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…

Library of Congress Simón Bolívar, the South American revolutionary who inspired Thomas Charles Wright.

LUAIN -- On January 26, 1799, Thomas Charles Wright, an officer in…

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…

MÁIRT -- On January 20, 1771, Don Hugo O'Conor (left) was named Commandant Inspector of New Spain. O'Conor was born into a…

Edmund Burke c. 1767/69, by Joshua Reynolds

DOMHNAIGH -- On January 12, 1729, Edmund Burke, one of the greatest political writers and orators in history, was born in…

National Museum of Ireland The 'Cuba 5.' From the left: Devoy, Charles Underwood O'Connell, Henry Mulleda, Rossa, and John McClure.

DOMHNAIGH -- On Jan. 5, 1871, the British…

WGT photo by Joe Gannon Carriganuss Castle, an O'Sullivan castle just outside of Glengariff

MÁIRT -- On December 31, 1602, Dónall…

Linen Hall Library A 17th century portrait of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone.

MÁIRT -- On December 24, 1601,…

(First published in 1998) Joseph Gannon's review of Terry Golway's book

Revolution has usually been a young man's game. John Devoy was definitely an exception to this rule; -- a man who lived to a very old age, through times…

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…

It was a cold night in November 1983, and I was in the middle of my 12-hour night shift driving a yellow cab in NYC.

Coming down Broadway in upper Manhattan, four people flagged me down. Three jumped in the back and one into the front, never a good plan from the perspective of the driver. The passenger in the front said: “Can you hurry up and get to Times Square?” and promised to take care of me when we arrived –- a…

I just picked up the CD of Mise Eire / Saoirse? and wonder if any WGers saw it when it first came out in 1960 or have seen the CD more recently. What do you think?

I bought it mainly to hear the background music by Sean O'Riada, said to be the father of the traditional music revival of the 20th century, and am only…

Book Review

"In the Footsteps of Anne, Stories of Republican Women Ex-Prisoners"

Compiled by Evelyn Brady, Eva Patterson, Kate Mc Kinney, Rosie Hamill and Pauline Jackson

Shanway Press

$35 from…

Hulton Deutsch Erskine Childers in his British army uniform, c. 1900

LUAIN -- On November 24, 1922, during the Irish Civil War,…

Running with Crows: The Life and Death of a Black and tan

A novel by DJ Kelly

Published by PublishNation (6 Mar 2013)

Available from…

Library of Congress General Joseph Finegan

DOMHNAIGH -- On…

By Joseph Gannon

Perhaps the most famous — or infamous — Irishman ever to trod south of the equator was the outlaw Ned Kelly, whose legend gave birth to "…

From a St. Patrick's Day card published about 1910 Theobald Wolfe Tone

DOMNAIGH -- On November 10, 1798,…