County Tipperary, the “Blue and Gold Legends,” won the All-Ireland senior and minor hurling finals in Croke Park, Dublin on Sunday, September 4. Hurling is Ireland’s national game and one of the nation's most popular sports. It was the second time in history that Tipperary, the “premier county,” won both the senior and minor titles in the same year. The first time was in … [Read more...] about Historic Win for Tipperary Hurling Teams
The Irish Olympic Diaspora
Ireland had a reasonable showing at the 2016 Summer Olympics with two silver medals, including the country’s first for rowing (see right). But what about the Irish diaspora? How did the descendants of emigrants fare in the Rio games? And what would Ireland’s team score have looked like if the diaspora competed as a country? Here are the most obviously Irish medalists from … [Read more...] about The Irish Olympic Diaspora
Silver Streak:
Ireland’s Olympic Medals
Gary and Paul O’Donovan, of Lisheen, Co. Cork, made history at the Rio Olympic Games in August when they secured the country’s first ever medal in a rowing event. The brothers, who sped from fifth position at the halfway point, came in second place in the lightweight men’s double sculls, a feat which also marked Ireland’s first medal won at this year’s Olympics.
The brothers’ … [Read more...] about Silver Streak:
Ireland’s Olympic Medals
Philippines Missionary Receives Humanitarian Award
Father Shay Cullen, a Dublin-born Columban Missionary based in the Philippines since 1969, has been given the 2016 Hugh O’Flaherty Humanitarian Award. Cullen (pictured above with his students) has worked tirelessly over a lifetime to promote human rights, justice, and peace, with a particular drive towards ending child exploitation and abuse of children in the Philippines. In … [Read more...] about Philippines Missionary Receives Humanitarian Award
Irish Film Institute Brings the Past Online
The Irish Film Institute has digitized over 1,200 minutes of Irish cinema, documentary, and public information films dating back to 1910. The free online archive (available at ifiplayer.ie) also includes a number of rare Irish-American reels. “We wanted to make sure we represented as many parts of the collection as possible,” head of the archive Kasandra O’Connell told the … [Read more...] about Irish Film Institute Brings the Past Online