AIHS News

2011 Articles A thoughtful and educational article on the AIHS, the history of Irish America, and the Irish presidency: http://www.irishcentral.com/story/roots/the-celtic-times/presidential-tidings-and-flying-the-flag-for-ireland-123801524.html Read about the 1916 Rising Flag on display at the AIHS at: THE BBC Irish Central 1916 IRISH REVOLUTIONARY FLAG – HANDOVER TO AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEW YORK On Wednesday next, June 8, the American Irish Historical Society will accept, on loan, a unique relic of the Irish Rising of Easter 1916. The treasured object is a tricolour flag flown by the Irish Volunteers over their headquarters in Dublin during the revolution. The flag was captured by British soldiers after the surrender and was later given to a doctor in Lisburn, County Antrim. In turn his son-in-law donated it to the family of John Sweetman (1844-1936), a renowned Irish Nationalist and one of the founders of Sinn Féin. The flag is today insured for $1 million. The Sweetman family have kindly agreed to the AIHS request for a loan of this revered relic of Irish history, and next Wednesday Mr Ian Whyte of Whyte’s, Ireland’s leading art and collectibles auction house, representing the Sweetman family, will formally hand over the flag to Christopher Cahill, Executive Director of the American Irish Historical Society, at the AIHS building, 991 Fifth Avenue. Mr Whyte, speaking on behalf of the Sweetman family, says “the family are delighted to have this important icon of Irish history displayed in the AIHS in New York. The other flag that flew over the GPO during the Rising is in the National Museum of Ireland, and it is fitting that this tricolour is now in the USA, home to over forty million people of Irish descent”. It is hoped by the AIHS that the flag will be a focal point for the American commemorations of the Centenary of the Rising in 2016, in which the AIHS will play a very important part. PHOTOCALL DETAILS: Date: Wednesday 8 June 2011 Time: 3pm Venue: American Irish Historical Society, 991 Fifth Avenue, New York Contacts: Chris Cahill - ccahill@aihs.org or call (001) 212-288-2263 Ian Whyte – iw@whytes.ie or 087 2323214 or 01 676 2888 (from USA 011 353 872 323214) Factsheets on... 1. The American Irish Historical Society 2. Whyte’s 3. The 1916 Flag 4. John Sweetman ...can be found on the left hand side of this page. _____________________________________________________ The American Irish Historical Society Names Michael J. Dowling North Shore-LIJ Health System President and CEO 2011 Gold Medal Honoree NEW YORK, May 25, 2011 – The American Irish Historical Society has announced that Limerick native Michael J. Dowling, President and CEO of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, will be its 2011 Gold Medal recipient. Making the announcement, President-General Dr. Kevin Cahill stated, “As an emigrant from Ireland Michael embodies all the extraordinary accomplishments of Irish emigrants over the decades and centuries. He has risen to the top in his field through hard work, dedication and vision.” Prior to becoming President and CEO in 2002, Dowling was the health system’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Before joining North Shore- LIJ in 1995, he was Senior Vice President at Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Dowling served in New York State government for 12 years, including seven years as State Director of Health, Education and Human services, and Deputy Secretary to the Governor. He was also Commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services. Before his public service career, Dowling was a Professor of social policy and Assistant Dean at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Services, and Director of the Fordham campus in Westchester County. Previous honor of the American Irish Historical Society have included Bono, President Ronald Reagan, John Cardinal O’Connor, Donald Keough and Liam Neeson. North Shore-LIJ delivers world-class clinical care throughout the New York metropolitan area, pioneering research at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a visionary approach to medical education, high lighted by the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. The recipient for the National Quality Forum’s 2010 National Quality Healthcare Award, North Shore-LIJ is the largest integrated health care system in New York State with total revenue of more than $6 billion. With 15 hospitals and more than 200 ambulatory care centers throughout the region; North Shore-LIJ is the nation’s second-largest, non-profit secular health system with more that 5,600 beds and a total workforce of more than 43,000 employees. Dowling has been honored with many awards over the years, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He earned his undergraduate degree from University College Cork (UCC) and his master’s degree from Fordham University. He also has honorary doctorates from Hofstra University and Dowling College. The 2010 Gold Medal dinner committee has been formed under the leadership of Ralph and Maureen Nappi and Donald and Barbara Zucker. To purchase a table or individual tickets for the Society’s Annual Dinner, please contact Christopher Cahill, or Aislinn Gavin at 212.288.2263 or by emailing aihs@aihs.org. ____________________________________________________________ Constitutional Futures: Equality, Social Justice, and Rights in the New Ireland A Lecture by Colin Harvey On Wednesday, May 25th, the American Irish Historical Society, in cooperation with the Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School, the Irish American Bar Association, and the Brehon Law Society, presented a lecture and discussion by Professor Colin Harvey entitled Constitutional Futures: Equality, Social Justice and Rights in the New Ireland. In the elegant front salon of the American Irish Historical Society, Professor Colin Harvey examined the social justice agenda in Ireland, North and South with a view to encouraging a broader constitutional conversation about the sort of society we want