I’ve learned some valuable life lessons from Fionn MacCuhul.

Life is short.

Love is vital.

Companionship is…

Starting today, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite holiday recipes as we countdown to one of the biggest days of the year. Christmas Pudding is first, since it takes a few hours prep and steaming time making it the one recipe you want to check off as “done.” The early prep will pay off though, because you can make it…

In October, we spent time traveling in Ireland via a tour from Wild West Irish Tours in October, a prize for winning last spring's "The Wild West of Ireland: You Won't Forget Your First…

DOMHNAIGH-- In the early morning hours of December 6, 1921, representatives of the Irish government appointed by President Eamon de Valera, and those negotiating for the Crown signed the…

My historical novel "Lieutenant and Mrs. Lockwood" is based on an actual Irish family, and I've had people ask about their story. The Lockwoods' story turns out better than that of the Fortescues, but I think I have…

The great Irish American journalist Pete Hamill will be our guest on Saturday December 5 at 12 Noon New York time. We will talk about his book Why Sinatra Matters which is being re-issued in time for the centenary of Sinatra's birth. Pete has written a new introduction for this edition.

I watched "The Bloody Irish: Songs of the 1916 Rising" on PBS Channel 21 last night.

The music -- great! The singers -- fabulous! The "history," especially the scenes in the GPO -- the less said the better. But it's the politics that really matter.

This show was made in Ireland for broadcast on PBS.…

After more years than I care to count, Kieran has resurfaced. The last time I saw him, it was raining; it was one of those gray Galway days on New Castle Road, and I’d sleuthed Kieran out, after swearing to Adrian I’d never tell who had told me where I…

Éamon de Valera: A Will to Power

By Ronan Fanning

Faber…

Dr. James Miranda Stuart Barry was born Margaret Ann Bulkley. Her parents were thought to be Jeremiah and Mary-Ann Bulkley. However, there is some speculation about the biological father. Barry's place of birth is usually given as Cork, and Barry's birthday is usually given as between 1789-1799, as her university and…

I have always loved these words and what they aspire to, from the 1916 Proclamation:

The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts,…

Thanks for the encouragement from bloggers to continue my work on Constance Gore-Booth.  So far I have no luck in getting the novel published but I am taking time from my  teaching to rewrite the entire manuscript.  I will be using a fictional character, Alice, loosely based on my grandaunt, and Constance will interact with her.  This may make the book more lively, something that editors keep saying has to happen to improve its chances of being published.

As I love the story of…

"Shane O’Neill – 'The Grand Disturber' of Elizabethan Ireland" is Brian…

On July 3, 1998, An Taoiseach Bertie Aherne, T.D., unveiled a plaque on The Kingsbridge Inn to commemorate the bicentenary of "The Races of Castlebar." This event, as well as the publication of Thomas Flanagan's “The Year of the French" in 1979 and the subsequent filming of this novel some years ago, have increased an…

DOMHNAIGH -- On November 29, 1895, Denny Lane (right), author and poet, and member of the revolutionary Young Ireland party, died in Cork. Lane was born in Riverstown, near Glanmire in County Cork, in 1818. Denny attended Trinity College, Dublin. While a student there, he met fellow student Thomas Davis, a…

Winter solstice began as a celebration of winter’s end, the cycle of life beginning anew. Killadangan, a scattering of stones strewn around a salt marsh on the shores of Clew Bay, draws you right back to those Neolithic times. The mossy monoliths connect through a winter-solstice alignment to a notch in the hills opposite, but get there early – the sun sets…

...is in love with words. I retired as a high-school history teacher in June, but I finally wrote a book, about my California home town, which made a year's work a true labor of love. In 1941, it was a farm town, near the sea, of 1,090 souls. It was also a town of immigrants, people who very much like my ancestors--they were from the Azores, Japan, and the Philippines--and the book is largely about their children, who would carry the burden of the war. I think the writing is something I got…

I cannot Thank Gerry Regan, Michael and Trish of Wild West Irish Tours and the staff at WOW Airlines enough for the trip of a lifetime!  I've been without Internet access, and will be getting together with Dan again over Thanksgiving to retell the trip to family and friends and get our pics together ... I was able to get some great shots before my camera quit, and luckily Dan was able to get what I did not. I'll also be showing him how to upload and attach pics to e-mail!

BUT THE…

Language is a window into the soul.

This saying helps to explain why I have (unsuccessfully) tried to learn Irish Gaelic -- to better understand the Irish people. In one lesson early on, it was explained that Irish has no system to show possession. In other words, Irish has no words for "my" as in "my book," or "his" as…