Mary Harris "Mother" Jones (1837- 30 November 1930) was an Irish-American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent labor and community organizer. She helped coordinate major strikes and co-founded the Industrial Workers of the World. Mary…

At the dawn of what was to become an age of rebellion, Thomas Jefferson said, Rebellion is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government. The American revolution of 1775 to 1781 was the inspiration for rebellions across the world from France in 1789 to Ireland in 1798, again…

The Wild Geese gained a spotlight on 'Communications Corner,' on Queens Public Television (QPTV), the Queens, NYC, public television network. During the broadcast, co-founder Gerry Regan shares his personal background while discussing the ever-growing and very passionate membership of the world's leading social network…

This son of Irish indentured slaves, one of the first generals named by Congress, became the governor of New Hampshire.

Condensed excerpts from James Francis Smith’s Irish in…

In "Machine Made: Tammany Hall and The Creation of Modern American Politics," author Terry Golway doesn’t sugar-coat the negative aspects of a New York institution that flourished for about 100 years. What he does is swing the pendulum back from a crazy imbalance caused by…

As the July 4th holiday approaches, sadly as with many of our other holidays, the true meaning of the day is lost a midst ballgames, cookouts, and fireworks. We forget that on that hot July of 1776 fifty six men came together to pledge…

Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore (or P.S. Gilmore), from Ballygar, County Galway, was an emigrant like a million others fleeing the famine in 1849. By 1872, Gilmore was Ireland's best-known face in America. Musician, Conductor and Bandmaster; he was a household name to Americans across the young country.  He led the most famous…

It is a source of great pain and frustration to genealogists that most 19th Irish census returns have been destroyed. The destruction is generally blamed on the fire at the Public Records Office in 1922 during the Irish Civil War. While the 1922 fire did consume a great deal of…

Back before there were affordable and reliable alarm clocks, the occupation of a knocker-up made a few pence a week in England and Ireland by using a long, lightweight stick, often bamboo, to tap on their clients’ upper floor windows and wake them up so they could get to…

In 2006, British director, Ken Loach won the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or award with his portrayal of the 1919-23 Irish War of Independence and Civil War in “The Wind That Shakes the Barley”. There is a scene in that film where a wealthy landowner who is about to…

Two years ago if you asked me what magic realism was I would have confidently told you that it was “a creative device where magic elements appear within an otherwise realistic environment.” I was sure I understood the concept. After all I had read Allende, García Marquez…

Excerpts from James Francis Smith’s The Civil War’s Valiant Irish

The Begining

The Derry native nodded to his brigadier commander, Joshua Owen. Not expecting nor receiving a return greeting, he didn’t bother to salute. O’Kane crossed to the most distant campfire, where Duffy and Devereux joined him. His first question was a repeat of one he asked every night.

“Is that bastid Welshman drunk or sober?”

Tonight, Duffy responded. “He’s well on his way, but not there…

On July first, we Canadians celebrate what we refer to as ‘Canada Day’, that day in 1867 when The British North America Act brought the Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia together with the formal dividing lines for Ontario and Quebec, and these provinces together…

With Spring in the air, now is the time to hit the Carlow Garden Trail, a collection of 18 different gardening attractions including great old gardens that have been lovingly restored and maintained throughout the years, and smaller gardens which are maturing beautifully with time. Award winning garden centers and forest parks compliment the joy of a…

I began to assemble this list of renowned Irish-Americans (including Scots-Irish) to keep me on track when I research and assemble their exploits. When their exploits are posted to my blog, I'll try to strike through their name. For example: Luke Ryan’s name is first on the list…

For any history buffs who might be interested, today is the 100th anniversary of the assassination which caused World War I. This war, in turn, had drastic effects on Ireland…

Tempus fugit. Time definitely does fly. It is hard to believe the Chieftains have been around for half a century. Since their formation they have brought Irish music to audiences all over the world. As well as playing the usual major venues they have played at the Great Wall of China, played for Pope John Paul and were the first group to give a concert in the Capital Building in Washington, DC.

  Despite their longevity and my enthusiasm for Irish music I never saw them live…

Widely respected as the jewel in Ireland’s gardening crown, Altamont Gardens are an enchanting blend of formal and informal gardens with riverside walks covering over 40 acres (16 hectares). The estate gains much of its character from the…