On June 27, 1963, John F Kennedy became the first President of the United States to visit Ireland during his term in office. This historic event was recorded for posterity by British Pathé, a UK producer of newsreels and documentaries in the 20th century.

The black and white footage shows the moment JFK touched down on Irish soil at Dublin Airport, where he was greeted by Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Éamon de Valera.

Thousands converged on O’Connell Street in Dublin to see Kennedy as he traveled in a motorcade through the city.

During the visit to Ireland Kennedy stopped at his ancestral home in Dunganstown, County Wexford, where his great-grandfather Patrick Kennedy had lived before emigrating to the United States.

The president was greeted there by a crowd waving both American and Irish flags and was reportedly serenaded by a boy choir singing “The Boys of Wexford.” He also enjoyed a cup of tea and cake with members of his extended Irish family at the Kennedy homestead.

The British Pathé footage shows Kennedy leaving Wexford by helicopter for his return to Dublin, where he attended a garden party in the rain at Áras an Uachtaráin.

His four-day visit also included trips to Cork, Galway, and Limerick.

John F. Kennedy would later call his time in Ireland as “the best four days of my life.”

He was assassinated only a few months later in Dallas, on November 22, 1963.

Source:The Irish Post

The online digital archive of the JFK era is a treasure trove of information on the President's Irish relationships. The archive, JFKLibrary.org, which came online in 2011, gives the public access to materials amassed by researchers on the life and work of the 35th President of the United States.

Among the Irish-related items is a witty letter from Irish playwright Brendan Behan, informing President Kennedy that the 15th century head of his maternal clan, the Fitzgeralds, was once summoned to Rome to explain why he had burned down a local cathedral.

"The Pope asked the Gaelic lord why he had committed this enormous sacrilege," writes Behan.

"To which his Lordship replied: 'I declare to Jesus, your holiness, I never would have done but I thought the archbishop was inside!'"

It's not hard to imagine JFK roaring with laughter at Behan's letter.

There is a lengthy correspondence between Grant Stockdale, Kennedy's first ambassador to Ireland, and JFK. Stockdale was especially agitated about the dreadful state of the US Embassy in Dublin and pleaded for funds to build a new one.

"I never witnessed a more deplorable sight that the interior of our Dublin Embassy," he wrote to Kennedy in 1961.

"The general situation is nothing short of disastrous."

Soon after, JFK found the funds to build the new embassy, the building still in use, in Ballsbridge, Dublin.

Stockdale invited Kennedy to Ireland in 1962 and the president replied, "I would like very much to come to Ireland if I can think of a reason which would be sufficiently substantial to warrant a visit."

Stockdale also told of walking down O'Connell Street, Dublin's main thoroughfare, and seeing a "group of eight to ten females of all ages" staring at a newsstand. Displayed there was a cover shot of Jackie Kennedy in the Saturday Evening Post.

Also included in the archive are details of the many gifts presented to the President by the Irish, who clearly idolized him. The eclectic collection of gifts included a piece of the Giant's Causeway, a silver christening cup for John F. Kennedy Jr., and a freedom of the city casket containing a proclamation from the city of Limerick.

Podcasts on the website include recordings of Jacqueline Kennedy describing how she entertained at the White House and her reflections on hosting state dinners.

The website's video section includes signature moments in Kennedy's presidency, including his famous 1963 televised speech to the nation about the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, when America and the entire world hung on the president's every word.

Read more: Caroline Kennedy does not rule out White House bid

The treasure trove of a website was launched in 2011 to coincide with the anniversary of the 35th president's inauguration. The amount of material posted to the new digital archive is considerable: 200,000 pages of text, 1,500 photos, 1,250 audio recordings and moving images, and 340 phone conversations totaling 17.5 hours.

Among the most popular documents is a draft, in JFK’s handwriting, of his inaugural address which included the famous line: "Ask not what your country can do for you..."

The website also catalogs notes, tapes, and maps made during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Oval Office phone conversations between Kennedy and other important historical figures.

To view the new archive visit www.jfklibrary.org.

* Originally published in 2011. 

When the Romans first visited Ireland, they called it Hibernia, the sleeping land. But soon, to their dismay, they found the people were not at all a sleeping group.

In the early 1st century, Roman and Greek knowledge of Ireland was thin, but the geographers Strabo and Pomponius Mela describe “a cold land populated by extremely fierce inhabitants.” In the lore of combat between the Romans and native Irish, the Romans feared the Irish (and their woman warriors most) for the fierceness of their attacks and utter lack of fear.

Invasions by warlike foreigners left their mark on Ireland and mixed their blood with the Irish. In the late 700s, the Vikings attacked and tried to establish permanent settlements. The Vikings were eventually defeated, but many of them stayed and intermarried with the native population. Later, the Normans came and went and then, the British appeared.

The unique blend of the Irish and their invaders created a hybrid of warrior that has filled the ranks of many armies around the world.

Many Irish immigrated to the “new lands” of the American continent to find the opportunity and freedom that they couldn’t find in their native land. They took up arms to defend their adopted countries and to fight for what they believed to be battles for freedom and justice.

The influence the Irish had in Latin America over the past 200 plus years is historic. The Irish fought alongside their brothers and sisters in their new homelands and shed their blood in many wars to help free millions from the tyranny of colonialism.

But when the Irish found their way to North America, their presence was felt immediately in the armed forces, battling for freedom every step of the way.

The Irish played an integral part in the Revolutionary War, when a fledgling country had to win its freedom by force from British rule. Names include John Barry (the founder of our navy), Jeremiah O’Brien, Timothy Murphy, Molly Pitcher, John Sullivan and thousands of other Irish who fought and died to form the new country of the United States.

The Irish stepped forward again when the English returned and tried to re-conquer our young country in the War of 1812, throwing them back at the Battle of New Orleans.

Tragically, when the US was torn apart by the Civil War, Irish Americans fought on both sides and played key roles in the major battles that finally saw a divided country unite again. One of the most famous units in all of American military history was a brigade known as simply “The Irish Brigade.” 

When the United States stepped into the First World War, the Irish Americans distinguished themselves in many memorable battles and astonished the Germans with their fierceness and valor. Especially noteworthy was the incident when they fought and brawled hand to hand with German crack troops as members of the famed “Lost Battalion.”

World War II saw another generation of Irish Americans push their way forward to defend their country against one of the greatest axis of evils the world had seen. Irish Americans were over-represented in the awarding of Medals of Honor in the field of battle, with Audie Murphy becoming one of the most decorated soldiers in American history.

Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, Afghanistan– wherever and whenever the US needs to be defended and fought for, Irish Americans have a long history of being right there at the tip of the spear, where the greatest fighting occurs.

In war as well as peace, the US has benefited from the valor of its warriors of Irish descent. It is good to remember our “fighting” Irish American warriors on this Memorial Day weekend.

* Originally published in 2013.

In March 2017, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny nominated John F Kennedy’s speech to the Irish parliament during his visit in 1963 as his favorite speech of all time.

Kenny told TheJournal.ie that, “I have always admired President John F Kennedy and often find myself recalling words from some of his many exceptional speeches, such as his address to the Irish Parliament during his historic 1963 visit when he spoke so eloquently in praise of ‘the little ‘five feet high’ nations’ and of the Irish people’s ‘remarkable combination of hope, confidence and imagination.’

"For me, the sentiment contained in that particular speech is as relevant today as it was almost fifty years ago. I believe and trust in the Irish people just as he did then – that our strength of spirit and determination will allow us to overcome any difficulties we may face.”

The full speech delivered by President John F Kennedy to members of the Dáil and the Seanad on 28 June 1963:

Mr. Speaker, Prime Minister, Members of the Parliament: I am grateful for your welcome and for that of your countrymen.

The 13th day of September 1862, will be a day long remembered in American history. At Fredericksburg, Maryland, thousands of men fought and died on one of the bloodiest battlefields of the American Civil War. One of the most brilliant stories of that day was written by a band of 1,200 men who went into battle wearing a green sprig in their hats. They bore a proud heritage and a special courage, given to those who had long fought for the cause of freedom. I am referring, of course, to the Irish Brigade. General Robert E. Lee, the great military leader of the Southern Confederate forces, said of this group of men after the battle: “The gallant stand which this bold brigade made on the heights of Fredericksburg is well known. Never were men so brave. They ennobled their race by their splendid gallantry on that desperate occasion. Their brilliant, though hopeless, assaults on our lines excited the hearty applause of our officers and soldiers.”

Of the 1,200 men who took part in that assault, 280 survived the battle. The Irish Brigade was led into battle on that occasion by Brigadier General Thomas F. Meagher, who had participated in the unsuccessful Irish uprising of 1848, was captured by the British and sent in a prison ship to Australia, from whence he finally came to America. In the fall of 1862, after serving with distinction and gallantry in some of the toughest fighting of this most bloody struggle, the Irish Brigade was presented with a new set of flags. In the city ceremony, the city chamberlain gave them the motto “The Union, our Country, and Ireland Forever.” Their old ones having been torn to shreds by bullets in previous battles, Captain Richard McGee took possession of these flags on September 2nd in New York City and arrived with them at the Battle of Fredericksburg and carried them in the battle. Today, in recognition of what these gallant Irishmen and what millions of other Irish have done for my country, and through the generosity of the Fighting 69th, I would like to present one of these flags to the people of Ireland.The President then unveiled the flag which was in

The President then unveiled the flag which was in position to the left of the dais.

As you can see, gentlemen, the battle honors of the Brigade include Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Yorktown, Fair Oaks, Gaines Hill, Allen’s Farm, Savage’s Station, White Oak Bridge, Glendale, Malvern Hills, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Bristoe’s Station.

