Mary Harris Jones: One Tough 'Mother'

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Many who have read Irish history are familiar with the name of John Mitchel (left), Irish revolutionary, Young Irelander, and publisher of The United Irishman, who was born 182 years ago, on Nov. 3, 1815; however, many are unaware of Mitchel's life in America. During the American Civil War, Mitchel supported the Confederacy. Three of his sons served in the…

By Robert Cassidy

Special to TheWildGeese.irish

LEVITTOWN, N.Y — On battlefields, in parades, even during the walk to the ring, bagpipes have long inspired the great Celtic warriors.

In 1977, I was sitting ringside at the Long Island Arena when the drone of bagpipes began to fill the building. I was…

By Joseph E. Gannon

In Drumcondra, County Dublin, on September 29, 1778, a daughter was born to the McAuley family. The McAuleys were one of the handful of Catholic families that had attained upper-middle class status during the years of the Penal Laws. They named their daughter Catherine. Before Catherine's days were done, she would…

By Joe McGowan and Gerry Regan

St. Malachy

Though he apparently struck out with the papal enclave's selection of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, one of Ireland's most beloved seers still carries an impressive track record of predicting Popes.

The man with the (usually) golden touch is Maelmaedoc Ó Morgair, or, as he is…

By Joseph Gannon

Many men become known as heroes for their bravery in battle, for their willingness to face death in an effort to kill the enemy and obtain an objective, or for helping win the war for their country.

They are often celebrated by millions of their countrymen and…

MORE ABOUT 'THE IRISH VOLUNTEER':

• Q&A With David Kincaid
• WGT's Leslie Sweetnam Reviews "The Irish Volunteer"
• Jan. 16's Requiem and Concert at St. Patrick's Old…

Miramax Films A nun leads stars Dorothy Duffy, Nora-Jane Noone, and Anne Marie Duff (left to right) in Peter Mullan's "The Magdalene Sisters."

Called "a rancorous provocation" by a Vatican newspaper, Peter Mullan's film highlights the Church's role in the ruin of thousands of Irish women…

British filmmaker Ken Loach took time out from editing his latest film, about the exploitation of immigrants in Britain, to chat with WGT. He spoke on a range of subjects, including "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" (his second film set against the Irish War for Independence, now on screens in the U.S.), British policies in Ireland, his unusual casting techniques, his passion…

WOODSIDE, N.Y. -- With these words, Col. Patrick Kelly's family and comrades-in-arms…

By Marie-Claire McGann

Special to TheWildGeese.com

Sixty years ago this month, the 11-man crew of this Irish cargo ship braved tempestuous seas and possible RAF attack to save 168 German sailors from drowning. Her experience was emblematic of the…

Left, Marine Pfc. John Patrick White, born in Caherdaniel, County Kerry.

Five of the 28 Irish-born GIs who perished in the Korean War were born in County Kerry, including Marine Pfc. John Patrick White (left). Four were born in Cork, Roscommon and Limerick. Mayo was the birthplace for three, Leitrim and Antrim two,…

'Empire Rising' Author Explores 'High Noon' for City's Irish

By Doug Chandler

Author Thomas Kelly feels such a keen attachment to Irish-American history that he often wishes he lived in the 1930s, a period he calls "high noon for the Irish in New York."…

By Pat Hickey

No textbook tells the story of James J. Shields, but his personal story and resume are among the most impressive of any American, in any era.

(Left: "Churubusco" by James Walker, 1819-1889. James Shields fought there during the Mexican War.)

Shields'…

Long-dead James J. Shields faces GOP in new tussle

By Gerry Regan

Producer, TheWildGeese.com

Library of Congress

James J. Shields, still fending off Republicans.

After battling Republicans in elections throughout much of his nearly 50-year-long career, Irish-American politico and Civil War hero James J. Shields may go another round with the GOP in a fight for his 112-year-old perch in Washington, D.C.

Illinois State Rep. Robert Pritchard, a Republican from…