Jul14Thu

Donegal in Pennsylvania

Donegal in Pennsylvania: chain emigration and the American Civil War pension files

In the great state of Pennsylvania there is a town and three other townships all called Donegal. While there seems little obvious evidence as to how the areas got the name, Damian Shiels’ amazingly detailed study below shows the great influence the Irish immigrants from Donegal had on the area.

Source: Damian Shiels is an archaeologist and historian who runs the IrishAmericanCivilWar.com website, where this article first appeared. His book ‘The Irish in the American Civil War’ was published by The History Press in 2013 and is available here.

– – – –

The thousands of American Civil War pension files relating to Irishmen represent one of the greatest available resources for uncovering the social history of the 19th century emigrant experience. It is a resource that is almost completely unrecognized in Ireland, a scholarly neglect that is symptomatic of the lack of awareness of the scale of Irish involvement in the American Civil War. I have come across few files that are more illustrative of this than the papers relating to Private Charles O’Donnell of the United States Marine Corps. His death during the American Civil War created a documentary record that allows us to explore not only his life, but also the connections between Donegal families from the parish of Donaghmore and Philadelphia’s textile industry.

Read More

Jul14Thu

Member News from Almac Group

Almac LogoAlmac Group’s Rapid Launch Services Support U.S. Approval of Intercept Pharmaceutical’s First Commercial Orphan Drug Product
Craigavon, 14 July 2016 – Almac Group, the global contract development and manufacturing organisation, wishes to congratulate its long-term client partner Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of their first orphan drug product obeticholic acid, marketed in the US as Ocaliva®.  Ocaliva has been granted accelerated approval for the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), previously known as primary biliary cirrhosis, in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in adults with an inadequate response to UDCA or as monotherapy in adults unable to tolerate UDCA. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on a reduction in alkaline phosphatase (ALP). An improvement in survival or disease-related symptoms has not been established. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.The partnership between Intercept and Almac commenced in 2013, with Almac’s Pharmaceutical Development teams supporting the early phase development of various dosage forms of Ocaliva.  Building on this partnership, Almac’s commercial teams have worked with Intercept for the commercial packaging including packaging design & artwork of the now FDA approved drug product Ocaliva.Intercept received accelerated FDA approval on Friday, 27th May 2016, and utilising Almac’s commercial Rapid Launch program, delivered from its Audubon, Pa. commercial packaging facility, Ocaliva was successfully packed and distributed on Tuesday, 31st May after the Memorial Day holiday to Intercept’s specialty pharmacy network. Read More
Jul07Thu

Ireland has jumped 10 places into the top ten countries in a global innovation ranking

The BDO International Business Compass report examines the capacity for innovation by measuring labour market performance, infrastructure and foreign direct investment.

The study compared 74 countries across all continents.

“Ireland’s ranking of 7th in the BDO International Business Compass is excellent news for our foreign direct investment offering,” said Kevin Doyle, tax partner at BDO Ireland.

Mr Doyle said the ranking reflects “the strong proposition Ireland presents to international organisations and investors”.

Ireland has overtaken the UK, which remains in eighth place.

Hong Kong, Singapore and The Netherlands were the three top-ranking countries, according to the report.

“The results of the 2016 BDO International Business Compass recognise the marked improvements in Ireland’s economic outlook and capacity for innovation in recent years,” he said.

Read More

Jun30Thu

Member News: ICON to acquire Clinical Research Management Inc.

icon-logo_0ICON to acquire Clinical Research Management Inc.

Acquisition extends ICON’s presence in the market for government sponsored research and enhances capabilities in Vaccines and Infectious Disease

Dublin, Ireland, 30th June 2016 – ICON plc, (NASDAQ: ICLR) a global provider of drug development solutions and services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, today announced it has agreed, subject to certain customary closing conditions (including applicable regulatory approvals), to acquire Clinical Research Management Inc. (ClinicalRM). The acquisition will enhance ICON’s ability to access the market for government sponsored research and further enhances ICON’s capabilities in the areas of Vaccines and Infectious Disease.

Read More

Jun29Wed

Member News from Bayada Home Health Care

 Founder to donate Bayada Home Health to charityBAYADA
 by Harold Brubaker, Staff Writer  @InqBrubaker

J. Mark Baiada could probably sell Bayada Home Health Care, the Moorestown company he founded in 1975, for at least $1 billion, but instead, Baiada and his family have decided to donate it to a charitable foundation, Baiada said Monday.

“Nonprofits last longer, and I don’t really need the money, so we’re going to turn it over to a newly created nonprofit that’s all mission-driven,” Baiada said. “We’re putting mission over money.”

Bayada, with $1.1 billion in annual revenue, is the nation’s 10th-largest home health agency, according to a report last year by Lexis-Nexis Risk Solutions.

The company employs 23,000 people (including 7,767 in the Philadelphia region) through 310 offices in 22 states, company officials said. It served 150,000 patients last year, including 37,000 in the region.

Its services include home nursing, rehabilitation, therapy, and hospice.

Read More