Lender Speaks Out Against Museum Closure
In the 1840's starvation forced many Irish citizens to move overseas. This starvation occurred at the behest of the British government, who removed food from Ireland at gunpoint to feed their booming population. Many of these emigrants died along the treacherous journey to the United States, in what were dubbed "coffin ships." Once here in the US, the struggle...
“Sean South” and “The Patriot Game”
On New Year’s Day in 1957, an event occurred that is remembered in song to this day. It all began after World War Two brought change to Northern Ireland as Loyalists and Nationalists shared the same bomb shelters, breaking down the barriers of prejudice erected to keep them divided. The war also created a small measure of prosperity that satisfied...
Upcoming Irish Language Act Protest
It is an absurdity beyond belief that the Irish language is not treated equally in Ireland's Northern Six Counties, yet that is the current political reality. Opposition from loyalists, who have insulted the language and its speakers on innumerable occasions, has stalled the passing of an Irish Language Act. Securing equal rights for the Irish language was a fundamental...
Hunger Strikers’ American Legacy
To the Editor: Almost overlooked, in this 40th anniversary year, is the historic American legacy which the 1981 Hunger Strikers inspired. British officials who plotted to undercut republican support by dressing up prisoners as criminals rather than wearing their own clothes as special category political prisoners, assumed the ploy would work well in America. Their criminalization plans did indeed become...
A Christmas Candle In The Window
As we enter the Christmas season, it is an appropriate time to reflect on a tradition that many families take part in, though few recall its origins. The Irish Christmas tradition of putting a candle in the window is an old tradition with both religious and political significance, which was in turn brought to the United States by Irish immigrants....
100 Years On: The Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed one hundred years ago today. It was signed by the British delegation, led by Prime Minister David Lloyd-George, and the Irish delegation, led by Arthur Griffith. The Treaty was signed on December 6th, 1921 after Lloyd-George insisted that "immediate and terrible war" would be waged on Ireland if the Irish delegation did not give...
Up Like A Bird
An American man known as "Mr. Leonard" went to Irish Helicopters Ltd. and booked a helicopter flight for October 31, 1973. Ostensibly the trip was to take some aerial photographs of County Laois, so the trip took off and the pilot, Thompson Boyes, was directed to fly to a field in Stradbally, County Laois, where they would pick up...
A Forgotten Holiday: Evacuation Day
Evacuation Day The last day of the American War for Independence was November 25, 1783, when, after an occupation of over seven years, the British evacuated New York City, and Washington, leading elements of the American Continental Army, entered the city in triumph. To celebrate the event, New York Governor George Clinton (of Irish descent, and himself one of Washington’s...
New Restrictions Announced In Ireland
Less than a month after restrictions on nightclubs were lifted, a curfew has been put back in place by the Dublin government amidst rising Covid-19 cases. There were approximately 4,400 positive coronavirus cases yesterday and hospitals have been inching closer to full capacity. To combat this rise in positive cases the government has urged the public to reduce their social...
Remembering Augustine E. Costello & The Voyage Of Erin’s Hope
Augustine E. Costello was born in Killimor, Co. Galway in 1846. Little is known of his early childhood years, which were lived during the Great Hunger (1845-1850). The Great Hunger took its toll on the parish of Killimor as it did elsewhere throughout Ireland. In the 1841 census, the population of Galway was 442,000. In the 1851 census, the...
