A few months ago, shortly after this website launched, we were one of the very few voices to stand up for Young Fine Gael President, Killian Foley-Walsh, after he and some colleagues were denounced for attending a conference in Washington D.C. held by the Young Americas Foundation. A quick reminder: “The young man in the […]
An interesting question posed on twitter this morning by David Quinn: Caroline West of DCU wants children taught 'porn literacy'. Question; does she share the view of some researchers in this area that there is such a thing as 'ethical porn', or does she believe porn is bad, per se? #todaysor — David Quinn (@DavQuinn) […]
The Irish Citizen Army was founded at the height of the Dublin Lockout of 1913 to protect strikers at their demonstrations from the police. Three years later it took part, alongside the Irish Volunteers, in the insurrection of Easter 1916. Its leader James Connolly along with his second, Michael Mallin, were executed for their part […]
ON THIS DAY: 21 NOVEMBER 615: SAINT COLUMBANUS (Columbán meaning white dove) died in present day Italy As an Irish missionary, he was notable for founding a number of monasteries from around 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in present-day Italy. He was one […]
Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone (20 June 1763 – 19 November 1798), was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members of the United Irishmen, and is regarded as the father of Irish republicanism and leader of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. He was captured in Buncrana on 3 November […]
Willie James Pearse – Uilliam Seamus Mac Piarais – was an Irish republican executed for his part in the Easter Rising. He was a younger brother of Pádraig, a leader of the rising; Willie was very devoted to Pádraig and the brothers had a very close relationship. Pearse inherited his father’s artistic abilities and became […]
On the night of 14 November 1920, during the War of Independence, 28-year-old Fr. Michael Griffin, was taken from his home – by men suspected to be Black and Tans – and was never seen again. On 20 November, his body was found in an unmarked grave in a bog at Cloghscoltia near Barna; he […]
ON THIS DAY: 12TH NOVEMBER 1971: RTÉ bans several patriotic ballads including Dublin In The Green and The Patriot Game Lyrics of the The Patriot Game Come all ye young rebels, and list while I sing, For the love of one’s country is a terrible thing. It banishes fear with the speed of a flame, […]
Catherine McAuley was born in Dublin in 1778. In 1824 she used her inheritance from an Irish couple she had served for twenty years to build a large House of Mercy where she and other lay women would shelter homeless women, reach out to the sick and dying and educate poor girls. The House on […]
Pádraig Mac Piarais (Padraig Pearse) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary; he who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916. Following his execution along with fifteen others, Pearse came to be seen by many as the embodiment of the rebellion. Pádraig, his brother Willie, […]
ON THIS DAY: 9TH NOVEMBER 1791: Napper Tandy convenes the first meeting of Dublin’s United Irishmen. The first meeting of the Society of United Irishmen Dublin at the Eagle Tavern in Eustace Street. Attended by such figures as Theobold Wolfe Tone, Archibald Hamilton Rowan, William Drennan and James Napper Tandy. #gript
A fascinating tidbit this, unearthed by a friend on twitter: https://twitter.com/scary_biscuits/status/1191868187027148800 The most popular story in the mythology of modern Ireland is the notion that our little country has recently stepped forward, out of the darkness and brutality of the past, to become a happier and more self-confident nation. Nearly everything written about the Ireland […]