DOMHNAIGH -- On Nov. 17, 1814, Joseph Finegan, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, was born in Clones, County Monaghan. Finegan immigrated…

State Street, Chicago, 1870s

[Cross-post from https://chiefoneill.com/the-new-policeman]

Francis O'Neill started as a policeman on August 17th, 1873. At that time, Chicago was still recovering from the devastation of the Great Fire a couple of years before. Francis had his own…

            I haven’t posted in a month and my Irish guilt is gnawing at me! So it’s back to business this week as “that time of year” is fast approaching. I’ve already started plumping my fruit for the several varieties of fruitcake that I make, but not for this one because the fruit is boiled! I’ve had the recipe for…

The night of November 1, 1920, All Souls Night, was extremely cold in the west of Co. Waterford. The members of the West Waterford Volunteers flying column huddled along the road at Piltown Cross were not only shivering because of the temperature. Most of them were also trembling slightly as they tensely awaited their baptism of fire in Ireland’s War…

DOMHNAIGH -- On Nov. 3, 1815, John Mitchel ,…

Death ends a life. But it does not end a relationship, which struggles on in the survivor's mind, toward some resolution, which it may never find. -- The character Gene Garrison in the film "I Never Cried for My Father"



My Dad appeared to me this morning, most…

Actually, they’re already here — and in great abundance I might add — in supermarkets, at farm stands, and on doorsteps everywhere. In the kitchen, their tasty orange flesh is used in all kinds of recipes, from morning muffins to delicious breads and loaves. I personally love to make pumpkin bread, with a few cranberries added for color…

On a recent visit to West Cork, I had the fortune to properly explore Tralibane and the surrounding area. I was bowled over by the hospitality of the people there, especially Mrs. Wilcox of the Francis O'Neill Memorial committee, who provided me with lots of insight into the O'Neill history…

Colm Herron knows all about The Troubles. He lived through them. Protested his way through them. Now he reveals a slice of the chaos that pitted friends and neighbors and family against each other. In his current book, activist Anna leads naive teacher Robert through local battles and through the joys and complexities of his first-time-ever love. As…

Driving around Ireland definitely makes you hungry — and sometimes forgetful — so after a day of touring around West Cork I arrived without a reservation at The Fish Kitchen, a smallish restaurant in Bantry situated, appropriately, above a fish market. Call it the luck of the Irish, but …