1691: Ireland's defining moment – a reminder of what we all can accomplish -VIDEOS

The Wild Geese Collection, which is called The Wild Geese Irish Soldiers & Heroes in the USA, has been a proud sponsor of St. Patrick's Day in San Antonio, in recognition of the Irish contribution to the defence of the Alamo, which we have written about in our The Wild Geese blog. It has become the lead sponsor for the GAA Football tournament in Texas. We are not a large multinational but we are proud to help and be part of the community, and as The Wild Geese Collection grows so will our ability to contribute. For many of you who traveled to Ireland, some 50,000, for the recent gathering, to see Notre Dame beat Navy 50-10, and who purchased The Wild Geese in Duty Free at Cork and Dublin Airports, not to mention at the Celtic Whiskey Store in Dublin, many thanks. Please keep sending your comments. Finally please keep drinking The Wild Geese and, as we do, "Raise a Glass and Remember Them"!

Thank you for taking the time to read about The Wild Geese. We would like to add we really appreciate all your comments. The earliest recorded instance of distilling in Europe are references in The Lives of The Irish Saints (particularly St. Ruadan's) dating from the 6th Century. Whiskey is and has been for centuries now an integral part of Irish life, culture and history. The Irish sent their whiskey all around the world so much so that it was the whiskey of choice until very recently. In fact it was even at European Courts as early as the 16th Century. By the 18th Century in Russia, Czar Peter the Great of Russia (1672-1725) could declare, "Of all the wines of the world, Irish spirit is the best". The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey Collection is part of the Irish Whiskey Renaissance, which has been much written about in recent years. The whiskey in The Collection has been praised by many independent and renowned experts. We have won many awards, including three 'Best Irish Whiskey' awards recognized both by the industry and the consumer, amongst them a Double Gold at W.S.W.A., where all 18 judges unanimously voted The Wild Geese Irish Soldiers & Heroes the Best in Class, as well as a Gold Medal at the World Whisky Awards, Best Whiskey (malt). A more complete list of our awards and accolades can be found on our website.

Merchandising masquerading as human interest story of historical significance. Interesting, but too bad it's sponsored by the intoxication industry, which I'm sure few of the Wild Geese themselves could afford to indulged in either economically or militarily (other than the officer cadre perhaps). Dubious commercial correlation.

This is disgraceful. This is just a shameless advertisement for a dubious, absurdly named product aimed exclusively at tourists and foreigners who pretend to be Irish. I don't know who has voted it "best Irish whiskey", but it is unheard of in Ireland. Why is this stuff being advertised in the editorial section of the site?

In primary school in Ireland we learned about the heroism of Patrick Sarsfield, his gallant defense of Limrick and the Treaty of Limerick (1691) which was supposed to allow Catholics much religious freedom, but was brutally violated a few years later. However, our history books barely mentioned the siege by Cromwellians of Limerick 40 years earlier. In 1651 Cromwellian forces led by Ireton expected to capture Limerick in 3 hours, but it took them about 4 months to gain control of the city on the Shannon. The heroes of Limerich on this ocasson were nearly all Ulster men, commanded by Hugh Dubh O'Neill (nephew of Eoin Rua O'Neil who beat the Roundhears at Benburb in 1646, and grandnephew of Hugh O'Neill who defeated Queen Elizabeth's army at the Yellow Ford in 1598). Apparemntly the Bord of Ed. in the Irish state was reluctant to admit that the Northern province played a major role in resisting Cromwell - whose cavelry used St. Mary's Church of Ireland Cathedran to stable their horses.

My ancestor was a Limerick man and wounded in the fighting you described. He escaped to Virginia and started a huge family in America (where we fought the British twice); thanks for more insight into this fascinating part of Irish history.

Haven't the Irish spread their Wild Geese wings well - and conquered lands far away. The Irish embraced the lands and people to where they landed - from France and Spain to Canada, America, Australia. They embrace the local customs, culture and values - and yet hold their own values and heritage - passing onto the locals - Irish cultures and customs - even today Gaelic games are being played across the planet - introduced by irish - now played in some parts by teams with no Irish players (across Europe, Asia, Australia UK Canada Argentina and USA). Irish Dancing in 20 schools in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, Irish music festivals in every US state... Irish literature enjoyed in every University on the planet. or an Irish female Boxer Olympian - acclaimed the world over - that's the impact of the Wild Geese and Sarsfields...

Citizen: You make a good point: One historian has this to say about King Willian m. of Orange: "He held potent influence with the pope, with whom his relationship was always one of comprehending statesmanship. Willian had the support of the Grant Alliance which included the Catholic states of Bavaria, Spain and the Holy Roman Enpire, and had the backing of the POPE. The Ireland for which Sarsfield and his men so gallantly fought included the whole Irish nation. Staunch Free States can never claim Sarsfield as their own. Few people know that Sarsfield's only son, James, returned to Ireland in the early 1700s to support the Sweward cause.

Thank you for your censorship. And you say you are Irish?

Sarsfield, along with so many other Irish patriots were responsible for passing on the belief, born in Ireland "That all men are created equal," the concept the USA was founded on. Ireland is such a tiny island and yet it has had an unbelievable impact world wide, always looking for freedom and rights for the idiginous population. It seems to us that they are constantly challenged by the "privileged royals" in the neighboring island, along with their mighty history of "conquering" the world. It must have been a horrible task to conquer the Australian Aboriginese or the many African tribes, however there was much plunder available to build palaces and estates for the inbred idle royals. Also there were the slaves to be transported to help the royal compatriots around the world. My question is "How did two such desparate cultures develop on neighboring island?" I have read the about the mighty vikings and mighty saxons and find it a lot of Hooey pooey. The gypsy royals are the only ones that benefit, but if a lowly commoner who has nothing is brought up to believe he is a mighty conqueror, what effect will it have on him> Would he be able to shoot with complete contempt into an innocent crowd of men, women and children in Northern Ireland because of his conquering status. This lunacy has got to stop. Mary

Nice story.

Very timely - Sarsfield's ride was August 10, 1690. Sarsfield is the name and Sarsfield is the man

It should be noted that King William intended to honor the Treaty of Limerick. But King William was called to be king by parliament, as a king who would be bound by Parliament and not absolute (as James claimed to be). The Parliament of Ireland, dominated by the large Anglican landowners, voted the Treaty down and it never went into force. Yet in certain areas near Limerick the Catholic tenant farmers somehow got the same property rights as the Ulster Presbyterians, making East Clare the only electoral district where Catholics were the majority of voters, which is why Danial O'Connell ran for Parliament from East Clare. I often wonder if there were a connection between the Treaty of Limerick and this peculiar existence of property rights for farmers near Limerick.

They were defeated at the Boyne fighting FOR King James of England. Beaten by William of Orange from Holland married to King James daughter.