There once was a particularly dark time in Ireland when the length of a man's hair determined his fate. If his hair was shorn close to the scalp as opposed to the longer hairstyles of most of Europe at that time, he ran the risk of arrest,…

LUAIN -- On Jan. 7, 1945 Major Thomas McGuire Jr., the second highest scoring US ace of WWII, and Medal of Honor recipient, crashed his plane and was killed…

Seán Moylan slowly moved his binoculars back and forth pointed to the west as he scanned the east Kerry countryside in the direction of Scartaglen. He was standing on some high ground in Thade Daly’s Glen in Tureengarriffe, along what is now the R-577 road. Moylan, commanding the Flying…

LUAIN -- On December 31, 1602, Dónall O'Sullivan Beare and his clan began their epic march to Ulster. O'Sullivan had supported Hugh…

LUAIN -- On December 24, 1601, Hugh O'Neill and his Spanish and Irish allies were defeated by the English at the Battle of Kinsale, one of the most important battles in Irish history. With the able assistance of his main ally,…

Do you remember this old song?

Come single belle and beau, onto me pay attention -

Don't ever fall in love, it's the devil's own invention.

For once I fell in love with a maiden so bewitching

Miss Henrietta Bell out of Captain Kelly's kitchen -

With me toora loora la, toora loora…

DOMHNAIGH -- On Dec. 16, 1971, soldier and politician General Richard Mulcahy (left) died in Dublin. Mulcahy was born in Waterford. After being educated in the Christian Brothers schools, Richard went to work for the postal service, like his father before him. He was a member of the Gaelic League and…

Fort Niagara - Betsy Doyle carries red hot cannon balls

Betsy Doyle married Andrew Doyle, a private in the First United States Artillery Regiment. "Private Doyle was with the U.S. forces when they invaded Upper Canada. He was captured in the Battle of Queenston and…

Often called “plum pudding”—despite the fact that it contains no plums whatsoever— steamed pudding was first recorded as “Christmas Pudding” in 1858 and later popularized in the carol “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” The name is probably derived from the substitution of raisins for…

Does human nature translate divinely?

Have you ever had lunch with a Jewish mother? “Have I mentioned my son David graduated valedictorian from high school and is now on full scholarship to Johns Hopkins University? (About 14…

LUAIN -- On December 10, 1710, the Irish regiments in the service of Spain fought in the battle of Villaviciosa during the…

MÁIRT -- On December 4, 1887 Maria Winifred (Winnie) Carney (right), trade unionist and revolutionary was born at Fisher's Hill, Bangor, Co. Down. Her father, Alfred was a protestant and her mother, Sarah (Cassidy) was a catholic.…

MÁIRT -- On the night of November 26, 1781, units of Dillon’s and Walshes regiments of the Irish Brigade of France were among a force of about 400 commanded by Marquis de Bouille that landed on the British-held West Indies island of St. Eustache (now known as…

There are many stirring tales of Irish and Irish-American military heroes in the long history of the United States. From…

Father Felix Varela became the advocate for the Irish immigrants in New York from the 1830s to 1850s. including the famine period.  There will be a celebration of his life at the Church of the…

MÁIRT -- On the morning of Nov. 20, 1917, the 16th Irish Division of the British army assaulted an area of the German lines known as "Tunnel Trench," named for an elaborate tunnel system that ran along it. The attack was meant as a diversion for the main…

If you’re still looking to add an Irish “touch” to your American Thanksgiving meal, look no further than this delicious starter featuring Cashel Blue, Ireland’s first (and most delicious) blue cheese. This recipe comes from award-winning chef Kevin Dundon, proprietor of Dunbrody House in County Wexford,…

AOINE -- On Nov. 16, 1814, Michael Kelly Lawler, general in the Union army during the American Civil War, was born in County Kildare, Ireland. Lawler emigrated to the United States with his family at just 2 years of age. His family moved from New York to Maryland, and finally to Gallatin County, Ill., where…

The (New York) Evening World declares the war over on Nov. 7, four days before the Armistice was formally signed. (Library of Congress)

To commemorate 100 years since the ending of the First World War, Find My Past is offering free access to its family history database collections this weekend from 12:00 noon (GMT)…

Hello America,

Two days ago this radio documentary was launched by RTE in Ireland to great applause about P. S. Gilmore, 1829-1892, with the help of great historians like TheWildGeese.irish's own Gerry Regan; New York Irish History Roundtable's…