I am deeply honored to be your guest in the free Parliament of a free Ireland. If this nation had achieved its present political and economic stature a century or so ago, my great grandfather might never have left New Ross, and I might, if fortunate, be sitting down there with you. Of course, if your own President had never left Brooklyn, he might be standing up here instead of me.

This elegant building, as you know, was once the property of the Fitzgerald family, but I have not come here to claim it. Of all the new relations I have discovered on this trip, I regret to say that no one has yet found any link between me and a great Irish patriot, Lord Edward Fitzgerald. Lord Edward, however, did not like to stay here in his family home “because,” as he wrote his mother, “Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas.” That was a long time ago, however. It has also been said by some that a few of the features of this stately mansion served to inspire similar features in the White House in Washington. Whether this is true or not, I know that the White House was designed by James Hoban, a noted Irish-American architect, and I have no doubt that he believed, by incorporating several features of the Dublin style, he would make it more homelike for any President of Irish descent. It was a long wait, but I appreciate his efforts.

There is also an unconfirmed rumor that Hoban was never fully paid for his work on the White House. If this proves to be true, I will speak to our Secretary of the Treasury about it, although I hear this body is not particularly interested in the subject of revenue.

I am proud to be the first American President to visit Ireland during his term of office, proud to be addressing this distinguished assembly, and proud of the welcome you have given me. My presence and your welcome, however, only symbolize the many and the enduring links which have bound the Irish and the Americans since the earliest days.

Benjamin Franklin, the envoy of the American Revolution, who was also born in Boston, was received by the Irish Parliament in 1772. It was neither independent nor free from discrimination at the time, but Franklin reported its members “disposed to be friends of America.” “By joining our interest with theirs,” he said, “a more equitable treatment … might be obtained for both nations.”

Our interests have been joined ever since. Franklin sent leaflets to Irish freedom fighters. O’Connell was influenced by Washington, and Emmet influenced Lincoln. Irish volunteers played so predominant a role in the American Army that Lord Mountjoy lamented in the British Parliament: “We have lost America through the Irish.” John Barry, whose statue was honored yesterday, and whose sword is in my office, was only one who fought for liberty in America to set an example for liberty in Ireland.

Yesterday was the 117th Anniversary of the birth of Charles Stewart Parnell —whose grandfather fought under Barry and whose mother was born in America—and who, at the age of 34, was invited to address the American Congress on the cause of Irish freedom. “I have seen since I have been in this country,” he said, “so many tokens of the good wishes of the American people toward Ireland…” And today, 83 years later, I can say to you that I have seen in this country so many tokens of good wishes of the Irish people towards America.

And so it is that our two nations, divided by distance, have been united by history. No people ever believed more deeply in the cause of Irish freedom than the people of the United States. And no country contributed more to building my own than your sons and daughters. They came to our shores in a mixture of hope and agony, and I would not underrate the difficulties of their course once they arrived in the United States. They left behind hearts, fields, and a nation yearning to be free. It is no wonder that James Joyce described the Atlantic as a bowl of bitter tears, and an earlier poet wrote: “They are going, going, going, and we cannot bid them stay.”

But today this is no longer the country of hunger and famine that those immigrants left behind. It is not rich and its progress is not yet complete, but it is, according to statistics, one of the best-fed countries in the world. Nor is it any longer a country of persecution, political or religious. It is a free country, and that is why any American feels at home.

There are those who regard this history of past strife and exile as better forgotten, but to use the phrase of Yeats: “Let us not casually reduce that great past to a trouble of fools, for we need not feel the bitterness of the past to discover its meaning for the present and the future.”

And it is the present and the future of Ireland that today hold so much promise to my nation as well as to yours, and, indeed, to all mankind, for the Ireland of 1963, one of the youngest of nations, and the oldest of civilisations, has discovered that the achievement of nationhood is not an end, but a beginning. In the years since independence, you have undergone a new and peaceful revolution, an economic and industrial revolution, transforming the face of this land, while still holding to the old spiritual and cultural values. You have modernized your economy, harnessed your rivers, diversified your industry, liberalized your trade, electrified your farms, accelerated your rate of growth, and improved the living standard of your people.

Other nations of the world in whom Ireland has long invested her people and her children are now investing their capital as well as their vacations here in Ireland. This revolution is not yet over, nor will it be, I am sure, until a fully modern Irish economy fully shares in world prosperity. But prosperity is not enough.

Over 150 years ago, Henry Grattan, demanding the more independent Irish Parliament that would always bear his name, denounced those who were satisfied merely by new grants of economic opportunity. “A country,” he said, “enlightened as Ireland, chartered as Ireland, armed as Ireland, and injured as Ireland, will not be satisfied with anything less than liberty.” And today, I am certain, free Ireland, a full-fledged member of the world community, where some are not yet free, and where some counsel an acceptance of tyranny—free Ireland will not be satisfied with anything less than liberty.
I am glad, therefore, that Ireland is moving in the mainstream of current world events. For I sincerely believe that your future is as promising as your past is proud, and that your destiny lies not as a peaceful island in a sea of troubles, but as a maker and shaper of world peace.

For self-determination can no longer mean isolation, and the achievement of national independence today means withdrawal from the old status only to return to the world scene with a new one. New nations can build with their former governing powers the same kind of fruitful relationship that Ireland has established with Great Britain—a relationship founded on equality and mutual interests. And no nation, large or small, can be indifferent to the fate of others, near or far. Modern economics, weapons, and communications have made us realize more than ever that we are one human family and this one planet is our home. “The world is large,” wrote John Boyle O’Reilly, “The world is large when its weary leagues two loving hearts divide, but the world is small when your enemy is loose on the other side.”

The world is even smaller today, though the enemy of John Boyle O’Reilly is no longer a hostile power.

Indeed, across the gulfs and barriers that now divide us, we must remember that there are no permanent enemies. Hostility today is a fact, but it is not a ruling law. The supreme reality of our time is our indivisibility as children of God and our common vulnerability on this planet.

Some may say that all this means little to Ireland. In an age when “history moves with the tramp of earthquake feet,” in an age when a handful of men and nations have the power literally to devastate mankind, in an age when the needs of the developing nations are so large and staggering that even the richest nations often groan with the burden of assistance— in such an age, it may be asked, how can a nation as small as Ireland play much of a role on the world stage?

I would remind those who ask that question, including those in other small countries, of these words of one of the great orators of the English language:

All the world owes much to the little “five feet high” nations. The greatest art of the world was the work of little nations. The most enduring literature of the world came from little nations. The heroic deeds that thrill humanity through generations were the deeds of little nations fighting for their freedom. And, oh, yes, the salvation of mankind came through a little nation.

Ireland has already set an example and a standard for other small nations to follow. This has never been a rich or powerful country, and, yet, since earliest times, its influence on the world has been rich and powerful. No larger nation did more to keep Christianity and Western culture alive in their darkest centuries. No larger nation did more to spark the cause of American independence, and independence, indeed, around the world. And no larger nation has ever provided the world with more literary and artistic genius.

This is an extraordinary country. George Bernard Shaw, speaking as an Irishman, summed up an approach to life: “Other peoples,” he said, “see things and say: `Why?’ … But I dream things that never were—and I say: `Why not?”’

It is that quality of the Irish, the remarkable combination of hope, confidence, and imagination that is needed more than ever today. The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were, and ask why not. It matters not how small a nation is that seeks world peace and freedom, for, to paraphrase a citizen of my country: “The humblest nation of all the world, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error.”

Ireland is clad in the cause of national and human liberty with peace. To the extent that the peace is disturbed by conflict between the former colonial powers and the new and developing nations, Ireland’s role is unique. For every new nation knows that Ireland was the first of the small nations in the 20th Century to win its struggle for independence and that the Irish have traditionally sent their doctors and technicians and soldiers and priests to help other lands to keep their liberty alive. At the same time, Ireland is part of Europe, associated with the Council of Europe, progressing in the context of Europe, and a prospective member of an expanded European Common Market. Thus Ireland has excellent relations with both the new and the old, the confidence of both sides and an opportunity to act where the actions of greater powers might be looked upon with suspicion.

The central issue of freedom, however, is between those who believe in self-determination and those in the East who would impose upon others the harsh and oppressive Communist system; and here your nation wisely rejects the role of a go-between or a mediator. Ireland pursues an independent course in foreign policy, but it is not neutral between liberty and tyranny and never will be.

For knowing the meaning of foreign domination, Ireland is the example and inspiration to those enduring endless years of oppression. It was fitting and appropriate that this nation played a leading role in censuring the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution, for how many times was Ireland’s quest for freedom suppressed only to have that quest renewed by the succeeding generation? Those who suffer beyond that wall I saw on Wednesday in Berlin must not despair of their future. Let them remember the constancy, the faith, the endurance and the final success of the Irish. And let them remember, as I heard sung by your sons and daughters yesterday in Wexford, the words: “The boys of Wexford, who fought with heart and hand, to burst in twain the galling chain and free our native land.”

The major forum for your nation’s greater role in world affairs is that of protector of the weak and voice of the small, the United Nations. From Cork to the Congo, from Galway to the Gaza Strip, from this legislative assembly to the United Nations, Ireland is sending its most talented men to do the world’s most important work—the work of peace.
In a sense, this export of talent is in keeping with a historic Irish role. But you no longer go as exiles and emigrants but for the service of your country and, indeed, of all men. Like the Irish missionaries of medieval days, like the wild geese after the Battle of the Boyne, you are not content to sit by your fireside while others are in need of your help. Nor are you content with the recollections of the past when you face the responsibilities of the present.

Twenty-six sons of Ireland have died in the Congo; many others have been wounded. I pay tribute to them and to all of you for your commitment and dedication to world order. And their sacrifice reminds us all that we must not falter now.

