Irish America
Irish America
In the vast collection of traditional Irish music, there exists a tune called the Ballinasloe Fair which celebrates what was in its heyday one of the most famous horse fairs in Western Europe and which is still regarded as the biggest and most popular fair in modern Ireland. The week-long fair opens on October 3 each year and follows an old recognized pattern of Irish country … [Read more...] about The Fair of Ballinasloe
Survival, we are told, is the first law of nature. If so, the Irish are the most law-abiding citizens in the world. That they survived centuries of English occupation and oppression is legend, but it was a recent trip that illustrated this in a very different way. It was my first trip to Ireland. To my knowledge I was the first descendant of James Burke, my mother's father, to … [Read more...] about The Stones of Gallarus or Two Pounds For a Pint
The story of how JFK’s roots helped to revive an Irish town, and how the Dunbrody Famine Ship and Irish Emigrant Experience became the home of the Irish America Hall of Fame. In the late 1980s, New Ross was an unemployment blackspot. Its salvation came from a volunteer group of local business people who banded together to revive their struggling town. As the ancestral home of … [Read more...] about The Dunbrody & the Irish America Hall of Fame
From ancient kings to Bramley apples and modern-day resilience, this quiet corner of Northern Ireland offers rich rewards for travelers tracing roots and chasing meaning. County Armagh doesn’t scream for attention – and that’s precisely its charm. Tucked away in Northern Ireland’s lush heartland, it’s not the most obvious stop on a tourist trail. But for Irish Americans … [Read more...] about Armagh: The Orchard County
IRELAND moves to 15th happiest country in the world in the rankings published by the World Happiness Report. The position marks an increase on last year's 17th place in the World Happiness Report. Finland took the top spot for the eighth year running, while the United States dropped to 24th, its lowest position since the report was first published in 2012. The United … [Read more...] about Why Irish Eyes Are Smiling
