There are some great bog walks all around the Irish midlands. For those of you who are unfamiliar with bog let me give you a few words of introduction.

Bog is derived from the Irish word ‘bogach’ which means soft ground.  First of all, there are two types of bog in Ireland: The “raised bog” that we see in the midland…

The National Library of Ireland Willie Pearse

LUAIN -- On May…

   Click on the link to vow the Video -----Youtube: http://youtu.be/oT0oOa0jx28--- ISBN 978-1-8985-5-  Can now be ordered from Waterstones -USA ; England /Ireland ;.............. See  Review below 

An Irish woman examines the history of Ireland through the story of her grandmother’s life .In Thorpe’s debut, she tells…

ISBN 978-1-8985-5-- Can now be ordered from Waterstones -USA - England _ Ireland 

Youtube: http://youtu.be/oT0oOa0jx28

Elizabeth I. Marie Curie. Florence Nightingale. These are but a few of the names that have cemented women's place in history.…

I hope that my examination of the stories in this series show that Irish myths and legends are not museum pieces to be taken out once in a while, dusted down, admired and then put back in a glass case. These stories are the living companions to our daily lives. They…

As May Day is observed around the world, we take a look at the close connection between the Irish and the efforts to organize labor around the world. At home in Ireland the fight was led by men like James Connolly and "Big Jim" Larkin. In…

In days long gone, at a time that is long past, the steward of Aengus the greatest magician in Ireland fathered a child by the wife of Donn a member of the Fianna. Donn was away on the battle field…

Lir is known to many as the father of the boys and girls turned into swans by their wicked step mother Aoife in "The Children of Lir." This is the story I only tell on very rare…

In days long gone, at a time that is long past, Fiacc, the great raven, watched as the King of Ulster, Conor Mac Nessa arrived at the home of Phelim, a storyteller.  Fiacc knew…

Check out our past quizzes here.

Whether ancient legends or modern family tales, the stories of Ireland and Scotland have all played an important role in my life. They give me great pleasure and they help provide the…

We use lots of maps in tracing the paths of our ancestors. Mapmakers will often place a tiny piece of incorrect information in their maps to prevent illegal reproduction of their work. Called a "copyright trap," the fake text might be a bogus street name or even the…

In days long gone, at a time that is long past, there was a king of Wales called Bran, the Raven.  It was a time of war, and Bran the King sought the strength of an alliance with Ireland.  So a marriage…

The Battle of Mount Street Bridge is a part of the 1916 Easter Rising that is rarely mentioned. Yet this battle is surely one that should have been at the forefront of  the Irish history books and a mandatory part of every Irish history syllabus.…

Given the history of Scotland and Ireland - two sibling nations with fierce and loyal ties to each other but also marred (and often scarred) by bloody disagreement, rivalry and the power politics of these islands - it…

If one is travelling through Connemara, one of the more compelling tourist destinations is Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine monastery since 1920, which sits majestically surrounded by wooded acres behind a tranquil lake. The…

In days long gone, at a time that is long past, a great salmon named Bradan rested calmly in the Pool of Wisdom on the River Boyne.  The salmon fed on the nuts from the nine hazel trees growing around the pool and all the wisdom of the world became…