Tom Deignan

Tom Deignan

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.

Born in Staten Island, he lives in New Jersey with his wife and four children. He is currently working on a novel set in Brooklyn on the eve of World War II.

Latest Stories

Other Writers

Topple statues, cancel culture and Robert Kennedy too

As the United States analyzes what statues they'll keep and which to take down we have to ask where will this stop?

Irish Voice

From sports to politics - the problem with living in a “bubble”

"If you take a stance and everybody around you simply applauds, you may want to stand a little taller and see what happens if you pop the bubble."

Irish Voice

In a partisan age, hypocrisy is the one thing we can agree on

Tom Deignan considers the recent attempts at censoring President Trump and Senator Cotton in relation to James Joyce.

Other Writers

What would unapologetic Catholic radical Dorothy Day do?

It’s a fair question to ask these days when the whole damn country feels like it’s coming apart.

Other Writers

Forget Steve Bannon - we’re all deep staters now

President Donald Trump's administration bring kooky conspiracy-mongering to the masses and it's not even original.

Other Writers

Innocent martyrs or evil monsters - the tale of two cops

"There’s a good cop in my book, he’s an Irishman... I think the narrative that dehumanizes policemen is dangerous."

Other Writers

How the Irish in America became Republicans

Explaining the intellectual underpinnings of “Red State” America. Tom Deignan blames the Irish.

History

The Irish hands that built the Empire State Building

On this day, May 1, in 1931, the iconic Empire State Building opened from the photographer who documented it to financiers and the laborers the Irish were involved from the foundations.

Other Writers

Opioids and COVID-19 - double trouble hits Philly

Liz Moore's new novel, Long Bright River, is based in Philadelphia a city struggling to cope with a drug crisis now faced with the coronavirus pandemic.

Irish Voice