1588 ~ Streedagh Strand ~ County Sligo.

Some of King Philip of Spain's Armada run in to treacherous stormy waters and are pushed into the West coast of Ireland. The ships are crushed on the shore with many Spaniards losing their lives.

The beach is strewn with bodies some dead, some half alive, and some staggering around dazed.…

From "History of the Irish Rebellion of 1798," published in 1799 The battle of Ballinamuck, after which Bartholomew Teeling was captured.

MÁIRT -- On September 24, 1798,…

I believe the portrait at left is Nicholas Gray.

Nicholas Gray was an attorney in Co. Wexford, Ireland and in 1795 married Elinor Hughes. His life changed dramatically when he took part in the 1798 Rebellion as the Secretary to the Rebel Council of Wexford and also as Aide -de-Camp to Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey in 1798.  Mrs Patricia De Bernardi was a genealogist who…

There is an interesting facebook group called friends of Merlin Woods. Merlin Woods is  a lovely green area on the outskirts of Galway city.The woods have already been decimated by houses built during the Celtic Tiger madness and now there are plans to build  a road through the woods. Galway is  a lovely city but the city fathers do not have any forward planning for anything and would not think decide about destroying this woodland.  Some nice pictures on the site and a petition that needs…

No matter that I have not met Gabriel--forget that for but a few moments as I explain myself.

Well first off-because so many people think it's odd that I a 23 year old just…

Gabriel Byrne’s review of “What Fresh Lunacy is This?: The Authorized Biography of Oliver Reed, by Robert Sellers(August 03-Books-Book Reviews),” is such a phenomenal review with such rawness-that I am amazed so many just seem to go on disregarding Gabriel’s writing from experience, from the heart and soul and disregard him as a person thinking something to…

Enigmatic, Soulful, Egoless....

Gabe

Ageless

Brilliant

Rugged

Intense

Enigmatic

Loving

Brooding

Young at Heart

Real

Nice

Egoless…

Just an emmm update I recently put on my post for my Byrneperfection Blog http://byrneperfection.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/actor-gabriel-james-byrne-afraid/

So, is that emm how the Claddagh ring works? Hmm....>.> 

<em>Gah! I had it all mixed up and person above me didn't have it exactly right either! Gah!</em>

Totally Single: …

Alright so I decided to share some more vids from…

https://www.faceb…

by Mike McCormack, AOH National Historian

Two Hundred and ten years ago on August 25, 1803, a tragic event befell Irish history. It all began when the United Irishmen, a group of Catholics and Protestants united to work for Ireland's independence, rose for that freedom in 1798. The English put down the rising…

What's it all about? Is it  a day to pay homage to the father of our national beverage (although we drink his stout every other day of the week) or a clever marketing ploy by diageo, an international concern which has little or nothing to do with Ireland?

Christy Moore has written a satirical ditty about the event.

BTW how Irish is Guinness?…

The Kate Mullany National Historic Site in Troy, NY is pleased to join the Wild Geese Blog.  The following is a recent article for Berkshires Week.  For more information go to: www.katemullanynhs.org.

Paul F. Cole

Troy landmark honors…

Dr. Nicholas Grene, professor of English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin, lectured on J.M. Synge’s “Riders to the Sea” on September 17, 2013 at Hofstra University.  Dr. Grene’s host was the Irish Studies Program co-directed by Dr.Maureen Murphy and Dr. Gregory Maney.

For his audience…

I recently finished Gerard Cappa’s thriller, "Blood From a Shadow."  If you had been with me at the time, you would have heard a loud exhale as the little readometer on my…

Review: "That’s That", by Colin Broderick

reviewed by Eamon Loingsigh 

Innocently, children ask for things contrary to the idiosyncratic rules of adults.  When answered a flat “no” without explanation, a mysterious void can be felt in the mind.  

Not as innocently, teenagers demand things…

There is a link with Spain that is revealing itself. I was looking for a flamenco guitarist for for my Irish/Spanish musical. I scoured the web looking for people and came across a tapas bar that had flamenco guitar. I got an email and sent it off. A week passed and I wondered but decided to let it go. I got an email from an entertainment website where I have a profile because there were jobs matching me. I thought I would contact guitarist needs singer. Said nothing but…

I recently did a photo shoot in aid of a wonderful charity called Forgotten Horses Ireland (www.ForgottenHorses.com).  This organisation is strictly volunteer-run -- that is, every cent donated or raised by the charity goes directly to caring for these beautiful animals ...…

Two round-trip tickets to Ireland will go to the most successful…

Our thoughts go out to the Navy families and personnel who have lost loved ones at the Washington Navy Yard today. The Irish have long had a rich heritage with the Navy. The situation is still unfolding, but if you are close to or interested in the Navy, below are some articles we have researched and curated over the years, while you await more details. …