The following comment to a recent post of mine, this by Richard R. Mc Gibbon Jr. , had me perplexed for a minute, as I do know that there are lots of unknown and unsung hero's in our Irish History........…

I know that many of you have been to Galway (or intend visiting) and I…

Our esteemed Irish Heritage Partner Wild West Irish Tours has kindly supplied us with some new photos of last year's successful ‘Wild West of Ireland: You Won’t Forget Your First Time’ tour giveaway competition!…

In this silent land

Say nothing

And keep saying it

In this silent land.

Men draped in cassocks

Possess a Nation’s secrets

To barter for souls over open graves

And we stay silent

In…

The Mississippi Territory existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817. The Territory had the usual frontier problems of land claims and the establishment of law. The attraction of vast amounts of high quality, inexpensive land ideal for growing cotton attracted hordes of settlers. From 1798 through 1820, the…

DOMHNAIGH -- On March 6, 1831, Philip Sheridan, one of the greatest Union generals on the American Civil War, was born. We know he was the son of Irish immigrants, but his place of birth is uncertain, with Albany, New York; somewhere in Ohio; at sea; and County…

“The Wolf and the Shield: An Adventure with Saint Patrick” by Sherry Weaver Smith, reads like a heartwarming parable. Although it is ostensibly a children’s story, ideal for ages seven through twelve, this lovely book hit all the requisite high notes to hold my rapt attention: that it is set in…

While reading Dancing to an Irish Reel by Claire Fullerton, I felt as if I had joined a dance myself, part of a song beyond the ordinary world I’d left behind. The setting, Connemara on the West Coast of Ireland, lives on every page—the coastal pathways, a midnight pier, a hillside graveyard.

Readers meet one of…

There is a place where fiction overlaps reality and creates a place where half-truths and should-have-beens and never-really-were’s create something that is less than factual and more than fictional -- "Blue Bloods" occupies one such place.…

Our personal friend and the friend of all who love Irish history and culture, Charles “Chuck” Laverty, passed away in October at age 84. 

Above, Chuck Laverty, taken in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Laverty Family Archives

The O’Lavertys of Tyrone were known for…

May 27th, sees the opening night of Cásca '16' -- a musical drama based on the events of the Easter Rising of 1916.

The production, penned by myself will be held at the South Birmingham College, For further information you'll find me on

Cásca'16 web page.

Is mise

Risteárd…

Mary Thorpe

Thank you for the comment on my blog. I recently purchased "That's the Way it Was." Wish I had it when I wrote, "The last of the Fenians."

Most Irish-Americans know of Washington crossing the Delaware. Few, however, know of how he got to the Pennsylvania side in the first place. Four Irishmen, Moylan, Barry, Colvin & McConkey saved his army from annihilation.

Were you aware that Irish born James Smith signed the Declaration of Independence?

James…

The Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick Library has digitised a selection of photographs, booklets, postcards and reports relating to the Easter Rising, Irish War for Independence and Irish Civil War. The collection is free to view …

Pete Hamill, a prolific writer residing in New York City, was born and raised by parents who had emigrated from Belfast, Ireland. Writing about his first trip to Ireland – a journey not taken till he was a grown man -- he talks about boarding the plane as “a newspaperman, trained by vigorous masters to…

Robert Erskine Childers {Erskine} 25^th June 1870 – 24 Nov1922 -  was born in Mayfair London the second son in a family of five children – to Robert Caesar Childers and Anna Mary Henrietta Barton.…

Hard to hear the lyrics in the next scene. So here's one I prepared earlier. "The Queen" from The Last Torch…

MÁIRT -- On March 1, 1776, Irish-born Andrew Lewis was appointed a brigadier general in the Continental…

Unfortunately Thomas’ new employer, like so many of chiefs in the region, was dishonorable and motivated by greed and little else. Still, as had been the case with The Begum, Thomas was an honorable man in a dishonorable world. He served his new employer well, refusing several chances to…

The Lark is a magazine for children containing stories, poems, artworks, riddles plays and more!

It is an independent ad-free publication with a strong focus on engaging young readers with characters and content they will come to know…

Following the surrender of the Easter Rising, the  Rebel leaders were tried, court-martialed and executed by firing squad in the former stonebreakers yard at Kilmainham Prison, Dublin, from May 3^rd to May 12^th 1916, with Roger Casement being court-martialed and hanged in the U.K. on 3^rd August 1916.

General Sir John…