This event celebrated the powerful role of history and tradition among generations of Irish American women, with three pillars in the fields of literature, media and politics: Alice McDermott, Margaret Brennan, and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon. The event was co-sponsored ith the Embassy of Ireland in the United States in honor of St. Brigid's Day (Feb. 1).

- Alice McDermott's critically acclaimed eighth novel, "The Ninth Hour," was a finalist for the 2017 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2017 Kirkus Prize for Fiction. Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and others named the novel among the top works of fiction in 2017. Her seventh novel,"Someone," was a New York Times bestseller, a finalist for the Dublin IMPAC Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Patterson Prize for Fiction and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Her novel "Charming Billy" won the National Book Award for fiction in 1998 and was a finalist for the Dublin IMPAC Award. In 2013, she was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame.

- Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon is an education and human rights advocate representing Pennsylvania's Fifth District. She was first sworn in on Nov. 13, 2018. Previously, Scanlon served as national pro bono counsel at a major U.S. law firm where she directed more than 600 lawyers, providing more than 15,000 hours annually to low-income and nonprofit clients. She currently serves as vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, as well as on the Rules Committee and the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. She is also a member of the Library of Congress Caucus.

- Margaret Brennan is moderator of CBS News' "Face the Nation" and the network's senior foreign affairs correspondent based in Washington. Brennan has reported on politics, international affairs, and global markets since 2002. She joined CBS News in 2012 and was named White House and senior foreign affairs correspondent in 2017.

For transcript and more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-9086