I did a search of your archives and this interesting article did not seem to be present, so apologies if it is.  I have been trying to create a map of all the traditional Irish musicians in the world and came across it.

Jed Kolko, chief economist of US property website trulia.com has been looking at another aspect of Irish Populations, namely the…

During our chat yesterday, Jennifer Willis asked how many Jews are living in Ireland today.  As I mentioned, my numbers were a little dated. The 2002 Irish Census found that there were 1,790 Jewish people living in Ireland then. After our chat, I went to look up the 2011/12 census, I learned that there was no box for Jewish people to check off.  Instead, they had to check "Other" and write in their religion.

The form is found here:…

Linen Hall Library Daniel O'Connell

MÁIRT -- On August 6,…

The other night, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival screened the documentary film Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came to Dingle.  Not being very familiar with Winehouse's music, I was drawn more by the setting of the film -- since Dingle is one of my favorite places in Ireland -- than the musician. However, after reading some write-ups , I…

It is still a work in progress, but my second book is to be published in October. It deals with lesser-known aspects of Irish history. The cover is being designed as we speak and should be ready within a fortnight. Some of the chapters appear on my blogspot:

http://ronangearoid.blogspot.ie

Here is a description of my latest book on…

Sadness descended over Lurgan in Co. Armagh on Sunday, July 21, 2013 as the news filtered out that legendary Belfast Celtic inside forward Jackie Denver had passed away.



A stalwart of Elisha Scott's team in the late 1940's, Denver was an ever present in Scott's sides. He played in many of the most memorable games in the club's final days, including the 'Windsor…

Have you heard that the Irish language is dying, spoken only by a few old men and women on the fringes of the western seaboard?

Watch these videos made by the young people attending Irish summer courses at Coláiste Lurgan in Indreabhán (County Galway). …

An interesting piece here from the 'Cultural Heritage Ireland' site, delving back into the Annals of the Four Masters to find reference to the great fair held annually on 1st August in Co Meath.…

The following is a transcript taken from the LIVE members' chat hosted here at TheWildGeese.com on Monday, July 29, 2013 with Belfast native (and fellow Wild Geese member), Gerry Cappa, right.  Gerry's first novel, "…

For anyone interested in tracing their Irish roots and who will be in Dublin in August, the National Library of Ireland are presenting a series of talks and lectures on the various resources that are available.

See…

The Irish Central seems to think so. There are as many accents in Ireland as there are villages. …

My family visited Wexford in June of 2008. We rented a car while in Wexford and on the second day drove out to see the Jamestown House Stud Farm. My ancestor Joseph Gray built the house at the farm in 1811. Another Gray house is located at Whitefort. The ruins can be seen on the website of Tarquin Blake, "Abandoned Ireland." We enjoyed driving around Co.Wexford to view the…

The History Press is bringing out a folk tale series for several counties. The first one I read was ‘Dublin Folk Tales’ and while I was expecting kitsch I was pleasantly surprised. The series has several authors and Brendan Nolan, who has a very natural and entertaining story telling style, has written a few of…

The National Gallery of Ireland Patrick Sarsfield, by William Mossop

LUAIN -- On July 29, 1693, units…

Tomorrow is the last Sunday in July, and the day that pilgrims climb Croagh Patrick in County Mayo.  Has anyone in our group done the climb?  Has anyone done it barefoot?

What was the experience like? Did you consider it a real pilgrimage or simply a mountain to climb?…

It is often said that Ireland of the seventies was a much safer place than today.  “The Boy in the Attic”, the true story of Ireland’s only satanic murder dispels such notions. The brutal murder took place in 1973 in Palmerstown, County Dublin and…

My search for information on my long lost sister, Kathleen, using all means available.

The first knowledge I had concerning the existence of my sister, was relayed to me in Scotland, in January, 1996.  I was on holiday, visiting a cousin, along with my eldest daughter and my youngest…

In 1970, I met with several other friends and teachers in Dublin. One of them had political connections, so we got an audience with the President of Ireland, then Eamon de Valera, at the presidental mansion in Phoenix Park. Some of the visit I remember as comic: we arrived at the gate, all six of us, in a car not much bigger than a VW Beetle.I'm sure the guards were used to limos and grand cars coming up to the gate and thought "who are these jokers sitting…

My maternal Grandmother was a Corcoran from Knockaderry in County Kerry.  Knockaderry is just around the corner from the Kerry Airport in Farranfore.  One of thirteen kids, Grandma could not wait to get off the island.  Thankfully, she waited until a few days after the 1911 census!  She emigrated to the United States, settling in Chicago where other family members had already…