Check out our past quizzes here.

Check out our past quizzes here.

William Paterson (December 24, 1745 – September 9, 1806) was born in County Antrim to William Paterson and Unknown named mother. (How about it, Ireland – who is she?) He immigrated to the U.S. at the age of two, and entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton…

On Thursday, December 18th, 2014,…

As Christmas approached in 1776, George Washington and his…

Long before the Christians walked the Isle of Eire, there were those who celebrated the passing of the seasons: Winter, spring, summer, fall

While the Solstices were not as important to…

Photo by: sugargliding

I have often heard about the Irish Christmas tradition of placing a single lit candle in a window, signifying that in that house there was room and welcome for Mary and…

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I'll Sing You All Home With Me

It's Christmas in Montana, to be sure, draped in her mantle of white

Though I am here with the rest of the crew, my heart is lonely tonight

The rancher & his wife they take good care of the rest of the crew & me

The wife, she prepared a great feast &…

This beloved carol, believed to be originally of Welsh origin, had already been around for quite a while when Mozart used it for a piano duet in the 18th century. You can read more about its interesting history in …

My first big memory of my Uncle Charlie Clarke is when he arrived home from Naval duty after World War II. I was seven years old. Soon after, my granduncle, Patrick Joseph Clarke, appointed Uncle Charlie to be the manager at his saloon, P. J. Clarke’s, at 55th Street and Third…

In 1587, the English inside the Pale (a fortified district around Dublin) were concerned about the Irish whom they had not yet brought under their control – especially in Ulster. The Ulster clans were an independent lot, and something had to be done to insure their non-interference…

[Below is a link to a recording of an interactive broadcast of Irish Christmas songs and stories, part of TheWildGeese.Irish Sibin series of discussions and…

The Irish have only a few Christmas traditions that stand out as traditionally Irish and not borrowed from other cultures in recent times. Perhaps the oldest of these traditions is ... housecleaning!  And it may, too, have been borrowed from other cultures, although it was as long ago as before the birth of Christ.

This is not your typical housecleaning. Traditional Irish "whitewashing the…

Book Review

Christmas at the House on an Irish Hillside (available only in e-book format) by Felicity…

There are more than just Christmas lights illuminating the darkness as the sun rises on the Winter Solstice in Ireland. On December 21, a marvelous event occurs at Bru na Boinne. On a hill in the Boyne Valley of County Meath stands a complex of three monuments to the early…

Christmas Eve was always’s a hive of activity as it dawned  with crispy white show on the trees and on the hills surrounding Wolf Tone . Granny O’Rourke was always up early on Christmas Eve as there was always a lot to do. The fire grate would have to be cleaned out and the fire…

Wild Geese Irish Heritage Partner Margaret Johnson recently shared recipes from her latest cookbook,…

Whether or not it is true, I have long been of the opinion that God never intended cabbage for human consumption.  The rubbery leaves seem more suited to adorn the bottom of brogues than to be cooked up alongside more edible sustenance.  I kid, of course, but I truly never have…

This recipe is a perfect Christmas party canapé to serve to guests, but because I didn’t have a party to host or a potluck to attend, I nearly ate the entire plate after I made them. The goat cheese filling with just a hint of basil and nuts is delicate and flavorful,…