Thirty-two years ago, a protest by Irish republican prisoners ended in one of the most courageous and tragic events in Irish history.  It began 9 years earlier in July 1972, when Political Prisoner Status was introduced after a hunger strike by 40 IRA prisoners led by Billy McKee.  It meant being treated as prisoners of war and not having to wear prison uniforms nor do prison work.  In 1976, the Brits decided that disagreeing with the government was a crime and political dissidents were … [Read more...]

One of the least known today, yet the most influential Irish Revolutionaries of her time, was a lady named Maud Gonne. She was born on Dec. 20, 1865, in England, to a British army colonel of Irish descent and an Irish mother.  Her mother died when Maud was only six and she and her sister were sent to France to be educated.  In 1882, her father was posted to Dublin Castle and he brought his two daughters with him and Maud assumed the role of hostess of the household.  She grew into a … [Read more...]

Today, when we hear of the intransigence of some extremists in Northern Ireland, it may help to look at where we were just 40 years ago this month and realize how far we’ve come.  Back in 1973, the Nationalist command structure in Belfast was losing the support of people once sympathetic to their cause.  It was as a result of the slanted coverage distributed by the British-controlled press to the media around the world.  Even the people in the Republic to the south were being insulated from … [Read more...]

William of Orange defeated King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, and claimed the Throne of England.  He had beaten and deceived the Celts of Ireland into submission, and turned his attention to the Celts of the Scottish Highlands.  He demanded that all clan Chieftains swear an oath of allegiance, and surrender their lands to the Crown by 1 January, 1692 or suffer government reprisal.  By that date, the clan of MacIan MacDonald of Glencoe had not yet signed.  On 31 December MacIan … [Read more...]

The Christmas season in Ireland is a happy combination of modern and ancient customs that combine to bring a unique meaning to this special time of year.  While Christmas shopping, decorated trees, and Santa Claus are evident everywhere, traditional customs that signify the true meaning of this holy season still remain, especially in the towns and villages where people still celebrate the holy feast as their ancestors had for generations. On Christmas eve, the windows of the house were … [Read more...]

At midnight on the rainy night of November 24, 1865, there was hardly a soul to be seen on the streets of Dublin.  Policemen on duty took shelter in doorways, blowing on their fingers to warm them in the bitter cold. Not far away and colder than the policemen six men, soaked to the skin, were waiting outside Richmond Prison.  When they spoke, they spoke in whispers and watched the high wall of the prison for a signal.  In a cell within the prison, a man paced back and forth.  He too awaited … [Read more...]

There are many heroes associated with the Confederate States of America (CSA) whose stories have been forgotten or swept under the rug; after all, the winners write the history.  Among those forgotten in our northern history books are Irish Catholic priests like Rev. Tom O’Reilly of Cavan, Rev. Abram Ryan of Tipperary parents and  Rev. Peter Whelan of Wexford.  Rev. O’Reilly earned fame as the man who threatened General Sherman with a mutiny by the Irish Catholics in his army if he … [Read more...]

The Easter Rising, which led to the Republic of Ireland, was the work of Thomas J. Clarke, who returned to Ireland from his Manorville, Long Island farm, with his wife Kathleen, to re-organize the dormant Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB).  Tom not only rebuilt the IRB, but organized the Irish Volunteers who would plan a rising;  Katty, as he affectionately called his wife, became President of Cumann na mBan, the Ladies Auxiliary to the Volunteers, and she organized the women. Katty had … [Read more...]

On August 10, 1636, a small group of highly dedicated historians put down their pens and probably soaked their aching wrists after completing the most extensive and valuable history of Ireland ever produced – and it was produced under the noses of an anti-Irish-Catholic government that would have arrested them had they known. Their coverage of Ireland’s history begins at about 3,000 years before Christ and ends at 1616 AD.  The principal compiler of the effort was Michael O'Cleary, a … [Read more...]

The rebirth of the Olympic games occurred in 1896 and the first of the modern games was held in Athens, Greece.  Bill Mullins 1998 book on the 1896 Olympics records that James Connolly became the first known Olympic champion since Zopyros of Athens in the 291st games held in 385 AD.  Connolly was born in Boston of Aran Island immigrant parents.  He was only one of a group of Irish-born Olympic athletes who competed for the United States.  A group nicknamed the Irish Whales dominated track … [Read more...]