who has served St. Brigid’s Parish since 1977.
In another one, Helen Ward talks about how she relocated from her small village in rural County Longford to NYC as a teenager in 1960. Six decades later, she’s a mother, grandmother, and widow who lives in Woodside. She describes her tough upbringing and struggle to find a voice in the U.S. while also sustaining her faith.
In a third, Michael Doherty relates how he followed his brother from South Armagh to NYC in search of a steady job in 1963. Within a few months, he was drafted by the U.S. Military and sent to Vietnam, where he served as a medic. About a year later, he returned stateside to resume his adventure-filled life which includes various stints as a barkeeper in Manhattan pubs.
“It’s a way to give a voice to the many longstanding members of the Irish community in New York … who you won’t hear about all that often or see in the community newspapers,” Finnegan states on the CenterPieceNY website. “Even though they may not be known beyond their family and friends or an association or two that they might belong to, they have all led remarkable lives…These stories deserve to be told.”
Located at 10-40 Jackson Ave., the New York Irish Center has been a gathering place and cultural hub for the Diaspora and those interested in Ireland since officially opening in 2005. The new Executive Director is George Helsin, who founded Origin Theatre Company in 2002.
Image: CenterPieceNY