By Patrick Lavin (First published in 2004)

The Celts stand out as one of the most daring of all the ancient European people in the history of pre-Roman Europe. They arrived on the European stage in prehistoric times as a "fierce naked warrior class that collected enemy heads as war trophies," and evolved into a singular culture that flourished…

Writing

When I first got involved on the official side of handball in succession to Seamie Curran as Secretary of the Ballymore Eustace Handball Club in 1958 I began writing previews and reviews of games.  These I did initially for the Leinster Leader and later on for the Ballymore Echo.  In 1972 Fr Browne did his final Chronicle and via my late father asked me to do an article on handball for it.

From 1958 until 1997 I wrote…

Ballymore Eustace through the Years

The First Chronicle

In 1953 we saw the first Ballymore Eustace and Hollywood Chronicle. 

This publication gave a flavour of the area.  The next publication was Christmas 1958 when we had a pamphlet.

Other Publications

In 1972, we had another Chronicle.  In 1984, the Football Club brought out a book to mark the centenary of the GAA.  In 2000, Michael…

Mary (Mollie) Gill, Murphystown, Dundrum - first President of Cumann Camógaíochta na nGael from 1923-1941

Frances Mary Josephine Gabriel Hurley, Ballybrack - released from the North Dublin Union on 29 September 1923

Dollie Jeffares, Grove Cottage, 7, Grove Ave, Blackrock - released from the North Dublin Union on 29 September…

I just recently came across these lovely colourised photos from circa 1930 which depict life as it was for most folks in Connemara and in the Claddagh area of Galway Town.  What's striking, to me, is that the lifestyle shown would not have been much different even 100 years (or more) earlier!  The conditions of rural Ireland all the…

Linen Hall Library Lord Charles Cornwallis had already lost one colony, and his reputation wouldn't survive the loss of another.

LUAIN -- On September 8, 1798,…

An article on the Ogham Alphabet appears in the current issue of the Hedgemaster, the newsletter of the Irish Cultural Society.  The article can be found on the Society's web site under Archives: irish-society.org. 

The Celtic nations consist of:

Wales (Brythonic)

Cornwall (Brythonic)

Brittany (Brythonic)



Ireland (Gaelic)

Scotland (Gaelic)

Isle of Man (Gaelic)

In the beginning, the Celts were divided into different subsects who lived on the European mainland. One group made their way to Ireland whilst another group settled in…

In June of 2013, Chetham's LIbrary in Manchester, England published an album, containing about 120 excellent prints of coastal scenes of rural Galway. Many of them were dated to 1879.  Founded in 1653, Chetham’s Library in Long Millgate, Manchester, is the oldest public library in…

The image above on the left is a detail from Richard Bartlett's A.D. 1602 map of Ulster showing the inauguration of the O'Neill chief/king at Tullyhogue, County Tyrone. Bartlett has been called, "…

NO CHOICE BUT TO TAKE IT: RFE INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD O'RAWE

(First published 2/23/12) …

Ultonia Regiment of the Spanish army, toy soldiers by "The Warrior Irish."

DOMHNAIGH -- On August 11, 1744, during the…

(First published on 2/10/12) Seattle-based author James Francis Smith, 78, found his current calling after he retired from a career in industry and finance.  He has been writing historical fiction for the past 10 years, starting with “Western…

The following is a transcript of the LIVE members' chat hosted here at TheWildGeese.com on Monday with Producer and Director Valerie Lapin Ganley.  Some editing has been applied for clarity.…

Linen Hall Library Daniel O'Connell

MÁIRT -- On August 6,…

The National Gallery of Ireland Patrick Sarsfield, by William Mossop

LUAIN -- On July 29, 1693, units…

By Joe Gannon

On our recent trip to Ireland my wife and I visited a small museum in Killasser, Swinford, County Mayo, which should be on the itinerary of anyone who is ever in the area and is interested in Irish history and culture. The greatest treasure at Hennigan's Heritage…

As a writer I often find that inspiration comes from the strangest of places. But none so odd as that for my ebook, "…