DOMHNAIGH -- On June 20, 1763, one of the most famous revolutionary leaders in Irish history, Theobald Wolfe Tone, was born at 44 Stafford St., now called Wolfe Tone St., in Dublin. Tone was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and called to the…

The sun was getting low in the western sky on a sweltering hot Thursday, June 16, 1921, near Rathcoole, County Cork. The Irish Volunteers of what had been the 2^nd Cork Brigade, but was now the 4^th Cork Brigade, listened and watched intently to their east. “Paddy” O’Brien, who was appointed commander of the new 4^th…

Up to 1971 Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day, and Decoration Day has been celebrated each year to remember the Fallen, officially from 1868 in Arlington Cemetery. In a speech that day on May 30, 1868, by future President James A.Garfield, a former General, addressing a crowd of 5000 he said - "Hither our children's children shall come to pay their…

On 10th May 1916, the "Daily News" posted a letter from the Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, in which he condemned the ongoing execution of the leaders of the Easter Rising: "My own view is that the men who were shot in cold blood, were prisoners of war, and that it was, therefore, entirely…

What’s not to love about spring vegetables!  Everyone welcomes asparagus, spinach, and pencil-thin spring onions for salads, soups and side dishes, but I love them in cheese-filled tarts and quiche. Make your own crust, use refrigerated or frozen pie crusts, prepared puff pastry, or make one…

Three thousand feet above Moreuil Wood, southeast of Amiens, in northern France, Captain George Edward Henry “McIrish” McElroy, peered down through a gap in the clouds. McElroy had already shot down two German Albatross fighter planes in his British S.E. 5a (Scout Experimental-5a) earlier, his…

Pathways a virtual art exhibition

This…

Siblings Agnes (29), Alice (26), and Bernard McCoy (24) huddled together on the deck of the Titanic shivering in the cold. It was about 1:15 am on April 15, 1912. They were on the port side of the doomed ship, which now was decidedly tilted toward the bow, causing everyone to lean toward the…

The life and accomplishments of John Quinn are so improbable that if they were fiction no one would believe them. The son of a baker from a small town in Ohio, Quinn, by the time of his untimely death in 1924 at the age of 54, had not only amassed the greatest collection of…

Every April 23 we remember with great pride another in the long line of Irishmen who despite all the odds stacked against them, nevertheless decided to take a stand against an oppressive enemy. So set aside a little time today and read his fascinating full story at the link at the end of this…