Irish Milwaukee
Milwaukee's Irish can claim a long and distinguished heritage throughout the city's history. The fact that Irish immigrants could speak English gave them an advantage and enabled them to become community leaders and gain economic independence.[More]
 

Robert Emmet’s Rebellion of 1803 Commemorated
By Thomas Gildea Cannon
My maternal great-grandparents, Richard Gildea and Sarah Fagan, were children of emigrants from Glen Nephin, Co. Mayo. Steeped in a family tradition of Irish nationalism, they named one of their sons Robert Emmet Gildea (1891-1922) after the great Irish patriot. Their christening was not a solitary act. The name of Robert Emmet has been treasured on both sides of the Atlantic for more than two centuries. [More]
 

‘Songs My Mother Sang’ Brings Old Tunes Alive
By Mattie Lennon
Peggy Sweeney's Kerry accent shows no traces of Ulster nuances. "And why should it?" you may well ask. Well, her ancestors came from Donegal. It would appear that she is a descendent of Eoghan Og Mac Suibne, who was Taoiseach of Doe Castle, Creeslough, in the final decades of the 16th century.[More]
 

Dub City’s Shelbourne Remains Charming Caravansary
By J. Herbert Silverman
Ireland is certainly not lacking for national monuments, including cathedrals, stone forts and ancient castles. One of its most notable, however, and a classic in its own right, is the stately Shelbourne. This institution gazes over the trees, grass and water of St. Stephen's Green toward the Dublin Mountains. When William Makepeace Thackeray arrived here in 1824, the year it opened, he described the hotel in his Irish Sketch Book. [More]
 

Flanagan's Wake
The Miramar Theatre presents this hilarious interactive Irish comedy. (advertisement) [More]
 

Here Cometh Iceman Sweeney
By Jo Ann Lawery
For 15 years, Don Sweeney was "the other defense man" on the Boston Bruins besides Ray Bourque. He was a fan favorite not only because of the way he played, but because he played his college hockey and got his degree from Harvard University, right in the Bruin's back yard.[More]
 

The Oul' Age Pension Became Real Blessing
By Michael Farrelly
In the parish of Cornama, people could expect to live between 60 and 70 years. But when Irish politicians began to talk about "The Oul' Age Pension," it did wonders. "Twd be a blessin' to live a bit longer wit' a roughness' from the government," a Biddy said.[More]
 

O’Reilly, A Meeting of the Minds
By Patrick Taylor 
"Old men forget." For the life of me, I cannot remember the originator of that quotation, but I can recall my first meeting with Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly — classical scholar, bagpiper, poacher, souse and foul-mouthed country GP — as if it had been yesterday. [More]