Atop the mystical hill of Tara stands the stone of Fal, one of four treasures brought to Ireland by the Tuatha de Dannan. It is otherwise known as the ‘stone of destiny.’ There, through the ages, all ard ri (high kings) were crowned. Marriage ceremonies took place there also. These rites were always blessed by the Druid, the holy man of the Celtic peoples. The Brehons, the…

Reviewers have already begun to weigh in on "Calvary," the new John Michael McDonagh film (in U.S. theaters now).

Dark, depressing, soulless, derivative, quirky, devout,…

The  following is a transcript from the LIVE Community Chat held here at TheWildGeese.com on Friday, August 8, 2014 with with Annette…

In his book "Ireland – A History," Robert Kee describes Collins thus:

Of all the many rebel leaders to shine out of Irish history only one stands out as a really effective revolutionary: Michael Collins --- He took hold of a potentially revolutionary situation in Ireland and made it work.’

Born in 1890 in County Cork, he…

My writing has always been deeply influenced by the Irish writers whose inspiration prompted me to pick up the quill and follow in their footsteps.  This is my humble tribute to William Butler Yeats ...

I went down to the cool, dark woods,

when night owls were on the wing.

On earthly ghosts and raging floods

embraced my lonely…

I set up my blog here with the intention of telling the real, deeper story of the land of our collective birth -- Ireland.  Mise Eire. Not the watered-down, errant Hollywood version. Not the version beaten into us by harsh invaders. The real deal, if you like. Anyone reading it…

Duffy Square as it was in 1904

Duffy Square…

Do you want to help drive the dramatic growth of The Wild Geese, our 17-month-old network of devotees of Irish…

"A writer is not interested in explaining reality. He’s only interested in capturing it.” ~ Brendan Kennelly.

 Inside my father's bones lie a million secrets.

 Secrets passed down the long chain from…

John Anthony Brennan is a native of Crossmaglen, a small, tough town in County Armagh, Ireland. A town, like Ireland herself, which has survived much pain and hardship through the centuries beneath the invaders harsh heel. His new book,…

The scarcity of 19th century census returns for Ireland means that we genealogists place a huge emphasis on census substitutes. What is a census substitute ? My colleague, John Grenham explains it very well when he states, "Almost any document which records more than a single name can…

Those of you who are searching for your heritage – perhaps a little study of Irish Septs may help. If does not open, let me know and I will email you one.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~larkin/documents/IrishSeptsVol1.pdf

Sligo Abbey

Abbey Street, Sligo Town, County Sligo



Known locally as simply "The Abbey," this Dominican Friary was founded in the mid 13th century by Maurice Fitzgerald. The site contains a great wealth of carvings including Gothic and Renaissance tomb structure, well preserved cloister and the only…

Britain declared war on Germany 100 years ago today, on 4 August 1914 and on 9 August the British Expeditionary Force began leaving for France. Some other Wild Geese have blogged here about their ancestors who fought in the war, so I just thought I'd put up these resources…

Lance Corporal William Devine, 5th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

The 5th Battalion, The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was raised at Omagh in August 1914, part of Kitchener's First New Army.…

Dr. James Barry (Margaret Ann Bulkley) and Albert Cashier (Jennie Hodgers).

My grandmother’s small flat was usually crowded on Sunday morning after mass. My father, uncles and aunt talked noisily as the room filled with cigarette smoke (almost everyone smoked in the 1950’s). Seated in the armchair between the…