He was a descendant of the Uí Néill dynasty and often served as a peacemaker for that contentious tribe, who even accused St. Patrick of putting a curse on them. Before he rose to prominence, Àedh was an illiterate farmer, a bumpkin of sorts who was bilked of his inheritance by his brothers. Seeking revenge, the future Saint abducted their maid and headed south. A local bishop, … [Read more...] about Áedh Mac Breic: Patron of Headache Sufferers
History Archives
The Kindness of Strangers: Remembering the Tragedy of the Brig St. John in 1849
IA Newsletter, October 12, 2024
On 6 October 1849, emigrants on board the Brig St. John, caught their first sighting of American land as their vessel approached the coast of Cape Cod. The vessel was carrying as many as 140 passengers from counties Clare and Galway, Their destination was Boston where they would disembark the following day. The voyage had been uneventful and, to celebrate their safe arrival, … [Read more...] about The Kindness of Strangers: Remembering the Tragedy of the Brig St. John in 1849
Miotas | The Ancients
Tuatha Dé DannanThey came in the mist... Ireland is a land of sacred spaces but none as mystical as Newgrange in County Meath. Newgrange is a prehistoric monument, a collection of Stone Age burial mounds and kerbstones, enormous rocks carved with art. It is a place older than the pyramids, a place of spiritual, archaeological and historic importance, and a place that brings … [Read more...] about Miotas | The Ancients
Campaign for Justice 50 Years On
IA Newsletter, October 5, 2024
Guildford Pub Bombs Continue to Haunt Victims and the British Criminal Justice System 50 years later. Exactly 50 years ago, on Saturday night October 5, 1974, IRA bombs exploded in two pubs in the Surrey town of Guildford, south of London. But despite a series of trials, appeals, an official inquiry and a coroners inquest, the full story of the attacks is still not … [Read more...] about Campaign for Justice 50 Years On
MacGahan: Liberator of Bulgaria
How journalist Januarius Aloysius MacGahan, the son of Irish immigrants, helped cause a shift in the European balance of power that made the liberation of Bulgaria possible. "Since my letter of yesterday, I have supped full of horrors. Nothing has yet been said of the Turks that I do not now believe; nothing could be said of them that I should not think probable or likely...But … [Read more...] about MacGahan: Liberator of Bulgaria