Why is the 69th Infantry Regiment, of the New York Army National Guard, so closely associated with the Irish? How did it get the name “Fighting Sixty-ninth?” When did it “invade” Garden City? Those questions and others about the storied unit of Corcoran, Meagher, Donovan, Duffy and Kilmer will be answered at the March 11 meeting of the Irish Cultural Society. The meeting convenes at 7:30 p.m. in the Garden City Library, 60 Seventh Street, across the street from the Garden City Hotel. This meeting is free and open to the public.
The speaker at the meeting will be the 69th’s Regimental Historian, Bert Cunningham. The remarkable story of the 69th is one filled with more than 164 years of action, color, and heroism.
A former officer with the 69th, Mr. Cunningham spent forty-three years in the field of marketing and public relations on Long Island, and also served as an adjunct assistant professor at Hofstra University. Now, as a volunteer, he is part of the 69th’s Regimental Headquarters, which is charged with preserving the history, heraldry, artifacts and records of the 69th. The evening will be a great way to prepare for St. Patrick’s Day!
At the meeting, Society president Martin Kelly will invite the audience to participate in the Irish Festival on March 15 at Hofstra University. This lively day of song and dance starts at 11:00 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m. at the Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on the North Campus.
