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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…