The origins of Memorial Day, originally titled Decoration Day, has a somewhat murky origin. But what is clear is that on May 30, 1868, 5,000 gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the 20,000 fallen warriors buried there, with the…

(Above: "The Army Forge" by Edwin Forbes, “Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper.”

Patrick Callaghan of the 1^st Vermont Cavalry felt the warm northern Virginia summer sun on his face as the…

On May 3rd 1863 , General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, having crossed the Rappahanock River, was readying to fight again.

Earlier that morning, Lee ordered one of his two corps commanders, Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, to get around and…

DOMHNAIGH -- On May 10, 1806, James Shields (left) , who would have one of the most remarkable careers in…

Reverend Peter Cooney, CSC

DOMHNAIGH - On April 5, 1818, Bernardo O'Higgins (right) defeated the Spanish at the battle of Maipo River,…

LUAIN -- On March 23, 1862, Irish-born Union General James Shields (left: pictured during the Mexican War) defeated…

On the day following Christmas 1849, the barque “Bridgetown” finally docked in New Orleans and its 258 passengers disembarked. One of the cabin passengers was a 21 year old Irishman who was destined to become the recipient of great admiration, devotion and loyalty especially during the last four…

LUAIN -- On March 16, 1828, Patrick Cleburne, one of the finest generals produced by either side during America's long, bloody civil war was born at Bride Park Cottage in Ovens Township, Co. Cork, just outside Cork City. Robert E. Lee would one day say of…

DOMHNAIGH -- On March 1, 1776, Irish-born Andrew Lewis was appointed a brigadier general in the…

DOMHNAIGH -- On February 16, 1822, Richard Busteed, Union general and federal judge, was born in…

In the 1860’s Queenstown (now Cobh) was a busy seaport and its townspeople were used to seeing naval vessels coming and going. Such was the case on the night of November 2, 1863, when the USS Kearsarge dropped anchor, to the east of the “Spitbank” lighthouse. In pursuit of the Confederate raider CSS…

MÁIRT -- On December 31, 1602, Dónall O'Sullivan Beare and his clan began their epic march to Ulster. O'Sullivan had supported…

MÁIRT -- On December 24, 1601, Hugh O'Neill and his Spanish and Irish allies were defeated by the English at the Battle of Kinsale, one of the most important battles in Irish history. With the able assistance of his main ally,…

DOMHNAIGH  -- On December 8, 1831, James Hoban, the architect of the White House, died in Washington, D.C. Hoban, a native of County Kilkenny, was educated as an artist by Thomas Ivory in Dublin. He worked as one of the architects on a number of buildings in Ireland, including…

DOMHNAIGH -- On November 24, 1922, during the Irish Civil War, Irish republican Erskine Childers was executed by the Free State government. Childers, whose mother was from County Clare, was…

DOMHNAIGH -- On Nov. 17, 1814, Joseph Finegan, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, was born in…

DOMHNAIGH -- On November 10, 1896, Lady Mary Heath (born Sophie Catherine Pierce), pioneer aviator and athlete, was born in Newcastlewest, County Limerick. Sophie was brought up in Newcastlewest and Dublin, where she attended a boarding school. At the outbreak of World War…

DOMHNAIGH -- On October 20, 1881, the Irish National Land League was outlawed by the government. From the start (see below) the League had been a thorn in the side of government of British Prime Minister W. E. Gladstone. The passage of the second Land Act in 1818 failed to mollify many of the…

DOMHNAIGH -- On October 6, 1649 Owen Roe O'Neill (left), nephew of Hugh O'Neill and an officer in the Spanish army, died at Cloughoughter Castle on an island in Lough Oughter in County Cavan. Owen is thought to have been born in 1585, probably near Loughgall in County Armagh. He left Ireland…