Miami Police Chief John Timoney, an Irish man hailed as “America’s Best Cop’’ by Esquire magazine, has stepped down. Timoney resigned as Tomas Regalado was sworn into office as the city's new mayor.

A sad family occasion in Ireland leads to a new branch in her family tree for April Drew.

News from the 32: Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

US Airways has become the latest airline to pull out of Shannon with the announcement Thursday that it ending service to the western airport. The airline said it was suspending flights from Philadelphia to Shannon, London and Birmingham in England, Milan in Italy and Stockholm in Sweden.

Think you know everything about the Emerald Isle? Think again! Here are 10 facts that just might throw you for a loop.

During his visit to the U.S. last week, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin announced the allocation of $2.68 million in grants for Irish organizations throughout the U.S. The Emigrant Support Program, managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, provides the grants.

As my sophomore year of high school began in 1960, the country was buzzing with the coming election. An Irish American was running for president! My Irish relatives rallied to the call and even my Italian family members supported the candidate. He might be Irish but he was Catholic

Irish American activists are seeking to make the Irish government responsible for the maltreatment of young Irish women forced to work in Laundries. According to Mari Steed, spokeswoman of the group Justice for Magdalenes, the Irish government was complicit in the abuse the women suffered and owes them an apology and compensation.

The names Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick and others with the prefix "Fitz" are numerous in Ireland. The name-form, however, is Norman and most of the families arrived in Ireland during the 12th century. The Normans, who were French in origin, conquered many parts of Ireland but gradually adopted the Gaelic language and customs and to a great extent assimilated with the native population, becoming more Irish than the Irish themselves.

The name Connolly is derived from several different roots. In Connaught and Monaghan it derives from the Gaelic O'Coingeallaigh. Both are anglicized to Connolly although the spelling form Connelly is often found in Galway.

These three names and others of a similar sound such as Donnellan and Donlon are sometimes confused, as spelling variations have occurred among emigrant families. They are, however, totally distinct, and indeed both the McDonnells and O'Donnells are made up of several distinct septs. The main branch of the O'Donnells, based in Donegal, is the most eminent of the Gaelic families, leading back to Niall of the Nine Hostages, but owing their name to one Domhnaill.

The death of Ted Kennedy precedes by three weeks the end of John Sweeney’s 14-year tenure as president of the AFL-CIO. Together, these events signal the end of an epoch in American political history: that of Irish American leadership of the nation’s liberal institutions and Democratic organizations.

It is fitting that the 1969 Nobel Prize for literature went to the Irish playwright and novelist Samuel Beckett. After all, in works such as "Waiting for Godot" and "Endgame," Beckett alternated between tragedy and comedy, drama and farce. The same could be said about 1969.

Moloney is derived from the Gaelic O Maoldhomnaigh, meaning a descendant or a servant of the church. The name is often spelled Maloney but the O'Moloney (or O'Maloney) form of the name is only rarely found. The family was originally associated with the area around Tulla, County Clare but is now commonly found in Limerick and Tipperary.

Senator Edward Kennedy - who freely acknowledged that his own family would not be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. now - was a real champion for the undocumented Irish.

The bodies of 57 Irish immigrants who were left for dead in an unmarked mass grave outside Philadelphia may finally be buried in Ireland. “We hope to find every piece of these men's history, recover it and return them home," said Lutheran pastor Frank Watson working on the mass grave known as Duffy's Cut. Watson has been working with his brother William and a team of archeologists at Duffy's Cut in Malvern, PA, to try and discover what happened to the men in 1832.

The O'Carrolls go back to the third century King Oilioll Olum of Munster. Their name derives from Cearbhaill, who was the Brian Boru in 1014 at the battle of Clontarf. Cearbhaill means warlike champion and the O'Carrolls have lived up to the name.

The Brady family name derives from the Gaelic McBradaigh, which was originally anglicized as McBrady, but the Mc is very seldom used in modern times. The vast majority of this power clan of Breffny, now the County of Cavan, come from Ulster. A smaller group of Bradys (formally O'Brady) come from County Clare.

She's on her way! Susan Boyle is set to do a series of shows in the U.S. in November. "This is the best news ever," said Anna Coogan from her home in Philadelphia.

On Wednesday, July 29, two short but captivating new plays by the acclaimed Irish playwright Conal Creedon opened at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York and will perform though September 20. The Irish Rep, producing more genuinely captivating theater in one season than other venues can do in a decade, is capping another year of hits with this surefire winner.

A County Fermanagh man in a wheelchair tried to save his 19-year-old son from burning flames in Philadelphia last week. Liam Doherty, originally from Tempo, County Fermanagh, desperately attempted to save his son, Thomas Doherty, from the basement of their burning home in the Laurel Springs area of Philadelphia in the early hours of Wednesday, July 8, but was unable.

A little piece of Irish America has docked at Penns Landing in Philadelphia. The Irish navy vessel LE Eithne (the LE stands for Long Eireann, or "Irish ship") arrived in the City of Brotherly Love this

The Irish Consulate has announced details of the first ever visit to Philadelphia of Ireland’s Naval Service flagship the Eithne, from July 14-17 in Philadelphia.

Massachusetts tourism officials have won the bid for their capital city to host the 2013 World Irish Dancing Championships.

