The Society of the Friendly Sons and Daughters of St. Patrick, in conjunction with the Villanova University Center for Irish Studies, is formally launching “Irish America 250,” a national initiative recognizing 250 years of Irish contributions to the United States.
The launch is what is described as “a public 2026 kick-off event” on Wednesday, January 14
at the John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts at Villanova University.
The event, said a release, marks the beginning of a year-long series of programs aligned with America 250, the nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“The kick-off will honor General Stephen Moylan, an Irish-born patriot, aide-de-camp to General George Washington, and the first president of the Society. Moylan is widely credited as the first person to use the phrase ‘United States of America’ in a written communication, in a January 2, 1776 letter during the Revolutionary War.”
The program will feature a historical presentation by Pádraig Higgins, PhD, and a fireside chat examining
Moylan’s legacy and the broader role of Irish immigrants and Irish Americans in the nation’s founding.
Guests at the event will include Irish Ambassador to the United States Geraldine Byrne Nason,
Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, President of Villanova University, and Kieran Moylan from
Cork, Kevin Meara, and Tom Lloyd, all descendants of General Stephen Moylan.
“Irish MAGA”? – Steve Bannon working “behind the scenes on the Irish situation”.
Steve Bannon insists Ireland is “going to have an Irish MAGA,” despite recent voting trends in Ireland indicating otherwise.
Kerry O’Shea
Dec 31, 2025
Steve Bannon, who served as the White House’s chief strategist during US President Donald Trump’s first term, says he is “working behind the scenes” to form a nationalist party in Ireland.
Bannon, 73, mentioned Ireland while discussing the recently published National Security Strategy of the United States of America in an interview with Politico.
The strategy, signed by Trump, claims in part: “The larger issues facing Europe include activities of the European Union and other transnational bodies that undermine political liberty and sovereignty, migration policies that are transforming the continent and creating strife, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence.”
It adds: “We want Europe to remain European, to regain its civilizational self-confidence, and to abandon its failed focus on regulatory suffocation.”
It later states: “America is, understandably, sentimentally attached to the European continent— and, of course, to Britain and Ireland. The character of these countries is also strategically important because we count upon creative, capable, confident, democratic allies to establish conditions of stability and security. We want to work with aligned countries that want to restore their former greatness.”
According to Politico, the strategy “prompted gasps of horror from European capitals,” though Bannon is “clearly gleeful” and is “clearly relishing upcoming opportunities to amplify the radical populist message across Europe.”
Bannon told Politico: “I think MAGA will be much more aggressive in Europe because President Trump has given a green light with the national security memo, which is very powerful.”
According to Politico, Ireland is first up in Bannon’s “schemes to smash the [European] bloc’s liberal hegemony and augment the Trump administration’s efforts.”
Bannon, who is of Irish and German descent, told Politico: “I’m spending a ton of time behind the scenes on the Irish situation to help form an Irish national party.”
He claimed: “They’re going to have an Irish MAGA, and we’re going to have an Irish Trump. That’s all going to come together, no doubt. That country is right on the edge thanks to mass migration.”
In 2020, Bannon and three others were indicted by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in connection with an alleged conspiracy to defraud donors to a crowdfunding campaign called “We Build the Wall.” However, on January 20, 2021 – the final day of Trump’s first term in office – Bannon received a presidential pardon on the federal matter; his co-defendants received no pardon.
In September 2022, Bannon was charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with two counts of Money Laundering in the Second Degree, two counts of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, and one count of Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree.
In October 2022, Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison after being convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, breach of the US Capitol.
Earlier this year, as part of a plea deal for the September 2022 charges in New York, Bannon pleaded guilty to one count of scheme to defraud. He received a three-year conditional discharge and is barred from fundraising for or serving as “an officer, director, or in any other fiduciary position” for any charitable organization with assets in New York state.
In October, Bannon told The Economist that “there is a plan, and President Trump will be the President in ’28,” despite the US Constitution’s 22nd Amendment dictating that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
While there are MAGA supporters in Ireland, recent voting trends are not indicative of a widespread shift toward the right, raising doubts about Bannon’s claims that there will be an “Irish MAGA.”
In Ireland’s most recent general election in November 2024, Fianna Fáil emerged as the largest party, followed by Fine Gael and Sinn Féin. Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are considered centre or centre-right – certainly not as far right as MAGA – while Sinn Féin is considered left to centre-left.
More recently, Ireland elected Catherine Connolly to become the country’s tenth President, succeeding Michael D Higgins. The left-wing Independent soundly defeated Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys and Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin, though Gavin had announced before election day that he was abandoning his run.
Notably, Irish sports star Conor McGregor, who met with US President Donald Trump in the White House on St. Patrick’s Day this year, attempted to get on the ballot for this year’s Presidential election after being found liable for sexual assault in 2024. Despite earning the backing of Elon Musk, a major Trump 2024 donor, McGregor was ultimately not able to garner enough support to get on the ballot.
Tom Kelly: Steve Bannon should butt out of Ireland with his toxic brand of politics.
The MAGA movement wants to extend its toxicity into Europe. It wants to destroy the EU and mold Europe in its image.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon has said he is working on a nationalist party in Ireland.