The United Nations must be fully and fairly financed; its peace-keeping machinery must be strengthened; its institutions must be developed until some day, and perhaps some distant day, a world of law is achieved.

Ireland’s influence in the United Nations is far greater than your relative size. You have not hesitated to take the lead on such sensitive issues as the Kashmir dispute, and you sponsored that most vital resolution, adopted by the General Assembly, which opposed the spread of nuclear arms to any nation not now possessing them, urging an international agreement with inspection and control, and I pledge to you that the United States of America will do all in its power to achieve such an agreement and fulfil your resolution.

I speak of these matters today not because Ireland is unaware of its role, but I think it important that you know that we know what you have done, and I speak to remind the other small nations that they, too, can and must help build a world peace. They, too, as we all are, are dependent on the United Nations for security, for an equal chance to be heard, for progress towards a world made safe for diversity. The peace-keeping machinery of the United Nations cannot work without the help of the smaller nations, nations whose forces threaten no one and whose forces can thus help create a world in which no nation is threatened.

Great powers have their responsibilities and their burdens, but the smaller nations of the world must fulfill their obligations as well. A great Irish poet once wrote:” I believe profoundly in the future of Ireland, that this is an isle of destiny, that that destiny will be glorious, and that when our hour has come we will have something to give to the world.”

My friends, Ireland’s hour has come. You have something to give to the world, and that is a future of peace with freedom. Thank you."

Michael Collins was increasingly worried about the ‘mayhem’ in Ireland ahead of the British withdrawal days before the Civil War broke out and just months before his death.

A 1922 letter from Collins to his fiancée Kitty Kiernan has been donated to Ireland’s National Library after it was discovered in County Clare.

Sisters Joanne and Sheelah Corbett of Bunratty found the letter and the Irish Times reports that in an act of generous patriotism, they are donating it to the Dublin library.

In the letter, Collins voices his concerns about growing mayhem in the early months of 1922.

The Irishman’s Diary column in the Irish Times reports that as British forces withdrew from what was to become the Republic, armed opponents of the December 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty challenged the authority of the nascent Free State.

On April 10, 1922, Collins wrote to his fiancée, Kitty Kiernan: “Things are rapidly becoming as bad as they can be and the country has before it what may be the worst period yet.

“A few madmen may do anything. Indeed, they are just getting on the pressure gradually. They go on from cutting a tree to cutting a railway line, then firing at a barrack, then to firing at a lorry and so on.

“But God knows I do not want to be worrying you with these things.”

Kitty Kiernan was the fiance of Ireland's greatest hero during the War of Independence. They met in a hotel in Longford in 1917 and exchanged over 300 letters afterward as he was on the run much of the time.

They had set a wedding date, but Collins was tragically killed at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1922. Kiernan later married and had a son she called Michael after Collins. She died in 1945 and is buried not far from him in Glasnevin cemetery in Dublin.

The Irish Times says the letter was discovered in Clare probably because the Corbetts' father, Ernest, played a huge role in the War of Independence.

Ireland’s Civil War broke out just four days after Collins wrote the letter when an anti-Treaty force under Rory O’Connor seized the Four Courts.

Collins was shot dead in an ambush in his native Cork on August 22, 1922.

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* Originally published in January 2014.

While many would say it rains quite a lot in Ireland now, new evidence has found that the Emerald Isle had to endure 20 years of non-stop rain back in 2345  BC - just around the time of Noah's Biblical flood.

RTE One's documentary 'Secret's of the Irish Landscape' revealed that this period of continual rainfall makes it possible that the biblical story of the great flood really did happen.

"According to the ancient Annals of the Four Masters, the whole of Ireland had to be evacuated at this time,” says Professor Mike Baillie from Queen's University in Belfast.

"We believe this global event was caused by a big explosive volcanic eruption which loaded the atmosphere with dust to reflect the sunlight away and cause widespread cooling at the earth’s surface."

Baillie discovered that freak weather events such as the great flood tend to occur about every thousand years.

The last freak weather event occurred in Ireland in 540 AD, when it rained for 10 years straight.

Watch a clip from the series below: 

* Originally published in 2011.

Keem Bay on the western-most tip of Achill Island is one of the most remote spots in Ireland. Today, the beautiful valley is largely desolate, the boggy flanks of Croaghaun Mountain slope down to a sheltered white sandy beach. In summer campervans line up along the shorefront and holiday makers brave the cold sea, but during the winter the place is abandoned to sheep, the occasional hiker and the ferocious gales that lash the Atlantic coast. But there is more to the site than meets the eye. If you leave the beach, clamber up the old hairpin bend road, past the early 20^th-century coastguard station, you start to notice strange lumps and bumps in the grass. This is the site of a village of over forty houses that stood in the valley c.1838.

This forgotten village and its curious disappearance has been the subject of recent research by the Achill Archaeological Field School, based in Dooagh on Achill Island in County Mayo.

The Achill Field School, Ireland’s oldest, has been involved in research into the history and archaeology of the island since 1991.This research involved extensive survey and excavation of selected sites carried out by staff and students of the Field School, the most notable of which was that of the world-famous Deserted Village at Slievemore. Following on from that, attention turned towards the prehistoirc landscape of Slievemore, and the investigation of several premier Bronze Age sites, one of which produced a decorated pebble, a fine example of  early representative art in Ireland.

In 2009, attention turned to the mysterious village in Keem. There is virtually no local memory of the village, but we know that in the decades before the Famine there was a vibrant community of about 40 houses here.

Today it is hard to imagine that such a settlement ever existed. All that remains above ground are some barely discernible grassy banks. The people who lived here left no written trace; their stories are obscured by time. We don’t know their names, what their lives were like, or what happened to them. Archaeology is a way of rescuing their stories, of piecing together their lives from the things they used and left behind.

The team of archaeologists from the AAFS were led to Keem by the trail of historical documents. The Ordnance Survey map, made in 1838, shows the cluster of small buildings that made up the village. The small brown rectangles on the map are scattered haphazardly across an area of about 275yds by 165yds on a shoulder of land beside a small stream.

We know about the village too from accounts left by travel writers who visited Achill with increasing frequency from the 1830s. The island became a tourist magnet after the foundation of the Protestant Achill Mission c.1831 by the Reverend Edward Nangle. These accounts are heavily biased, viewing the local Achill people as primitive and backward, but they provide important clues about the site.

Over three summers our international team of students, including many from North America, painstakingly dug the site layer by layer, revealing the remains of the houses and the everyday belongings of their past inhabitants. As we sifted through soil and made carefully measured drawings a picture of life in pre-Famine Keem began to emerge.

The houses were snug. Much smaller than anything we would call home, with a single room and stout earth and drystone walls over a meter thick. The bigger house was about 23' by 10' and the smaller was just 19' by 8'.  

The houses had rounded corners and a single door in the south-west looking to the soft boggy height of Moyteoge Head and the shimmering waters of Clew Bay beyond. There were no chimneys or stone fireplaces, but simple central hearths with the fire sitting directly on the earthen floor.  Smoke from the peat fire would have wafted out the door and through the thatched roof of heather or scraws.

The interior of the houses would have been dim, lit by the soft glow of the peat fire and the warm beam of sunlight pouring in from the door. The bigger house had a stone-lined drain running out the door suggesting that cattle were probably kept in the house in winter. This was common practice in the west of Ireland in the 19^th century.

The hundreds of pieces of broken pottery we found show that the inhabitants of Keem adorned their homes with fine glazed earthenwares from the English potteries. We found cream colored plates edged with vivid blue and green impressed shell designs, neat milk jugs with brown and black stripes, and bright orange and pink glazed vessels.

These typical early-19^th century ceramics are found across the globe from Inuit communities in the far north of the American continent to the homes of planters in the Caribbean. There may have been a dresser or perhaps a wall rack to display these valued ceramics.

Three glass beads were found at the site. These may have been from a broken rosary, small remnants of faith and belief. Lumps of violet amethyst crystal too were round in the houses. These were taken from a nearby quarry and sold to early nineteenth-century tourists by people in the village.

The houses were part of a tight-knit community that farmed the land together, growing potatoes and, perhaps oats, and rearing sturdy black cattle. In an arc surrounding the village the tracks of their fields can be made out on the flanks of the mountains. Long, sinuous lines carved into the boggy ground where the tubers were grown in raised ‘lazy beds.’

The excavations yielded clues to the end of the village. The rubble strewn around the inside of the houses clearly indicate that they were intentionally demolished and their stone carried off. The man credited with these demolitions is well known to students of Irish history. Charles Boycott acquired the lease of Keem in 1855 from Murray McGregor Blacker, a tenant of the Achill Mission. He built a house in the Keem valley overlooking the site of the village.  

It would seem however, that the houses were abandoned before Boycott pillaged them for stone. A very poignant account of the village penned in 1852 by Harriet Martineau describes it as “a village of stone cottages, now becoming grass-grown, and silent as the death that laid it waste.” This account suggests that it was the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s that caused the abandonment of the village of Keem.

In 2017 the Achill Field School team will be returning to Keem to investigate another building in the settlement. We hope that the excavation will answer some of the many questions that remain about the site, and help to put the forgotten settlement back on the map.

* Eve Campbell an archaeologist working with the Achill Archaeological Field School, Co. Mayo, Ireland. 

** Originally published in 2016.

Between the formation of the Republic of Ireland, the shift towards decimalization, and the introduction of the Euro, Irish currency underwent a great number of changes over the past 100 years, resulting in a number of coins that are now so rare they can fetch up to $13,200 at auction. Many of them are also exceptionally beautiful, featuring symbols of Ireland and tributes to the country’s agricultural and agrarian wealth.

