The History of The Irish...Worldwide
John Anthony Brennan's Blog (98)
'Out of the Ice: Ireland Then and Now'
Irish author and poet John Anthony Brennan has previously written a…
Added by John Anthony Brennan on May 8, 2018 at 11:30am — 3 Comments
The Bonfires of Beltaine (May Eve)
Added by John Anthony Brennan on May 1, 2018 at 9:00am — 2 Comments
The Poet
On this day, April 24, 1916 one of the most important events in the long history of Ireland took place. This is a personal tribute to a handful of dreamers, the brave men and women of Ireland, the poet and the grocer, the tobacconist and the piper, the…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on April 1, 2018 at 5:00pm — 12 Comments
Slaughter in South Armagh
The period between November 1974 and January 1976 was a particularly dark and frightening time around South Armagh. I remember vividly the fear and shock being felt around the area at that time and when McArdles Bar in Crossmaglen was bombed in Nov. 74, leaving one dead and several seriously injured,…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on February 2, 2018 at 1:00pm — No Comments
Festival of Imbolc and the Two Brigids
Back in the mists of time, long before the Milesians arrived from Egypt, and even longer before the Celtic tribes came and settled, another ancient tribe inhabited the island of Ireland. The ‘Tuatha De Dannan,’ translated as ‘people of the Goddess…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on January 30, 2018 at 6:30pm — No Comments
O'Reilly: Fenian Rebel, Convict and Poet
This month in January 1868, after a voyage of 89 days, an infamous convict-ship docked for the last time in Freemantle harbor, Western Australia.
On October 12, 1867,…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on January 25, 2018 at 8:00am — 7 Comments
Oliver Plunkett, Tomás Ó Fiaich and The Bard of Armagh
Three hundred and forty-four years ago, on a bleak, frigid night in January 1674, Bishop Oliver Plunkett and his close friend John Brennan, Bishop of Cashel, were forced to flee the town of Drogheda and run for their lives. Wearing long, hooded…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on December 31, 2017 at 6:00pm — 6 Comments
The Wrenboys
“The wran, the wran, the king of all birds,
on Stephen's day was caught in the furze.
His body is little but his family is sweet
so rise up landlady and give us a treat.
And if your treat be of the best
your soul in heaven…
Added by John Anthony Brennan on December 26, 2017 at 2:16pm — 2 Comments
The Winter Solstice
This year’s shortest day of the year is on Thursday, December 21, which will also mark the longest night of the year. Every year, the winter solstice marks the turn of the calendar as autumn ends and the winter begins. From an astronomical…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on December 21, 2017 at 8:30pm — No Comments
Life Along the Border in 1920s Ireland (A Short Story)
Added by John Anthony Brennan on December 16, 2017 at 1:30pm — 2 Comments
An Gorta Mor: The Great Hunger
This year 2017, is the 170th anniversary of the ‘great Hunger’ that befell Ireland in 1847. Otherwise known as ‘an Gorta mor’ or more commonly referred to as ‘Black ‘47’ it was a seminal turning point in the long tortuous history of…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on October 6, 2017 at 5:00pm — 7 Comments
How the Ancient Irish Oral Tradition Was Saved From Extinction
On a cold, wet evening in 576 AD, a flotilla of small, wave-tossed, leather-covered boats with tattered cloth sails, came to rest on the rocky shores of Lough Foyle close to the modern-day town…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on August 30, 2017 at 7:00pm — No Comments
The Destruction of Eamhain Mhacha
According to both oral and written traditions, at the beginning of the 4th century A.D., three brothers, known as the Three Collas, rebelled and killed their uncle, the high king of Ireland, Fíacha Sroiptine. This singular barbarous act started a…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on August 13, 2017 at 10:00pm — 7 Comments
For Sinead and Other Kindred Spirits . . .
We Irish artists, descended, as we undoubtedly are from the tribe of Dannan, an ancient breed of mystics, are tasked with the unenviable mission of walking the invisible, fine line. It is a gift that enables us to transcend the mundane, and experience…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on August 10, 2017 at 2:00pm — 2 Comments
The History Behind Lughnasagh
Added by John Anthony Brennan on August 1, 2017 at 6:30pm — 2 Comments
Thomas Addis Emmet: Twice a Rebel
Today we remember with pride the great Irish patriot Robert Emmet, who led an Irish rebellion that occurred 23 July 1803, 214 years ago today. Robert Emmet had an equally patriotic brother who took part in, not one, but two rebellions. Here is his fascinating story…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on July 23, 2017 at 7:30pm — 4 Comments
Press Release for 'Turn Out The Light'
“If music be the food of love, play on,
give me excess of it that surfeiting, the
appetite may sicken, and so die.”…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on June 17, 2017 at 6:00pm — No Comments
Requiem for Bobby
This is a humble tribute to a kindred spirit, poet, musician, soldier and far, far braver man than I could ever hope to be. While adhering to the ancient Gaelic ‘Brehon Law of Fasting,’ Bobby took no food or water for sixty-six days in pursuit of his quest…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on May 4, 2017 at 8:00pm — 11 Comments
The Great Assembly at Tara (Part 4 of 4)
In the last week of July 431 A.D., Patricius left his residence at Ard Mhacha and traveled with his retinue south toward the kingdom of Midhe. He had been summoned, by royal decree, to a meeting with the reigning monarch, king Laoghaire…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on April 1, 2017 at 9:00pm — 10 Comments
The Equinox: Sunrise in the Bru Na Boinne
*note
An equinox is an astronomical event in which the Earth's equator passes through the center of the Sun. When this happens, day and night are of equal length around the world. These were extremely important dates for the…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on March 19, 2017 at 10:00pm — 2 Comments
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