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
Irish History
Have the Irish Made It in America?
Sociologist and best-selling author Andrew M. Greeley looks at the various immigrant waves of Irish to this country and how they fared. Have the Irish made it in America? That the question is still asked shows that the Irish are still insecure about their success in this country. In fact, Irish Catholics are the most successful gentile ethnic group in American society and … [Read more...] about Have the Irish Made It in America?
Thomas Cahill: An Irish Gift to the Human Race
We mourn a writer who shed a light on Irish monks who kept the fires of Christian learning alight during the Dark Ages, and in doing so, helped banish some of the stereotypes leveled at our race. Best-selling author Thomas Cahill – who died on October 18 at the age of 82 – once described a bitter irony of history in this very magazine. “Ireland had been a place of fabulous … [Read more...] about Thomas Cahill: An Irish Gift to the Human Race
Sláinte! Apples: The Fruit of the Gods
Apples are abundant in Ireland in the fall, and they play a key role not only on the table but in festivities as well. Several years ago after a rigorous day of exploring County Laois, I pulled into a pub for a well-deserved pick-me-up pint. It was a wee bit early for the local drinking crowd and the long bar held only one customer, a young man who looked more like a fellow … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Apples: The Fruit of the Gods
How The Assassination of Michael Collins 100 Years Ago Changed Ireland For The Worse
IA Newsletter, August 20, 2022
There is no question that if Michael Collins had not died, Irish history would have been changed utterly. 100 years ago, on the 22nd of August, 1922, on a lonely road outside Cork City, the general commander of the Irish Army, Michael Collins, was shot dead in an ambush by IRA forces. He died in his home county, among his own people, with his dream of Irish unity … [Read more...] about How The Assassination of Michael Collins 100 Years Ago Changed Ireland For The Worse