It was a "soft", chilly March day years ago when my then-20-something daughter, Quinn, and I left the Abbey House Bed and Breakfast for the short journey across the highway to the Jerpoint Abbey ruins in Kilkenny.  (To the Irish, a "soft" day means it isn't raining cats and dogs---just puppies and kittens.)  We planned a quick stop at Jerpoint, then a drive up to Dublin for the remainder of our stay in Ireland.  Celtic tigers were still roaring and you could feel energy in the air.

We…

Constance Gore-Booth Markiewicz’s amazing life came into my purview on my second trip to Ireland in 1989.  My husband and I were browsing in a Dublin bookstore eager to buy as many books on Irish history as we could fit in our suitcases for our return to…

Please click on the video below to find out why I want to win in my contest entry!

Tell us why YOU want to experience the ‘Wild West’ of Ireland, and you might win a free 9-day trip there, courtesy of Wild West Irish Tours and WOW Air. …

From the Wild Westie’s owners a message was conveyed,

Win a free trip back with airfare paid!

You need to tell us why you want to return and have it posted,

On the Wild Irish Geese website where the contest is hosted.

So tell us why in a video, picture, or blog on their site,

And wait for a decision as they pick the one that’s just right.

So here is my entry, a story to tell,

Of a magical journey as I drop my poem…

Meeting with Mr Eamon Gilmore TD , Pat Gilmore Ballygar , and Historian Author and Broadcaster Turtle Bunbury about the progress on the P S Gilmore story . Mr Gilmore emphasized that he was most impressed with the story and its potential in America and promised his support for the project at all levels . Turtle Bunbury felt that the story would be a catalyst to visit the…

I seem to be always thinking, dreaming, planning my next trip to Ireland.  Born and brought up in an Irish/American family, Irish references, jokes, songs and the inevitable quote have always been a part of me.  The neighborhood where I spent the first 20 years of my life was full of "comeovers", the Sugrues', Hogans, McElroys', Costigans', O'Grady's of my childhood told many a story that always fascinated me, creating a yearning that was finally satisfied in 2007.  A grand trip with my…

Recorded in the spelling of Jeune, Lejeune, and June, this is an English surname, but of pre medieval French origins. Probably introduced into England by the Normans immediately after the famous 1066 Invasion when for three centuries French became the official language, the surname originates from the word "jeune" meaning "young" and was originally a nickname or term of endearment, for a young man. About 15% of all surnames are believed to have originally been nicknames, so this one comes…

             After learning that TheWildGeese.Irish social network and its partners, Wild West Irish Tours, WOW Air (a/k/a "Viking Air"), and Irish American News, are offering a 9 day/8 night fantastic personalized tour for two lucky people to explore the west of Ireland, I was immediately moved to submit…

John Mitchel as portrayed by Currier and Ives, who made a number of Irish prints to appeal to the Irish-American market.

LUAIN -- On June 8, 1853, John Mitchel escaped from…

Arise in the morning with a day anew

What new adventures are waiting for you

Chatter and laughter filling the air

Full Irish breakfast is the fare

We spy the blue beastie driving up from the drive

Quickly we get ready like bees in a hive

We board our blue stallion not knowing which way

We are headed towards cloudy…

My family always took great pride in being Irish Americans. We celebrated St Patrick's Day with gusto. We spoke of our Irish roots on both sides of my family tree. My father's mother's family were from County Claire ( no one ever said where or when they came to America). His father's father was German and my Great Grandmother mother was a FitzGerald. My mother's mother was also German and my maternal grand father came from a long line of Irish farmers who had lived here in Sullivan County,…

For quite some time, it appears that I've been surrounding myself with treacherous deeds and hardly been aware of it.

I got into designing jewelry with 3D modeling software and 3D printing services almost 3 years ago now. Four years ago, I'd have never guessed this would be a big hobby for me. When I first started tinkering with these 3D printing services like…

Photographer Darren McLoughlin has lived in fair Dublin for 15 years and says walking, and more walking, is how he’s really gotten to know his city.…

Endless shades of green everywhere you look

Sounds of water from a babbling brook

Fresh smells the air after a summer shower

As we walk the woods you can feel the power

Of a land whose people love so dear

And with each step taken dwindles our troubles and fears

Soon we gather and board into the Blue Beast

And with steady driver at the helm we head to a pub for a feast

Soon voices, music, and laughter fill the air

And we celebrate…

Ireland's "Wild Atlantic Way" usually refers to the rugged conflux of seacoast and mountains to be found in the western counties. But in the city of Galway, "The Wild West" takes on a different connotation.

Galway, known throughout history as a trading center, has…

Did you know that there is a tunnel running under Parnell Square in Dublin's city centre? Indeed, if the truth be told, there is probably a network of tunnels down there. How do I know?  Well, believe it or not, there’s an entrance to this tunnel under no. 5 Cavendish Row, where Olivier Cornet…

This will be my first blog post here on The Wild Geese. Be gentle with me! I'm only part of this flock since October last year and am just about stretching my wings to fly now. To be honest, I have "flown" before. In the mid 90s I ventured to Herefordshire , England…