IrishCentral Irish history - b5cc3275d518416eacb61d676e8d84d1

No such thing as "No Irish Need Apply" signs argues history professor (IrishCentral)

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 04:52:08 PDT

By: IrishCentral Staff Writers

Editor’s note: Richard Jensen retired Professor of History, University of Illinois, Chicago wrote a provocative piece referred to by a reader arguing that the No Irish Need Apply signs were a myth. Here is an abridged version of his article.

Immigration is not the problem - history of anti-Irish behavior reflecting on the Chechnyan bombs in Boston (IrishCentral)

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 05:18:26 PDT

Senator Patrick LeahyThey came from a foreign land with deep religious convictions They had ties to people willing to use violence to achieve political endsThey felt alienated in America and were ultimately accused of committing heinous acts of terrorism, undoubtedly influenced by events in their native land READ MORE

A look at books - Irish history, fiction and biography to get your teeth in to (IrishCentral)

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 04:47:45 PDT

Vengeance By Benjamin BlackBenjamin Black is the pen name of award winning Irish novelist and Booker Prize winner John Banville, which means that the prose stylings of this impressively literary whodunit (and the focus on fully realized characters) are much finer than the genre usually affordsBlack/Banville assembles a cast of upscale but sulphurous Dubliners, including one of Ireland’s most successful – and, it turns out, suicidal -- businessmen, then he exposes the corrupt and corrupting world they live in where money and sex trump all other considerations Detective Inspector Hackett and his pinstriped consultant pathologist sidekick Quirke find themselves pulled ever deeper into the mysterious case and into dangerous the orbit of Dublin’s elite What Black/Banville does with particular facility is to create a climate of suspicion and dread that turns this surprisingly sordid tale into a page-turner of the highest order READ MORE

A History of Ireland in 100 objects - a great free app (IrishCentral)

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:02:32 PDT

To mark Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, here is a wee present from the people of Ireland to the people of the world, for St Patrick’s Day!The Royal Irish Academy, the National Museum of Ireland and The Irish Times are collaborating with the EU Presidency, the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade and Adobe to bring you a gift of A History of Ireland in 100 objectsIt is available as an interactive app for Apple iPhone and iPad, for most Android tablets and on the Kindle Fire, from our website, as well as associated app stores You can also experience the book on your computer, smartphone or eReader by clicking on the 'eBook' button belowThe Gift is free to download until the end of March READ MORE

Irish rugby hail the most successful weekend in its history -- Ladies beat England, U20s beat England, the clubs beat England and a close game for the men's I XV at the Aviva (IrishCentral)

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 05:46:34 PST

Fiona Coughlan Ireland's female rugby captainWhat an awesome weekend of Irish victories and momentum with the Ladies taking England apart in the greatest yet performance, the U20s played it perfectly beating England with a Scholes try and the Clubs win through a Ballynahinch / Stuart Morrow try!The weekend started on Friday night with the Ireland U20s team facing England in what is undoubtedly the future of both national men's squads The Ireland coaching team and strategy developers had completely analyzed the English play in previous games and the squad had a very simple game plan to nullify the one way that England play and that is with crash ball Having absorbed everything and gone behind on the scoreline when the England team had become a spent force Ireland struck with the killer blow, a perfectly worked try on the wing which was duly converted Ireland held the game at this level until the final whistle was sounded on a superb victory READ MORE

Ulster Rugby v Leinster Rugby - OK SO THIS WILL BE THE GREATEST FIGHT I THE HISTORY OF ULSTER & IRISH RUGBY (IrishCentral)

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 10:16:32 PST

Everyone in Ireland is talking about Ulster Rugby, everyone in the rugby world is talking about Ulster Rugby With a devastating and massively powerful display against Northampton Saints in the Heineken Cup on Saturday past, a side who are renowned for their physical play and scrum dominance Ulster Rugby took them apart in what one Northampton commentator called an embarrassing night for English rugby! To put it in the most direct terms - this is without a shadow of a doubt the greatest Ulster Rugby team in the history of the province! Now, lets reflect on the fact that Leinster another of the 4 Irish provinces are the current Heineken cup holders, a competition that sees all the best teams in Europe compete, then the mind simply boggles on the connotations of say an All Ireland European Cup Final (same as last year) between Ulster & Leinster, but this time, not in Twickenham the famous English stadium but in Ireland's International stadium The Aviva, in Dublin!This is the stuff of legends, it would simply be the biggest period of Irish Rugby dominance in the history of European RugbyThe club scene in Ireland is a buzz of rugby fanaticism READ MORE

A look at Irish books - from comedy and Typhoid Mary to history and more (IrishCentral)

