My interest in Irish studies started with a dual biography of family members of Irish descent which resulted in several ACIS regional conference presentations, three peer-reviewed journal articles and a trade book with a foreword from David Emmons. My subjects, capitalist James A. Murray and his nephew James E. Murray, a future U.S. Senator and short-lived president of the American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic, have fueled my interest in the foundations of capitalism in the United States and the Irish American response to World War I and the Irish Civil War. My current Irish Studies project is transforming a past conference presentation on the Butte Bulletin into a potential journal article.