One of the most popular — and among the most decadent — chocolate desserts in Ireland and England is this no-bake biscuit cake. I have to admit that it’s one I discovered only recently, but it’s quickly become a favorite of mine and everyone else who tastes it. It’s a favorite, too, of Prince William, who ordered it as…

NOW RANKED #1 NEW RELEASE ON AMAZON’S IRISH MEMOIRS!!

REVIEW RATING OF 5-STARS!!

LAUGHTER, TEARS &…

As John Paul Jones, captain of the Bonhomme Richard, prepared to face two British ships off Flamborough Head on the coast of England on September 23, 1779, he had some very interesting allies on board his…

Roger Casement and crew members stand in the tower of a German U-boat en route to Ireland.

DOMHNAIGH -- On the monrning of April 9, 1916, a German merchant ship,…

Shortly after the death of Martin McGuinness, I listened to a radio discussion about the Provisional IRA and its origins. Among the contributors was Ruth Dudley Edwards, the self-professed revisionist historian. At one stage in the programme, I heard her say, “I can understand why people went out on civil rights marches…

The oldest harp on which the ‘official’ national emblem of  Ireland is based is housed in the Long Room at Trinity College, Dublin. Two other medieval harps that have also been preserved from that era, are housed in The Museum of Scotland: The Queen Mary Harp 15th century - and the Lamont Harp [date being…

Two weeks and counting! In the event you don’t have a traditional dessert lined up for your Easter meal, you might want to think about this delicious and versatile cream cheese pound cake that’s as tasty with or without any embellishments.

The name “pound cake” comes from the rather precise recipe for a…

LUAIN -- Beginning on April 3 and continuing to May 8, 1781, the Irish Hibernia regiment of Spain helped lay siege to British forces in Pensacola, Florida,…

I’ve spent a lot of time this past year talking about guilt, about exile and return, and about mammies, and about the guilt mammies can instil in their offspring when said offspring return from self-imposed exile, which was usually to escape said mammy’s guilt trip in the first place. But I suppose it was to be…

LUAIN -- On March 27, 1872, Mary MacSwiney (Maire Nic Shuibhne), republican activist, was born in Surrey, England, of an Irish father and an English mother.

(Left: National Library of Ireland: Mary MacSwiney, in her…

By Wild West Irish Tours | By Samantha Nicole Fishkind | March 13th, 2017

To stand on the lush landscape encapsulated in God’s greenhouse, overlooking wild seas and rolling fields gridlocked by ancient stones, there is a sense of nirvana no amount of urban meditation could possibly hope to achieve. Place your hopes and your feet on the old, warm earth and let yourself be carried away…

Hello All,

Thank you for letting me join up. I am currently working on a sculpture bust of Thomas Francis Meagher, destined for Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn this summer.

Here is a blog that talks about the project: …

If you ever drive down the south side of the beautiful and scenic Dingle Peninsula in Co. Kerry, as I did with my wife, brother and sister-in-law last June (and everyone should, at least one in their lives), you will pass through the small village of Lispole on N-86 a few miles before you get to Dingle town. As you make…

While carrots have a long growing season in Ireland, I generally think of them as a springtime vegetable since they’re obligatory with a St. Patrick’s Day meal of bacon and cabbage and, of course, as the favorite food of Easter bunnies! As we welcome spring today, how about a tasty recipe for Carrot Soup, one that I…

The more presentations I make of my book, HIMSELF, A CIVIL WAR VETERAN'S STRUGGLES WITH REBELS, BRITS, AND DEVILS, the more readers and commentators lead me to read further and think deeper. If I were to rewrite this historical novel, I would include episodes depicting how poorly received were Northern veterans upon returning home, how much they were forced to turn to one…

DOMHNAIGH - On March 19, 1921 Tom Barry and the West Cork Flying Column ambushed crown forces at Crossbarry, County Cork during the Irish War of Independence. The British had learned that …

A clean “Memory Slate,” brought to this earth,

Shining and new on the day of our birth.

A special place to chronicle and store,

Experiences formative, new and enticing.

Many of them significant to ourselves alone.

The bantam, downy and…

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the New England Historic Genealogical Society is allowing free access to its online Irish family history resources from 15-22 March. Sign up for access via the NEHGS's American Ancestors database at the following:…

(Above: "When Wagon Trails Were Dim," Charles Russell's depiction of a wagon train in the American west.)

Many men and women with Irish roots participated in the “winning” of the West for the new nation that was growing into a…

In a land where sheep were traditionally a primary food supply, it’s not surprising that lamb is the foundation for many farmhouse dishes. Shepherd’s Pie, a long-time favorite, was originally created as an economical way to use leftover lamb and was always a favorite with farmers. The recipe for this meat and vegetable…