Tom Deignan Writer
  • New York
  • Freelance

Tom Deignan is the author of "Irish Americans: Coming to America" (Barron’s) and served as a contributing writer for the book "Irish American Chronicle" (Publications International Ltd.). He writes the weekly Sidewalks column for the Irish Voice newspaper and contributes a monthly Op Ed column to the Newark Star Ledger. His writing has appeared in newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post and Irish Independent, and magazines such as Commonweal, America, Publisher's Weekly and Irish America. Currently an English teacher in Brooklyn, Deignan has taught history, cinema and English at CUNY, St. John’s University and Bowling Green State University.

Published In

Irish Voice, Irish Central

345 Articles
about 2 years ago
irishcentral.com

In memory of PJ O'Rourke, the "only funny Republican"

During a 2007 interview with Irish America magazine, humorist and political commentator PJ O’Rourke said that growing...

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about 2 years ago
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Could Tom Brady challenge Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts' Senate elections?

Tom Brady called time on his glittering NFL career following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat to the LA Rams in Januar...

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about 2 years ago
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Today's censorship controversies and the ban on James Joyce

It is fitting that we celebrate the 100th anniversary of James Joyce’s epic Irish novel Ulysses this year, writes Tom...

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over 2 years ago
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Notre Dame faces a fight for its soul

John Duffy grew up in Queens, then spent a stretch of time studying poetry in Ireland before becoming a professor at ...

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over 2 years ago
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How Irish issues in "The Gilded Age" highlight modern-day solutions

There are two big new shows out there getting lots of attention – one on HBO, another a modern take on a classic of t...

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over 2 years ago
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New York City's new Mayor Eric Adams enlists the Irish

Right before Christmas, Adams announced that an Irish American with deep roots in New York City and its crime-fightin...

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over 2 years ago
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Remembering Sidney Poitier through his role fighting Irish-American racism

IN a week marked by sudden deaths -- from comedian Bob Saget to those 19 poor souls in a fire in the Bronx -- the dea...

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over 2 years ago
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On this day in 1919 - Prohibition takes effect in the US

The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution prohibited the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquor...

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over 2 years ago
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Sign of hope one year on from the Capitol riots?

It’s now been a year since the violence at the Capitol and we’re still struggling to make sense of what it all means.

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over 2 years ago
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Predictions for the New Year 2022

What will happen in 2022? Tom Deignan lists his predictions for the coming year.

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over 2 years ago
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First through Ellis island: Annie Moore’s tough, tragic life

On January 1, 1892, Annie Moore became the first immigrant to travel through Ellis Island. How much of what we know a...

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over 2 years ago
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The Irish American roots of Festivus

"Festivus is as Irish American as Wren Day is Irish," explains Tom Deignan. Festivus was invented by Dan O'Keefe and ...

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