The History of The Irish...Worldwide
John Anthony Brennan's Blog (94)
Return of an Exile (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 of…
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 — 6 Comments
Out of the Ice: Ireland Then and Now
Irish author and poet John Anthony Brennan has previously written a book of poetry and a philosophical memoir; but his latest production, Out of the Ice: Ireland Then and Now, represents yet another genre: a history of…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on August 10, 2017 at 2:30pm — No 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
Oliver Plunkett, Tomás Ó Fiaich and The Bard of Armagh
Remembering Oliver Plunkett this month.
On July 1, 1681 at Tyburn Gallows, London, Irishman Oliver Plunkett, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland was hung, drawn and quartered, the last Catholic victim martyred as a direct result…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on July 2, 2017 at 5:30pm — 6 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
John Boyle O'Reilly: Fenian Rebel, Convict and Poet
*This week in June 1876, John Boyle O'Reilly received news of the successful escape of six Fenian prisoners from Australia on board the ship Catalpa. O'Reilly had played a major part in the escape plans. (JAB)
On October 12, 1867, after…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on June 8, 2017 at 6:13pm — 7 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 Poet
*note
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,…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on April 15, 2017 at 6:30pm — 12 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
Patricius the Roman
“Could I have come to Ireland without thought of God, merely in my own interest? Who was it made me come? For here I am a prisoner of the Spirit so that I may not see any of my family. Can it be out of the kindness of my heart that I carry out…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on March 16, 2017 at 5:00pm — No Comments
The Great Assembly at Tara (Part 3)
In the Great Hall, the attendees had begun to arrive and take their seats. King Laoghaire, already seated in his royal chair in the middle of the hall, was surrounded by his ten hand-picked individuals who attended him at all times and included a “high…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on March 9, 2017 at 5:00pm — No Comments
The Great Assembly at Tara (Part 2)
Druid Lochra’s prophecy:
"A tailcenn (baldhead) will come over the raging sea, with his perforated garments, his crook-headed staff, with his table (altar) at the east end of his house, and all the people…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on March 3, 2017 at 3:00pm — 8 Comments
The Great Assembly at Tara (Part 1)
In 431 A.D. and three days after the festival of Lughnasagh, a lone figure stood, head bowed in contemplation, next to one of five carefully positioned chairs, in the Great Assembly Hall at Tara…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on February 25, 2017 at 3:30pm — 10 Comments
Ireland and the Spanish Armada: A Story of Survival
On a cold, stark night in August 1588, as a fierce gale subsided and the clouds slowly parted, light from a full autumn moon revealed a horrific scene strewn along the shoreline of Streedagh Strand in County Sligo, Ireland. The…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on January 10, 2017 at 3:30pm — 13 Comments
The Founding of Royal Mide
Most people today will tell you, if you ask, that there are four provinces in Ireland, namely, Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connaught. What many people are not aware of is the fact that in the distant past, there were actually five…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on December 27, 2016 at 12:00am — 6 Comments
The Winter Solstice
This year’s shortest day of the year is on Wednesday, 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 standpoint,…
ContinueAdded by John Anthony Brennan on December 21, 2016 at 1:00am — 2 Comments
Latest Blog Posts
- Return of an Exile (how the ancient Irish oral tradition was saved from extinction)
- The Destruction of Eamhain Mhacha
- Out of the Ice: Ireland Then and Now
- For Sinead and Other Kindred Spirits . . .
- The History Behind Lughnasagh
- Thomas Addis Emmet: Twice a Rebel
- Oliver Plunkett, Tomás Ó Fiaich and The Bard of Armagh
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