By Tom Kelly
January 05, 2026 at 6:34am GMT
THE recent passing of two SDLP veterans, Joe Byrne and Mary Bradley, served as a timely reminder that people who took part in peaceful political activism during the worst of times in Northern Ireland did so at great personal risk and sacrifice.
But they also did so without bitterness, rancor, or animosity towards those who were politically opposed to them.
It’s a quality so often missing from the toxicity of modern-day politics.
Politics isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s very much a blood sport.
I have witnessed the best of politics and the worst. The best is inspiring and galvanizing. The worst is depressing and demoralizing.
Joe Byrne and Mary Bradley were of a generational movement which rejected violence, promoted peace, and stood courageously on the front line, armed with nothing but their resilience and resolve.
They demonstrated bravery by owning their actions. They didn’t shy away from the difficult tasks or questions. They needed neither an armalite nor balaclava.
The SDLP had no monopoly on people like Mary or Joe – other parties had them too.
Jim and Joe Hendron (Alliance and SDLP respectively); Michelle Gildernew and Mitchel McLaughlin of Sinn Féin; the UUP’s Reg Empey and Sylvia Hermon; Sean Neeson and Eileen Bell of Alliance; or Robin Newton and Willie Hay in the DUP. The list is extensive.
The recent decision of Mike Nesbitt to stand down as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (a move anticipated two weeks ago in this column) is further proof that being nice in politics takes its toll.
Those with the hide of a rhinoceros tend to fare better in longevity.
Nesbitt took charge of a party which was impossible to manage and gave it his all.
Politics — not just the UUP — will be poorer without him.
But deep rancour has seeped into our politics, and it’s imported.
The MAGA movement wants to extend its toxicity into Europe. It wants to destroy the EU and mould Europe in its image.
Ironically, the so-called British and Irish patriots who bang on about nationalism, purism, and sovereignty actually want to dissolve British and Irish sovereignty to become subsumed as satellites of the MAGA movement and Trumpism.
They want hand power to powerful financial elites and oligarchs who will profit from taking in the gullible.
Imperialist/Soviet expansionism or fervent nationalism has cost Europe dearly.
Over centuries there have been literally hundreds of wars over disputed borders and territories.
The Great War, the Second World War, and the Cold War nearly ruined Europe.
The EEC, now the EU, was a model for cooperation and lasting peace. It worked.
The Irish peace process itself, as articulated by the late John Hume, was a European model.
Last week, the rather reprehensible and offensive Steve Bannon — one of the architects of MAGA — said he is working to create a ‘national’ party in Ireland.
The last time that happened, it manifested in the Mussolini-light Blueshirts under Eoin O’Duffy.
Those patriots who now want to introduce a form of modern-day para-fascism in Ireland are deluded.
But they are being duped by wealthier, seemingly-respectable arch-conservatives and aging, cantankerous contrarians who are out to feather their own nests or re-create some kind of mythical neo-Catholic state — which even de Valera couldn’t fully achieve.
Bannon should butt out of Irish affairs. The MAGA movement under Trump and his cabinet zealots are out to subvert the Irish economic model and impoverish the nation.
Tom Kelly: Amid all the madness, Pope Leo can keep my glass half full for 2026Opens in new window
Just because the British Brexiters were daft enough to vote to leave the EU and stunt their countries’ economic growth, doesn’t mean Irish people should ape this and, lemming-like, jump off the cliff edge.
The Irish Government has said it will use its presidency influence in the EU to rein in social media excesses by banning anonymous online accounts.
This is overdue. Those who wish to have an opinion can still have it by owning it and not cowardly trolling behind false profiles.
Free speech comes with responsibilities.
If you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article and would like to submit a Letter to the Editor to be considered for publication
“Why did you spend all that money? That’s too much” “Why did you spend all that money? That’s too much”.
Forget Jesus and Santa – we all know that the miracle of Christmas comes down to just one person: the Irish mammy.
They’re the ones who somehow manage to juggle cooking dinner for the entire family, buying presents for everyone from the postman to your aunty Mary, and making sure the house is spick and span for the visitors.
And Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without hearing your mammy come out with the following gems:
1. “You’re not wearing that to mass”
You may be happy to spend the day in your PJs but heaven help you if you try to leave the house in anything your mam deems ‘shabby.’
Christmas is a time for a nice rig out and your good coat.
2. “Why did you spend all that money? That’s too much”
Only an Irish mammy would give out to you for ‘wasting your money’ on expensive presents for them. That being so, try taking it back and see what happens!
3. “You could do SOMETHING to help”
You know better than to bother her when she’s cooking the dinner, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to suffer in silence. Not when she’s up to 90, and you’re lounging around watching Christmas movies.
4. “You’re doing it wrong… leave it, and I’ll do it”
It doesn’t matter that she’s asked you to help out – only she knows how to do it RIGHT. The truth is, she doesn’t really want you under her feet ‘helping,’ she just wants you to know how under pressure she is.
5. “Don’t leave your stuff all over the floor”
Leaving your opened presents under the tree is another big no-no, as everything has to be cleared away before the visitors come. She did not spend a week cleaning the house, only for you to mess it up again.
