Our personal friend and the friend of all who love Irish history and culture, Charles “Chuck” Laverty, passed away in October at age 84. 

Above, Chuck Laverty, taken in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Laverty Family Archives

The O’Lavertys of Tyrone were known for…

There is an exciting buzz in the build-up to the centenary 1916 Easter Rising celebrations that are going on around the country at the moment.  Here in Ros Muc the community is in full swing preparing for all the different events that will be held throughout the year. Known also as Ros Na gCaoireach in the literary world Ros…

The Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick Library has digitised a selection of photographs, booklets, postcards and reports relating to the Easter Rising, Irish War for Independence and Irish Civil War. The collection is free to view …

MÁIRT -- On March 1, 1776, Irish-born Andrew Lewis was appointed a brigadier general in the Continental…

Following the surrender of the Easter Rising, the  Rebel leaders were tried, court-martialed and executed by firing squad in the former stonebreakers yard at Kilmainham Prison, Dublin, from May 3^rd to May 12^th 1916, with Roger Casement being court-martialed and hanged in the U.K. on 3^rd August 1916.

General Sir John…

The Lark is a magazine for children containing stories, poems, artworks, riddles plays and more!

It is an independent ad-free publication with a strong focus on engaging young readers with characters and content they will come to know…

I did not eat out very much on my 2015 visit to Ireland. For most of the time I had cooking facilities available for my exclusive use. It was practical as I was being fiscally prudent. I spent some time at the home of my sister, Bernie, and her husband,…

I'm new to the Wild Geese flock so I thought I'd post about a few things. But the spirit of St. Patrick carries through all of them. 

The Wolf and the Shield: An Adventure with Saint Patrick

For those of you who know children ages 8-12, you might be interested in my book,…

National Pilgrim Paths Day is a new Easter Festival based on Ireland’s dense network of medieval pilgrim walking routes. This new heritage themed event is organised by the local communities adjacent to each of our principal penitential routes and is aimed at raising…

To have a relative who was ‘out’ in 1916 – that is, someone who took part in that mad assault on the British Empire known as the Easter Rising – is something to be treasured.

Of course, there were plenty of other…

Her name was Gray, which I found fitting because her eyes were that stormy blue-gray you seldom see, and when the sky was overcast, you had to squint to bring what little blue they had into focus. She had an arresting face and a delicate manner, but she dressed with neither forethought or self-awareness, usually…

Two months after the ambush at the Burgery, on the 18th of May, the body of Pat Keating was disinterred for burial in Kilrossanty, at the request of his family.

Above: In the front, left to right, are Tommy Boyle, George Lennon, Michael Foley. In the rear…

“But I don’t live in Galway,” a County Clare man said to me regarding his new postal address.

His mail is sorted in Galway City.

Ireland has introduced postal codes for the first time to increase the efficiency of the letter / parcel delivery system. As with other countries, the post office is suffering…

Typically, anyone who is familiar with Irish literature is acquainted with James Joyce. Most have read Dubliners and some brave souls have even managed to plow though Finnegans Wake and actually got something out of it.  He, like most well-known writers, are known…

Claddagh Gifts at Totally Irish Gifts         …

Large-scale migration of large groups of people as a source of the changes in language and culture in Ireland over the last 10,000 years has long been a hotly discussed topic.

Above, …

I have produced an education film on Ireland's quest for Independence, to commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising. I have been showcasing the film at schools and festivals around Ireland for the past 12 months. The film has been placed on DVD and can be purchased at…

The story of one of the lesser known battle sites of the 1916 Rising in Dublin -- jacobs1916.com…

The Irish Proclamation 1916

In preparing this blog, I realise how little I know about the 1916 Proclamation, the Signatories and the Easter Rising. While this blog only touches the tip of the story of the Proclamation I hope it is of…

I thought I might share this. Both of my paternal grandparents came from the spot where Cork, Kerry and Limerick meet. Traditionally -- going back to mythical times -- the area was known Sliabh Luachra (The Mount of Rushes). Finn MacCool and his band were said to have hunted there. The actual townlands were Mountcollins (Cnochuileáin or Cnoc Uí Choileáin) and Caherlevoy.

Above, the Paps of Danu,…