When you think "Irish America" you think Catholicism in the U.S., JFK , St. Patrick's Day parades and Irish pride. But Irish-American ties run deeper than one might expect on first glance.

The husband of an Irish-born woman who grew up in Pennsylvania was charged with her brutal murder in early June.

Barleyjuice is a band based in Philadelphia that lives up to its name. They play a boozy, high energy mix of rock riffs and Irish ruckus that has been distilled for your consuming pleasure on “The Irish Collection,” a greatest hits package that they put together on the occasion of their first QVC appearance.

Don’t let anyone tell you that that “nothing’s free” in life. Dublin singer Laura Izibor is offering her new single, “Don’t Stay,” at no charge on the iTunes web site this week!

New Zealander Blazej Kot, who was charged with killing Dublin-born Caroline Coffey on June 2 in Ithaca New York, has been returned to jail without bail.

In an exclusive interview with the Niall O'Dowd, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg talks about his hopes for a third term, his support for Irish issues and how to fix the economy here and in Ireland.

Vampires are so hot right now. We’ve got teenagers (and plenty of adults) swooning over “Twilight” vampire Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson), while the older crowd is going nuts for HBO’s hit vampire series “True Blood.” So what does all this buzz about vampires have to do with Irishness? A lot, actually.

Legendary TV personality Ed McMahon has died at the age of 86. The Irish American, who defined the role of the television “sidekick” as Johnny Carson’s loyal right-hand-man on the “Tonight Show” for 30 years, died shortly after midnight on Tuesday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

10 surprising facts about Ireland - guarantee you've never heard 'em before!

Patricia Harty was honored at the St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and decided that if there is a place called Irish America, this could be it.

The vast majority of people at a feis are female – moms, daughters, sisters grandmas – but it’s not all one-gender. Dads bring their kids to contests, and help behind the scenes, setting up stages and sound systems. Boys compete too, if in smaller numbers.

Tom Deignan reviews a selection of recently published non-fiction books of Irish and Irish-American interest.

Mike Farragher reports on Luka Bloom's gig at Joe's Pub in New York City

Maggie Revis, native to Putnam Valley, New York, took to the stage in Belgium this past winter for her debut as the female lead dancer in Michael Flatley’s "The Lord of the Dance." Born into a family of competitve dancers, Maggie began her dance career at the age of three and secured her first win at the Mid-Atlantic American Oireachtas (Regional) Dance Competition in Philadelphia by the age of six.

Every Memorial Day weekend in a little town in the Catskills called East Durham, an Irish style Woodstock takes place. The “Emerald Isle” of the popular New York vacation region is home to the annual East Durham Irish Festival, and this year, the festival’s 32nd, despite spots of rain and the cloudy economy, was as fun-filled and musical as ever.

Memorial Day is less than two weeks away, which also means the kickoff of the busiest season for Irish festivals. In this era of bailouts, buying a ticket to a festival this summer provides a stimulus package to our culture that will reap immediate benefits to your family.

As usual, those road warriors from the old sod Teada, led by fiddler Oisin Mac Diarmada, have a busy schedule! Hartford to host fundraiser for P.V. O'Donnell, Boot camp at the Irish Arts Center and mark your cards for Cape Cod.

My Aunt Kathleen is the family genealogist. She literally wrote the book on our Irish American family. Yet, she hadn't been able to find any record of my grandfather's entry from Ireland into the U.S. We had a good idea that he had come through Ellis Island - but there was no sign of him in their records. There was no difficulty finding my grandfather's brother, Rodger, who passed through Ellis Island in May 1913. We knew my grandfather's name, obviously, we knew what year he was born, where he was from and we had a pretty good idea what year he immigrated. So why didn't he turn up on the Ellis Island records ( www.ellisisland.org)?

April Drew chats with the Irish dancing teacher, part owner of two gymnastic facilities and owner of a homeless shelter.

In his first public speaking appearance since losing his wife Natasha Richardson in a tragic skiing accident, Irish actor Liam Neeson last night quoted poet Paul Muldoon on how art helps the heart heal.

The modern Ryan families of Ireland derive from two separate roots. The main one is from Maelruain, a 9th century chieftain whose descendants took the name O’Maelruain.

Mark your calendars, tomorrow and Saturday Manhattan’s Irish Arts Center and Glucksman Ireland House at NYU will host a remarkable two day tribute to Brian Friel, the undisputed master of Irish drama, in honor of his 80th birthday.

The Irish nun known as 'Mother Teresa of Philly' made No 49 on Time's 100 Most Influential People beating out Oprah, the Pope and Hillary Clinton. Bono didn't even make the cut!

The names O'Byrne and O'Beirne (or Byrne and Beirne), often regarded as variants of the same root, are, in fact, totally different. O'Byrne is derived from the Gaelic O'Broin meaning "descended from Bran", the 11th century King of Leinster. The O'Byrnes were chieftains of what is now County Kildare until the Norman invasion when they were driven from their lands into the mountains of County Wicklow.

A Co. Tyrone man living in Philadelphia who was once involved in a radical young group with IRA ties in Northern Ireland pleaded guilty to a rake of charges in a Pennsylvania court.

This time two years ago Delaney Michael from Sacramanto was in a wheelchair. Suffering from a mystery illness, the young dancer feared she would never walk again, let alone dance again.