Two years ago if you asked me what magic realism was I would have confidently told you that it was “a creative device where magic elements appear within an otherwise realistic environment.” I was sure I understood the concept. After all I had read Allende, García Marquez…

Excerpts from James Francis Smith’s The Civil War’s Valiant Irish

The Begining

The Derry native nodded to his brigadier commander, Joshua Owen. Not expecting nor receiving a return greeting, he didn’t bother to salute. O’Kane crossed to the most distant campfire, where Duffy and Devereux joined him. His first question was a repeat of one he asked every night.

“Is that bastid Welshman drunk or sober?”

Tonight, Duffy responded. “He’s well on his way, but not there…

On July first, we Canadians celebrate what we refer to as ‘Canada Day’, that day in 1867 when The British North America Act brought the Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia together with the formal dividing lines for Ontario and Quebec, and these provinces together…

With Spring in the air, now is the time to hit the Carlow Garden Trail, a collection of 18 different gardening attractions including great old gardens that have been lovingly restored and maintained throughout the years, and smaller gardens which are maturing beautifully with time. Award winning garden centers and forest parks compliment the joy of a…

I began to assemble this list of renowned Irish-Americans (including Scots-Irish) to keep me on track when I research and assemble their exploits. When their exploits are posted to my blog, I'll try to strike through their name. For example: Luke Ryan’s name is first on the list…

For any history buffs who might be interested, today is the 100th anniversary of the assassination which caused World War I. This war, in turn, had drastic effects on Ireland…

Tempus fugit. Time definitely does fly. It is hard to believe the Chieftains have been around for half a century. Since their formation they have brought Irish music to audiences all over the world. As well as playing the usual major venues they have played at the Great Wall of China, played for Pope John Paul and were the first group to give a concert in the Capital Building in Washington, DC.

  Despite their longevity and my enthusiasm for Irish music I never saw them live…

Widely respected as the jewel in Ireland’s gardening crown, Altamont Gardens are an enchanting blend of formal and informal gardens with riverside walks covering over 40 acres (16 hectares). The estate gains much of its character from the…

Have you ever had the occasion to visit a cemetery and noticed headstones that had coins left on them?  Here are some interesting reasons for the ‘tokens’ being left behind.

The Ferryman

By far the most popular…

Since the 'dead babies in Tuam' story *hit* the headlines I've read a lot about it on the internet in particular and I wonder a lot of things and this is a difficult blog to write because where do I let my thoughts go.

An extremely emotional subject.

The first things I thought when I heard the story and as I listened to the immediate reaction here in Ireland was

1. Do you have any idea of what life was like for those people (the mothers).

2. Do you remember what…

In the field of battle, he shone like a

meteor on a clouded sky. As a dashing

military man, he was all virtue; a single

voice does not stain him as a warrior.

 -- Robert E. Lee…

I am proud that Gerry Conlon was a friend of mine. Not surprisingly, what brought us together was that the British government kept framing people the same way they framed him.

I first heard from Gerry a few weeks after he got out of prison in October 1989. The phone rang and…

From pagan sites to ecclesiastical settlements, intricate layers of religious and secular cultural history set against rugged mountains, glorious countryside and lush river valleys make County Carlow a perfect base for exploring the Southeast of Ireland. Whether brought here by faith, born and spent their lives here, educated here…

Copy of message sent to my Facebook page

My name is Jane Lyons, Ph.D., and I post on this page. I set this page up as an attachment to my Jane Lyons Genealogy page. This page is called Irish Genealogy, it has NOTHING to do with any professional site of the same name



I do not have and this page has nothing to do with a website which carries the name irishgenealogy



This page has been set up by a…

Sir Henry Wilson

DOMHNAIGH -- On June 22, 1922, Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson was shot and killed by two…

Beyond the Grave Conference, Limerick - a few weeks ago........

Jane Lyons (me) Talk.

I've just been sent a link to a 'video' of my talk at this conference and y'know, I was wrecked, had had about three hrs sleep the night before, it was 4.30pm, I was tired.

My music career began the year I joined Mickey Moran's Country and Oldtime Stars. I was seventeen, had long hair and played electric guitar, one of the solid red axes like Keith Richards had. Good for the image, Mickey said. There were four of us in the 'outfit', as he called it: himself played  a piano accordion, Tats was on the drums, me  on guitar and Tony Flynn covered clarinet, flute, maracas and tambourine. Mickey  did the…

I gave a tour to a group of people at Midway Village Museum in Rockford, Illinois. Of course, when they heard my accent they told me about their trip to Ireland. They had gone on a hill-walking vacation. That is an extremely popular activity with locals and tourists alike. There…