Saluting Fr. Jim for serving others
PDX HIBERNIAN INDEPENDENT Volume Three - Number Fifty-Five – 3 July 2025
More than an email. Much less than a newspaper. Delivered early on the first and third Thursday morning of every month. Published by The Portland Hibernian Society.
TONIGHT AT KELLS - Thank You Father Jim for all you do.
At our meeting this evening we'll celebrate with Father Jim Galluzzo the 35th anniversary of his ordination, his 80th birthday and the 17th anniversary of the organization he started to help people without a home and all that goes with having one. Fr. Jim, born and raised in Portland, has been serving others as an educator, advisor, activist and inspiration since the 1960s. We’ll have a grand cake from Helen Bernhard’s Bakery to go with a few stories from Steve Dunne and Tim Birr. If you'd like to participate by sharing your thoughts of Fr. Jim, step right up after dinner. The special occasion will be TONIGHT Thursday, July 17 at Kells Restaurant. 112 SW Second Ave. Dinner at Six p.m. followed by birthday cake and congratulations. Photo - Rose Haven Shelter thanked Father Jim Galluzzo and his organization, Diversity as Gift, for their generous donations of handmade hats and his tradition of 300 gift bags for the Rose Haven community.
Queen Ava headed to Dublin
Ava Rathi, a recent graduate of Lincoln High School and its world-class International Baccalaureate Program and the reigning Queen of Rosaria confirmed for the PDX HI that this Fall she will attend Trinity College in Dublin, which was founded in 1592 by the Queen of Ireland and England, Elizabeth I.
Queen Ava, as she won’t be called at Trinity, knew in her first year at Lincoln High School that she wanted to go to college in Europe. Trinity became her choice because it offers excellent academic programs; because her friend Bailey Armstrong goes there; because she saw Trinity on the TV series Normal People; because she loves the idea of Dublin and because she was accepted.
What a week for Irish sports
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will feel very at home these next few days at the Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. They both tee off today at the Open Championship, the final Major golf championship of 2025. Rory shot a 61 at Portrush when he was 16. Shane won the Open there in 2019 by six strokes. Read about Rory’s family history with The Troubles and get broadcast times here in the West.
Katie Taylor has a Madison Square Garden Moment
Ireland’s best woman boxer can lay claim to being the world’s best woman boxer. Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden Friday night July 11 and walked away with five Titles and all sorts of respect. Her story might not be what you would expect of the 39-year-old Irishwoman dominating boxing.
In first place at Tour de France - Ben Healy, Ireland
An Irishman is wearing the leader’s Yellow Jersey at the Tour de France. Ben Healy is the first rider for Ireland to wear le Maillot Jaune since 1987 . He’s leading the Tour as this is being written. Ben, 24, was born in England but “identifies” as Irish having decided as a teen he’d rather race against Irish riders than the ones in England. “If I am completely honest, I did it as I saw it would bring more opportunities,” he says. “It has got me to where I am as well. For sure it was the right decision. His family has been back and forth between Ireland and England for years. Here’s RTE’s wrap on the action so far.
“It’s in the hole!” Irish golfer fires first hole in one ever on LPGA Tour
Leona Maguire is the name. Remember it. Not only is she the first woman from Ireland to win on the LPGA tour, she’s the first and only one to record an ace. The PDX HI is predicting that she will pair with Rory McIlroy in the 2028 Olympics when a co-ed pairing competition will be launched. Another first.
The Favorite in the Heartland
Timothy Egan’s book about how the Klan ran Indiana a hundred years ago, A Fever in the Heartland, is a hard item to get at the library in Indianapolis. Of all the books being checked out, Egan’s is Number One in Adult Non-Fiction. Egan was going to write about the clout the Klan had in Oregon in those days but when he learned about the situation in Indiana he switched focus.
Another Irish Pub story.
Here’s the latest article from EchoLive.ie by Noel Sweeney. He’s been publishing profiles of the people and pubs of West Cork. Times are tough. But some publicans are making a living. This article features the Kilbrittain Inn near Bandon. What keeps The Kilbrittain Inn going?“ There’s a fierce young crowd around,” says Cian O’Leary, manager. “They’re here, they’re not all gone abroad. That makes a difference.” Still, the long-term future of rural pubs across Ireland is uncertain. “Since I opened, there’s been more closures than openings,” owner Josephine Dineen says.
Cian O'Leary and Josephine DIneen at the Kilbrittain Inn
How much more would you pay for Kerrygold butter?
With higher tariffs on dairy products from Ireland looking like a real possibility on August 2, you might have to soon decide between Ireland’s finest and most popular dairy product and....oh....Tillamook butter. How did Kerrygold get to be so popular? It took two words.