The Battle of the Little Bighorn, the most significant engagement of the Great Sioux War of 1876, saw the defeat of General Armstrong Custer and his soldiers of the 7th Cavalry (many of them Irish) by a battalion of united Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes. Few people know the pain of being dispossessed of their land better than the Irish, but tragically in the … [Read more...] about Custer’s Last Rally
Issues
No Stone Unturned
Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has made a new documentary investigating the 1994 Loughinisland Massacre in County Down that killed six, and for which there were no arrests. Many Irish on both sides of the Atlantic have vivid memories of June 18, 1994. It was on that sunny afternoon, at what was then called Giants Stadium in New Jersey, when the Republic of Ireland stunned … [Read more...] about No Stone Unturned
Roots: The Remarkable Ryans
Given its status as one of the ten most numerous surnames in Ireland, the name Ryan is recognizable to most people as a telltale indicator of green in the veins. Less commonly known, however, is the fact that the great majority of these Ryans are actually O’Mulryans, an earlier form of the name that has been buried away over time. More unusual source names for Ryan … [Read more...] about Roots: The Remarkable Ryans
Sláinte! The Gentleman Who Pays the Rent
Edythe Preet’s first of a two-part series on the Irish pig. Whenever I travel to a place I have visited before, the first thing I do is make a beeline for a foodie treat found only there. In Hawaii, it’s Spam musubi, a sushi-like morsel of seaweed, rice and WWII’s famous canned meat. In Italy, it’s a slice of pepperoni pizza. In China, it’s a fluffy barbecued pork dumpling. … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Gentleman Who Pays the Rent
Children Without Refuge
Award-winning Irish children's author Jane Mitchell focuses on the Syrian Civil War crisis and its effect on children in a new novel aimed at young people. As one of the worst refugee crises in modern history, the Syrian Civil War has uprooted over two million children since it began in March 2011. The question of how to explain the scenes of human suffering that flood our … [Read more...] about Children Without Refuge