One May afternoon a few years ago my wife asked me to come for a walk in the woodland just outside Carndonagh, the Donegal town where she was born. She wanted to show me where she and her friends had played when they were children. By the time we reached the…

LUAIN -- On June 5, 1868, James Connolly was born of Irish immigrant parents in the Cowgate, an Edinburgh,…

"In eighteen hundred and forty-four

I landed on the Liverpool shore

Me belly was empty me hands were raw

With working on the railway, the railway

I'm weary of the railway

Poor paddy works on the railway"

(from Poor Paddy on the Railway by The Dubliners…

Irish loyalties in the Rebellion of 1641 were intertwined between religion and the destabilization of English politics. "The Catholic  landowners desire to recover their lost land was one main reason for the rebellion. The…

Tullaun Castle now has one room up and running: airbnb link read more on it's preservation journey from the below article in 2013.…

DOMHNAIGH -- On May 28, 1779, poet and songwriter…

When President Michael D. Higgins gave the keynote address on International Women’s Day in Ireland this year, he spoke of the “diverse and often boundary breaking roles played by women in the Uprising of 1916, as well as the impact of the role of women in the…

It was late afternoon of a…

DOMHNAIGH --  On May 21, 1745, the uncle of the 'Liberator,' and an officer in the Irish Brigade of France, was born in Derrynane, Co. Kerry. Young Daniel became a cadet with the French army in 1761. He served in Clare's…

If it hasn’t made its official appearance yet where you live, you can expect rhubarb to be showing up shortly. One of the earliest spring vegetables — yes, it’s a perennial vegetable — it’s generally used as a fruit in desserts and jams. Since rhubarb is almost too…

MÁIRT -- On May 15, 1847, The Syria, the first ship to arrive during what Quebecois would call the 'Summer of Sorrow,' landed at the Canadian quarantine station in the St. Lawrence River, just north of Quebec. The French had called…

The exhausted Irish boxer stood in the middle of the makeshift boxing ring in the smoke-filled La Scala opera house in Dublin. Sweat was trickling down his face, tinged scarlett with a bit of blood oozing from a cut above his left eye. His chest was…

With only a few days to go before we celebrate Mother’s Day, you might want to think about giving her a real treat — breakfast in bed!  Sure, you can take her out to brunch, but breakfast in bed creates a real Hallmark moment — “you care enough to cook…

To outsiders, the village of Ballinalee, in County Longford, might seem like no great shakes, just a bump in the road, a blink-and-you-miss-it spot that you’re through before you even notice. Were they to consult a map of the county, the seemingly inconsequential…

DOMHNAIGH -- On May 7, 1915, the English passenger ship Lusitania was sunk near Old Head, Co. Cork, off the southern Irish coast. The liner had left New York bound for Liverpool on May 1. German intelligence believed, and most historians now…

Among the most powerless men in the world are those in prisons. Your body no longer belongs to you; it belongs to the state. Every day you are told when to get up, when to go to bed, when you can exercise, when you can see your family, and also, when you…

This is a humble tribute to a kindred spirit, poet, musician, soldier and far, far braver man than I could ever hope to be. While adhering to the ancient Gaelic ‘Brehon Law of Fasting,’ Bobby took no food or water for sixty-six days in pursuit of his quest…

In April 2004 I was launching my first novel at the Irish cultural centre in Hammersmith, London, when a lady came over to me and shook my hand.

“I think I may be your cousin,” she said. “My name is Ethna Herron. You…

DEARDAOIN -- From April 29 through May 4, 1863, the 6th Louisiana Infantry, a largely Irish Confederate regiment, fought at the 2nd battle of…

I usually try to tie my posts to seasonal recipes or ingredients — Easter chocolate, Mother’s Day, Christmas cakes, etc. — but I deviate this week with this recipe for granola. Why? Because I love it, and yesterday I made a fresh batch to keep on hand to sprinkle on fruit and yogurt or muesli, one of my new…