The Ballinasloe October Fair is one of the oldest fairs in Ireland. While now predominantly associated with horses, in its heyday it served as a market for the sale of cattle and sheep by the farmers of the west to their counterparts in the east of Ireland. ℘℘℘ An Irish adage advises: Go East for a woman; goRead more..
U2 and The Cranberries are among notable Irish musicians featured on a new set of stamps celebrating great Irish songs. The Cranberries’ global smash hit “Dreams” is included along with U2’s “With or Without You,” “Danny Boy” by John McCormack, and “On Raglan Road” by Luke Kelly. Each of the songs have been chosen by An Post (the Irish postal administration)Read more..
At a ceremony on Friday, April 19, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins officially opened Áras Uí Chonghaile, the new James Connolly Visitor Centre, providing a new space for discovery, education, study, work, meeting, and socializing on the Falls Road in West Belfast, only yards from where Connolly lived. Connolly, a labor leader, was executedRead more..
“The world’s most popular show,” Game of Thrones, may have wrapped up, but that doesn’t mean you’ve seen the last of Westeros. HBO plans to convert several of the series’ filming locations in Northern Ireland into tourist destinations in an attraction called Game of Thrones Legacy, with a target opening date sometime in 2019. Winterfell, Castle Black, and King’sRead more..
BUCKLE UP FOR BUCKLEY We may look back on 2019 as the moment the entertainment industry was conquered by Kerry native Jessie Buckley. Earlier this year, Forbes magazine touted the Irish singer-actress on its annual list of “Thirty Under 30” personalities who are about to have a major impact on their various fields. In May,Read more..
The Irish Film Institute (IFI) was at the Consulate General of Ireland in New York in April to launch its Irish Independence Film Collection, a culturally significant compilation of newsreel material from the early 20th century. With over 150 films in total, the footage, which features Michael Collins, Éamon de Valera, and Queen Victoria toRead more..
The Ireland Funds 44th annual New York Gala raised over $2.3 million for Irish charities and causes. Actress Saoirse Ronan, Verizon’s Ronan Dunne, and Bridgewater Associates’ Eileen K. Murray were honored at the 2019 gala, which was held at Chelsea Pier New York on May 2. “Tonight’s gala is such a testament to the unwaveringRead more..
“Wild Bill“ Donovan had many fascinating friends, including Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond – the fictional, globe-trotting superspy. Donovan’s real-life feats, however, surpassed even Bond’s wildest exploits. Perhaps no other Irish American served his country more daringly, yet Donovan’s largely clandestine service to America is still greatly under-appreciated. ℘℘℘ Born in 1883 into poverty,Read more..
A group of workers on the docks serenaded the passengers with “When Irish Eyes are Smiling” and “Come Back to Erin.” The sirens of other ships in the harbor wailed while the 314 Irish brides waved, held up their 140 babies, and sang “Auld Lang Syne” through floods of tears as the Henry Gibbins, aRead more..
An old-time bar in Brooklyn, Farrell’s has served as a community center since the 1930s, and is the last marker of what was once a thriving Irish neighborhood. ℘℘℘ Farrell’s Bar, on the corner of 16th Street and 9th Avenue in Brooklyn, has been in the same location in Windsor Terrace since 1933. It wasRead more..