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…

To say the prospects of children born into poverty-stricken Irish Catholic families in the 18th century were poor, with the Penal Laws still being used to oppress the Catholic population, would be a…

There is an exciting buzz in the build-up to the centenary 1916 Easter Rising celebrations that are going on around the country at the moment.  Here in Ros Muc the community is in full swing preparing for all the different events that will be held throughout the year. Known also as Ros Na gCaoireach in the literary world Ros…

I’d like to take a moment and explain my absence from contributing to “The Wild Geese.” I caught the bug. In my upcoming novel, “The Final-Word,” covering Kennedy’s assassination, I’m bringing SH over from England to resolve the century’s most intently studied, but as yet, unsolved murder. The world’s most famous detective would likely describe his task as assembling an extensive jigsaw puzzle. A puzzle missing many of the pieces — some by intent, others by sloppy…

LUAIN -- On February 22, 1886, Conservative Party politician Lord Randolph Churchill, father of Winston Churchill, gave what many consider one of the single most destructive speeches in Irish history, inciting militant loyalists at Ulster Hall…

I believe the decline occurred because Irish-Americans in general don't understand what our…

I'm new to the Wild Geese flock so I thought I'd post about a few things. But the spirit of St. Patrick carries through all of them. 

The Wolf and the Shield: An Adventure with Saint Patrick

For those of you who know children ages 8-12, you might be interested in my book,…

http://novelwritingfestival.com/2016/02/13/excerpt-from-the-three-old-rascals-taken-from-who-killed-honor-bright-by-patricia-hughes/…

Her name was Gray, which I found fitting because her eyes were that stormy blue-gray you seldom see, and when the sky was overcast, you had to squint to bring what little blue they had into focus. She had an arresting face and a delicate manner, but she dressed with neither forethought or self-awareness, usually…

National Pilgrim Paths Day is a new Easter Festival based on Ireland’s dense network of medieval pilgrim walking routes. This new heritage themed event is organised by the local communities adjacent to each of our principal penitential routes and is aimed at raising…