LUAIN -- On April 15, 1848, in Dublin, Thomas Francis Meagher presented the tricolor national flag of Ireland to the public for the first time at a meeting of the Young Ireland Party. Meagher had recently gone to Paris with an Irish delegation sent to congratulate the…

I see his blood upon the rose

And in the stars the glory of his eyes,

His body gleams amid eternal snows,

His tears fall from the skies.…

Of all the great men and women of that era, was there a more gallant figure than Joseph Mary Plunkett, or a more hopeless love than that of Plunkett and Grace Gifford? They were to be married in a church on St Stephen’s Green on April 23, Easter Sunday, 1916, but history…

To bear His heir, perfection

No stain or fault, detection

This House of David's promised place

Her conception full of grace

Original sin, suspended

Eden's triumph, upended

I AM's ark of flesh and blood. 

Whose prophecy withstood

Herod's…

It’s a safe bet that you’ll find slices of this cake offered in tea rooms, coffee shops, home kitchens, and take-aways throughout the Emerald Isle. It’s a “standard” to which bakers often add a personal touch — think extra lemon (or orange) zest in the cake or fresh herbs in the drizzle — and it would be…

Praise to the Lord in all His glory.

(Note: This was originally posted April 9th, 2020) 

Last week,…

It was two days before Christmas 1917, as James McCudden pulled gently back on the control stick of his British S.E. 5 biplane. He had spotted what appeared to be a German two-seat scout flying slightly higher, a little over 18,000 ft, to the west of him, over Peronne, about 90 miles north of Paris. As he got closer, he recognized it as a Rumpler.…

By James Doherty

Waterford City, Ireland - From his perch as rector of the Irish College of St. Isidore in Rome, Waterford-born Franciscan Friar Luke Wadding welcomed a steady stream of refugees from the land of his birth - men forced to leave Ireland to pursue their vocations. He came to understand then,…

Seán Hales, a TD (member of the Dáil Éireann) from County Cork, and Padraig Ó Maile, a TD from County Mayo, emerged from the Ormond Hotel along the north bank of the Liffey River in Dublin at about 2:30 PM on December 7, 1922. Just the day before, the Free State had been formally established by…

            Nothing warms the heart on St. Patrick’s Day more than the mashed potato-topped casserole known as Shepherd’s Pie. In a land where sheep were traditionally a primary food supply, it’s not surprising that lamb is the foundation for many Irish farmhouse dishes, especially this…