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Subject: [IRISH-NYC] Al Smith and the Irish
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 14:40:55 EST


On Saturday, March 8, the New York Irish History Roundtable will present
Christopher Finan, author of Alfred E. Smith: The Happy Warrior, speaking on
"Al Smith and the Irish." The 2 p.m. talk will take place at Fordham
University Law School's McNally Auditorium, located at 140 West 62nd Street
at Columbus Avenue in Manhattan.

Like most authors, Christopher Finan dreamed of writing a bestseller but as
years passed, he came to realize that Al Smith was hardly remembered. That
realization was shocking. The rise of Al Smith is one of America's great
success stories. Born on the Lower East Side of New York, he became one of
New York's greatest governors and in 1928 the first Catholic candidate for
president.

After the death of this father, Smith was raised by his mother, Catherine
Mulvehill, whose parents had emigrated from Westmeath in 1841. Reared by an
Irish family in an Irish neighborhood, Smith entered politics under the
auspices of the Irish machine, Tammany Hall. Smith's background shaped his
political career. A representative of a largely powerless and often despised
minority, he fought for twenty-five years for equal rights for the Irish, for
Jews, and for other groups that had not attained full political equality. He
was the first great leader of immigrant America.

The event is open to all. There is a $3.00 fee for non-members of the
Roundtable. A coffee and tea reception will follow the talk. The program
will open with the Roundtable's annual business meeting.

The New York Irish History Roundtable, begun in 1984, sponsors lectures,
walking tours, scholarships and genealogy workshops. More information about
Roundtable activities and membership is available on the Internet at
http://www.irishnyhistory.com.

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