September 16, 2022: In case you haven’t heard, or simply aren’t counting, let me remind you that there are exactly 100 days until Christmas! Before you start ordering gifts for friends who love to cook (or for those who sinply love Ireland), consider my new cookbook, Festive Flavors of Ireland, jam-packed with recipes for…

Dick Willis walked up to the Sheehan's farmhouse in Mourneabbey, County Cork, on the pleasant late summer afternoon of Sunday, September 26, 1920. Dick, a member of the Mallow Company of the Cork No. 2 (North) Brigade, could see numerous brigade members from the newly formed brigade flying column nearby. Brigade commander…

Edward Hand was born in Clyduff, County Offaly, Ireland, on 31 December 1744 and was baptized in Shinrone.  His father was John Hand, a descendant of the Mag Fhlaithimh family which translates: Hand.  Edward completed his schooling with a medical certificate from Trinity College, Dublin. 

(Right: Reproduced by Anna…

DOMHNAIGH -- On Sept. 25, 1917, republican leader Thomas Ashe died on hunger strike. Trained as a teacher, Ashe was the principal of the Corduff National School, in Lusk, County Dublin, from 1908-16. A member of…

Seán Connolly and Leo Carter pushed a table into the corner of the upstairs bedroom of the Lloyd family in Ballymahon, Co. Longford. Carter, who stood 6’ 3”, jumped on the table and began to hack at the roof with an ax. It was just past midnight in the early morning hours of August 20, 1920. Connolly and Carter were part of a group of Irish…

     This cornmeal cake is currently my go-to summer dessert. The original recipe suggested a fruit and wine syrupy topping, but it also works deliciously as an upside-down cake with summer berries on the bottom. Serve it for at teatime with whipped cream, a dollop of tangy crème fraiche, or a scoop…

The Bear Flag Revolt, was from June to July in1846. American settlers in California rebelled against the Mexican government and proclaimed California an independent republic.  After the Bear Flag  was raised, the U.S. military began to occupy California. In…

Welcome to August a significant month in Irish history. Here are a few examples, August 1 is the ancient feast of Lugnasad – the Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest. Begun by the De Danann god, Lugh, in honor of his foster-mother Tailtiu, it included religious ceremonies, athletic contests, feasting and matchmaking. The…

During a nostalgic trip to Dublin City, Ireland in June 1971, I found myself in the delightful St. Stephen's Green, a welcome oasis in that bustling, cosmopolitan city. The park is sited not far from the Four Courts building, which sits on the north bank of the River Liffey, and the last bastion…

Seán Culhane stood across the street from the Cork & County Club Hotel, an Anglo-Irish social club in Cork City. Culhane, the Intelligence Officer, Cork 1 Brigade of the Irish Volunteers, was watching the door, waiting for a sign from his informer, waiter Ned “Bally” Fitzgerald. It was a little after 10 PM on that warm July 17, 1920 evening when…