Renowned Irish carver and gilder Patrick Coffey is holding an exhibition of his works, "1916 and Irish Tribal Art," at the Consulate of Ireland in New York City, Monday November 9 to Friday November 13, from 10 AM to 2 PM. To make arrangements for a viewing, please call (718) 651-7336. A reception for the artist will be held…

There are many Irish pubs around the globe, but some of them, while they have the trappings -- Irish prints on the walls, an Irish-themed menu and Guinness available -- are missing the most important thing: the warm atmosphere you expect in Ireland. That isn't the case in…

With its sunny weather, vacation time, and, for the lucky, a shorter work-week, summer is a great time to catch up on hobbies, whether parasailing, mountain biking, or in my case, visiting new or favorite Irish pubs.



After much exhaustive research, with summer now nearly behind, I share…

A coalition of Irish American groups in New York's Suffolk County have joined in a campaign to raise funds for a memorial to the 1916 Easter Rising.

Members of the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Emerald Societies of the Suffolk County Police and Fire Departments and the Gerry Tobin…

I've written before about the Lakes of Killarney, the "crown jewels" of Ireland's "Kingdom" of County Kerry. But to complete your royal tour, you have to take one of Ireland's, if not the globe's, most scenic drives, the "Ring of Kerry." …

Throughout Ireland's lovely and storied countryside, visitors can find magnificent religious sites that are a testament to Ireland's glorious and tragic history. Some of the best known include the Rock of Cashel, St. Kevin's Monastery at Glendalough, and the ancient university of Clonmacnoise.

But in addition to these…

The W.B.Yeats Society of New York observed its 25th anniversary June 9  with a "Roast and Toast"  of founder Andrew McGowan at the National Arts Club. The event also celebrated the 150th anniversary of the birth of William Butler Yeats, the immortal Irish poet and playwrite, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. Yeats was born in Sandymount, Dublin, on June 13, 1865.

The stellar evening at the landmark NAC offered readings of Yeats's poetry, as well as in-person and video…

Ireland's "Wild Atlantic Way" usually refers to the rugged conflux of seacoast and mountains to be found in the western counties. But in the city of Galway, "The Wild West" takes on a different connotation.

Galway, known throughout history as a trading center, has…

There are many surprises to be found in Ireland's "Wild West," and one for me that was completely unexpected was to see eagles and other birds of prey flying above the countryside in County Sligo.

I happened upon Ireland's Raptor Research Centre after visiting the monument…

The wildest county in Ireland's "Wild West" is little known to a lot of  visitors to Ireland, because it's not on the well- worn, u-shaped trail that many tourist take between Shannon and Dublin. That's a reason why Donegal's blend of mountains, lakes and seacoast have…

The good people of Ireland's County Kerry call their land "The Kingdom," and if that's so, then the Lakes of Killarney must be the Crown Jewels.

Killarney's lovely lakes have been immortalized in song and story for their breathtaking beauty. Indeed, Queen Victoria and her…

The only Irish attraction to make Conde Naste Travel Magazine's "20 Most Beautiful UNESCO Word Heritage Sites" was County Antrims's Giant's Causeway.  The 40,000 basalt stone columns that stretch into the sea…

Ireland is known around the world as a place of fun, with pubs, singing and dancing, and of course, that's all true. But the Emerald Isle can also be a place for tranquility and quiet beauty. A visit to Brigit's Garden, just outside Galway City, will show that serenity and introspection are also part of the Irish experience.

Brigit's Garden is a perfect stop for those who…

To lovers of history, Ireland is a land of castles and battlefields, and there are many of both in the Emerald Isle, given its contentious past. The Clontarf Castle Hotel brings the history-minded both, given its location in a renovated castle, close by the site of the important…

It's older than the pyramids of Egypt and England's Stonehenge, and it's an astronomical wonder as well. Yet the passage grave at Newgrange, in Ireland's County Meath, is often ignored in…

If you’re concerned that modernity has caused the Emerald Isle will lose its rural charm, set your compass to County Tipperary for a taste of "the real Ireland."…

In Ireland, Clonmacnoise was a light in the Dark Ages.…

France has its Eiffel Tower, the U.S. its Statue of Liberty, but arguably the most iconic attraction in Ireland is that cathedral of conviviality, the Irish pub. The unique thing that this Irish institution has is that, unlike the others, it’s exportable, if you don’t count plaster-of- Paris imitations of Lady Liberty and the Eiffel Tower,that really don’t do it for…

The government of Ireland has pledged aid of more than 3 million euro to the disaster-stricken Philippines, and Irish missionaries are in the forefront of providing assistance to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, according to Irish news reports. Tipperary-born…