But how do you know whether an old Irish coin in your possession represents a small fortune in your hands? We consulted two of the most popular old Irish currency databases, OldCurrencyExchange.com and IrishCoinage.com to find out. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be looking at rare Irish coins issued 1928 – 1969 (pre-decimal coins) and coins issued 1969 – 2000 (decimal coins). There are of course older and significantly rarer examples, which you can learn more about here.

Pre-decimal coins

The first officially Irish coins were minted and rolled out in 1928, the result of years of planning by a committee headed by W.B Yeats, which dreamed up the designs for the coins: typically an Irish harp on one side, and an agricultural symbol on the other side, including pigs, hens, horses and wolfhounds. These coins functioned on the Lsd (pre-decimal) currency system, of pounds, shillings and pence. Under this system, there were 12 pence in a shilling and 20 shillings, or 240 pence, in a pound.

Listed below are the most valuable (€20.00 or more) in each category of pre-decimal coin. These are the 2015 values as listed by the O’Brien Coin Price Guide on OldCurrencyExchange.com Note that value greatly depends on the condition of the coin, with coins that were never circulated typically being the most valuable. Proof FDC coins are practically always the most valuable, but you will most likely know if you are in possession of one of these as they come directly from the mint and are specially packaged for collectors.

Pre-decimal farthing

• 1930, uncirculated: €25.00
• 1931, uncirculated: €28.00
• 1932, uncirculated: €32.00
• 1933 uncirculated: €22.00
• 1935 extra fine condition: €22.00; uncirculated:  €35.00
• 1936 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €42.00
• 1940 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1943 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1944 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1946 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1949 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1953 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1959 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1966 uncirculated: €20.00

Pre-decimal halfpenny

• 1933 extra fine condition: €45.00; uncirculated: €180.00
• 1935 extra fine condition: €50.00; uncirculated: €150.00
• 1937 uncirculated: €50.00
• 1939 extra fine condition: €50.00; uncirculated: €125.00
• 1940 extra fine condition: €40.00; uncirculated: €110.00
• 1946 uncirculated: €55.00

Pre-decimal penny

• 1928 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1931 uncirculated: €30.00
• 1933 uncirculated: €70.00
• 1935 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1937 uncirculated: €30.00
• 1938: These are exceptionally rare – the coins used to test the new “Eire” legend, which replaced “Saorstat Eireann” (Irish Free State). Only two are believed to be in existence, worth €12,000 - €35,000. Consequently, there are many fakes. Read more here.
• 1940 extra fine condition: €50.00; uncirculated: €280.00
• 1941 uncirculated: €24.00
• 1942 uncirculated and missing a chick in the imagery: €25.00
• 1943 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1948 uncirculated and missing a chick in the imagery: €25.00

Pre-decimal threepence

• 1928 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1933 very fine condition: €20.00; extra fine condition: €60.00; uncirculated: €130.00
• 1934 uncirculated: €32.00
• 1935 very fine condition: €25.00; extra fine condition: €75.00; uncirculated: €150.00
• 1939 very fine condition: €40.00; extra fine condition: €80.00; uncirculated €175.00
• 1940 uncirculated: €30.00
• 1942 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1943 uncirculated: €35.00
• 1946 uncirculated: €35.00
• 1948 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €50.00
• 1949 extra fine condition: €20.00; uncirculated: €20.00

Pre-decimal sixpence

• 1934 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €75.00
• 1935 extra fine condition: €50.00; uncirculated: €150.00
• 1939 uncirculated: €40.00
• 1940 uncirculated: €30.00
• 1942 uncirculated: €30.00
• 1945 extra fine condition: €40.00; uncirculated: €100.00
• 1946 extra fine condition: €75.00; uncirculated: €200.00
• 1947 extra fine condition: €28.00; uncirculated: €80.00
• 1948 uncirculated: €50.00
• 1949 uncirculated: €40.00
• 1950 extra fine condition: €38.00; uncirculated: €85.00
• 1952 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1953 uncirculated: €22.00
• 1955 uncirculated: €28.00
• 1958 uncirculated: €30.00
• 1962 uncirculated: €40.00

Pre-decimal shilling

• 1928 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1930 very fine condition: €45.00; extra fine condition: €150.00; uncirculated: €300.00
• 1931 very fine condition: €45.00; extra fine condition: €100.00; uncirculated: €200.00
• 1933 very fine condition: €45.00; extra fine condition: €150.00; uncirculated: €300.00
• 1935 very fine condition: €25.00; extra fine condition: €75.00; uncirculated: €150.00
• 1937 fine condition: €25.00; very fine condition: €200.00; extra fine condition: €450.00; uncirculated: €850.00
• 1939 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1940 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €50.00
• 1941 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €50.00
• 1942 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €50.00

Pre-decimal florin

• 1928 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €45.00
• 1930 very fine condition: €75.00; extra fine condition: €125.00; uncirculated: €400.00
• 1931 very fine condition: €85.00; extra fine condition: €135.00; uncirculated: €450.00
• 1933 very fine condition: €65.00; extra fine condition: €135.00; uncirculated: €350.00
• 1934 fine condition: €25.00; very fine condition: €125.00; extra fine condition: €450.00; uncirculated: €950.00
• 1935 very fine condition: €75.00; extra fine condition: €125.00; uncirculated: €250.00
• 1937 fine condition: €25.00; very fine condition: €95.00; extra fine condition: €175.00; uncirculated: €350.00
• 1939 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €45.00
• 1940 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €45.00
• 1941 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €55.00
• 1942 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €55.00
• 1943: These are exceptionally rare because 1943 was the last year Ireland made 75% silver coinage. It is believed that only one bag, containing 1,000 of these still mostly silver Irish florins made it from the Royal Mint in London to Dublin. Most of them would make the reverse trip after the Royal Mint ordered them to be returned and melted, but 50 or so are believed to still exist. Read more here. Fine condition: €4,500.00; very fine condition: €6,500.00; extra fine condition: €12,500.00; uncirculated: €18,000.00
• 1951 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1954 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1955 uncirculated: €25.00
• 1959 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1961 uncirculated: €25.00

Pre-decimal halfcrown

• 1928 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €45.00
• 1930 very fine condition: €25.00; extra fine condition: €150.00; uncirculated: €300.00
• 1931 very fine condition: €30.00; extra fine condition: €175.00; uncirculated: €350.00
• 1933 very fine condition: €25.00; extra fine condition: €150.00; uncirculated: €300.00
• 1934 extra fine condition: €75.00; uncirculated: €150.00
• 1937 fine condition: €75.00; very fine condition: €250.00; extra fine condition: €750.00; uncirculated: €1,500.00
• 1939 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €55.00
• 1940 extra fine condition: €25.00; uncirculated: €55.00
• 1941 extra fine condition: €35.00; uncirculated: €75.00
• 1942 extra fine condition: €35.00; uncirculated: €75.00
• 1943 These coins are very rare, and with a number of forgeries in recent years, it is not known how many are in existence. They were struck at the Royal Mint in 1943, but not issued to the public as the Central Bank of Ireland decided to change from the 75% silver coinage to CuproNickel. Most of the 1943 halfcrowns were melted back at the Mint, but a few made their way into people’s hands first. Read more here. Good condition: €25.00; fine condition: €100.00; very fine condition: €400.00; extra fine condition: €1,000.00; uncirculated: €2,000.00
• 1951 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1954 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1955 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1959 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1961 uncirculated: €20.00
• 1961 mule coins: Not to be confused with a donkey/horse hybrid, in this case a mule refers to a coin where the sides were made from two mismatched dies. In this case, during the 1961 re-striking of the halfcrown, a die from the initial 1928 design, which had been improved in 1938, made its way into the production. Learn how to identify them here. Very fine condition: €25.00; extra fine condition: €130.00; uncirculated: €350.00

Irish decimal coins

Ireland, along with Britain, officially switched from the Lsd currency system to the decimal currency system on February 15, 1971 – which became known as “Decimal Day.” The new five pence, ten pence and fifty pence coins had been rolled out earlier, in 1969 and 1970. Under the decimal system a pound came to be made up of 100 pence rather than 240 pence, as it had been in the pre-decimal days. In the years leading up to this, most of the pre-decimal coins had ceased to be distributed. Some of the new coins, including the halfpenny, penny and two pence coins featured ornamental birds inspired by designs found it Celtic manuscripts. In 1985, the halfpenny coin was discontinued, and in 1986 the twenty pence coin was introduced. The one pound (punt) coin was introduced in 1990. All other Irish pence coins were discontinued when the Irish euro coins were introduced in 2002. Today, Irish pence coins can still be exchanged for their equivalent value in euros at the Irish Central Bank. However, a select few are worth more than their face value. These are listed below.  

Halfpenny

• 1985 – This was the year the halfpenny was discontinued, and the coins struck that year were supposed to be withheld from the public, but a few managed to escape. Fine condition: €20.00; very fine condition: €50.00; extra fine condition: €100.00; uncirculated: €450.00
• 1986 – None of these were ever released to the public, only directly from the mint to collectors in BU (“Brilliant Uncirculated”) sets, but a few have turned up over the years. Very fine condition: €25.00; extra fine condition: €50.00; uncirculated: €100.00

Penny

The most valuable of these is the 1975 uncirculated penny, at €5.50

Two pence

The most valuable of these is the 1976 uncirculated two pence, at €5.00

Five pence

The design of the Irish five pence coin changed in 1992: its diameter becoming smaller, and the design of the bull improving and changing directions.

Still, the most valuable of these are the 1974 and 1975 uncirculated five pence coins, worth €6.00.

Ten pence

Similarly to the five pence coin, the size of the Irish ten pence coin was decreased and the design of the animal on the obverse side (in this case a salmon) was changed slightly.

• 1973 ten pence coins are worth slightly more than those from surrounding years with coins in very fine condition fetching €1.00; extra fine €6.00; uncirculated €12.00.
• 1986, the last year the old model of the ten pence coin was struck, is an even greater rarity: Fine: €4.00; very fine: €20.00; extra fine €75.00; uncirculated €150.00.

