Commodore John Barry

With the sole exception of Benjamin Franklin, Barry, the Father of the American Navy, accomplished more diverse deeds to secure America’s independence than any other person.

Italic excerpts from Irish in the American Revolution

By James Francis Smith

Bordering Barry’s grave, at Philadelphia’s Old Sr. Mary’s Church, a plaque describes his contributions to America’s independence, without which we would still be subject to Britain’s royal…

Excerpts from "Irish in the American Revolution," by James Francis Smith

1779

Dublin, Ireland…

A romantic comedy, particularly a romantic comedy set in Ireland, can run the gamut from silly to tragic in just a few scenes. The Yank, a new film by Sean Lackey, does that -- and much more. The idea of an American, particularly a Guinness-drinking…

Hi there, fellow Wild Geese! 

It has been an amazing few months for us. After screening at several film festivals & other events - Toronto, Chicago, Boston, New Jersey, DC, NYC, Syracuse and more, we were just over-the-moon to see people's reaction to the film, the characters and the locations. It seemed to…

This is part two in a series of articles on "Searching for Your Irish Ancestors" written by Ireland-based professional genealogist Nicola Morris of Timeline Genealogy. You can…

Explore filming locations from "Game of Thrones"…

In our genealogy classes, we often investigate the origin of the surname.  In one case, this led to an interesting historical fact about the phrase “The Real McCoy.”

McCoy: “A common surname of Scottish origin in…

Harry Boland, a Dublin tailor and Sinn Féin leader, left; Michael Collins, who would come to fight forces led by de Valera, center, and Eamon de Valera, right.

LUAIN -- On June 16, 1917,…

“The Last Torch” is an exciting new Irish ceoldrama being premiered in Melbourne, Australia October 1st - 4th, 2014 at the Malthouse Theatre, Southbank. It will be part of this year's Melbourne Fringe Festival. Auditions will be held in July. Please email Frances O’Neill to…

Our educated guess is that Dr. Theodore Thaddeus Dominic O’Kelly came to Guatemala around 1696. He might be a surgeon from the ranks of the Jacobite Army that fought in Aughrim. According to his account, he was an Ulsterman born in Loughgall (County Armagh) around 1658.

In…

Matchmaking and Lisdoonvarna are two things that naturally go together ... like strawberries and cream.

If love is what you are looking for (or even just a fun time with other singles), then you cannot miss the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival.  So, get on your dancing shoes,…

Duckett’s Grove Walled Gardens and Pleasure Grounds, Duckett’s Grove, Carlow

Duckett’s Grove, the…

I came across this old election poster from the mid-1950's lately. I was born in 1956, so it resonated a bit. Political comparisons aside, I had totally forgotten how the 'old prices' were written and this poster, with it's comparison chart of commonly purchased items brought back floods of childhood memories to me.

For instance the 1954 price tag of 2/4 for Cigarettes…

My apologies to William Shakespeare who never had to make that decision.

When vacationing in Ireland is it best to hire a car, utilize public transportation or join an organized tour? The ability to come…

The  following is a transcript from the LIVE Community Chat held here at TheWildGeese.com on Friday, June 13, 2014 with with Michael Regan-Waugh of…

Old Irish Newspaper Abstracts:

We tend to forget the things that so many people have done, especially in this day and age of advanced technology. Many of you don’t remember the days when the Irish Census returns were not on the internet, many of you don’t know about the days when you had to go to the Irish Civil Records office to get the references for births, marriages and deaths. Today, we can get those references if they exist on the internet (for the most part). We all forget so…

Except for brief periods during and after times of war, passports were not required of U.S. citizens traveling outside of the country until 1941. Many Americans, however, obtained one for their own security. Passports were and still are issued by the Department of the State, and…

Ireland has recently received criticism for offering favorable tax rates to American companies who relocate there. The governor of California was particularly scathing. Other EEC countries see it as being unfair to them. Everyone concerned has a valid point but it is difficult right now for the Irish government to change its policy. The fake economic boom known as the Celtic…

Hi Gary & Ryan

I felt less than satisfied with my performance during last Friday's open chat. However, I believe I'll make up for it by sending the nine who joined the chat copies of my latest historical novel, "Irish in American Revolution"plus a copy of my book, "The Irish-American Chronicle," which introduces the entire Irish-American Story series.." Would you like the books sent to you for distribution or I'll need the mailing addresses of the nine to forward to Firstchoice, the…