Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

Why so many Irish aren’t fans of Churchill

When Ireland’s leader politely pushed back on the Churchill-As-Hero narrative at the White House on St. Patrick’s Day he was tapping into Irish history. Micheal Matin acknowledged Churchill’s leadership in World War Two but differed with Trump when it comes to his legacy in Ireland.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

When Irish America woke up

Fifty years ago in late March a 900-page novel about Ireland from the Penal Laws through the Famine to the Rising, started its climb up the U.S. best seller lists. Trinity by Leon Uris would become the best-selling novel in America through that Bicentennial Summer. There’s no question whose side it took in the centuries-old conflict between Ireland and England, Catholic and Protestant.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

Photos from a Banquet

There are thousands of banquets being held around the world this month of March 2026 with the same theme: Hail glorious Saint Patrick….in so many words. Portland is no exception. Hibernian Colleen Schultz shared these photographs from the evening.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

It’s a wonderful Irish American life

Peter Cullen, who has been at the center of Irish American activities in Greater Portland since the turn of the century, has passed away. What a life for this devoted family man, proud and active Hibernian, native Irishman and friend to hundreds.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

Hibernian Banquet 411

When the bagpipes play it’s time to eat at the annual Hibernian Saint Patrick’s Day Banquet on March 7, 2026. Have you signed up? It might not be too late. Find all the details of the evening here.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

NW Portland “splendid edifice” turns 100

The centennial year of Saint Mary’s Cathedral in NW Portland began on Feb. 14, 2026 with a special Mass. One hundred years ago on that date thousands turned out to celebrate the “splendid edifice” that was the new epicenter of Catholic life in Greater Portland. Read what that occasion says about the persistence of the Catholic Church in Oregon.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

What to make of the Seamus Culleton case

The narrative in the case of Seamus Culleton shiftED this week when it emerged that the Kilkenny man picked up by ICE in Massachusetts for overstaying his visa has some unfinished business in the court system in Ireland. FIVE TAKEAWAYS.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

Giving up

Has anyone asked you what you’re giving up for Lent this year? Social media seems to be the popular choice these days. Chocolate and alcohol were once the people’s choice. Making small sacrifices for Lent used to be mostly a Catholic practice. Not any longer.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

Abe and Paddy

Abe Lincoln surrounded himself with Irish aides in the White House. They were called his “mick clique.” Despite his affection for the Irish, they never voted for him in great numbers. But they fought his war.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

AOH has seen enough from Trump. Again.

President Trump’s recent post of a video/meme showing Barrack and Michele Obama as apes hit home for the AOH. The president of the oldest Irish Catholic org in America has taken Trump to task in a recent statement. Irish immigrants in the 19th century faced the same racism, he recalls.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

Happy Birthday Brendan Behan

The Irish writer Brendan Behan was born during the Irish Civil War on Feb. 9 in 1923. Most people have heard of Behan, but only because he caused a media sensation with his outrageous behavior. No one would have paid attention if he was just a successful writer. Rebel prisoner. Writer. Roustabout. Hopeless alcoholic. He was all these things and more.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

OR names members of IRE Sister State panel

Background on the new, first-ever Oregon-Ireland Sister State Committee. Ireland is establishing official relations with more than 24 states. This initiative, headed by Sen. Mark Daly, is expected to enhance trade, cultural, educational and historical ties between Ireland and its diaspora in America.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

That other airport in the West of Ireland

Forty years ago, residents of the West of Ireland began to see jets landing and leaving from Knock International Airport prior to its official opening in May 1986. Most had never seen such a sight and showed up on the big day. How Knock Airport got built is an amazing Irish story.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

Another Irish High Cross is headed to Greater Portland

The Hibernian High Cross at the Oregon Potato Famine Memorial inspired the President of George Fox College to commission a second High Cross sandstone replica by the late artist Brendan McGloin. The Cross is expected in late 2026 or early 2027.

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Bill Gallagher Bill Gallagher

Meet Madge Clifford

Recent Golden Globe winner Jessie Buckley of Killarney, Co. Kerry is descended from a woman who played a role in the 1916 Rising and War of Independence in Ireland. How her genealogy can be a teachable moment.

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