However, the rarest ten pence coins were those produced in 1992 for testing purposes. All vending machines in Ireland had to be recalibrated to accept the new, smaller coin, so engineers from Telecom Éireann, the Irish phone service, were given test coins to check public payphones with. They were supposed to be returned to the Central Bank, but not all were. Read more here. Good condition €1,000.00; fine condition: €3,500.00; very fine condition: €7,000.00; extra fine condition: €12,000.00; uncirculated: €15,000.00.

Twenty pence

In 1984, the Irish government announced that they would be releasing an Irish twenty pence coin. As would later be the case with the re-designed smaller ten pence coin, vending machines across Ireland had to be recalibrated to accept the new denomination. The Irish Central bank produced 500 test coins in 1985 so that businesses  - again, mainly Telecom Éireann engineers – could test them. It has been estimated that 50 of those test coins were never returned to the bank, though today the whereabouts of less than 10 are known. They are exceptionally rare and valuable, though, of course, many forgeries exist. Read more here. Good condition €500.00; fine condition: €2,000.00; very fine condition: €4,000.00; extra fine condition: €8,000.00; uncirculated: €12,000.00.

Fifty pence

The rare years for the fifty pence coins are 1971 and 1986, because fewer were minted.

• 1971 fine condition: €2.00; very fine condition: €6.00; extra fine condition: €12.00; uncirculated: €25.00
• 1986 Good condition €6.00; fine condition: €12.00; very fine condition: €50.00; extra fine condition: €100.00; uncirculated: €2.00

Pound

The Irish pound coin was only produced for 10 years, from 1990 to 2000. The most valuable among these are the special commemorative coins, released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in 1995, and for the millennium. 1945-1995 U.N. Silver Proof coins in perfect condition are worth €250.00. Special millennium commemorative coins known as the Millennium Piedfort Silver Proof are worth €45.00.

The regular Irish one pound coins for each year were inconsistent, as an undetermined number did not fully complete the engrailing process for the edge. These are slightly more valuable.

A 1990 proof regular (edge milled and engrailed) is worth  €45.00 when in proof condition and its original case; and worth €6.00 when in simply uncirculated condition.

A 1990 coin is without an engrailed edge is worth €6.00 in very fine condition, €15.00 in extra fine condition, and €35.00 in uncirculated condition.

For other years, the most valuable coins are those without an engrailed edge. Unengrailed pound coins from 1994 and 1995 are worth €6.00 in fine condition, €12.00 in very fine condition, €25.00 in extra fine condition and €50.00 in uncirculated condition.

Lastly, 2000 millennium pound coins without engrailed edges are worth €35.00 in extra fine condition and €75.00 uncirculated.

Have you ever found any special Irish coins among your or your family’s collections? Share your story in the comment section.

* Originally published in October 2016. 

While Michael, Liam, and Aiden have all made the top spot for boys’ names in the United States, there was not one Irish girl’s name among the Social Security Administration's list of top names given to newborn babies in each state in 2012.

In 2012, the top female names chosen for babies all had a theme – an “a”. Sophia, Olivia, Isabella, Ava, and Emma were all top ranked but not a Mary or Colleen in sight.

The boy’s names of choice in the United States are certainly more diverse. The top names for 2012 were William, Liam, Alexander, Jacob, Ethan, James, Elijah, Noah, Mason, Michael, Jayden, and Benjamin. It’s believed that stars’ successes over the past year, such as Irish actor Liam Neeson and the singer Michael Bublé could have added to this popularity.

Similarly, when it comes to the female names of choice it’s believed that “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson held a lot of sway along with Emma Stone, Sophia Loren, Olivia Wilde, and the rest.

As for where the more Irish names are popular, the data showed that Liam was more dominant in the midlands and northwest, from Oregon to Iowa, and every state in between. Michael, however, was only popular in New York, which could very well have to do with the former mayor Michael Bloomberg, but who knows.

Read more:Irish baby first names that are super popular in the US

Source: Social Security Administrations

* Originally published in 2013.

Findmypast is working in partnership with IrishCentral to share fascinating insights into your Irish ancestors. Click here to get a special half price subscription, and discover your Irish roots today!

The contribution of the Irish to our great nation has been well-documented over the years. From Presidents to pastimes, Ireland has shaped many influences on American culture. Here’s some you may not have realized:

1. An Irishman brought us the White House

County Kilkenny native, James Hoban won a competition to design the home of the American President in 1792. He also designed Charleston County Courthouse in South Carolina.

2. Our movie industry wouldn’t be the same without the Irish

There have been a total of fourteen Irish Oscar winners including George Bernard Shaw who is the only person to win a Nobel Prize and an Oscar and Daniel Day-Lewis, the only three-time Best Actor Oscar winner.

3. The pumpkins and frights of Halloween have Irish origins

Halloween is linked to the Celtic festival ‘Samhain’ which traditionally celebrates the end of summer harvest on 31 October. Our Irish ancestors believed that the souls of the dead visited them during this festival.

4. Enjoy looking at American Civil War photographs? You can thank an Irishman for most of them

Most people know the vast contribution Irish soldiers made in the US Civil War but what about what’s left to remember the conflict? Matthew Brady (1822-96) was the son of Irish immigrants, Andrew and Julia. He is credited as one of the most prolific documenters of the Civil War.

5. Without the Irish, your passport may look a little different

The Great Seal of the United States which is used on money, flags and passports today was designed by Charles Thomson who was born in County Derry in 1729. He was also a leader in the American Revolution and the Secretary of the Continental Congress.

For more stories on tracing your Irish heritage from findmypast click here.

The name Muhammad has broken into the top 100 Irish baby names for the first time ever.

Last year a total of 85 boys were named after Islam’s holiest prophet – up from 58  in 2015. It meant the name ranked as the 83rd most popular boy’s name in the country – a rise of 36 places in only one year.

Overall, the most popular baby names were Emily and James; James overthrowing Jack as the most popular name from 2015. Meanwhile, among the girls' names Emily continues to reign supreme – the name has been Ireland’s most popular for girls since 2011.

Also in the top 5 were Grave, Ava, Lucy and Amelia, which was tied with Sophie for fifth place. For boys, Jack, Daniel, Conor and Seán took pride of place.

Fifty years ago, however, it was a completely different story with Irish people tending to stick rigidly with traditional names; Mary, Catherine, Margaret, and Ann or Anne were the most common girls’ names and John, Michael, Patrick, James, and Paul for boys.

Today there is greater diversity in the names Irish parents are giving their offspring. Fifty years ago there were only 800 different names given to boys – now that figure has ballooned to 3,456. It’s a similar story for girls' names – in 1966 there were 1,323 names recorded but last year that figure had jumped to 4,526.

Read more: Irish baby first names that are super popular in the US

Some of those names are pretty unusual – even American sounding – such as Peyton, Brodie, Cruz, Harris, Blake, Lucia or Romy.

The most common Irish language name for boys remained Seán – with Oisín beating Cian into second place and Liam and Fionn placing fourth and fifth.

For girls, Saoirse claimed the top stop – ousting Aoife, which had placed first last year. Caoimhe was third, narrowly followed by Fiadh with Róisín in fifth.

H/T:CSO

In the sleepy town of Ridgeway, Ontario – just a stone’s throw from Crystal Beach, the “Southern Shore of Canada” and former home to the Niagara region’s most beloved amusement park – there stands a stone memorial cairn, an unobtrusive roadside monument most travelers overlook as they pass north toward Niagara Falls or east toward Buffalo.

Barricaded behind a black wrought iron fence, the cairn stands upon the scene of a largely forgotten battle from a century-and-a-half ago. It is a reminder of a defining moment in the Canadian Confederation and a political hot potato that sparked tensions between the governments of the United States and Britain. It is a reminder of the day the Irish Fenians invaded Canada.

During the Great Starvation of the 1840s, more than one million Irish emigrated from Ireland to America. These immigrants proved to be invaluable resources to the Union during the Civil War. And after the war, there were enough of them that only a foolhardy politician would ignore the causes held dear by such a large constituency.

In this environment, the American branch of the Fenian movement thrived. Founded primarily to raise funds and obtain weaponry to send back to Ireland for a military rebellion against the English occupiers, the American Fenian organizers adopted a new strategy at the close of the Civil War. They would take the fight for Irish freedom to British Canada.

In 1865, an American ship, Erin’s Hope, was intercepted by the British navy en route to Ireland. The vessel was loaded with men and ammunition bound for a planned Fenian revolt. When the mission failed, the American Fenians held an emergency convention in Philadelphia. William Randall Roberts, a radical firebrand, was elected president of the American Fenians, and he pushed for an invasion of the British North American colonies of Canada.

It was a risky – some might say foolhardy – strategy, but a strategy that seemed viable at the time. The Fenian movement enjoyed a measure of political support in the United States, and the U.S. government generally allowed Fenian meetings and gatherings to go uninterrupted. The Fenians had military training and weaponry. Thousands of US Civil War veterans who supported the cause of Irish nationalism had been allowed to purchase their rifles and ammunition at a steep discount from the Union and Confederate armies, and Canada’s borders were virtually unsecured, guarded by citizen volunteers.

If the Fenians could secure strategic bridgeheads, such as the Welland Canal, they could disrupt trade and block the arrival of military reinforcements. With some luck, the cause would attract the support of the 175,000 Irish who emigrated to Canada during the famine, as well as exploit tensions between French Canadians and British Canadians.

Read more: “Keep Fenian papists out of Canada!” argues writer

A Fenian invasion could spark a conflict in Canada that would occupy the British and set the stage for rebellion in Ireland. Even if it failed, the invasion could draw worldwide attention to the English occupation of Ireland; just as the Irish Fenians had no business claiming Canada, England had no legitimate ownership claim over Ireland.

