MÁIRT -- On February 13, 1782, Dillon's regiment of the Irish Brigade of France helped capture St. Kitts from the British during the American Revolution. Earlier, Dillon's regiment had helped…

Since the ancient past, societies have honored athletes.  Athletic competition may have developed out of pragmatic concerns such as training warriors, but it was soon realized that certain individuals were gifted with exceptional talents.  In the Ancient Olympic Games winning competitors were awarded Olive Wreaths and…

DOMHNAIGH -- On February 4, 1860, Spanish General Don Leopoldo O'Donnell y Jorris, 1st Duke of Tétuan, 1st Count of Lucena, 1st Viscount of Aliaga, won the battle of Tétuan in Spain's war against Morocco. Leopoldo was descended from a long line of O'Donnells in Spain, who had…

This poem was penned after the death of King Charles I, who was beheaded outside Whitehall Palace in London on the afternoon of January 30th, 1649, exactly 368 years ago, today. 

"He nothing common did or mean

Upon that memorable scene:

But with his keener eye

The axe’s…

Who doesn’t love carrot cake? I sure do, and when I learned there was actually a day devoted to celebrating it, I couldn’t wait to make one in its honor. For the record, food historians suggest modern carrot cake probably descended from carrot puddings popular during the Middle Ages when sugar and other sweeteners…

I had decided not to go on the Bloody Sunday march in Derry, my home town, because I was too frightened. I felt I had good cause. Word was that British parachute regiment was to be on duty here that day and I knew they had gone on a prolonged killing spree in Ballymurphy, Belfast, the previous August during…

DOMHNAIGH -- On January 28, 1967 , Helena Moloney, republican and trade unionist, died in Dublin. Moloney was born in Dublin in 1884. While only at teen-ager Moloney heard Maud Gonne give a pro-nationalist speech near the Customs House. Inspired by Gonne, Helena began a lifelong commitment to…

DOMHNAIGH -- On January 21, 1876, James "Big Jim" Larkin one of the greatest labor leaders of the 20th century, was born in Liverpool, England, the second son of a poor Irish couple. At 5 he was sent back to Newry, County Down, to live with his grandparents. He returned to…

On top of roof and window,

Those boys stood up to fight,

‘Til the burning of the cottage

And no escape in sight.

It was around 4 pm on a…

LUAIN -- On January 15, 1861, Young Irelander Terence Bellew MacManus died in San Francisco. MacManus was born in County Fermanagh in 1811. He later moved to Liverpool, England, where he began a successful shipping agency. In 1843 he returned to Ireland and joined the Repeal Association and the…

If you’re a loyal follower of my recipe posts (if I actually have any “followers”), this recipe might ring familiar. I posted it back in March suggesting that the soup would make a lovely “spring” dish, but since I’ve made it again recently to ward off the bone chilling days of January, I thought it’s worth…

SATHAIRN -- On Jan. 7, 1945 Major Thomas McGuire Jr., the second highest scoring US ace of WWII, and Medal of Honor recipient, crashed his plane and was killed…

DOMHNAIGH -- On December 31, 1602, Dónall O'Sullivan Beare and his clan began their epic march to Ulster. O'Sullivan had supported…

If you’re celebrating the arrival of 2018 sensibly (that is, you’re NOT going to Times Square where the temperature will be somewhere between 10°F and 20°F) by heading off to or hosting a casual potluck supper, you might want to consider this delicious riff on traditional Colcannon. The recipe is a slight…

But according to our alumni “Wild Westies”; or people who travel with us on a Wild West Irish Tour, nothing is more surprising than these top three [technically four] things:

1. The Fairy Glen…

Here is an article I wrote for my blog, IrishAmericanJournal.com, about Irish Stew. I thought you all might like to see this and maybe make some now that the weather is cold. Good Irish Stew will warm you up.…

Above, my brother John Kelly

The main forecourt Crumlin Road jail.…

As nine year old Rosalie Hart came up onto the deck of the schooner “Sea Lion” there was a furious gale blowing. She and her family were thousands of miles from their home in Ballymoney, County Wexford, Ireland. She breathed in the clean sea air; a welcome relief from the…

DOMHNAIGH -- On December 24, 1601, Hugh O'Neill and his Spanish and Irish allies were defeated by the English at the Battle of Kinsale, one of the most important battles in Irish history. With the able assistance of his main ally,…