Whether ancient legends or modern family tales, the stories of Ireland and Scotland have all played an important role in my life. They give me great pleasure and they help provide the…

In days long gone, at a time that is long past, there was a king of Wales called Bran, the Raven.  It was a time of war, and Bran the King sought the strength of an alliance with Ireland.  So a marriage…

Given the history of Scotland and Ireland - two sibling nations with fierce and loyal ties to each other but also marred (and often scarred) by bloody disagreement, rivalry and the power politics of these islands - it…

In days long gone, at a time that is long past, a great salmon named Bradan rested calmly in the Pool of Wisdom on the River Boyne.  The salmon fed on the nuts from the nine hazel trees growing around the pool and all the wisdom of the world became…

If one is travelling through Connemara, one of the more compelling tourist destinations is Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine monastery since 1920, which sits majestically surrounded by wooded acres behind a tranquil lake. The…

Read part one here.

January 4, 1865 the Provost Marshal General James B.…

We are new to TheWildGeese.Irish and pleased to sponsor this week of Myths and Legends.  It was these Celtic stories, told by our ancestors around their firesides which inspired us to create a…

I am a very lucky man. I live on a hill in Galway surrounded by a landscape and seascape filled with myths and legends, and make a living doing what I love - telling stories and writing books, mostly about (or influenced by) the older tales of Ireland and Scotland. Yet, I would be…

Last night Susan McManamon​ and I joined the night rescue team of The Hope Foundation​, supported by Irish Aid. We spent 3 hours driving through areas of Calcutta where people live on the street or in slums or work in the red light district. This is very real…

Thomas McKean (March 19, 1734 – June 24, 1817) was the son of William McKean from County Antrim who came to Pennsylvania via the city of…

Book review

"The Longing," by Kimberly Mae

Friesen Press, 2015

Reading this warm-hearted book was a precise reminder to me of the full range of…

Fidelma McCorry Breen is seeking out participants for a survey she is doing on the Irish Experience in Australia. Please read the following post to see if you can help her out.

Thank you so much for your…

The Irish Examiner reports that the Irish Veterans, an organization whose goal is…

Book Review:

"Compassionate Stranger: Asenath Nicholson and the Great Irish Famine"

By Maureen O’Rourke Murphy

Syracuse University Press, 2015

366 Pages…

I am a new member of TheWildGeese.Irish, and I am so interested in the history of Ireland. My Father was born and raised in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. He shared so…

In the next days, I will be presenting an 11-day Irish music and pub tour along Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way, and it will be mighty!  I am presently finalizing details.

The trip will be limited to 30 people, which I believe is a nice group number.  All accommodations will be within walking distance of music/pubs and spectacular road trips will be guaranteed.  I will also…

Eoin MacNeill was born in County Antrim on May 15, 1869, the second-youngest child in a family that consisted of five boys and three girls.  His father, Archibald MacNeill, was a baker, sailor, and a merchant.  Combining all these skills, he set his family up to live what would be…

I should have posted this a bit earlier in the year as we announced it in late February.  For those of you that have an interest in traditional Irish music I run a traditional Irish music website called…

Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design, 1690-1840, opened at the Art Institute of Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2015, with a special ribbon-cutting featuring bagpipes and local…