It been a while since anyone held my feet to the fire over what I wrote, but Patrick O'Toole questioned some of the facts in my 7/5/16 blog America's Birthday and the Irish. I can assure you that none of the information I…

Last week, in his sleep, in his small palace in Rome, 400 years ago, one of the greatest figures in Irish history passed away, Hugh O'Neill. . With him in his final moments may have been his teenage son, John, whom he had nominated to succeed him as Earl of Tyrone and as The O'Neil. Also, there…

The Revolutionary War's final land engagement…

Patrick Gallagher was born in Derrintogher, County Mayo, Ireland on February 2, 1944. At the age of 18, Patrick immigrated to the United States for the promise of a new life, one filled with opportunity. He quickly started on the immigrant dream: studying law while working in real estate, even getting involved in local politics…

There are two routes I can take to my office when I leave the train station to go to work. They both pass a large 18^th century building of Palladian, neoclassical design, which I used to admire as a child, long before I knew of its connection to my own family.

Now, as I pass it by, I…

Noel Brady was standing with his father at the hall  door of their family home on St. Ignatius Road in Dublin’s North Strand area when they heard the drone of a Nazi Luftwaffe bomber flying overhead.

“I saw flashes in the sky. My father shoved me onto the…

Winfield Scott is well known as the hero of the Mexican War and as the over all commander of Federal forces during the beginning of the Civil War. Few have heard much about his experiences in the War of 1812, however. One…

By Charlie Laverty

Just a few minutes drive from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., lies the modest village of Salisbury Mills. But its remembrance of the deeds of its men at war is far from modest: At the junction of two roads that course through the village stands a handsome…

There are perhaps no participants in war who see more of the agony and despair that it brings to humanity than the doctors and nurses who tend to its physically and mentally broken combatants. During the American Civil War, many women with no medical background took up the usually thankless and horrific job of tending to these…

In my research on the history of the 28^th Massachusetts Volunteers, a Boston Irish regiment raised to be a part of Thomas Meagher’s Irish Brigade, the most surprising find was the identification of three Jewish soldiers who served in its ranks.  The three were included in a 19^th century effort by Jewish…

Dublin Castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland for over 700 years.  On top of the gate to the courtyard of the castle is a statue depicting Justice.  The statue is unusual for several reasons. The figure of Justice faces inward not outward as would be usual. This results in Justice facing the rulers of the castle and the…

TheWildGeese.irish published the following interview with beleaguered and much-respected Irish immigrant Malachy McAllister in 2006, and we are astounded at how relevant -- and urgent -- the concerns the Irish-American community expressed about his plight then remain today. The account we reprise here dramatically underscores how precarious Malachy's hold on the American dream has remained for the past…

May 27th, sees the opening night of Cásca '16' -- a musical drama based on the events of the Easter Rising of 1916.

The production, penned by myself will be held at the South Birmingham College, For further information you'll find me on

Cásca'16 web page.

Is mise

Risteárd…

I believe the decline occurred because Irish-Americans in general don't understand what our…

When the actor Arthur Shields strode towards the Abbey Theatre on Easter Monday, 1916, it was with one intent -- not to rehearse or act in a play, but to collect his rifle and take part in the greater drama that was about to shake the streets of Dublin.

Pictured, Arthur Shields

Once…

(Above: Lt. Bourke saving bugler Elmer Snow in "Battle of the Rosebud" by Andy Thomas)

On June 17^th, on the…

Not many people in the United States or the world today know who Irish-American John Gregory Bourke was, and that is unfortunate. Few historical figures have ever had his rare combination of heroism in a major war; chronicling and participating in two decades of conflict with a fierce indigenous foe;…

In light of all the terrific Christmas-flavored postings lately, I've been prompted to share an excerpt from my historical novel "The Lockwoods of Clonakilty," a scene based on a little adventure my own family had a few…

...is in love with words. I retired as a high-school history teacher in June, but I finally wrote a book, about my California home town, which made a year's work a true labor of love. In 1941, it was a farm town, near the sea, of 1,090 souls. It was also a town of immigrants, people who very much like my ancestors--they were from the Azores, Japan, and the Philippines--and the book is largely about their children, who would carry the burden of the war. I think the writing is something I got…

Oh dear, it’s been such a long time since I wrote anything for The Wild Geese … I didn’t realise how long until I re-entered the site. Why? I moved house (or 'flitted' as we call it in Northern Ireland). I moved to a house that looked great on viewing but proved otherwise when we got in. With all the furniture removed and no one there, the extent of what needed to be done swiftly became all too clear.…