The plan was for a three-pronged invasion, with a goal of capturing Quebec and making it the seat of the Irish Republic-in-exile.

A western wing of 3,000 men was to gather in Chicago and Milwaukee, under the leadership of Brigadier-General Charles Tevis, a West Point graduate.

A central wing of 5,000 men was to gather in Cleveland and Buffalo. General John O’Neill, a colonel in the Union army and a native of Drumgallon, County Monaghan, was to lead this group.

But these two brigades were meant to be feints for the largest wing. A force of 16,800 Fenians would assemble in St. Albans, Vermont under the leadership of Brigadier-General Samuel M. Spear. Spear’s troops would deploy after Tevis and O’Neill made landfall, and would march on Montreal as the army of the Crown rushed westward to stave off the invaders and to protect Toronto, a likely target for the Fenians.

The planned invasion was no secret. Newspapers, such as the Buffalo Courier, ran letters calling for action, including one from the prominent Fenian leader Patrick O’Day. “The plans for action are perfected, and all that is now required is arms to place in the hands of the thousands of brave men who are today ready to take the field and fight for their country’s liberation,” O’Day wrote.

As the British Consul was gathering intelligence on the Fenian movement, paranoia began sweeping the Canadian citizenry. There were whispers that Catholic priests were using the Mass to recruit Fenians for military action. A new rebel song was being heard in pubs throughout the Northeast:

We are the Fenian Brotherhood, skilled in the arts of war,
And we’re going to fight for Ireland, the land we adore,
Many battles we have won, along with the boys in blue,
And we’ll go and capture Canada, for we’ve nothing else to do.

In May 1866, the Fenians began to move their troops into place. Fenians from Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana traveled north to Buffalo. The movement did not go undetected by British intelligence. An intelligence agent posted in Buffalo sent a telegraph to his superiors reporting that there were “many strange military men” in Buffalo. The following day, he sent a second report simply stating “This town is full of Fenians!”

Read more: My great-grandfather, Ireland’s forgotten Fenian, led secret missions for 1916

On May 30, General O’Neill arrived in Buffalo. Instead of the 5,000 troops promised him, he found just 1,000 men awaiting his command. However, the Fenians had managed to obtain canal boats to ferry them across the Niagara River from Buffalo to Fort Erie, Canada, and delaying the launch could jeopardize the availability of those vessels. In addition, Buffalo Mayor John Wells was an avowed opponent of the Fenian movement and had alerted the British consuls in Toronto and Ottawa about the forces amassing in his city. A delay could have compromised the entire movement.

It was decided that O’Neill’s invasion would take place as scheduled. In the early morning hours of June 1, 1866, one thousand Irish freedom fighters boarded boats and, in the inky blackness of night, crossed the Niagara River with rebellion on their minds. At 3:30 a.m., the Irish landed in Canada.

O’Neill’s plan was to land in Fort Erie and march to Welland, Ontario to establish a bridgehead at the Welland Canal, a vital trade and travel route. If he was unable to reach Welland before British forces mobilized against him, he would fall back on the area of Lime Ridge, a geographically advantageous area that would allow the Fenians to take the high ground and stave off British advances below the ridge.

Upon landing, the Fenians began ripping up railway posts, cutting telegraph lines, and destroying bridges. O’Neill moved his forces north to Frenchman’s Creek and established a defensive base, fortified with split rail barricades. Surprisingly, instead of marching the 13 miles west toward Welland immediately, O’Neill opted to remain in this defensive position for the entire day of June 1. A battalion headed by Colonel Owen Starr took the international railway ferry and captured six members of The Royal Canadian Rifles stationed in the old Fort Erie. Starr then posted sentries at nearby taverns and raised the Irish tri-color flag. A proclamation was read, stating, in part:

“We come among you as the foes of British rule in Ireland. We have taken up the sword to strike down the oppressor’s rod to deliver Ireland from the tyrant, the despoiler, the robber … We have no issue with the people of these provinces and wish to have none but the most friendly relations. Our weapons are for the oppressors of Ireland. Our blows shall be directed only against the powers of England; her privileges alone shall we invade, not yours.”

By most accounts, the Irish invaders conducted themselves in a gentlemanly fashion. Outside of seizing horses and confiscating victuals and other supplies (including dried beef, 50 gallons of cider, dried apples, bottles of wine, and blankets, according to a handwritten inventory on file at the Fort Erie Historical Museum), the Fenians did not harass or abuse Canadian civilians.

In the words of Canadian Assemblyman George Denison, who was stationed in Fort Erie during the time of the invasion, “They have been called plunderers, robbers and marauders, yet, no matter how unwilling we may be to admit it, the positive fact remains that they stole but few valuables, that they destroyed, comparatively speaking, little or nothing, and they committed no outrages on the inhabitants, but treated everyone with unvarying courtesy. It seems like a perfect burlesque to see a ragged rabble without a government, country or flag affecting chivalrous sentiments and doing acts that put one in mind of the days of knight-errantry.”

Back in Buffalo, additional Fenian reinforcements were gathering. However, the American government, which had largely given the Fenians free rein in the past, found itself in a precarious position. With tensions between the U.S. and England still high due to England’s support of the Confederacy during the Civil War, the Fenian invasion could be lighted match tossed upon a powder keg and seen as an American act of war.

American General George Meade ordered that the international border from Erie, Pennsylvania, to Oswego, New York, be secured to prevent any additional incursions. Battleships were moved into position, and the border became a militarized zone.

By the evening of June 1, O’Neill had begun his movement toward Welland. However, his troops had been sighted by local horsemen and his field intelligence reported that the British forces were already alert and on the move and that they would beat him to Welland. O’Neill opted to fall back to Lime Ridge and wait for the British to arrive.

The Fenians moved along the wooded ridge, an ideal defensive engagement position. They met the British forces in Ridgeway.

The British had received poor intelligence. They believed the Fenians were a motley crew of drunkards and amateur soldiers. They severely underestimated O’Neill’s abilities as a field general. The British forces were met by an advance group of Fenian skirmishers. Gunfire broke out and the sides exchanged volleys. The British moved additional units to the front and positioned the Queen’s Own riflemen to the flank, confident that they could overpower the ragtag Fenians. The Fenians began to retreat, and the British pressed forward.

But as the British advanced, they were ambushed by a battalion hidden on the ridge near Bertie Road. The British turned their forces towards the enfilade, while the reserve Fenian line advanced in from their northern post.

At that time, horsemen were sighted on the ridge, causing the British to believe they were under imminent attack by a cavalry unit. The panicked British collapsed into a square formation, the standard defensive tactic against cavalry. But as generals shouted conflicting orders, and the cavalry report proved to be false, the British fell back in confusion and retreated, being chased from the field by the Fenians.

Twenty-eight men were killed (10 British, 18 Fenians), 62 men were wounded (38 British, 24 Fenian). It proved to be the greatest military battle of the Fenian movement, and one of the few successful Irish campaigns against the British in Irish Republican history.

O’Neill fell back to the defensible stronghold of Fort Erie to await word on enforcements and updates on the movements of Generals Tevis and Spears. Upon arriving at the fort, they encountered a tugboat deploying additional British forces. The Fenians quickly bested this unprepared contingent, forcing a retreat and capturing 36 men, to claim their second military victory.

At Fort Erie, O’Neill learned that the invasion would be a failure. The eastern and western wings had never crossed to Canada. They had failed to secure transport and were intercepted by American authorities. Reinforcements amassed in Buffalo could not cross the river. Unable to receive additional ammunition and supplies, severed from additional Fenian troops held back in Buffalo, and realizing that the other two invasion wings had never deployed, O’Neill made the best military decision the situation afforded. He decided to retreat.

O’Neill and his officers were arrested and charged with violating the Neutrality Act of the United States. The Fenian soldiers were held for several days on open scows, forced to endure the elements and baking summer sun, as they awaited their fate. Eventually, the rank-and-file were released and provided with free transportation to their home states, courtesy of the United States government. In exchange, they were asked to renounce their Fenian ties and to promise that they would not become involved in any future violations of the Neutrality Act or risk criminal prosecution.

O’Neill and his officers were held for several weeks, allowing the tension and excitement of the invasion to die down. After a cooling off period, they were fined and quietly released.

On June 6, President Andrew Johnson, bowing to pressure from the British, issued a statement reinforcing U.S. neutrality and calling for the arrest of the leading Fenians, including Fenian President William Randall Roberts.

This proved to be the death knell for the Fenian movement in America. It proved that the U.S. government would not support an Irish rebellion, despite the growing political influence of the Irish. The invasion accelerated the Canadian push for Confederation, as the Fenians had shown that Canada’s defenses were unsatisfactory. The Fenians attempted additional invasions into Canada, but each attempt fizzled, and the Fenian cause generally fell out of favor in America.

Largely forgotten, the Battle of Ridgeway has become a footnote in Irish and American history. On a field where the cause of Irish independence was championed in battle and bloodshed, all that remains is a quaint roadside monument; a silent memorial to the cause of independence and freedom.

For more visit www.IrishAmerica.com.

Love Irish History? "Like" IrishCentral's History Facebook page now and you'll never miss an update again!

* Originally published in May 2014. 

On November 22, 1963 President John F. Kennedy was to deliver a luncheon speech to the Dallas Citizens Council. As we all know, the speech was never given as the president was struck down by an assassin’s bullet just minutes before his scheduled arrival.

But what is amazing about that speech is that JFK had a vision—maybe a premonition—about the toxic future of America.

