The original color scheme of the Irish tricolor, with the orange near the staff.

LUAIN -- On April 15, 1848, in Dublin, Thomas Francis Meagher presented…

I learn more and more about the ghosts from my past. My ancestors are, after all the stuff of me. My family is...colorful. I don't know much about them when they were in Ireland but I know a lot since they arrived in America. I know my great, great grandpa John married a fiery, headstrong lass from County Tipperary. John arrived in 1865. His bride Margaret some years earlier. John was Catholic, didn't know how to read or write, and came from a simple farmers family. Margaret, was educated,…

By Susan Kimura



Salt Lake City — I conduct family-history research every day as finding my ancestors and learning about them is an important part of my life. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints (LDS), also known as Mormons.



The LDS website states: "FamilySearch is a service provided by…

I was going through our Twitter feed @thewildgeese to see who and what's up in the Irish Twitter world I came across this post from 

Set in Ireland with a touch of fantasy, "The Last Torch" is a new exciting musical poised to take the world by storm. It's Les Miserables meets Game of Thrones. This musical is an adventure through time and space connecting the past to the present through music. Although taken from history, it contains supernatural and…

One hundred and one years ago today, 14 people from Addergoole Parish, County Mayo, left for America from Queenstown (today known as Cobh) on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Only three would survive.

These emigrants are still remembered by relatives each April with an early morning ceremony in Lahardane, County…

By Lawrence Campbell 

My interest in genealogy began when I was told that my grandfather, William Hagen Campbell, inherited money from America. Depending on who told you the story (and how much they had imbibed), it varied between £500 and £10,000! The only way to find out was to get the facts myself. I only had one clue to go on -- a small…

Since the discovery of her Dublin Highwayman ancestor, Australian genealogist and author Barbara Hall has lovingly devoted herself to researching those Irish transported from their homeland to Australia on five convict ships.  Along with Cassie Mercer, editor of…

When a real-estate agent has less foot traffic than desired, he remodels the house, paints it, gets rid of the clutter, adds features the competition doesn’t have, and reduces the price.

That’s what happened to Western Civilization. It endured a title change, a new cover, a price reduction, and new features to educate while telling an interest-gripping story.

Visit my blog www.theirish-americanstory.com for…

Margaret Thatcher's passing yesterday brings to mind a very stormy period in Anglo-Irish relations, the period of The Hunger Strikes [CAIN Web Service], which Dame Thatcher oversaw. The protest began with Bobby Sands' decision…

Philadelphia native James Francis Smith, a graduate of LaSalle University, has an MBA from Pacific Lutheran University, an unlikely pedigree for a historical novelist. The credential served him well in his first career, in industry and finance. Putting those aside, Jim, who recently won WG's Tell Your Irish Story contest,  turned to his first love—historical novels.…

Happy Trails, Doolin to Victorville

By Catherine Lilbit Devine © August 18, 2006

On the West Coast of Ireland, in the picture perfect village of Doolin, there is a Bodhran player with a passion for something other than his music. Though the passion for his traditional Bodhran playing is plainly evident, it is his passion for one of America's iconic Cowboys that brought Lester, Chris, Casey & I together at McGann's Pub on a rainy Saturday July evening.

"Are ya real…

How hot is genealogy DNA testing these days?  The largest DNA testing laboratory, Family Tree DNA, posted that, as of Wednesday, they had a total of 361,933 records.  According to biotechnologist Tyrone Bowes, "It is the size of this database that facilitates the pinpointing of one’s ancestor, as many of the surnames associated with Ireland are well represented." In…

DOMHNAIGH -- On April 7, 1865, Brig. Gen. Tom Smyth was mortally wounded at the battle of Farmville, Virginia. Born in County Cork,…

New York -- Today I once again had the pleasure of communing with several dozen gathered at the Irish Consulate’s monthly and public “First Friday Business Breakfast.” Imbibing orange…