6. “Those biscuits are for the visitors”
Those fancy foil-wrapped biscuits are strictly for the visitors: don’t even bother trying to sneak one, as you will be murdered. You’ll just have to contend yourself with some USA biccies instead.
7. “I’m glad that’s all over…I can relax now”
Once all the dishes are cleared away, it’s your mam’s turn to enjoy Christmas. Which inevitably starts with a glass of wine as a reward for all her hard work and the phrase ‘that’s all over now for another year.’
Happy Christmas to all the Irish mammies out there!
*This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.
County Limerick-born priest Kelly is a hero to Brooklyn immigrants.
The District Three Immigration Services storefront in Bushwick.
County Limerick-born priest Kelly is a hero to Brooklyn immigrants
December 24, 2025 by Geoffrey Cobb
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, Saint John’s University conferred an honorary degree on him and the Great Irish Fair named him as their Fr. Mychal Judge Award recipient; meanwhile, the New York Times did a feature article on the Adare, Co. Limerick-born priest. RTE and the Tablet have also covered Msrg. Kelly, who has served the people of Bushwick for an amazing 65 years.
Kelly’s biography is intertwined with Bushwick’s turbulent history. When Msgr. Kelly arrived in Bushwick in 1960 the area was vastly different. Bushwick was middle class and 90 percent Caucasian. St. Brigid’s parish was mostly German with some Sicilians. Kelly was assigned to the parish in part because of his fluency in the Italian and German languages. White flight, however, would totally transform the area in the late 1960s and ‘70s into an enclave of African Americans and Hispanics.
Monsignor Kelly became pastor of St. Brigid’s in 1977, the same year Bushwick made national headlines when a power blackout led to widespread looting of the area’s retailers. Arson soon became a common occurrence after the blackout, and the area became one of the most dangerous areas in the city, where gang violence and drug use became common. Kelly was even attacked inside his rectory by a robber whose punches left Msgr. Kelly with two facial fractures and his right eye swollen shut. ”I looked like I was in Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ,”’ Monsignor Kelly said. ”I was bloody all over.”
Limerick native Msgr. James Kelly qualified as a lawyer so he could better assist the foreign-born residents of Brooklyn.
The neighborhood today is home to Brooklyn’s largest Hispanic community and includes residents from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Ecuador. Monsignor Kelly learned Spanish and has become something of a celebrity in the area. Poverty is still common in Bushwick and Kelly’s ministry has been heavily involved with social justice for the underprivileged. Patrick Farrelly, a documentary filmmaker who has known him since the 1980’s called Msgr. Kelly, “the padre of the poor.”
Kelly’s work has extended beyond the walls of the church. He set up District 3 Immigration Services to help Bushwick’s massive immigrant population. Msgr. Kelly supported immigrants, often accompanying them to their court hearings for citizenship. He noted, however, that advocating for the immigrants without a law degree was a challenge. “Once you had your law degree, you could say whatever you like,” Msgr. Kelly said. “But without a law degree, the judge wouldn’t even listen to you.”
The priest earned his law degree from St. John’s in 1980, which enabled him to go to court and represent immigrants, largely pro bono clients. He has helped tens of thousands of people become legal residents of the United States. Though he has retired from his parish and no longer represents clients in court, Msgr. Kelly is still in his office six days a week. After the recent New York Times piece, many of the clients he helped contacted him and some sent donations. Some have become successful in medicine or law.
The monsignor notices a completely different climate for undocumented immigrants today. In his 65 years in the job, Kelly said this is the worst atmosphere he had known for undocumented immigrants. “When the Italians came in 1968, they were very benign to them,” he said, “because they were victims of an earthquake.” It was easy to adjust their status he said, as it was with the undocumented Irish. Some of the judges who judged Kelly’s cases had Irish surnames and were sympathetic to the plight of undocumented people.
Kelly works only with clients whose cases are likely to be approved, to avoid giving false hope. He said his office can charge less because he takes no salary, and his workers are not paid “top dollar,” and could make more money elsewhere. His office sees between 50 to 100 clients daily. Kelly noted that many of his clients live in fear of deportation.
Msgr. Kelly, an Irish speaker and former hurler, said he expects to continue helping people as long as he can. “If I’m alive,” he said with a chuckle, “I’m here.” Kelly has established a team to help him in his work. His 26-year-old assistant is Princess Reinoso, an Ecuadorian American whose parents Kelly helped to legalize their stay in the United States. Kelly praised Reinoso as “someone with an excellent legal mind.” The team members believe they will have plenty of work in the coming years. Team member Richard Reinoso, Princess’s brother, hopes to become a lawyer and continue Msgr. Kelly’s legacy. “He’s been doing this for as long as anyone can remember, and he has been doing it for the entire community,” Richard said. “I was born here, but I still understand how important it is to know our privileges, to check our rights, and then make sure that we give everybody the same opportunity for life, liberty, and happiness.”
When asked what the future held in store for undocumented immigrants Kelly replied, “Only God knows. God,” he said, “and Mr. Trump.”