Remember, that the day the President landed in Dallas—at Love Field, of all places—there were ads in the local papers, placed by right-wing extremists, draped like funeral announcements, “welcoming” the President of the United States to Texas. This is hardly surprising because, after all, UN Ambassador, and former presidential candidate, Adlai Stevenson was physically assaulted in Dallas only weeks before. In retrospect, what we were actually witnessing at the time was the birth of the Alt-Right movement in American politics.

And looking back at Kennedy’s undelivered speech it seems that the president, eerily, looked ahead more than half-a-century to the time of Trump.

JFK: There are no simple solutions

One of the trademarks of Trump is how “easy” it will be to change things. Obamacare overhaul would be simple—until it wasn’t: “Nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated,” proclaimed a stunned Trump. Tax cuts, too, would be simple. The budget would be simple. Thus far, with total Republican control of the government, Trump’s “easy” agenda is on life-support. Perhaps he should have listened to Kennedy, a man who knew the complexities of a complex world.

Kennedy knew there were no “simple” solutions. “This Nation’s strength and security are not easily or cheaply obtained,” said Kennedy’s speech, “nor are they quickly and simply explained. There are many kinds of strength and no one kind will suffice.”

Foreign policy: JFK warns about confusing “rhetoric with reality”

Trump and his surrogates—especially the “SNL”-maligned press secretary Sean Spicer—are currently bragging about the success of his trip to the Middle East and Europe. This bragging sounds a lot more like whistling past the graveyard. In Saudi Arabia, one of the most oppressive regimes in the world, there was not a peep out of Trump about human rights. After leaving the Middle East—so he thought—and arriving in Israel, he admitted, standing next to the Israeli Prime Minister, that he had told the Russians secrets that had been supplied to the U.S. by Israeli intelligence. A great start to the greatest foreign trip in the history of the U.S. presidency.

His Chevy Chase-inspired “The President’s National Lampoon’s Vacation” continued on European soil where he arm-wrestled with the French President, insulted the Germans, and generally played the stereotype of the boorish American tourist by pushing the new prime minister of Montenegro out of the way so he could get his mug in the center of a photo-op.

Trump’s foreign policy is defined by its chaos. Here’s what JFK’s speech was to say that day about foreign policy in a dangerous world:

“Ignorance and misinformation can handicap the progress of a city or a company, but they can, if allowed to prevail in foreign policy, handicap this country’s security. In a world of complex and continuing problems, in a world full of frustrations and irritations, America’s leadership must be guided by the lights of learning and reason – or else those who confuse rhetoric with reality and the plausible with the possible will gain the popular ascendancy with their seemingly swift and simple solutions to every world problem.”

Read more: President Donald Trump would have turned away the Famine Irish too

JFK: “Voices are heard in the land…preaching doctrines wholly unrelated to reality”

Daniel Patrick Moynihan once famously said, “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.”

Trump, with his “alternative facts” mentality, is trying to make Moynihan’s tenet, as Ron Ziegler, Nixon’s embattled press secretary, used to say, “inoperative.”

“There will always be dissident voices heard in the land,” Kennedy’s speech read, “expressing opposition without alternative, finding fault but never favor, perceiving gloom on every side and seeking influence without responsibility. Those voices are inevitable.

“But today other voices are heard in the land – voices preaching doctrines wholly unrelated to reality, wholly unsuited to the sixties, doctrines which apparently assume that words will suffice without weapons, that vituperation is as good as victory and that peace is a sign of weakness.

“I want to discuss with you today the status of our security because this question clearly calls for the most responsible qualities of leadership and the most enlightened products of scholarship. For this Nation’s strength and security are not easily or cheaply obtained, nor are they quickly and simply explained. There are many kinds of strength and no one kind will suffice…

Trump, thankfully, flip-flops on NATO

During the campaign, Trump famously claimed that NATO was “obsolete.” Faced with reality, he quickly changed his tune, proclaiming NATO “not obsolete.” This is the kind of flip-flop the world welcomes.

However, on his European tour, he failed to mention “Article Five,” the NATO clause that says that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all NATO members. In fact, the only time Article Five was ever invoked was after 9/11 when NATO came to the aid of the U.S. Instead, Trump went on a tirade about NATO members not paying their dues. The Russians are smiling. Here’s what a real president had to say about America’s key European alliances:

“Our security and strength,” Kennedy declared in this last, undelivered speech, “in the last analysis, directly depend on the security and strength of others, and that is why our military and economic assistance plays such a key role in enabling those who live on the periphery of the Communist world to maintain their independence of choice. Our assistance to these nations can be painful, risky, and costly, as is true in Southeast Asia today. But we dare not weary of the task. The success of our leadership is dependent upon respect for our mission in the world as well as our missiles – on a clearer recognition of the virtues of freedom as well as the evils of tyranny.”

Read more: Trump and JFK are very similar in many ways

JFK’s reminder to Trump—We are “watchmen”

“Finally,” Kennedy’s speech reads, “it should be clear by now that a nation can be no stronger abroad than she is at home. Only an America which practices what it preaches about equal rights and social justice will be respected by those whose choice affects our future. Only an America which has fully educated its citizens is fully capable of tackling the complex problems and perceiving the hidden dangers of the world in which we live. And only an America which is growing and prospering economically can sustain the worldwide defenses of freedom while demonstrating to all concerned the opportunities of our system and society.

“We, in this country, in this generation, are – by destiny rather than by choice – the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of “peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” That must always be our goal, and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. For as was written long ago: ‘except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in vain.’ ”

Kennedy, a 21st-century President vs. Donald Trump, Tweeter

This undelivered speech draws a stunning contrast between the 35th and 45th presidents of the United States. It is truly amazing to see how a man born in 1917—and dead for 54 years—seems, through this speech and his whole portfolio of work, to have a firmer grip on the complexities of the 21st century than the present President of the United States.

A comparison of the two men has only two things in common—they were both born millionaires and they both liked girls.

Other than that, you have one man, Kennedy, a graduate of Harvard, with a rich understanding of politics and culture, a Pulitzer Prize-winner for “Profiles in Courage.” And another man, a product of Queens, New York, and its sleazy real estate market, with an interest only in money—and himself.

Kennedy had a deep intellectual curiosity about the world. His inauguration speech is considered one of the best in the history of the Republic. He had Robert Frost recite poetry at his inauguration. He had Pablo Casals perform at the White House. He is the man who said, “If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to live.”

Trump’s inauguration? He was counting the size of his crowd.

One suspects that if you ever said to Trump, “Have you ever read Yeats?”

His response would be, “I fired her!”

We live in a very dangerous world. Unfortunately, the man who should be leading the United States in this perilous time is dead. It appears that we shall live—and die—by the Tweet.

Dermot McEvoy is the author of "The 13th Apostle: A Novel of Michael Collins and the Irish Uprising" and "Our Lady of Greenwich Village," both now available in paperback, Kindle and Audio from Skyhorse Publishing. He may be reached at dermotmcevoy50@gmail.com. Follow him at www.dermotmcevoy.com. Follow The 13th Apostle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/13thApostleMcEvoy.

Despite the confusion some Irish names can lead to when ordering a coffee at Starbucks, Irish people are very happy with their first names.

According to a survey taken by Coca-Cola in 2014, an impressive 87% of Irish people like their first names– a greater percentage than any of the other countries surveyed.

The study, commissioned by Coca-Cola as part of their “Share a Coke with” personalized bottle campaign, surveyed 1,800 people in eight European countries. The results indicate that 87% of Irish people like their first names and believe their first names reflect their personalities.

Ireland also ranked first in religious-inspired given names and ranked high (27%) for names passed on through family tradition. In comparison, only 9% of Irish survey participants were named after someone famous.

Remembering names proved to be important, with 76% responding that they are more likely to respond positively to a person who remembers their name. However, the Irish do not appear to be very possessive over names, with 37% saying they feel happy when they see their name used elsewhere.

The most popular baby names in Ireland are currently Jack and Emily. For girls, the top five names of 2013, following Emily, were Emma, Sophie, Ella and Amelia. For boys, the top names after Jack were James, Daniel, Conor and Sean.

The highest-ranking Irish language name for girls was Aoife, ranked sixth and up five places from 2012. For boys, it was Oisin, ranked 14th for the second year in a row.

“It’s fascinating to see how much emphasis Irish people place on their names and what they mean in our lives,” clinical psychologist David Coleman told The Journal. “From a psychological perspective we know that everyone reacts differently to their name – some people love theirs whilst others use a different version or even change theirs during their lives.”

The study found people in the UK to be the most likely to alter their names, almost one in four preferring to shorten their names.

* Originally published in 2014.

In the spring of 1845, Sir John Franklin set out to explore the 300-year-old mystery of the Northwest Passage, a possible sea route through the Arctic Ocean connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean above Canada.

After Franklin’s death in 1847, second-in-command Captain Francis Crozier took over the expedition.

The Banbridge, County Down-born hero, his two ships and entire crew vanished in the frozen wasteland of the Arctic without a trace, and the mysterious disappearance has remained a puzzle for nearly two centuries.

At the time, a massive search operation was conducted but the two ships, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror, were never found.

In September of 2014, all that changed. An expedition by the Canadian government located the wreckage of the ill-fated ships and the HMS Erebus or HMS Terror was been sighted.

Associated Press reported that over 30 years of searching culminated with the sonar detection by a Canadian government team of either the Erebus, a 375-tonne wooden vessel, or the other ship on the mission, HMS Terror.

According to Crozier biographer Michael Smith “Crozier's personal tragedy was an unhappy love affair with Franklin's niece which drove him back to the ice one last time as second-in-command on Franklin's North West Passage expedition in 1845.

Read more:Remembering the great Irish Antarctic explorer Tom Crean

All 129 men vanished on the ice. Crozier took command when the ships were crushed and the expedition was on the brink of disaster. For several years Crozier led a courageous battle trying to lead his men to safety. According to legend, Crozier was the last to die - the last man standing. But Crozier never received recognition for his great feats and became another of exploration's Irish unsung heroes.”

