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Referred to in the patriotic ballad as ‘the Blackbird of sweet Avondale’ , Charles Stewart Parnell (1846- 1891) was one of the most brilliant and romantic figures in Irish political history. His residence was Avondale House , just South of the village of Rathdrum and...

25 March, 2013 /

The horse was the most vulnerable animal in traditional Ireland , and accordingly many folk beliefs and superstitions centred on it. As well as sickness and injury , other dangers threatened the horse , for it was thought that an envious neighbour could harm it...

24 March, 2013 /

The Irish people have always had a special devotion to the Virgin Mary. Many songs told of her desolation and unbearable sorrow as she saw her son Jesus put to death , and she has always been regarded as a special sympathiser in times of...

23 March, 2013 /

The longest dynastic rule in Ireland began in the 5th century AD , when a tribe called Connachta occupied Tara in County Meath. Their great King was called Niall , and from him the leading family of the tribe took the name Ui Neill (‘descendants...

18 March, 2013 /