William Penn (1644-1718), the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, promoted principles of freedom that helped lay the framework for First Amendment religious liberty. Before emigrating to America he was imprisoned in Ireland for his beliefs. Clara Pierre traces the history and roots of the Quakers in Ireland as she traveles around the country in the footsteps of Penn and … [Read more...] about In the Footsteps of William Penn
History Archives
Ireland’s Forgotten Patriot
In the suburb of Rathfarnham an island of serenity exists amid the frantic bustle of 21st-century Dublin. With rolling lawns and woodlands embracing a handsome classical house, Saint Enda's School harks back to a gentler time. In a place of honour facing the house is a large bronze bust of the school's founder, Pádraig Pearse, who was more famously both the inspiration and the … [Read more...] about Ireland’s Forgotten Patriot
Moores Creek Bridge: A small battle with huge implications
Small bands of Patriots and Loyalists who fought with fierce devotion were formed during the early Revolutionary War period in the Carolinas and Georgia. Because of the numerically small number of forces involved, and because of intense passions that existed on both sides, the engagements were both personal and bitter. The most significant of these engagements was the Battle of … [Read more...] about Moores Creek Bridge: A small battle with huge implications
The Spoilers of Our Land
How the British Government Responded to the Great Hunger In January 1847, the Nation published a poem entitled ‘The Stricken Land.’ It was a searing indictment of the policies of the British Government in the wake of the second failure of the potato crop only a few months earlier. It was written by a young woman, Jane Elgee, who was drawn from the Protestant … [Read more...] about The Spoilers of Our Land
The Irish Role in the Viking Discovery of America
As the thousandth anniversary of the Viking discovery of America will soon be celebrated in the year 2000, Thomas J. Martin and Donald V. Mehus examine the role that the Irish, with their own long seafaring tradition, played in those daring Atlantic voyages of exploration and discovery. A thousand years ago one of the most remarkable discoveries of the European peoples came … [Read more...] about The Irish Role in the Viking Discovery of America