to nurture. He stressed that in this time of transition in Ireland, the potential for an open and reflective dialogue on the kind of Ireland we want to create should not be lost. Professor Harvey mapped the significant achievements thus far as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead for all those seeking to ensure that equality, social justice, and human rights are at the centre of the New Ireland. Professor Colin Harvey has been centrally involved in the post-Good Friday Agreement discussions on the future of human rights and equality in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Professor Harvey is the Dean of the Law School, Queen’s University Belfast, and is currently a Visiting Professor at Fordham Law. He has published extensively on social justice issues in the North and South. He served as a member of the Northern Ireland Higher Education Council with the Department of Employment and Learning Northern Ireland from 2002 to 2006. In 2005, he was named Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and was re-appointed a further three years in 2008. Professor Harvey’s lecture has been made available for public viewing in the right hand column. ____________________________________________________________ American Irish Historical Society to host exhibition by Irish & American designers and craftspeople dubh dialogues in black, an exhibition of contemporary objects featuring work by Irish craftspeople, designers and artists in dialogue with their American peers, takes place at the American Irish Historical Society (AIHS), Fifth Avenue, New York from October 7th to November 27th 2011. This is the second in a series of three exhibitions, which are taking place under the direction of Irish studio designer Joseph Walsh in an exciting new initiative called STUDIO practice. STUDIO practice aims to give a voice to Irish designers and studio makers dedicated to challenging their concepts, creativity and skill to create truly new and innovative work. It is committed to building relationships and facilitating dialogue between Irish designers/makers and their key contemporaries and influencers and creates opportunities to present this important work internationally as well as within Ireland. The first exhibition in the series, which took place at the AIHS in October/November 2010, returns to Ireland this Summer where it will feature in the Galway Arts Festival. In dubh – dialogues in black international curator Brian Kennedy looks at black as both a physical and an emotional starting point for the most interesting creative voices from Ireland in dialogue with their American peers. In the show he will again be working with a core group of the artists/designers featured in the first show which was called MATERIALpoetry. Some like Sara Flynn, Liam Flynn and Eily O Connell are well known for their authoritative use of black while others like Joseph Walsh, Frances Lambe and Karl Harron are developing new techniques and approaches especially for the exhibition. In MATERIALpoetry successful collaborations were also begun with Irish Architects O’Donnell + Tuomey and the Design Firm Design Partners, which led to the production of new work from both practices and this collaborative process will continue to be developed into the dubh – dialogues in black exhibition with further projects being developed both with these and other practices. The STUDIO practice initiative also places great importance on how design/craft is viewed and discussed; as a result the catalogue for dubh – dialogues in black will include four essays by Irish and American writers, who will discuss and debate the issues surrounding the exhibition. dubh – dialogues in black provides the opportunity to build on the successes of MATERIALpoetry and establish a continuing presence for Irish design in New York City which will, in the longer term, help to establish a profile and awareness for a generation of Irish designer/makers in the US and ultimately define the design work that emerges from Ireland today. Further information on this and further events can be found on the STUDIO practice website: www.studiopractice.ie dubh – dialogues in black is part of a series of exhibitions presented by STUDIO practice which is directed by Joseph Walsh and receives the continued support of Joseph Walsh Studio. It is supported by Culture Ireland through their Imagine Ireland programme; a year-long season of Irish arts in America in 2011, an initiative of Culture Ireland, with funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport. The exhibition is hosted by the American Irish Historical Society and also receives support from the Crafts Council of Ireland. For further information contact: Frances McDonald +353 87 2420136 Email: info@studiopractice.ie www.studiopractice.ie ____________________________________________________________ The American Irish Historical Society Names BNY Mellon Chairman and CEO Robert P. Kelly 2010 Gold Medal Honoree NEW YORK, March 15, 2010 –- The American Irish Historical Society (AIHS) today named BNY Mellon Chairman and CEO Robert P. Kelly its 2010 Gold Medal recipient. The Society's highest honor, the Gold Medal is awarded to individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to Irish American life. The 2010 Gold Medal will be presented to Mr. Kelly during the organization's 113th Annual Dinner on Thursday, November 4, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. Previous AIHS Gold Medal honorees include: Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan; Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan; Cardinal John O'Connor of New York; musician Bono; actor Liam Neeson; Loretta Brennan Glucksman, Chairman of the American Ireland Fund; author Mary Higgins Clark; Sir Anthony O'Reilly, former Chairman of H. J. Heinz Company; Donald Keough, former President and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company and Chairman Emeritus of Notre Dame's Board of Trustees; and Declan Kelly, economic envoy to Northern Ireland and former Chairman and CEO of Financial