The man who changed the face of Ireland, County Laois's most famous son, William Dargan, was born near Killeshin, on Feb. 28th, 1799. He worked for some time as an apprentice to the pioneering Scottish engineer, Thomas Telford, and helped construct the London-Holyhead road across…

The Irish for dowry is "spré," literally meaning "fortune."

My husband maintains he is still waiting for his dowry -- 26 years on, it has been a standard joke in our family all…

Cork Harbour claims to be the second largest harbour in the world after Sydney, Australia.

On the east side are the ruins of Woodhill, the house to which Sarah Curran fled after the execution of her lover, Robert Emmet in 1803. Nearby is the ruin of Dundanion Castle from…

On our trip to County Waterford that we won back in 2013, my husband Bill and I  decided to take some extra days and trek northwest while in Ireland, to see the Knock Cathedral in County Mayo. After passing through Waterford we headed up through Tipperary and Offaly before heading into the beautiful Counties of Galway and Mayo, which of course are part of the Wild West of…

You may not think the words in the headline above belong in the same sentence nor that they have any particular Irish resonance, but history throws up some intriguing links sometimes. This one caught my eye a while back, but I think now is a fitting time to share…

"Here's to your roof, may it be well thatched;

And here's to all under it, may they be well matched."

At…

In 2011 my wife, Lindy, and I spent two weeks in Donegal, staying in a cottage near Killybegs. One of our most enjoyable days during that two weeks included a boat trip to see the cliffs at…

I sometimes think that, when words fail, art can find expression for feelings that have no words.   And art is especially good for remembering those who have gone before...

I visited the studio of Lorcan Walshe recently. A few years ago he had an exhibition entitled “The Artefacts…

Tipperary native among the earliest heroes of the FDNY…

“NEW YORK CATHOLICS: Faith, Attitude & The Works!”

Patrick McNamara

Orbis Books, October 2014

211 Pages

When I first saw the title, I was apprehensive -- I was expecting either a dry history or a dry listing of…

What have you got in your hand?

A green bough.

Where did it first grow?

In America.

Where did it bud?

In France.

Where are you going to plant…

George Arthur French was born at Roscommon, Ireland in 1841. He was educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and commissioned in the Royal Artillery in 1860. 

In 1871, at the request of the Canadian government, he was sent…

One of the features of the landscape is the extensive bogland, which nature was indeed very generous in allocating to the Inishowen Peninsula of Co Donegal. The presence of these tree remains, found in the course of cutting turf, is evidence of the existence in the remote past of great forests of Fir and Oak. It is also this bogland that gives Mary the…

If you’re looking to experience Ireland in the most in depth, up close, and genuine way possible, then Dave Yeates Ireland Tours is what you’re looking for.

As a passionate Irishman, Dave Yeates has been sharing the heart…

These are our latest range of celtic inspired bogwood necklaces.

http://www.inishowenbogwoodsculptures.com/jewellery

The Fadden More Psalter, a book of psalms as old as the Book of Kells, was found by turf cutters in a Tipperary bog in 2006.  It is written in Latin and includes illuminated letters and other decoration.  Dr. Eamonn Kelly and his team at The National Museum of Ireland dated the book to around 800 AD, and spent five years restoring it. 

The find was very exciting to Irish…

“The Bog Road” as it is know is a three mile stretch of road between Athlone and the village of Clonown. The village has the unusual distinction of not having a pub - for Ireland this is quite an anomaly!…

ÓGRA, a Gaelic word meaning youth, is Ireland’s only full range of cosmetic products that uses peat from raised bogs as the integral ingredient in its range. Since time immemorial, nature has held the secrets to youth, beauty and vitality. Deep in the valleys of Ireland, we have uncovered this secret. 

ÓGRA was…

Ancient Ireland had many forested areas and when felled the roots remained.  Those sites are mainly the boglands of today.

The bogwood was easiest detected in these bogs in the early morning as it was known that the morning dew didn’t rest on the section of the…