On the day following Christmas 1849, the barque “Bridgetown” finally docked in New Orleans and its 258 passengers disembarked. One of the cabin passengers was a 21-year-old Irishman who was destined to become the recipient of great admiration, devotion and loyalty especially during the last…
ContinueAdded by Liam McAlister on March 15, 2020 at 5:30pm — No Comments
A heroine, beyond any doubt, our own Irish Joan of Arc, was Betsy Grey, a folk hero to all of Ulster, with both loyalist and republicans claiming her as their own. She was a Presbyterian, with links to the United Irishman, a nonsectarian revolutionary movement, as were her father, brother and her…
ContinueAdded by That's Just How It Was on February 18, 2020 at 8:30am — No Comments
I have recently been reading transcripts of British House of Commons parliamentary debates for the period 1919-1921 in search of information relating to the Irish War for Independence and came across the following:
On 12 May, 1921, the Member of Parliament A.E.Newbould asked how many Irish…
ContinueAdded by Kieron Punch on February 3, 2020 at 11:00am — 3 Comments
Chicago Times correspondent John Finerty wiped his brow, drying the sweat from the hot July 7th afternoon, as he looked up to the top of the grassy knoll where scout Frank Grouard was scanning the horizon with his binoculars. They were near the valley of the Little Bighorn in what is…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on September 1, 2019 at 11:30pm — 2 Comments
This, the latest book by retired Lt Col Dan Harvey, represents an admirably huge amount of meticulous research and yet is highly readable. I had been aware that my own local regiment – The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry – had long connections with Ireland and that they…
ContinueAdded by DJ Kelly on August 1, 2019 at 7:30am — 2 Comments
One of the most iconic figures that emerged out of the Easter Rising was Michael Collins. Born in 1890, he was the third son in a family of eight children. Some sources would suggest that the Collins family were part of a very ancient clan who were widely spread over County Cork.
Collins' father did not marry…
ContinueAdded by That's Just How It Was on June 8, 2019 at 2:00pm — 19 Comments
Louis Philip Brennan was born on Main Street, Castlebar, County Mayo, on January 28, 1852, the 10th child of Thomas Brennan, a hardware merchant in the town.
After the death of at least five of his older siblings…
Added by Brían Hoban on May 15, 2019 at 6:00pm — No Comments
‘Mad Mike’ Hoare believed you get more out of life by living dangerously. And yet about 35 family and friends gathered in Durban, South Africa, on 17 March, St Patrick’s Day, to honour Mike as he turned 100 years old. Among them were five of the Wild Geese who fought with him in the Congo in the…
ContinueAdded by Christopher Sean Hoare on April 12, 2019 at 8:30am — No Comments
Among “Wild Bill “ Donovan’s many fascinating friends was Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, the fictional, globe trotting superspy. Donovan’s real-life feats, however, surpassed even Bond’s wildest exploits.
Perhaps no other Irish-American served his country more daringly, yet Donovan’s largely…
ContinueAdded by Geoffrey Cobb on March 17, 2019 at 9:30am — No Comments
To commemorate 100 years since the ending of the First World War, Find My Past is offering free access to its family history database collections this weekend from 12:00 noon (GMT)…
ContinueAdded by Kieron Punch on November 9, 2018 at 7:30am — No Comments
In 1798, the new Oaths issued by the Wexford Council had good effect. As Crown forces gathered on Wexford’s borders for the showdown, Nicholas Gray, Secretary of the Council, wrote on 16 June to Fr. Philip Roche, the new commander‑in‑chief. Gray was desperate for reinforcements for his Southern Army, which had…
ContinueAdded by Don Gray on September 28, 2018 at 7:00am — No Comments
(Edwin O'Hara, loading the 4 inch gun on the SS Stephen Hopkins. By W.M. Wilson, on display at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.)
For them there are no big parades,
No heroes' welcome gay,
No uniforms, and no applause
To cheer them on…
Added by Joe Gannon on September 23, 2018 at 7:00pm — 4 Comments
On June 23, 1963 the people of Ireland fell in love with a member of “The Wild Geese” who had less than five months to live. If ever an American politician had a style and ease that allowed the people of Ireland to see the “Irish” in him, it was John Fitzgerald Kennedy. By the summer of 1963 he had become the…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on June 12, 2018 at 4:00pm — No Comments
It was 1948, and as the military half-track drove through the Beit Netofa Valley, at the village of Madna in Galilee, shots rang out. One Israeli soldier was killed and another was hit in the head. A sniper had zeroed in on the men and was picking them off one by one.
Then, one of the half-track’s occupants, a tall,…
ContinueAdded by David Lawlor on May 11, 2018 at 8:30am — No Comments
Aidan MacCarthy crouched low in the air raid shelter he and the other prisoners of war had dug themselves. They had seen two American B-29 bombers flying toward the city of Nagasaki before they went into the shelter. A few POWs had stayed outside, though, wanting to see bombs fall on the Japanese for a bit of…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on October 13, 2017 at 10:30pm — 6 Comments
To outsiders, the village of Ballinalee, in County Longford, might seem like no great shakes, just a bump in the road, a blink-and-you-miss-it spot that you’re through before you even notice. Were they to consult a map of the county, the seemingly inconsequential dot called Ballinalee might be ignored in favour…
ContinueAdded by David Lawlor on May 7, 2017 at 4:30am — 2 Comments
As John Paul Jones, captain of the Bonhomme Richard, prepared to face two British ships off Flamborough Head on the coast of England on September 23, 1779, he had some very interesting allies on board his…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on April 8, 2017 at 2:30pm — 2 Comments
(Above: "When Wagon Trails Were Dim," Charles Russell's depiction of a wagon train in the American west.)
Many men and women with Irish roots participated in the “winning” of the West for the new nation that was growing into a…
ContinueAdded by Joe Gannon on March 14, 2017 at 10:30pm — 6 Comments
Recovering from a stroke provides a fellow time to consider his future. I plan to make 2 changes as my 83rd BD rapidly approaches. …
Added by James Francis Smith on November 15, 2016 at 6:30pm — No Comments
Navy veteran John Washington Michael Condon died as he lived, a gregarious man with a penchant for sharing a good story. He was one of my father’s numerous uncles, and was known to me through Dad’s recollections as Uncle Jack. As evidenced by the following letter, dated July 19, 1918, Jack served during World War 1,…
ContinueAdded by Gerry Regan on November 10, 2016 at 4:30pm — No Comments
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2007
2006
2005
1999
Get your Wild Geese merch here ... shirts, hats, sweatshirts, mugs, and more at The Wild Geese Shop.
Extend your reach with The Wild Geese Irish Heritage Partnership.
© 2024 Created by Gerry Regan. Powered by
Badges | Report an Issue | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service