There are many Irish pubs around the globe, but some of them, while they have the trappings -- Irish prints on the walls, an Irish-themed menu and Guinness available -- are missing the most important thing: the warm atmosphere you expect in Ireland. That isn't the case in…

My last night in the homeland was spent at Bunratty Castle, a 15th-century tower house in County Clare, on the Ratty river. Caisleán Bhun Raithe meaning Castle at the Mouth of the Ratty. On the grounds of the castle is a folk park, which is just lovely. I unfortunately was wandering through at closing time so didn't get to…

May Gabriel be with me on Sundays, and the power of the King of heaven.

May Gabriel be with me always that evil may not come to me nor injury.

Michael…

It seems a good time to assess the evasive Leprechaun and his dyspeptic cousin, the Clurichaun.

Some sources would suggest that the ‘wee folk,” commonly known as the Leprechaun or Clurichaun, have inhabited Ireland since well before the Celts arrived -- around about 500 BC. Other sources suggest that the…

It's not easy to follow your passion. It's a terrifying thing to take that step, to put yourself out there, to make yourself vulnerable. But it's liberating too.

For my whole life, my first love has been Ireland- her history, her culture. I've traveled there and filled my bookshelves with books that take me back to a place I…

Domnail O’Faolain, son of West Waterford Brigade Commanding Officer (O/C) Pax Whelan, noted in a 1966 lecture the difficulty in getting members of Oglaigh na hEireann (I.R.A.) in the Deise area of County Waterford to talk of the War of Independence period:…

DOMHNAIGH -- On Sept. 27, 1847, Civil War veteran and middleweight champion 'Professor' Mike Donovan (pictured) was born in Chicago to Irish-born parents. The first of many memorable events in Donovan's life came when he fought for the Union Army, serving in Sherman's army in its march…

Conveying Your Brand’s Irish Story ... 'Wherever Green Is Worn'

Every brand has a story, and Irish brands have a particularly compelling story for our tens of…

The life and times of Private Albert D.J. Cashier are one of those historic anomalies that make you scratch your head and wonder, ‘How the hell could that happen?’

Private Cashier served in the ranks of the 95th Illinois for three years – from their muster-in on September 4, 1862, until the regiment…

" It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.” 

                                                                          - Mark Twain

On April 25th of 1919 in…

With its sunny weather, vacation time, and, for the lucky, a shorter work-week, summer is a great time to catch up on hobbies, whether parasailing, mountain biking, or in my case, visiting new or favorite Irish pubs.



After much exhaustive research, with summer now nearly behind, I share…

In 1812, in the first summer of America's 'second War of Independence' with Britain, a valuable survey describing the whole Niagara Frontier was made by Irish immigrant Nicholas…

I would have known I am Irish had I been adopted at birth by a family with a different nationality. Sooner or later, I would have woken up to the fact by simply paying attention to the way I am wired. It’s the little things within us that tell us who we are, the things that we are born with, that…

Many cultures throughout the world lay claim to having heard or seen the Banshee. Many stories of the Banshee can found in America; the most prevalent of these sightings are said to have happened during the 18^th century and came near Tar River, in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. In these cases, however, the…

Shamrock

The shamrock is the traditional symbol or Ireland. The shamrock forms a triad and the Celts believed three was a mystical number. Saint Patrick used the shamrock to explain the holy Trinity to the Celts. If good things come in threes then this silver 3-leafed shamrock pendant in beautiful…

It's almost like looking in the mirror.

High unemployment, mass emigration of the young and problems affecting health and education services are as current today as they were in the first decade of Irish independence, the period that informs the narrative of Ken Loach's newest film, "Jimmy's…

I found this website a while back and was able to note the location of several interesting monuments and find them while I was in Ireland in June. This is by no means all the war memorials in Ireland, far from it, but it's an attempt to catalog them.

The site…

What would you expect to see inside this old overgrown cottage on the side of the road in Donegal? Would you just pass by or would you try and get in to have a look?  Well, I was passing this cottage every day a few years ago until eventually, my curiosity got the better of me.

It wasn’t that difficult to enter, despite the tangle of brambles…