Dynamics. Mr. Kelly leads BNY Mellon, the world's largest asset management and securities servicing company, with 43,000 employees in 34 countries. BNY Mellon has $22.3 trillion in assets under custody and administration, $1.1 trillion in assets under management, services $12 trillion in outstanding debt and processes global payments averaging $1.6 trillion per day. The firm provides an array of financial services for institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals, providing superior asset management and wealth management, asset servicing, issuer services, clearing services and treasury services through a worldwide client-focused team. "Bob has an outstanding reputation for successfully leading one of the most vital financial institutions in the world," said Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., President-General of the American Irish Historical Society. "Lesser known is Bob's dedication to improving the communities in which his employees live and work." In the two years since BNY Mellon established its global Community Partnership Program for year-round employee team volunteering and fundraising, its employees volunteered 45,000-plus hours through 1,110 employee teams, helping some 3,000 nonprofit organizations. All together, employee pledges and fundraising, and corporate contributions have exceeded $26 million dollars through these efforts. "I'm honored to accept this award and thrilled to be considered in the company of the previous Gold Medal winners," said Mr. Kelly. "Their collective accomplishments are a source of tremendous inspiration and set a high bar for us all to aspire to." Respected and admired by his peers, Mr. Kelly serves as chairman of the Financial Services Roundtable, treasurer of the Financial Services Forum and is a Federal Advisory Committee Member of the Federal Reserve Board. Mr. Kelly is involved in numerous philanthropic and educational organizations. He is a board member of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and a Carnegie Mellon University trustee. Mr. Kelly's middle name, Patrick, honors both his Irish ancestry and his March 17 birthday, also known as St. Patrick's Day. His great, great grandfather, Edward, who was born to William Kelly and Ann Connell in 1817 in Waterford County, Ireland, eventually emigrated to Nova Scotia. The 2010 Gold Medal dinner committee has been formed under the leadership of Brian A. Ruane, EVP of BNY Mellon. __________________________________________________________ Nobel Laureat Seamus Heaney Recipient of the Cultural Award of the American Irish Historical Society April 22, 2010, New York, NY - Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney has received the Society’s annual Cultural Award at a ceremony held at the Society’s Fifth Avenue headquarters on April 22nd, 2010. The Cultural Award of the American Irish Historical Society was inaugurated in 1998. The award is designed by the artist Patrick Ireland / Brian O’Doherty and features incisions in the ancient Irish writing system of Ogham that spell the words ONE HERE NOW. It honors an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to the cultural life of Ireland and Irish America. Past recipients have included actors Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne; musicians Declan McManus (Elvis Costello), Martin Hayes, and Mary Dunleavy; poet Billy Collins; architects Kevin Roche and Brian Tolle; and educators Maureen Murphy and James P. Murphy. On the same occasion, Seamus Heaney delivered the inaugural Thomas Flanagan Lecture in American Irish Studies, a new lecture series that will recur annually. The title of Professor Heaney’s lecture was “Flanagan’s Fosterling: Readings & Reminiscences.” The Lecture honored the life and work of novelist and scholar Thomas Flanagan, who received the Society’s Gold Medal in 1983. Flanagan’s landmark critical study, The Irish Novelists, 1800–1850, is widely credited with having brought into being the field of Irish Studies within the American university system. As Chairman of the Department of English at University of California, Berkeley –and later at the State University of New York, Stony Brook – Flanagan hosted and introduced to an American audience many of the leading figures of contemporary Irish literature, scholarship, and political thought. His trilogy of historical novels – The Year of the French, The Tenants of Time, and The End of the Hunt – present a richly detailed and imagined panoply of modern Ireland from the 1798 rebellion to the death of Michael Collins in 1922. A collection of Flanagan’s critical writings and review essays, There You Are: Writings on Irish & American Literature and History, was published after his death in 2002. Thomas Flanagan was deeply associated with the American Irish Historical Society, where he served as Historiographer for many years. His library of Irish books now forms a treasured part of the Society’s collection. http://www.irishcentral.com/story/roots/the-celtic-times/presidential-tidings-and-flying-the-flag-for-ireland-123801524.htmlhttp://www.irishcentral.com/story/roots/the-celtic-times/presidential-tidings-and-flying-the-flag-for-ireland-123801524.htmlhttp://www.irishcentral.com/news/Histroic-1916-Easter-Rising--flag-is-unveiled-in-New-York-123535179.htmlhttp://www.irishcentral.com/news/Histroic-1916-Easter-Rising--flag-is-unveiled-in-New-York-123535179.htmlmailto:ccahill@aihs.orgmailto:iw@whytes.iemailto:aihs@aihs.orghttp://www.studiopractice.iemailto:info@studiopractice.iehttp://www.studiopractice.iehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13702083shapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6shapeimage_2_link_7shapeimage_2_link_8shapeimage_2_link_9

2012 ARTICLES & ANNOUNCEMENTS


May 15, 2012: Please Join Us in Congratulating Robert J. McCann as we announce him as the 2012 Gold Medalist!Read More about our reasons for choosing Robert McCann in this article by Irish Central: here.

May 24, 2012: Radharc is reviewed by the Irish Times! Check out the article here!

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