I'm a musician by trade but have also worked a good bit in documentary film over the last few years. Hy Brasil, as well as being the title of my new album, is an island from Irish mythology. "That shadowy isle" appeared on maps until the 1860's until they realised that it wasn't there at all, as…

When I was asked to write a series of poems for an art exhibition in Australia earlier this year, I embarked on a dark voyage of discovery into the lives of Irish immigrant children 150 years ago.

Image: 'Image Above: Falling' by Jane Theau (2017)

There is a special brand of human misery so steeped…

To have a relative who was ‘out’ in 1916 – that is, someone who took part in that mad assault on the British Empire known as the Easter Rising – is something to be treasured.

Of course, there were plenty of other…

Lola Montez

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl… so far, so true (and with thanks to Barry Manilow), but this particular Lola  also happened to be one of Europe’s most beautiful and talked-about women, who married several times and who…

When the Black and Tans were first deployed in Ireland in March 1920, they soon proved themselves to be a pretty brutal bunch. They were liberal with the use of their rifles, were often drunk and even engaged in arson and robbery.

The Tans were ex-servicemen, many of them scarred from their time in the…

Not many people know about Uisneach but it really is a special place. Situated in the very centre of the island of Ireland, in County Westmeath, it has been referred to as the navel of Ireland. At its centre is Aill na Míreann (the stone of the divisions, seen above) and this…

Ireland’s history, like that of most countries, is a mixture of history, legend, myth, ballad, and story.  Although part of my family came from County Tyrone in the years before the Famine, any stories from the family might have brought over seem to have slipped away over the…

Did you know that Trinity College in Dublin offers free courses? There's one offered right now that you can still get in to called Irish Lives in War and Revolution: Exploring Ireland's History 1912-1923

Explore the lives of men, women and children living through war and revolution and social…

There's a very good article here from The Irish Times on new numbers from the Department of National Defence in Canada on the Irish who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War 1, although the number is likely underestimated. There is a new history project initiative in Sligo to help…

After fellow Wild Geese member Oisen O'Connell had generously taken me on my last Wexford tour via Ballyhack Castle,…

When a "family detective" starts researching  “Royalty” connected to one’s family, there arises  women known as “Mistresses” and “Concubines”.  Most Kings had them. Do you know the difference in these terms or “titles”?

A concubine can be part of a harem, or a…

The Wild Geese gained a spotlight on 'Communications Corner,' on Queens Public Television (QPTV), the Queens, NYC, public television network. During the broadcast, co-founder Gerry Regan shares his personal background while discussing the ever-growing and very passionate membership of the world's leading social network…

My Great-Grandfather Luke Gibbons is named after his grandfather who was born around 1780 in Ireland, probably in County Mayo. Luke is the son of Patrick Gibbons who was born in Ireland in 1806…

I didn't name my website last night so now I'll tell you a little about it.

It is called from-ireland and I created it about 2001.  A net friend taught me a little about web page creation and I don't mean the kind of web pages that we find free on the internet now, I mean he taught me code and what the 'source code' of a web page looks like.  I had to work from the back forward meaning I created pages in code and then looked at what the end result would look like.  After a while, I…

Have a read below to find out more about this captivating, mad, "Irish-American Maurader!" This is a blog post from my own "Ildaite…

I so enjoyed my interviews and interactions with US Genealogist Megan Smolenyak I thought you might enjoy them too. Last year we transferred them from the old website. Below are the links to my articles as well a  a promotional video for her book "Hey America Your Roots our…

For 13 years I had been looking for "The Cross of Ballysheen" County Wexford in historical records and on my journeys with Google streetview.  Finally I was here at 'The Lobster Pot' at Carnsore Point which sits right on the crossroads dividing the old townlands of Ballysheen and Ballyfane.  I had quickly set up a…

I desire silence. I want to be free from the noise that humans make. I fear I will never be free from this noise. I'm often in the woods and I still hear a car that is miles away or a plane flying overhead. And even my own sighing and thoughts can become too noisy. The sounds of…