"Hey boy, who am I going to leave these hands to when I’m gone?”

A long silence…then the words were repeated, louder and more animated.

“I say, who will I leave them to, eh? I think I’ll leave them to science.”

Again, the words fell on deaf ears and were greeted with total silence…

Those immortal words were uttered by my father, Mal, as he…

James Daly, executed leader of the Connaught Rangers mutiny in India.

DEARDAOIN -- On June 28, 1920, at Wellington barracks in Jullundar, India, 350 Irish members of the famous…

Many ancient brooches have been found in Ireland, but the Tara Brooch is the most impressive and best preserved. Found in 1850, this Celtic designed Tara Brooch dates back to A.D. 700, the Iron Age. If you are ever in Dublin take a visit to the National Museum of Ireland where this brooch is on…

I grew up on Dublin's northside, in Stoneybatter - one of the five ancient roads to Tara. Now, I live in Wicklow, but still feel the draw of my old hometown. Here's why ...

A friendly nod, a bit of wit,

A pint of plain, that's part of it.

Canal bank walks and side-street strolls

In the shadow of Vikings and brave…

MÁIRT -- On June 22, 1922, Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson was shot and killed by two IRA  men in London. Wilson was an Irish native, born in County Longford, and a long-time…

How much does $1 million weigh? That  depends on the denomination of the bills you use. Since there are 490 notes in a pound, if you used $1 bills it would weigh 2,040.8 pounds, but if you used $100 bills it would weigh only 20.4 pounds.

That is, there are 3/4's of a pound of cotton in each pound of dollar bills.  This same source also says that are 454 bills in a pound of currency. 

So when you watch TV or a movie and there is a payoff in a suitcase or a duffle/gym bag....will…

I gaze upon a lonely beach, two figures walking all alone,

Slowly the sun settles in the west, remnants of daylight shone.

From my vantage I see two shadows moving on the beach,

Strolling slowly just within darkness’ reach.

I watch the pair moving slowly along,

And listen carefully, I can hear their song.

A lifetime of love and…

Maud Gonne was born in Tongham, near Surrey, England in 1865 to Captain Thomas Gonne of the 17^th Light Dragoons and his wife Edith Firth Cook. Edith belonged to the wealthy Cooke family, manufacturers of silk, linen, and  cotton goods. Her Grandfather was also…

Wayne Rooney is tiny. Really tiny. I stood less than ten feet away from him on Sunday, on the pitch in the Aviva, and I reckoned I was taller than him. When I got home I checked and so I am. But then I reckoned I was taller than most of the Irish and English football…

Well, you just have to listen to Davy Spillane's music before you answer my question. Here's a short video that I created of my recent solo exhibition in Áras Éanna on…

Book Review                                 

The true nature of poetry is to first give us an insight into the heart and consciousness of the poet, then the collective consciousness of the society…

Ireland’s Protestant Unionists 1800 - 1923:

A Persecuted Minority

or Strident Anti-Assimilationists?

As the centenary of Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising approaches, many questions as to how to proceed with the …

What price freedom? Some people could answer that better than others. When it comes to Irish freedom that price was paid in 1916 in the stonebreakers’ yard of Kilmainham Gaol, where the leaders of the insurrection were executed. It was also paid throughout the War of…

June 18th will mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. There are hundreds of books which examine the battle in fascinating detail, but for those unfamiliar with the basics: on June 18, 1815, the French army under Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by the Anglo-Allied…

There’s a case to be argued for genetic memory, the Jungian theory, that certain memories and proclivities are bequeathed to us at birth from our forbearers. As a Scots-Irish descendant on every branch of my family tree, it…

With the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo taking place this Thursday (18th June), members may be interested in reading Peter Molloy's MA thesis, "Ireland and the Waterloo Campaign of 1815" which provides much valuable information about the involvement of Irish soldiers in that decisive battle. The full text thesis can be found at:…

What does it take to be considered a genius? Is a genius a remarkable musician who moves our spirits, an artist who creates beautiful paintings, a student who scores off the charts on an IQ test or the employee working the Genius Bar at your local Apple store? OK, maybe the last example is pushing it, but consider the other varieties of geniuses -- those with amazing musical, artistic, athletic and intellectual talents. Were the Mozarts and Monets of the world born with their genius? Or did…

Linen Hall Library William of Orange

DOMHNAIGH -- On June 14, 1690, William of Orange,…

I'm in Ireland for the launch of book  Doolin. The book was published on June 1 and was on Amazon before copies were delivered to Irish outlets. On Thursday last I read that Doolin was # 1 bestseller on Amazon's Irish Travel and Guidebook list...a pleasant surprise. Later I noted that it was # 1 on Amazon's Folk and Traditional Music list...a book on Bob Dylan was # 3. My publisher told me yesterday that the book has sold out in Ireland and has gone back to press.…