More Precious Than Gold

Alice O'Neill was born the eldest of eleven children into an Irish farming family. In 1978, she was awarded a scholarship from John McShain- the iconic builder, a wealthy and devout Catholic with Derry ancestry, responsible for many famous American landmarks, including the Jefferson Memorial and the Pentagon. This book records the lifelong personal correspondence Alice exchanged with 'The Man Who Built Washington.' His philanthropy extended to the Irish people in the bequeathing to the State of Killarney House and the surrounding thousands of acres incorporating the Lakes, Ross Castle, and Innisfallen Island. In 2019, Alice had the honour of inducting John McShain into the Irish America Hall of Fame in her home town of New Ross in the presence of his relatives from Philadelphia and Derry. This is a tale of altruism, of gratitude, of faith and of a life lived in the pursuit of excellence.