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…

By James Doherty

Waterford City, Ireland - From his perch as rector of the Irish College of St. Isidore in Rome, Waterford-born Franciscan Friar Luke Wadding welcomed a steady stream of refugees from the land of his birth - men forced to leave Ireland to pursue their vocations. He came to understand…

For those who cannot afford to go and check out Ireland's downright fascinating history and Ireland's other amazing enchantments for themselves, see how you can be astounded by 'Ireland's Queen Maeve' published by Amazon's CreateSpace or as an Amazon.com e-book without leaving your chair. It may make you want to get up and go there whether you can afford it or not. Here is a little snippet:

The ancient…

by Turtle Bunbury

Bridget Mooney and her four young brothers were putting the final touches on a large snowman outside their wooden cabin in County Mayo when the hurricane…

On New Year's Eve of 1602, Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare (Domhnall Cam Ó Súilleabháin Bhéara), Chieftain of the great O'Sullivan clan of west Cork and 1,000 others from the area over which he ruled set out on one of the most harrowing and brutal treks in the history of Ireland.  Of…

A.D. 2013 has been a big year for The Wild Geese.  It was just nine months ago that the new and improved version of TheWildGeese.com was launched.  As 2013 winds down to a close, we thought it would be interesting to compile the most popular blog posts and discussions…

While yet a teenager, I collected most of these clay pipes around Loughrea, in county Galway, some from the lake shore, some from under the water using a snorkel and mask, the smallest ones from the bottom of a hole I was digging in Elephant and Castle, while working as a student in…

National Library of Ireland. Gen. Richard Mulcahy in the uniform of the Irish Free State.

MÁIRT -- On Dec. 16, 1971, soldier and politician General Richard Mulcahy died in…

The following is a transcript taken from the LIVE Community Chat chat hosted here at TheWildGeese.com on Monday, December 9, 2013.  The focus for the discussion was the fascinating discovery of Newtown Jerpoint in County Kilkenny, where St. Nicholas' remains (as in Santa Claus) are purported to be buried.  The owner of…

Finding something unique that expresses your Irish pride colorfully and durably and affordably can be challenging, especially with less than 15 shopping days (and 10 shipping days) until Christmas.

Well, for more than a decade, we at The…