Book Review

"Against the Wind", by J.A. O'Brien

 Reviewer: Michael Halpenny

The full title of this book is "Against the Wind: Memoir of a Dissident Dubliner." However, this is not the diary of someone strenuously opposed to the Good Friday Agreement,…

Elvis believed it written by angels. It was heard at the wake of a Princess and the funeral of an American president.

“Danny Boy: The Ballad that Bewitched the World” is a documentary that takes you on a journey from a lone fiddler in Ireland playing an ancient Irish melody,…

Who’s up for cooking a traditional Irish Christmas dinner? It will take some advanced planning, so here are some tips and recipes to get you going.

Christmas dinners traditionally feature a roasted goose. Turkeys are a more recent substitution. Other dishes…

What is the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard? Graveyards are in the "yards" of churches.  The use of tombstones may go back to the belief that ghosts could be weighed down. 

The difference between Union and…

Join The Wild Geese to Enter!

‘Tis better to give than receive, we often hear, especially at Christmas. We at The Wild Geese Irish Social Network are giving four of our members a chance to choose. Win one of our amazing…

The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and I wanted to take a moment to let everyone know that November 29th is Small Business Saturday ... a day directing the focus on small, local, and independent businesses.

So while you recover from "Black Friday" and gear up…

As mentioned in Part 1, our ecclesiastical families married and had children.…

The Big Brown

The fly slowly spins in air before me,

Arcing downward, to darker, cooler water.

A ripple forms and becomes a moving vee.

The feathered…

Innismurray Island is, perhaps, the gem of the Wild Atlantic Way and is certainly a place where Wild West Irish Tours loves to bring visitors. Steve Hogan was one such visitor this…

Early Irish society was hierarchical and divided into numerous ranks.  A person’s rank was determined by his material wealth.  As a person’s fortunes changed, his rank in society could also change.  The class system was not rigid.  Every…

Ireland is known around the world as a place of fun, with pubs, singing and dancing, and of course, that's all true. But the Emerald Isle can also be a place for tranquility and quiet beauty. A visit to Brigit's Garden, just outside Galway City, will show that serenity and introspection are also part of the Irish experience.

Brigit's Garden is a perfect stop for those who…

Book review

"Annie's Stories," by Cindy Thompson

Tyndale House Publishers Inc.

Carol…

John P. Joyce is a name that would not be familiar to most people around the world, and even in his native Ireland.  Born in County Galway in 1839, Joyce was a pioneer in the development of professional baseball in the United States, and specifically in Ohio.  Along with Harry…

Growing up in north Jersey, my father was a pro at finding inexpensive things to do in Manhattan and often took my sister, Eva and I there for an…

History, as written, is not always accurate. Revised versions of past events are often presented to support conclusions already reached - political or otherwise. Sadly, many of these revised versions are presented as fact in our school books like the discovery and conquest of…

Newry and Mourne Museum helps the Magee family find their Irish roots

In late July, Raymond Magee from Denver, Colorado contacted Newry and Mourne Museum via Facebook enquiring…

Never since the glory days of gladiators has there been so much interest in hand-to-hand combat. It hasn’t happened overnight, it is rare that an overnight sensation actually happens overnight, but Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has passed the point of being a niche sport and is now…

Amateur photographer George Hackney was sent to the war from his home in Belfast in 1915, taking his camera with him.  The photo above was taken in 1916 in Belgium.  The collection contains very impressive rare images, including surrendering German troops during the Battle…

To lovers of history, Ireland is a land of castles and battlefields, and there are many of both in the Emerald Isle, given its contentious past. The Clontarf Castle Hotel brings the history-minded both, given its location in a renovated castle, close by the site of the important…

At the Irish Cultural Society meeting on November 12, 2014, Terry Golway did what great historians do — he made uncommon connections among historical facts.  During his presentation, Professor Golway helped the members of his audience at the…