When the Black and Tans were first deployed in Ireland in March 1920, they soon proved themselves to be a pretty brutal bunch. They were liberal with the use of their rifles, were often drunk and even engaged in arson and robbery.

The Tans were ex-servicemen, many of them scarred from their time in the…

AOINE -- On July 5, 1812, Frederick Maning (pictured), who would become beloved in New Zealand by its native Maori people, was born in Johnville, County Dublin. Maning immigrated to Australia with his father in 1824 and then to New Zealand on his own in 1833, when few Europeans were…

The Cormack Brothers is a 111-minute feature film completed this year, shot in Tipperary.  It tells the story of two brothers wrongfully hanged for murder in 1858 after a local land agent was shot and killed.  They were reburied in 1910 in their home parish of Loughmore. 

Made on a micro budget, with the support of the parish…

This very interesting post from Claire Fullerton inspired me to write this one.

In the last 5 years or so my Dad has done a ton of work on genealogy. He has done both his side and my Mom's side. It's been…

The ‘Wild West’ judges are lined up and raring to go! Knowing their mettle and commitment to promoting Irish culture, we are confident that “justice” will be a lot fairer, if a tad more considered, than that meted out in Tombstone or the OK Corral. ;-)

Speaking of 'swift' justice, by the way, our judges have requested additional time to more carefully…

This rare surname spelling is one of a group of variants such as Jul(l)ie, Jewley, Juely and Julee, which are first recorded in England in the early 17th Century. They derive from the Old French "Jolif", through the Middle English "Jolly", a nickname for a person of happy and cheerful disposition. The name may also be associated with the Old Norse-Viking "Jol", a variant of "Yule", the midwinter festival which celebrated the end of the shortening of the days. In this case the name would have…