Irish America

Irish America

Rosemary Rogers

The Boycott Origination Story

By Rosemary Rogers
IA Newsletter, March 8, 2025

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Captain Charles Boycott, an ordinary man though in possession of a repellent personality, has gone on to immortality due to his behavior in 19th Century Mayo. Formerly an obscure officer in the British army, Captain Boycott was the land agent for an absentee landlord, Lord Erne, a position which afforded him a lush life on an estate outside the town of Ballinrobe. His lordship … [Read more...] about The Boycott Origination Story

Mairéad Farrell: A Fanatic Heart

By Rosemary Rogers

Winter 2024

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On March 6, 1988, in the shadow of the rock of Gibraltar, British Special Air Services (SAS) gathered behind IRA members Sean Savage, Daniel McCann, and Mairéad Farrell as they were ascending the rock. When the three victims, all unarmed, turned around, saw the soldiers, and saw their guns, they put their hands up, the universal signal of surrender and “for the love of God, … [Read more...] about Mairéad Farrell: A Fanatic Heart

Nora Joyce: The Girl from Galway

By Rosemary Rogers

Fall 2024

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Nora Barnacle was 20 when she arrived in Dublin and met James Joyce in 1904. She had run away from Galway, her absentee mother, her strict uncles, and her friends, without goodbyes. She began work as a chambermaid in Finn‘s Hotel. Nora and Jim spotted each other on Dublin’s Nassau Street. Noting his nautical cap, canvas shoes and long frame, she thought he must have been a … [Read more...] about Nora Joyce: The Girl from Galway

Áedh Mac Breic: Patron of Headache Sufferers

By Rosemary Rogers

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He was a descendant of the Uí Néill dynasty and often served as a peacemaker for that contentious tribe, who even accused St. Patrick of putting a curse on them. Before he rose to prominence, Àedh was an illiterate farmer, a bumpkin of sorts who was bilked of his inheritance by his brothers. Seeking revenge, the future Saint abducted their maid and headed south. A local bishop, … [Read more...] about Áedh Mac Breic: Patron of Headache Sufferers

Miotas | The Ancients

By Rosemary Rogers

Fall 2024

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Tuatha Dé DannanThey came in the mist... Ireland is a land of sacred spaces but none as mystical as Newgrange in County Meath. Newgrange is a prehistoric monument, a collection of Stone Age burial mounds and kerbstones, enormous rocks carved with art. It is a place older than the pyramids, a place of spiritual, archaeological and historic importance, and a place that brings … [Read more...] about Miotas | The Ancients