As a historian, I attend many historical lectures, book readings and walking tours, but notice that sadly few young people seem to be interested in the past. That is why the success of Kilkenny’s Fin Dwyer’s podcasts with people of all ages is even more impressive.

I…

This is an article I wrote for my site about Coffin Ships and the Potato Famine:

http://www.irishamericanjournal.com/2017/08/coffin-ships.html

"In 1958 in his book 'A Nation of Immigrants,' John F. Kennedy wrote about the…

A newly produced DVD follows on from an exhibition that was held in Dublin throughout the summer of 2017. The exhibition was called "The Irish Potato Famine (1845 to 1852)," and its purpose was to commemorate the 170th anniversary of the Famine year 1847.…

This year 2017, is the 170th anniversary of the ‘great Hunger’ that befell Ireland in 1847. Otherwise known as ‘an Gorta mor’ or more commonly referred to as ‘Black ‘47’ it was a seminal turning point in the long tortuous history of Ireland.With the failure of the potato crop due to a serious blight,…

In 1997, during the 150th anniversary of "Black '47," the worst year of the Great Hunger, many commemorations were held all around Ireland and the Irish Diaspora. I attended one of them on Grosse île and wrote the following about that experience.…

Hello again, I know I am posting another great piece. This is about the Great Hunger in Ireland but its done in a totally new way - a graphic novel. I am hoping to get a copy for myself and give it a read.…

TITLE: Irish Hunger and Migration: Myth, Memory and Memorialisation…

During the Great Hunger in Ireland the Ottoman Empire sent £1,000 sterling (about $1,500,000 today) and three shiploads of food to Drogheda, Ireland.

The Ottoman ruler at that time -- Sultan Khaleefah Abdul-Majid – wanted to send £10,000 sterling to Irish farmers but Queen Victoria requested…

A sculpture of nine eagle feathers by Alex Pentek has been installed in Midleton, County Cork, to thank the Choctaw Indians for their …

Book Review:

"Compassionate Stranger: Asenath Nicholson and the Great Irish Famine"

By Maureen O’Rourke Murphy

Syracuse University Press, 2015

366 Pages…

Between the years of 1845 and 1852, Ireland’s population was reduced by about 20% due to the impacts of the Potato Famine, also known as The Great Famine or in our native language ‘An Gorta Mór.’  It is…

During a 1986 interview with 1916 patriot Sam O’Reilly for the Irish Echo newspaper, Sam excused himself to retrieve some notes.  At that point, his wife Mary whispered, "Mike, would you ever tell our story?"  I said, "Sure, you mean you and Sam?"  She replied, "No, I mean…

Maureen Murphy’s book "Compassionate Stranger" was 44 years in the birthing.  Her biography of Asenath Hatch Nicholson brings back to life a heroine of the Great Hunger, a story of the Famine little known but…

Check out our past quizzes here.

Here's Christine's last book on Amazon.The following is a transcript taken from the…

Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore grew up in a town called Ballygar, County Galway -- today a lovely place on the road from Roscommon to Galway. In the 1820s, the Landlord decided he would build a town because he had a large estate and much produce. This would produce more income and give…

By Dr. Christine Kinealy

For many decades, the…

Sometimes we hear doubts about whether there was food in Ireland during "The Great Hunger." Please look at the whiskey production published in the Athlone Sentinel on April 25th in the report brief report below:

"The quantity distilled in Ireland for the year ending Jan. 5th, 1849 was of malt: 34,897 gals; malt with unmalted grain: 7,957,000 gals;…

"Burying the Child" by Lilian Lucy Davidson

by …

by Dr. Christine…