While the rest of Europe plunged into darkness with the fall of the Roman Empire, the light of learning and western civilization was kept flickering in Ireland, preserved in the monasteries established by the followers of St.  Patrick.   However, it would only be a matter of time…

The names Moses Montefiore, Paul de Strzelecki, and Abdul Medjid Khan are not common Irish names, yet they are the names of some of the strangers to Ireland who helped to relieve the suffering of the…

From: NYIrish with Tommy D - April 11, 2014

Not sure if you saw this but its gone viral on youtube. Fr Kelly breaks out into songs while performing a wedding ceremony to the surprise of everyone including the bride and groom and to a rousing applause afterward. I'm basically a "retired Catholic" at this point of my life but if I ever get married I want a priest like this fella who can rock out the tunes :)  I love a story like this when the status quo is put aside and…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzvxgrn2JaM

http://donegalnews.com/2014/04/oprah-prime-loves-donegal-is-happy/

From NYIrish with Tommy D - April 10, 2014

For those of you don't know there has been a worldwide initiative going on where different cities around the world are making YouTube videos to Pharrell Williams song…

Hello! My name is Tommy Dullaghan, and I was born and raised in NYC -- Sunnyside, Queens, to be specific. My parents were from Donegal and Monaghan and I will be using this blog to talk about all my experiences here in NYC and in Ireland about my Irish life. I have the privilege of…

Easter is approaching and so is the time for family get togethers and plenty of home-cooked food. We’ve supplied 3 delicious recipes for 3 of the most popular Irish meals, Bacon and Cabbage, Cottage Pie and Roast Lamb.

Bacon and…

April 23, 2014 will mark the 1,000th anniversary of the Battle of Clontarf. The battle was fought between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of Leinster, Máel Mórda mac Murchada: composed mainly of his own men, Viking mercenaries from Dublin and the…

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Celtic-calendar-and-astrology-was-based-on-trees.html

I found this article and thought it was interesting. According to my birth date, I am rowan. I will have to check this out and find out more about rowan.

You can’t beat an open fire.

It can be fuelled…

The Irish Vodka of Kings! 23 April, are you ready?

2019 is the 106th anniversary of the 1913 lockout in Dublin. Often referred to as a strike, it is more accurate to call it a ‘lockout’ since many of those to suffer from the vengeful actions of the employers were not members…

I was a bit bored today so I quickly recorded "Danny Boy."  Just one take LIVE. Just because.  Fingers not conditioned so I was in quite a bit of pain.  hahah

I recently came across the lovely and nostalgic promotional poster from Ireland's Midland Great Western Railway shown above.  Although I live one of the areas formerly served by this grand old railroad, I didn't know much about the history thereof.  I've shared the information…

I recently sat down with the Director of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Dani Gill (picture above).  The Cúirt festival is in its 29th year here in Galway, and they have gone from strength to strength as one of the premier literature festivals in all the world.  Writers and…

I lived in England two and a half decades ago during a time of great prosperity. Purveyors of T-shirts were among the many people who were out to make a quick buck - or rather a quick pound. Selling T-shirts in England - particularly ones with statements meant for other people to read - is no small achievement. The weather in England is rarely warm enough for T-shirt wearing.…

After traveling from the new Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport to Galway on a GoBus luxury coach I needed to contact my brother as we had arranged. My American cellphone could not get service. I am…

Brooklyn, 1925 - On Christmas night just south of the Gowanus Canal at 154 20th Street, the bodies of three young men were found at a ramshackle saloon known as The Adonis Social Club. One of them had been dragged outside, evidenced by the long blood streaks on the sidewalk, and left in the gutter.…

As some of you may know, I publish a series of books on Irish history (eight in the series to date) under the general title of Kilmainham Tales. To accompany these I have set up a website to carry further information and on that site we are currently running a series of articles on…

Enjoying its final year as a 20-something-year-old (the festival was founded in 1985), the 2014 Cúirt International Festival of Literature is back and ready to satiate the appetites of literature enthusiasts from all over the world.  Running from Tuesday, April 8th…