Offaly man elected on board of important Irish Historical Society in America

AN Offaly exile has been elected onto the board of a very important Historical Society in America. Danny Leavy from Rhode is one of a new nine member board who will run and oversee the New York based American Irish Historical Society.

They replace an interim board who helped get the society back on its feet after a difficult and controversial few years. The group provides a great service for the vast numbers of Irish exiles and descendants in the USA. They have a vast archive and collection of Irish and Irish-American history and literature, host regular events and allow interested people to conduct research in their archives.

Founded in Boston in 1897, they have an impressive premises on Manhattan's Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue – their headquarters reopened in 2008 after a two year restoration and renovation. The group was formed with the intention of informing people of the achievements of the Irish in America and preserving material and publications documenting this.

A member of a well known Rhode family, Danny Leavy emigrated to New York in the early 1990s – he is married to a Rhode woman, Ann Glennon and they have reared a young family in New York. They were initially based in a great Offaly and Irish enclave in Yonkers, close to McLean Avenue and now live in Manhattan, where Danny works for the 740 Corporation, who own a building of apartments that he manages.

He was a talented footballer in his youth. He played minor and U-21 football for Offaly and senior for his club – his departure was one of several blows to his club at that time as a few left, including older brother Pat and it was a factor in Rhode having to wait until 1998 to end their long twenty five year famine in the Offaly Senior Football Championship.

He played for Offaly teams in New York for years and in the past six-seven years, he has really developed his lifelong interest in history – his uncle, late Geashill man, Danny Robbins was involved in the Offaly Historical Society for years and he got his passion from that side of his family.

Along with Edenderry historian, Ciaran Reilly, he is currently writing a book on a famous Irish emigrant to the USA in the 1700, Cornelius Heeney – a Meath native who spent much of his youth in Edenderry, Heeney, did great work for Irish charities and the Church after moving to New York in the 1780s.

Leavy is also working on an ambitious project mapping details of Offaly men who fought in the American Civil War in the 1860s – that list is now at 193 and Danny would love to hear from anyone with information (leavydanny9@gmail.com)).

The new board members are: James Normile, Katten Muchin Rosenman (Chair); Conor Allen, Manetu, Inc.; Susan Carey Dempsey, Times Review Media Group; Michael Cusick, Staten Island Economic Development Corp; Terry Golway, College of Staten Island; Tom Higgins, Fiserv;  Kathleen Lauster, Ankura Capital Advisors;  Danny Leavy, The 740 Corporation, and Charles O'Byrne, Related Companies.

They were elected out of a group of fifty people who put their names forward and may draft in other people to help with their work and various projects.