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 05:31:16 PST

Wacky EireBy Geraldine ComiskeyIreland is the acknowledged home of surrealism and Geraldine Comiskey (a roving reporter for the Sunday World) often has occasion to encounter it at its source Having a journalistic resume that includes getting set on fire by stuntmen, dancing on the wings of a World War II bi-plane (well, who hasn’t?) and joining a circus trapeze troupe, she’s clearly ready for anythingIreland in Comiskey’s book is a magical place where all manner of weirdness awaits you down almost very boreen, so in a way her job is an ideal one, scouring the nation in search of funHer book is an eye-popping procession of dodgy faith healers, rural swingers, ghost hunters, GAA players, all of Irish life really READ MORE

Celtic boss hails side’s historic win over Barcelona 2-1 -- Rod Stewart in tears as ‘The Bhoys’ make history (IrishCentral)

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 11:00:54 PST

Celtic wins over Barcelona in history European Championships matchCeltic boss Neil Lennon has praised his team after their historic win over Barcelona in the European Champions league by 2-1"I think it was one of the greatest nights in the club's recent history,"he said Rod Stewart, a huge Celtic fan who attended the game, was in tears afterwardsHe continued: "It was very poignant at our 125th anniversary, one to play Barcelona in such a prestigious game and two, to win the game under huge difficulties with the squad decimated by injuries and illness READ MORE

Look at books - Irish artists, fiction and history (IrishCentral)

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 06:32:36 PDT

Prodigals And GeniusesBy Brendan LynchThe Irish love a good pub within walking reach and Ireland’s most gifted artists and thinkers have been no exception As Paris has it’s Left Bank and New York has its Upper West Side, for decades Dublin’s bohemian quarter has been centered around Baggot Street and Leeson Street, fringed by the Grand Canal Among it’s familiars were four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature and nearly every major Irish writer of the 19 century, including Oscar Wilde, WB READ MORE

Will Martin McGuinness end up as Irish president like De Valera? -- All things possible after handshake with Queen opens new possibilities (IrishCentral)

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:45:37 PDT

Martin McGuinnessSo Martin McGuinness and Queen Elizabeth II shook hands I wonder if it was what they thought it would be like? Time will tellBrian Hayes of Fine Gael called it a publicity stunt by the ‘failed Presidential candidate,’ a bit rich I thought coming from a government party whose candidate went around the country at the time of that election like a bloody old farmyard hen He only got 6 READ MORE

From the Chapel Gates of Cooraclare to the plot to seize America - the story of Brigadier General Martin Meaney (IrishCentral)

Thu, 03 May 2012 06:15:11 PDT

Martin H Meaney“No greater fighting regiment has ever existed than the 165th Infantry of the Rainbow Division formed by the old 69th Regiment of New York,” claimed General Douglas MacArthur of the very regiment he chose to represent New York State in a purpose built shock division that was formed from the cream of the US National Guard in WWIThe “Fighting” 69th Irish regiment was founded in 1851 by Irish citizens in New York City as a militia regiment known locally as the 2nd Regiment of Irish Volunteers The late regimental historian, Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth H Powers related to this column some years back how the close identification of a regiment with a particular ethnic stock of the American population was quite rare in the US army and made the 69th unique READ MORE

Brian Boru, King of the Gaels, and Imperatoris Scotorum (IrishCentral)

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 07:45:08 PDT

Illustration of Brian BoruWith the historic Clare Patriotic and Benevolent Association of New York due to parade on 5th Avenue this Saturday, one of their famed banners which will no doubt be proudly unfurled once more brings to mind the value still held by the exiles in one of their greatest countrymen, Brian BoruAn exhibition curated by Boru Cultural Enterprises at the award winning East Clare Heritage Center in the postcard pretty Tuamgraney, County Clare profiles the legacy of Boru, known in the ancient tongue as Brian Boraimhe 'This beautiful location set off the idyllic Lough Derg on the river Shannon has inspired great Irish cultural champions in the past such as Edward MacLysaght, and continues to do so today with leading heritage practitioners such as Ruth Minogue of Minogue Associates, Tomas MacConmara, founder of Cuimhneamh an Chláir who has just recently arrived back on Bannerside from a venture in the coiscéim of Lawrence of Arabia in defense of the undefended, the Mayor of Clare Pat Hayes, and the historian and tour operator Ger Madden all developing and promoting the historic gems of this regionHere Daniel McCarthy looks at the legacy of Boraimhe to the Irish people as Ireland approaches the millennium of one of its most defining triumphs, Clontarf 1014 READ MORE

From Celtic mythology to surfing on the west coast – taking advantage of all Ireland has to offer (IrishCentral)

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:30:18 PST

Enjoying the surf off the coast of IrelandMonday was our first day of classes at National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) We woke up to the sun shining for the first time since we had arrived in Galway, what a wonderful way to start the weekThese first two weeks are used to kind of shop around to see what sort of classes you may like to take It feels odd not having registered months in advance like I’m used to at ASU READ MORE

