At the beginning of the New Year, with the rain of reality on the window of her home. I hold my newest neighbor, Aoife Miniter, in my crooked arm. Aoife is three months old, a child of Connemara, healthy and strong and very beautiful. Her parents, Pat and Mary, are my neighbors and my friends. Aoife is their second child, their eldest being Cathal, who is a rogue, who calls me … [Read more...] about The Gentle Ghosts of Ancestors
February 1991
Travel 1991: Céad Míle Fáilte
It would be impossible in one issue to cover all the possibilities for holidaying in Ireland, for Ireland, every inch of it, and it only measures 302 by 171 miles, is an enchanting place to visit and it offers an abundance of activities. You can sail around the coast or on any of its inland lakes or take a cruise down the River Shannon. You can golf on high cliffs overlooking … [Read more...] about Travel 1991: Céad Míle Fáilte
Blazes Boylan
1916 Commemoration Moves Ahead This spring marks the 75th Anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, and the battles are still going on in Ireland. The politicians have been ducking the call to organize commemorative celebrations, and it seems as if the slack may have been picked up by private citizens who are embarrassed by the government's unwillingness to honor Ireland's … [Read more...] about Blazes Boylan
Roots: The O’Carrolls
The modern Carroll family is derived from one of two Gaelic roots, McCarroll or O'Carroll, but very predominantly from the latter. The name O'Carroll, in turn, derives from the Gaelic form O'Cearbhaill and there were several separate septs of this name, the most prominent being the O'Carrolls of Ely, who were chiefs of North Tipperary and Offaly. The other prominent sept was … [Read more...] about Roots: The O’Carrolls




