Delighted to learn that my book “Out…

It was 1948, and as the military half-track drove through the Beit Netofa Valley, at the village of Madna in Galilee, shots rang out. One Israeli soldier was killed and another was hit in the head. A sniper had zeroed in on the men and was…

I once held the conceit that Maureen O'Hara was my mother. So it came as both a surprise and a delight to come across a picture of the deservedly famous Irish redhead standing alongside my father.

In the photo above, Dad is standing,…

It was a little after 2 am on April 15, 1912. The deck of the R.M.S. Titanic was now tilted over 6 degrees toward the sinking bow. As 17-year-old Jack Thayer and 30-year-old Milton Long moved toward one of the last remaining lifeboats on the boat deck,…

Tuesday, May 3, 1921 was a beautiful, sunny day in the nearly treeless Partry Mountains above the town of Tourmakeady, County Mayo, but Tom Maguire was in no condition to enjoy the weather. Maguire, the C/O of the South Mayo Flying Column,…

On the Hill of Uisneach, in a portion of land taken from the province of Connaught, a…

This original 19th century coffin carrier played a vital role during the Irish Potato Famine (1845 to 1852).

The body of a person who died in the workhouse was placed in a coffin and brought to their final resting place on the coffin…

Lemon desserts seem to be more delicious on a spring day, but you’ll want to keep this one on a year-round basis to have with a cup of tea. Technically, it fits into the “quick bread” baking category,…

Here is an article I wrote on my blog about traditional Irish musical instruments.  I hope you like it.

There are many instruments used today in Traditional Irish Music. Many have evolved over centuries; some are ancient, while some are much…

In 2013 our annual trek to the Ireland brought us to a pleasant small cottage in…

Now rise up DJ Allman, arise and tell me true

Who fought at Headford Station that day along with you?

Who stood out on that platform board, who fired that signal gun?

Who fought to free old Ireland with you my darling son?

--…

Chocolate is definitely the flavor-of-the-month when Easter rolls around, so you might want to add just one more recipe — like this creamy cheesecake — to your dessert basket. You’ll find this and other springtime desserts in my cookbook,…

What comes to mind for you when you hear the words “St. Patrick’s Day”? Green, I’d imagine; probably spirits, soda bread, and so on – but have you ever thought about…teeth?

Most people associate the loss of teeth with things…

When it comes time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, soda bread, bacon and cabbage, and Guinness probably rise to the top of the holiday menu. And why not? These iconic dishes are among the most popular for the Irish worldwide, and one more…

When the rebels in Britain’s American colonies rose up against British rule in 1776, some of the most stalwart supporters of the cause of independence were the same Irish clans that had fought against the English / British rule of their own island for…

Ireland has been calling to me for many years and last month I finally answered.  My sister, Gloria, our life long friend, Valerie and my newphew Chris and his girlfriend, Morgan, spent nine days (not nearly enough time) visiting Dublin and Northern…

Trading Fate

Fourteen-year-old Patricia Walsh, her mother, father, and six siblings, scratched out a living in the stone fields of County Galway, Ireland. Colum Walsh supported the family as a stonemason building estate structures and repairing the fences of an…

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…

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…

Back in the mists of time, long before the Milesians arrived from Egypt, and even longer before the Celtic tribes came and settled, another ancient tribe inhabited the island of Ireland. The ‘Tuatha De Dannan,’ translated as ‘people of the Goddess…