History

Learn about Irish history, folklore, and mythology - from the ancient times of glory to the modern Ireland.

Three spirals, one unbroken line and centuries of guesswork about the meaning

Three spirals, one unbroken line and centuries of guesswork about the meaning

From the triskelion to the triquetra, the designs survive from a world that left almost no written record of what it intended by them.

Big Tom on one stage, Joe Dolan on the other and the rafters full in Cricklewood Before trick or treating, Irish Halloween meant whitewashed horses and blocked chimneys She took the reading on her 21st birthday and the D-Day landings were delayed

Generations of Dublin children sang a street song about an infant murder

Generations of Dublin children sang a street song about an infant murder

“Weile Weile Waile” tells of an old woman in the woods and a three month old baby, and it was a skipping rhyme long before the Clancy Brothers and The Dubliners put it on record.

Bram Stoker's own family history was darker than anything in "Dracula"

Bram Stoker's own family history was darker than anything in "Dracula"

Guglielmo Marconi, the man who opened Clifden to Nova Scotia was a Jameson on his mother’s side

Guglielmo Marconi, the man who opened Clifden to Nova Scotia was a Jameson on his mother’s side

Before Google there was the seanchaí and everything they knew was held in memory

Before Google there was the seanchaí and everything they knew was held in memory

Half of Ireland slept under thatch in the 1800s and the craft is now nearly gone

Half of Ireland slept under thatch in the 1800s and the craft is now nearly gone

The Cork cabin boy who jumped ship in Shanghai and taught the OSS how to kill

The Cork cabin boy who jumped ship in Shanghai and taught the OSS how to kill

Fred Astaire’s first dance partner was his sister and she ended up in Waterford

Fred Astaire’s first dance partner was his sister and she ended up in Waterford

Oscar Wilde, Eugene O’Neill and Michael Collins all share today’s birthday

Oscar Wilde, Eugene O’Neill and Michael Collins all share today’s birthday

“She Moved Through the Fair” - Ireland’s most haunting love song is a ghost story nobody can claim

“She Moved Through the Fair” - Ireland’s most haunting love song is a ghost story nobody can claim

Seven Irish legends to tell your kids as the dark evenings close in

Seven Irish legends to tell your kids as the dark evenings close in

A disused Wicklow quarry holds the graves of 134 Germans who died on Irish soil

A disused Wicklow quarry holds the graves of 134 Germans who died on Irish soil