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…

By John Bruton

I remember, as a child, playing over and over again our old 78-rpm records of John McCormack’s songs, which had been the property of my late grand uncle and namesake. Many of the songs…

Where in Ireland are you from? Trace your Irish heritage and find out where your Irish surname originated or is most dominant in Ireland on the map below.

I am not usually a great one for "tourist sites," and it was a damp, rainy day and I was not of a mood to go out. But I had a friend visiting, and by heaven, she had read about this place north of Dublin (where I was living and where I had a very comfortable spot, and a lovely pub…

My great 'Irish Spot' is Reginald's Tower in Waterford City! I remember being blown away by the history of the Tower on my trip to Ireland after winning the Waterford Gathering competition! It was my first trip off the North American continent and although my ancestry…

Currier and Ives Robert Emmet stands defiant before the judge at his trial.

MÁIRT -- On March 4, 1778,…

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…

Learn about the stories and tales behind Ireland’s most recognised and renowned symbols as we begin the 4 week count down until Saint Patrick’s Day. The time of year for parades, green outfits, face-paints, Guinness and all…

The Desmond Fitzgerald Photographs, a stunning collection of 179 photos is now available to view on the University College Dublin Digital Library website.  This collection of photographic prints forms part of the papers of Desmond FitzGerald. The majority of these photographs arise out of the…

Library of Congress Richard Busteed

DOMNAIGH --…

The tale of Tristan and Isolde was one of the most influential romances in the medieval period. It predated and influenced the Arthurian romance of Lancelot and Guinevere.

Originally, the Tristan legend had nothing to do with King Arthur, but shortly…

From Easter 1916 until the bitter end of the Civil War, County Kerry was embroiled in bloody conflict. Now, for the first time in…

Conor Mac Nessa, King of Ulster was Queen Medb’s first husband. She quickly forsook him and stormed home to her father crying out “Who could stand that man!” Conor was not Medb’s ideal choice of husband, but the sad result of the peace debt incurred by her father.…

Born near Kill, County Kildare, in 1842, John Devoy would go on to become a man described by the London Times as ‘the most dangerous enemy of this country [Britain] Ireland has produced since Wolfe Tone’. His republican career began when, as a teenager, he met the Young Irelander John…

The story of Kitty Kiernan and Michael Collins evokes ancient themes from Greek or Shakespearean tragedy, and also reminds us that “It’s Complicated” applied to relationships long before the internet age. 

Kitty’s family owned the…

Not everybody who goes to Whitefriar Street church is Catholic, and not every Catholic who visits is a regular Mass-attender. There are a steady number of people who pass other…

by Patrick Bonar

Irish folk lore is part of our heritage and the tradition of storytelling runs strongly through our veins. It would be difficult to find an Irish person who did not hear the stories of ‘Oisin in the…