Most of us older readers remember the ubiquitous Ford Anglia. It was produced in four versions from 1939 until 1967. About 1.5 million of them were made. The 100E model lasted from 1953 to 1959. The engine was a 1,172 cc 4 cylinder unit mated to a three-speed gearbox. While there were some variations on the type of body most people bought the basic two-door, box-shaped model which had a top speed of approximately 70 miles per hour and returned about 30 miles to a gallon of petrol. A heater…

1928: Killenkere, County Cavan Ireland

The following article regarding the author’s grandfather is from a 1928 Anglo Celt newspaper published in County Cavan, Ireland.

… Mr. Matthew Smith, Beagh Upper, Parish of Upr. Killinkere. Mr. Smith resided in Philadelphia until a few years ago, when he returned…

Confusion over the term "family crest" probably arose from an understandable abbreviation of the terminology in heraldry for an important part of a coat of arms. One of the most respected sources for heraldry information is Fairbairn's Book of Crests of the Families of Great…

The  following is a transcript from the LIVE Community Chat held here at TheWildGeese.com on Friday, June 20, 2014 with with Éilís Crean, the founder of a very creative online Irish community called…

Brave laundress Mullany offers historic reminder of why unions matter

By Liza Frenette, New York State United Teachers

It was February 1864 and it was winter in Troy, NY, a harsh time of year with snow and cold in upstate New York. But the working…

The  following is a transcript from the LIVE Community Chat held here at TheWildGeese.com on Thursday, June 19, 2014 with with…

It was one of those beautifully mild summer evenings in Ireland. The Dubliners were playing at the Merriman Tavern in Scariff and I was not working until the following evening. Perhaps my brother, Tony, would like to join me so I headed the 50 or so miles for North Clare from my…

One could be forgiven for assuming a place named Stonefield would be located in Ireland. There are many stony fields particularly in the Burren region of County Clare where I grew up.

The Stonefield of this article is located at 12195 County Hwy VV, Cassville, Wisconsin, USA close to the Mighty…

I made an early start from my home in County Clare to catch the ferry boat at Larne which would take me to Scotland. The most direct distance was about 400 km (250 miles) but I took a somewhat longer route to avoid large towns. Better to deal with the rural mileage than the urban traffic congestion. It was before motorways linked main towns. The year was 1993 and…

A lot of changes can occur in a place in 20 years. That is how long since I last visited the University of Limerick. At that time it was relatively easy to find ones way around the campus. Parking was plentiful.…

Commodore John Barry

With the sole exception of Benjamin Franklin, Barry, the Father of the American Navy, accomplished more diverse deeds to secure America’s independence than any other person.

Italic excerpts from Irish in the American Revolution

By James Francis Smith

Bordering Barry’s grave, at Philadelphia’s Old Sr. Mary’s Church, a plaque describes his contributions to America’s independence, without which we would still be subject to Britain’s royal…

Excerpts from "Irish in the American Revolution," by James Francis Smith

1779

Dublin, Ireland…

A romantic comedy, particularly a romantic comedy set in Ireland, can run the gamut from silly to tragic in just a few scenes. The Yank, a new film by Sean Lackey, does that -- and much more. The idea of an American, particularly a Guinness-drinking…

Hi there, fellow Wild Geese! 

It has been an amazing few months for us. After screening at several film festivals & other events - Toronto, Chicago, Boston, New Jersey, DC, NYC, Syracuse and more, we were just over-the-moon to see people's reaction to the film, the characters and the locations. It seemed to…

This is part two in a series of articles on "Searching for Your Irish Ancestors" written by Ireland-based professional genealogist Nicola Morris of Timeline Genealogy. You can…

Explore filming locations from "Game of Thrones"…

In our genealogy classes, we often investigate the origin of the surname.  In one case, this led to an interesting historical fact about the phrase “The Real McCoy.”

McCoy: “A common surname of Scottish origin in…

Harry Boland, a Dublin tailor and Sinn Féin leader, left; Michael Collins, who would come to fight forces led by de Valera, center, and Eamon de Valera, right.

LUAIN -- On June 16, 1917,…

“The Last Torch” is an exciting new Irish ceoldrama being premiered in Melbourne, Australia October 1st - 4th, 2014 at the Malthouse Theatre, Southbank. It will be part of this year's Melbourne Fringe Festival. Auditions will be held in July. Please email Frances O’Neill to…