Monthly Archives : March 2014

At the core of Irish Network USA’s mission are efforts to connect Irish and Irish American communities across the United States with each other- and also back home to Ireland. These efforts come in many forms: business networking, celebration of Irish arts and culture, supporting efforts to populate local pitches with top class Hurling and Gaelic Football players.

We take special pride in our ability to bring the entire community together in recognition of our common bonds to Ireland. At any of our chapter’s events, now spread out to 16 cities in every corner of America, you are as likely to find yourself shoulder to shoulder with a firefighter as you are a Fortune 500 business executive. It is as common to be sought after for advice from a newly arrived immigrant seeking to set a new course in life as it is to get advice from a ‘veteran’ who set roots in the US decades ago and started their own chapter in the great story of the Irish Disapora.

For the month of March (also known as Irish American Heritage Month) IrishCentral is tapping into the heartbeat of the Irish American community. The Unsung Heroes series features inspiring individuals from across the US who do extraordinary work in their communities and respective fields. From advocates to artists, from local legends to dedicated educators; from a high school baseball team to dynamo nuns in their 80s, these people are making a difference and to them we tip our hats in thanks.

As proud to put on the uniform as his brothers Brian and Sean and his uncle Bobby were before him, Kyle Hughes (40), a professional firefighter in Paterson, NJ grew up learning that the Irish have a gift for storytelling. Early in life he decided that his story would be one told not just by words but through action. This trait, he believes, is representative of an Irish people dedicated to public service.

This principle has guided Hughes from his days growing up in New Jersey and continues to be a mainstay in the way he conducts himself both within the walls of the Paterson Fire Department Headquarters and as a private citizen.