Longtime readers will be familiar with my ongoing work regarding Irish recipients of the Medal of Honor. Most recently, I devised and curated the Irish Medal of Honor exhibition on behalf of the Irish Veterans Charity, which is currently on display in Kinsale, Co. Cork. The second chapter of Irish Veterans was recently established in Tampa, Florida, and to mark that occasion the exhibition will be going on view next week at the Tampa Bay History Center. The original Medal of Michael Gibbons–the only known Medal of Honor to reside permanently in Ireland–is going on loan to the exhibit. I am delighted to have the opportunity next week to pay a flying visit to Florida for the exhibition opening. It is part of a series of events that are well worth checking out. A number of Medal of Honor recipients will be in attendance throughout, including Robert Emmet O’Malley, the first U.S. Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Vietnam. The sequence of events is as follows:

Wednesday 13th March

Irish Veterans Chapter 2, Major Kevin Kelly Chapter, will host a meet and greet and book signing (Peter Collier’s Choosing Courage) on the eve of the Medal of Honor exhibition’s official opening. The event will take place at Four Green Fields, 205 W. Platt St. from 4.30 to 6.00pm.

Thursday 14th March

The Medal of Honor exhibition will officially open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Tampa Bay History Center, 801 Old Water Street. Distinguished guests will include multiple Medal of Honor recipients. The exhibition will remain on display until November 2019.

Saturday 16th March

The Irish Veterans chapter and its guests will officially take part in the Tampa Mayor’s Annual River ‘O Green Festival, where the river is dyed green and the day is filled with Irish celebration.

I am looking forward to what should be a great few days in The Sunshine State!