Where Atlantis met the Cliffs of Moher – John Philip Holland the inventor of the submarine (IrishCentral)

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 06:00:17 PST

John Philip Holland invented of the submarineIn 1904, two of the most innovative lights of the Age of Invention were reflecting upon the merits of their creations The younger man, Thomas A Edison, “The Wizard of Menlo Park”, numbered the light bulb, the phonograph and the first motion pictures amongst his hundreds of inventions, and was an acclaimed star of the industrialized turn of the century world In their correspondence, Edison was let known in no uncertain terms by his older associate and kindred spirit about the profound impact the latter’s showcase invention would have upon humanity ''Submarines have assuredly come to stay, animated with the desire of helping to end naval warfare'' wrote the Irishman, John Philip Holland, father of the modern submarine READ MORE

'Gentlemen, you have a country' - Thomas Davis, a real Irish president (IrishCentral)

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:00:34 PDT

Thomas Davis"Gentlemen, you have a country" - these are not words uttered by the Celtic Times but by an Irishman, Thomas DavisAn Irishman and a master Born almost 200 years ago in that historic crossroads of Munster, the innovative heritage town of Mallow, on 24 October 1814 Davis and his works remain as relevant as ever with a presidential election looming large this Thursday READ MORE

Exiled Gaels and sporting rebels of Ireland - part III (IrishCentral)

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:15:14 PDT

Still from the 'Gaelic Gold' DVDIn this the final of our three part look at the clash of the ash and salmon like leaps for midfield aerial supremacy across the world of Gaelic games, we recall some famous and infamous Gaelic sporting events from days of yore, where in some remote or fabled corner there remains fields and memories which remain forever Irish Ireland v Scotland, 1897- at Celtic FC soccer grounds, Parkhead, the first Hurling Shinty International MatchMichael Cusack himself presented the Celtic Times Challenge Cup (in whose honor this parish is named) in 1897 to mark the first international hurling/shinty match between Ireland and Scotland at the soccer grounds of Celtic FC in Parkhead, and indeed officiated thereafter at a return match played at Jones’ Road in Dublin that same yearIt marked the culmination of close ties and communication between the Scottish Caledonian Society and Irish cultural and sporting revivalists since the early moves to form the GAAJohn Murdoch, the renowned Scottish land league leader and founder/editor of The Highlander newspaper had, along with fellow Scot and entrepreneur, Morrison Millar, (who helped Cusack establish the Celtic Times newspaper) cultivated sporting links with Irish sports enthusiasts READ MORE

Exiled Gaels and Irish sporting rebels: part 2 (IrishCentral)

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 05:55:34 PDT

GAA: beloved for generations across all agesPart 1: Exiled Gaels and sporting rebels - Exotic stories of Gaelic and indigenous games The intensely passionate addiction for Gaelic sports held by Irish ex-pats did not just form after the establishment of the GAA in 1884 There are accounts the world over which narrates the Irish grá for the clash of the ash and the big ball in the years and centuries prior to the clarion call for formal organization of these sports went out from the Dergvale Hotel of Dublin to Hayes’ Hotel in ThurlesThere are accounts on intrepid Gaels such as Chevalier Thomas O’Gorman and the Wild Geese of Paris O’Gorman from Tullycrine, County Clare was born into a wealthy Catholic family in 1718 READ MORE

Irish heritage website of the week - Ireland's National Museum (IrishCentral)

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:55:18 PDT

National Museum of Ireland, Kildare StreetWe are staring a new resolution here at the Celtic Times corner, a shout to an honoured Celtic Times Heritage website of the week: wwwmuseumieCheck out the National Museum’s website for an update on what’s up at their venues in Kildare Street and Collins’ Barracks in Dublin (there is a museum link bus to shuttle visitors between the two locations), and at the Museum of Country Life in Castlebar, Mayo READ MORE

The restoration of the ruined heart of the midlands, St Mel's, and the New Ireland of Auckland (IrishCentral)

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:25:20 PDT

St Mel's Cathedral On Christmas Day 2009, residents of Longford town woke up to find its landmark St Mel's Cathedral ablaze, and with it, the county's most prestigious collection covering the full span of the region's history, including priceless artefacts like the magnificent bronze wrapped yew Crozier of St Mel himself, and the Shrine of St Cailin READ MORE

Bashing the Irish -- a break neck run down on Ireland's history of betrayal (IrishCentral)

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 02:40:15 PST

Hugh Roe O'Donnell (An Ó Domhnaill)After Kinsale the sovereignty of Ireland sailed to Galicia or "Gael land," to regroup and try again They established an Irish College at Santiago de Compostela O'Donnell was poisoned on-board a ship and died en route to ally with the King of Spain He was one of countless Irish leaders that were physically assaulted or murdered in the pursuit of compliance and assistance in the cessation and usurpation of Irish nationhood READ MORE