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Celebrating Irish-American Heritage Month

March 08, 2025

Excerpt from Grit & Lace, Celebrating Irish-American Heritage Month: Sky Star Norah O’Neill, begorrah!

   March is Irish American Heritage Month. In 1991, Congress passed the resolution to celebrate Irish immigrants and their descendants. March was chosen to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day. Irish American Norah O’Neill is featured in this “Grit and Lace” short story. Norah was born in 1949, in the Seattle area to Jack and Bertha O’Neill, Norah was a strikingly beautiful child with reddish-blonde curls. She was very precocious. Because of her high IQ, Norah soon became a member of Mensa. Although she had no idea what she wanted to do in life, she earned a degree in journalism. She took a job as a model for ski clothes. The photo shoot was on the side of Alaska’s rugged Mount McKinley or Denali. As fate would have it, Norah was given the right seat in the bush plane that flew the crew to the mountain. Entranced by the scenery and intrigued by the airplane, Norah decided she needed to find a job in Alaska and become a pilot.

   So, at age 23, Norah found a job in the most popular bar on Kodiak Island. In order to have daylight hours for her flight lessons, she worked from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. In just a few months, Norah took her Private Pilot check ride. The FAA Examiner told her it was the best check ride he had given in his thirty years. Norah also scored 100% on the written exam. Within another nine months, Norah earned her commercial, instrument, flight instructor, and ground instructor ratings. To say Norah was a natural aviator is not an exaggeration. She quickly went from modeling ski clothes to teaching others how to fly.

black and white photo of Norah O'Neill

Continue reading here: Grit & Lace

Colorado SKIES Academy

Colorado SKIES Academy

Colorado SKIES Academy is a free public charter school authorized by the Cherry Creek School District, open to students throughout the Arapahoe County and Douglas County areas. This STEAM middle school serving grades 6-8 is located at Centennial Airport next to Wings Over the Rockies Exploration of Flight.

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