Many of the mothers and grandmothers of Irish-Americans in our area came to America as serving girls. The guest speaker at the first meeting in 2010 of the Irish Cultural Society will speak about these women who laid the foundation for full participation in the American Dream for their Progeny. The speaker is Professor Maureen Murphy whose research area is the Irish serving girl. She will use the book she edited for the Classics of Irish History series, Your Fondest Annie by Annie O’Connell, to bring the audience into the world of the immigrant serving girl. The meeting on February 9 at 8:00 p.m. will be held at the Garden City Library, 60 Seventh Street, across the street from the Garden City Hotel. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Dr. Maureen Murphy is a Professor of Secondary Education and English at Hofstra University, where she has served as Dean of Students and as Acting Dean of the School of Education. Professor Murphy was the lead writer of the Irish Famine Curriculum which Hofstra wrote for the New York State Education Department. She is co-editor with James MacKillop of Irish Literature. A Reader and the editor of Asenath Nicholson’s Annals of the Famine in Ireland. Dr. Murphy is the historian for the unique Irish Famine Memorial, a stone-by-stone reconstruction of an Irish home from the famine years in downtown Manhattan near the Trade Center site.

Members of the audience at this meeting will see a gifted teacher talk about her favorite subject, Irish women.

President Martin Kelly will invite all present to march in the Garden City/Mineola St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 7 at 1:00 p.m.