John Millington Synge was one the leading figures of the Irish Literary Revival towards the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century.

Like Lady Gregory, Synge was also a dramatist portraying the Irish on stage as a means of reviving interest in Irish heritage and…

Eugene Daly was dreaming, in a deep sleep. In the dream, he was playing his uileann pipes to a rapturous audience of dancers in the ship's sumptuous main ballroom. He played like a man possessed, jigs and reels, in perfect pitch. The audience were thrilled. All of a sudden he panicked and woke. He had woken up to the sound of water lapping under his bunk. Unused to…

I recently came across the lovely and nostalgic promotional poster from Ireland's Midland Great Western Railway shown above.  Although I live one of the areas formerly served by this grand old railroad, I didn't know much about the history thereof.  I've shared the information…

I recently sat down with the Director of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Dani Gill (picture above).  The Cúirt festival is in its 29th year here in Galway, and they have gone from strength to strength as one of the premier literature festivals in all the world.  Writers and…

After traveling from the new Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport to Galway on a GoBus luxury coach I needed to contact my brother as we had arranged. My American cellphone could not get service. I am…

As a schoolboy some 65 years ago, I was often asked for directions to the famous Turoe Stone (2 miles up the road) by French, German and British ‘tourists’. Intriguing winter fireside stories recalled remnants of a local ancient ‘city’ cum royal site enclosed within the same…

Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, it wasn't St. Patrick's Day unless we saw the movie "The Quiet Man."  There were the parties,  the parade and the dying of the Chicago River green but until the whole family sat together and watched The Quiet Man it really wasn't St. Patrick's Day. …

Inis Mór

It is the call of the sea and the crashing waves

the songs of men given up to watery graves

The fishermen's chatter and pony cart's clatter

The seal's call and the wild rain splatter…

Meaití Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta is a member of The Irish Gift, a group based in Middle Tennessee that promotes and preserves the Irish culture in this area. The Irish Gift also has a huge online presence as we continue to bring the Irish language, music song and dance to people all…

A true Irish spot, the small Neo-Gothic Church on the grounds of Kylemore Abbey, in Connemara.

You have to look hard for this special gem on the grounds of Kylemore Abbey in County Galway. Kylemore Abbey, home of the Benedictine Nuns since the 1920’s, is nestled at the base of Duchruach Mountain on…

by Karen Campbell

Two years ago, I was captivated by an…

Let's take a look back to the late 1800s and early 1900s at old pictures of the rural countryside and city life throughout various parts of Ireland. (Top image: Donkey cart…

Today the iconic claddagh ring is, along with the harp and shamrock, one of the most widely recognized and most iconically “Irish” symbols in America. The commercial value of the claddagh ring design is enormous -- and probably impossible to…

by Mike McCormack, AOH National Historian

The Claddagh Ring, designed and worn in Ireland since the late 1600s, has enjoyed a growing popularity with Irish exiles the world over. The modern Galway Jeweller, Stephen…

Typically, anyone who is familiar with Irish literature is acquainted with James Joyce. Most have read Dubliners and some brave souls have even managed to plow though Finnegans Wake and actually got something out of it.  He, like most well-known writers, are known…

A tale of love and loss, a poem, a tradition, a ballad, a folk-song, forever in our hearts.

Can you imagine how hard life was in the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th century here in…

Fifty years ago today (21 January, 1964), the Irish Language Commission released a report stating that Galway should be made an Irish-speaking city.  RTÉ News spoke to some of Galway's citizens to get their opinions of the plans.  …

This one's for all you animal lovers out there, and especially for all you equine lovers.  On second thought, this is something that will be enjoyed by anyone who loves Ireland, her unique landscapes, and her grand auld traditions.

Last night (26 December, 2013), a new…

'Oiche na Gaoithe Moire' - The night of the big wind! That phrase usually refers to one of the most devastating hurricanes that ever hit Ireland, which made land during the night of Little Christmas, on the 6th of January 1839, almost 174 years ago, just before the outbreak of the…