Volunteer Michael Kenny pulled up the collar of his mackintosh, tightened his scarf, and pulled down his cap against the cold breeze as he stood beside the Old Youghal Road near Dillon’s Cross in Cork City. As the clock neared…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on December 10, 2022 at 10:00pm — 3 Comments
A TV documentary on the St. Louis World Fair mentioned how John Philip Sousa and his band dominated the entertainment, which included a young John McCormack singing at the Irish Pavilion. It brought to mind a forgotten era when American superstars were not individuals with a current hit record but band…
ContinueAdded by Mike McCormack on November 26, 2022 at 2:00pm — 1 Comment
I was first brought to a thatched cottage situated near Tuam in County Galway in 1965 at the age of 11. Enchanted with Ireland, over the next 10 years I became increasingly embedded in Irish culture, finding a way to return every summer, working as a waitress at a Galway…
Added by Susan O'Dea Boland on September 20, 2022 at 7:30am — No Comments
On October 30, 1963, Cahirsiveen, County Kerry, Ireland, saw the largest outpouring of grief in more than a century as Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty was laid to rest. Although born in County Cork, he grew up in Killarney, where his father was the steward of the old Killarney Golf Club. Hugh retired to…
ContinueAdded by Mike McCormack on October 1, 2022 at 2:00pm — No Comments
Dick Willis walked up to the Sheehan's farmhouse in Mourneabbey, County Cork, on the pleasant late summer afternoon of Sunday, September 26, 1920. Dick, a member of the Mallow Company of the Cork No. 2 (North) Brigade, could see numerous brigade members from the newly formed brigade…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on September 25, 2022 at 6:00pm — 2 Comments
Edward Hand was born in Clyduff, County Offaly, Ireland, on 31 December 1744 and was baptized in Shinrone. His father was John Hand, a descendant of the Mag Fhlaithimh family which translates: Hand. Edward completed his schooling with a medical certificate from Trinity College,…
ContinueAdded by Mike McCormack on September 4, 2022 at 1:30pm — No Comments
Seán Connolly and Leo Carter pushed a table into the corner of the upstairs bedroom of the Lloyd family in Ballymahon, Co. Longford. Carter, who stood 6’ 3”, jumped on the table and began to hack at the roof with an ax. It was just past midnight in the early morning hours of August 20,…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on August 11, 2022 at 9:00pm — 8 Comments
This cornmeal cake is currently my go-to summer dessert. The original recipe suggested a fruit and wine syrupy topping, but it also works deliciously as an upside-down cake with summer berries on the bottom. Serve it for at teatime with whipped…
ContinueAdded by Margaret M. Johnson on August 13, 2022 at 9:30am — No Comments
The Bear Flag Revolt, was from June to July in 1846. American settlers in California rebelled against the Mexican government and proclaimed California an independent republic. After the Bear Flag was…
ContinueAdded by Don Gray on August 5, 2022 at 9:30am — No Comments
Welcome to August a significant month in Irish history. Here are a few examples, August 1 is the ancient feast of Lugnasad – the Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest. Begun by the De Danann god, Lugh, in honor of his foster-mother Tailtiu, it included religious…
ContinueAdded by Mike McCormack on August 1, 2022 at 3:30pm — No Comments
During a nostalgic trip to Dublin City, Ireland in June 1971, I found myself in the delightful St. Stephen's Green, a welcome oasis in that bustling, cosmopolitan city. The park is sited not far from the Four Courts building, which sits on the north bank of…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on June 9, 2022 at 9:30am — 1 Comment
Seán Culhane stood across the street from the Cork & County Club Hotel, an Anglo-Irish social club in Cork City. Culhane, the Intelligence Officer, Cork 1 Brigade of the Irish Volunteers, was watching the door, waiting for a sign from his informer, waiter Ned “Bally” Fitzgerald. It was a…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on July 6, 2022 at 7:30pm — 4 Comments
One morning, in late summer, a young boy set off eagerly, on his journey of life. Brimming with excitement, his eyes shone with innocent anticipation. He was going to school for the first time! He was going to learn new and wondrous things! The boy had dreamt and looked forward to this day for as long as he could remember, And…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on June 16, 2022 at 8:30am — 5 Comments
Rhubarb makes only a brief appearance each spring, but because of its tart, bitter flavor, it makes a big impression. Rarely eaten on its own, it’s generally paired with a sweet fruit, especially berries, to balance the flavor. Rhubarb wasn’t a popular ingredient until the eighteenth century,…
ContinueAdded by Margaret M. Johnson on June 18, 2022 at 6:58am — No Comments
Ireland's sons were outnumbered and outgunned in their native land by those who would impose the chains of bondage on them. Though Ireland meant much to them, freedom meant more and they fled their homeland for the far corners of the world bringing with them the traditions of a warrior race. Sadly, warfare has been part of Ireland's existence throughout…
ContinueAdded by Mike McCormack on May 28, 2022 at 12:30pm — 1 Comment
It was shortly after 5 pm on the hot afternoon of June 1, 1921, in Milltown, County Kerry when the sharp ringing of the phone shattered the still air of the doctor’s office. Thirty-eight-year-old Dr. Daniel Sheehan, whom many of the…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on May 26, 2022 at 11:30pm — 5 Comments
Once upon a time in Ireland — at least at the time I made my first trip in 1984, and even a decade later — a salad was not a salad as we know it today: think a few leaves of iceberg and a slice or two of tomato. Perfectly acceptable at…
ContinueAdded by Margaret M. Johnson on May 23, 2022 at 8:04am — No Comments
Memorial Day, originally titled Decoration Day, has a somewhat murky origin. But what is clear is that on May 30, 1868, 146 years ago today, 5,000 gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the 20,000 fallen warriors buried there, with the help of remarks by General and future President James…
ContinueAdded by The Wild Geese on May 23, 2015 at 2:30pm — 2 Comments
Rocks and stones have always been special to the Irish. The Stone of Fal, reportedly brought to Ireland by the Tuatha de Dannan, was said to have the power to roar – but only when a man fit to rule Ireland stood upon it. The Rock of Doone, similarly only roared out under one fit to be a Chieftain of the…
ContinueAdded by Mike McCormack on May 1, 2022 at 9:00am — 1 Comment
The hot summer sun beat down on 72-year-old John (Don Juan) O’Brien as he slowly mounted the wooden platform in the Plaza de Armas in Lima, Peru. The Cathedral of Lima (below-left) loomed above the plaza that 28th of July, 1858, just as it had on the same day in 1821. On that day,…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on April 12, 2022 at 11:00pm — 1 Comment
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