ath and beal equal apple- citations from the tongue of the mouth of the river...

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   "Ath" and "Beal" equal citations for "Big Apple."  Oh boy.  This never ends!  I guess people aren't familiar with ADS-L archives, the RANDOM HOUSE HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN SLANG, or even Google, so here goes again.
   We don't have one single citation anywhere that would indicate that "Big Apple," as the nickname for New York City, comes from the Irish language.  We have huge databases at our fingertips--full text of the NEW YORK TIMES, full text of the WASHINGTON POST, the MAKING OF AMERICA databases, the AMERICAN MEMORY database, the HARPER'S WEEKLY full text database, THE NATION full text database, full text of many Irish songs, slang lists such as George Matsell's--really, that's a lot.
   And we don't have a single credible citation anywhere.
   If all this is wrong, you must prove it is wrong.  Go to the New York Public Library and read until your eye sockets fall out.  New York will thank you for it.  Read every single year and every single issue of IRISH ECHO and IRISH VOICE and IRISH WORLD and IRISH CITIZEN and UNITED IRISHMAN.
   Pick up a publication such as GAELIC AMERICAN (1903-1951).  Read through every single word that's been printed for the entire run.
   Then report back on any and all "Big Apples" that you find.
   We'll listen to you!