In 284 AD, the mighty band of warriors known as the Fianna and led by Fionn Mac Cumhaill, were decimated and destroyed in the Battle of Gabhra. So brought to an end an epic period in Irish Mythology, as this once mighty army band had reigned supreme over Ireland. There were leaders before Fionn, including…
Opposite Heuston station, on the far bank of the River Liffey, lies an acre of land that is of major historical and cultural significance. The grassed plot of land adjacent Wolfe Tone Quay has never been developed due to its significance, and up unto the late 1990's, was used as a soccer pitch. In 1986…
Sean Mac Diarmada was one of seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, which was published on the fateful Easter Monday in 1916. Padraig Pearse read the Proclamation at the front of the GPO and the Rising ensued. Mac Diarmada was a Leitrim man, born in 1883 and reared at Kiltyclogher. The quaint…
The great hunger (An Gorta Mór) of 1845-1849, left an indelible mark on the Irish people, culture and world affairs, scattering Irish men and women to the four corners of the earth where their presence and impact still reverberates today. Life for the rural Irish in the 1800's wasn't easy, even without the prospect of…
The famed Poet, Playwright and writer, John Millington Synge was born in this house, 2 Newtown villas, Rathfarnham in April 1878. Picture: Project Gutenberg
One of the most spectacular megalithic portal tombs in Ireland is located on a leafy hillside on the rocky slopes of picturesque Howth, Co. Dublin. The tomb, known as Aideen's grave, dates from 5000 years ago. However, in Irish mythology the tomb is reputed to have been built some 3,000 years later, as a burial…
The Joyce family lived in many places north and south of the River Liffey in Dublin. In 1902 and 1903, the Joyce family resided at St. Peters road (then St. Peters terrace) in the shadow of the architecturally impressive, St. Peters Church in Phibsborough. It was in this house that Joyce's mother died at the…
The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne is a tale set nearly two thousand years ago. It weaves together some of the most famous characters of Irish Mythology, the central characters being Diarmuid, Graine and the legendary Fionn Mac Cumhaill. Grainne, was the daughter of the High King of Ireland, Cormac Mac Airt . She resided…
Djouce Mountain in the Wicklow mountain range, lies just east of the Sally Gap. It is Irelands 74th highest peak, rising to 725 metres. It's barren slopes were the scene of a miraculous event on a cloudy evening in August 1946, when a German made military plane, crash landed upon the mountain side. On board…
Following the lead of Wexford, the people of Kildare rose up and played a leading role in the great rebellion of 1798, which brought anarchy to the country, in those early summer months. A key leader in the lead up to the rebellion was Lord Edward Fitzgerald , the son of the Duke of Leinster,…
In March 1923, chronic instability and violence wreaked through Ireland as it had done for the previous eight years. Following the Rising and the War of Independence, a bitter Civil war now ensued between pro Treaty and anti-Treaty forces. This pitted former comrades against one another, the same comrades who had fought valiantly together for…
Sir Ralph Abercromby was the Commander in Chief of the English forces in Ireland, immediately prior to the rebellion of 1798. His time as Commander in Chief was brief having been appointed in 1797, he resigned in 1798. The Scotsman toured the country in early 1798, stopping off in Cork on the 21st January 1798,…
Tales and Scéals 