The circumstances surrounding the fated 1845 expedition were not revealed until 1859 when a message was discovered from Crozier and James Fitzjames, captain of the Erebus, in a cairn on Victory Point, King Williams Island during an expedition led by Captain F. L. McClintock.

The message, dated April 25, 1848, revealed that the two ships had become trapped in ice in late 1846 and remained trapped for nearly one-and-a-half years. The message indicated that Franklin had died on June 11, 1847,and that 23 crew members had also died, and that the remaining survivors were deserting the ships. It is believed the hostile environment led to their death.

For updates on the quest for the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, visit www.canadiangeographic.ca/franklin-expedition.

* Originally published September 2014. 

According to the Irish Central Statistics Office of Ireland, the most popular Irish babies’ names since 2013 have been Jack and Emily. But wouldn’t it be interesting to turn back the clock to see if these names were as popular over 100 years ago?

We decided to compare 2013’s results to the 1911 Census of Ireland, which is available to search for free online on The National Arhcives of Ireland’s website and through this analysis we uncovered some interesting facts.

While Jack has been a popular name for baby boys in Ireland for some time now, in 1911 this wasn’t the case. Only 21 infants were recorded with the name Jack that year.

Emily was a little more popular back then but still not quite as common as it is in Ireland today. There were 166 baby Emilys in 1911 compared to 625 in 2013.

Read more:Irish baby first names that are super popular in the US

The only name on 2013’s list which was even more widespread in Ireland over a century ago was James. It may have been the second most popular boy’s name in 2013, but there were over 4,600 babies named James in Ireland in 1911.

Perhaps most surprisingly, new-borns named Conor, Sean and Sophie all only appear once in the 1911 census records. In stark contrast, these three have been consistently popular baby names in Ireland in recent years.

You can examine the full comparison list below where you’ll see that, as with most things, baby-naming customs in Ireland have certainly changed over the past century.

For more stories on tracing your Irish heritage from findmypast click here.

Belief in leprechauns and other magical creatures were once widespread in Ireland, according to LiveScience.com.

1. According to the book "The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures," by John and Caitlin Matthews, the leprechaun legend can be traced back to eighth-century tales of water spirits called "luchorpán," meaning small body. The legend eventually evolved into a mischievous household fairy said to haunt cellars and drink heavily.

2. Leprechauns are shoemakers. Some researchers claim that the word leprechaun came from the Irish 'leath bhrogan,' meaning shoemaker, said to be the sprites' main vocation.

3. If you happen to come across a leprechaun, be sure to hold on to him.  According to Irish legends, people lucky enough to capture a leprechaun can barter his freedom for three wishes. But dealing with a leprechaun can be a tricky proposition.

4. A leprechaun is a trickster figure who cannot be trusted. Folklorist Carol Rose offers a typical tale of leprechaun trickery in her encyclopedia "Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins," it concerns "a man who managed to get a leprechaun to show him the bush in the field where his treasure was located. Having no spade [shovel], the man marked the tree with one of his red garters, then kindly released the sprite and went for a spade. Returning almost instantly he found that every one of the numerous trees in the field sported a red garter!"

5. Like most fairies, leprechauns have a distinctive sound associated with them. While the Irish banshee can be identified by a mournful wail, leprechauns are recognized by the tap-tap-tapping of a tiny cobbler hammer, driving nails into shoes, that announces they are near.

6. Leprechauns are always male. In the 1825 book "Fairy Legends" noted that  "Leprechauns seem to be entirely male and solitary. They are often described as bearded old men dressed in green and wearing buckled shoes. Sometimes they wear a pointed cap or hat and may smoke a pipe.

7. Leprechauns weren't always dressed in green. Early tales of the creatures reported red clothing.

8.  In his collection of Irish fairy and folk tales, W.B. Yeats offered an 18th-century poem by William Allingham titled "The Lepracaun; Or, Fairy Shoemaker." It describes the tapping sound of the sprite:

"Lay your ear close to the hill.
Do you not catch the tiny clamour,
Busy click of an elfin hammer,
Voice of the Lepracaun singing shrill
As he merrily plies his trade?"

9. One of the most recognizable leprechauns in popular culture is Lucky the Leprechaun, the mascot of the General Mills breakfast cereal Lucky Charms. On the other end of the pop culture spectrum, you have the homicidal Lubdan from the "Leprechaun" horror/comedy film series.

10. Leprechauns are a morality tale figure. The legend warns against greed and the folly of trying to get rich quick.

* Originally published in 2013.

John F. Kennedy would have celebrated his 100th birthday on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, 2017. In tribute to JFK, the 35th President of the United States, and his centennial year, IrishCentral is looking back on the life and times of the charismatic and intriguing Irish-American leader; from his early years to his rise to the presidency, to his untimely assassination in November 1963 at just 46 years old.

For more on JFK and the Kennedy family, you can visit our special topic page.

Here are some of the places in Washington, D.C., where JFK lived, ate and worshiped:

Dorchester House apartments, 2480 16th St. NW

In October 1941, when John F. Kennedy was 24 years old, he moved to D.C. to take a position in the Office of Naval Intelligence. He moved in with his younger sister Kathleen, who was already living in the capital and working for the Washington Times-Herald. She lived in the brand-new Dorchester House apartment complex across from Meridian Hill Park. Kennedy moved into Apartment 542, but didn’t stay very long. He was transferred to Charleston, S.C., the following January and didn’t move back to D.C. until 1946, when he was elected to the House of Representatives.

2808 P St. NW

After he was elected to Congress, Kennedy favored Georgetown, living in a number of houses and apartments in the neighborhood. However, in 1955, a few years after his election to the Senate and marriage to Jackie, he purchased the Hickory Hill estate in McLean. A year later, the couple decided to return to Georgetown. In early 1957, they moved into a rental house on P Street NW and lived there for one year — a year which saw the the birth of daughter Caroline and the Pulitzer Prize for “Profiles in Courage.”

Read more:What you should know about John F Kennedy

Holy Trinity Church, 3513 N St. NW.

When he lived in Georgetown, Kennedy regularly attended Mass at Holy Trinity Church, the oldest Catholic church in D.C., including on the morning of his inauguration. He is remembered on a plaque outside the church.

Home of Charles Bartlett, 3419 Q St. NW

On May 1951, Kennedy’s friend Charles Bartlett, the bureau chief for the Chattanooga Times, and his wife, Martha, threw a dinner party at their home expressly for the purpose of setting up Kennedy with Jacqueline Bouvier. The initial meeting was not an instant success.

Bartlett later told the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library: “This was an awkward time actually because, as I said, she was going to Europe and he was just getting involved in the [Senate] campaign.” The friends persisted in the matchmaking and a little over two years later, they wed.

3307 N St. NW

This was the Kennedy’s best-known residence and where they stayed until moving into the White House. The family moved into the three-story townhouse in January 1958. After winning the 1960 election, JFK would meet the press corps on the front steps of the house.

“Our next president doesn’t take the old, easy way of making his announcements about new cabinet ministers, the fate of the new frontier, etc., from his office on Capitol Hill — where, if one need edit, the corridors have steam heat,” complained Washington Post staff writer Thomas Wolfe in December 1960. “He just steps right out on the old front porch at 3307 N St. NW and starts talking. And disappears back into the manse.”

The house was sold in 1961. After Kennedy’s assassination, Jackie and the children moved back into the neighborhood, living at 3038 N St. NW and then at 3017 N St. NW. In 1964, tired of the unwanted attention from gawkers, they moved to New York.

Martin’s Tavern, 1264 Wisconsin Ave. NW

In Booth 3 of this Georgetown tavern is a brass plaque marking the spot where supposedly “JFK proposed to Jackie” on June 24, 1953. However, this important moment is much disputed. Some sources claim the proposal took place at the Parker House restaurant in Boston, while others say it was done by telegram, when Jackie was in London covering Elizabeth II’s coronation for the Washington Times-Herald. The June 28, 1953, Boston Sunday Globe, reported that Kennedy had proposed the week before at the Bouviers’ home in Newport, R.I.

Booth 1 also remembers the president. The booth for one was where Kennedy would frequently eat breakfast and read the newspaper after attending Mass on Sundays.

Read more:Did JFK have a love child with an NY socialite?

The Monocle, 107 D St. NE

One of only a handful of restaurants near the U.S. Capitol, it quickly became of favorite of senators, including Kennedy.

Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St. NW

The evening before Kennedy’s inauguration Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford organized a gala at the D.C. Armory, with performances by Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly and Sidney Poitier. Sinatra arranged for the participants to stay at the Statler-Hilton, now the Capital Hilton, which was the site of one of the official inaugural balls. The next night, JFK made an appearance at the ball before slipping up to a private party organized by Sinatra.

The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, 1725 Rhode Island Ave. NW.

Kennedy’s funeral Mass was held here on the morning of Nov. 25, 1963 by the archbishop of Boston, Richard Cardinal Cushing. A marble circle on the floor in front of the sanctuary marks the spot where his coffin was placed.

H/T: Washington Post.

John F. Kennedy would have celebrated his 100th birthday on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, 2017. In tribute to JFK, the 35th President of the United States, and his centennial year, IrishCentral is looking back on the life and times of the charismatic and intriguing Irish-American leader; from his early years to his rise to the presidency, to his untimely assassination in November 1963 at just 46 years old.

For more on JFK and the Kennedy family, you can visit our special topic page.

As America celebrates the 100th birthday of JFK here’s what you need to know about the 35th President’s life, from his youth to his road to the White House and his tragic assassination.

Early Life

John FitzGerald Kennedy was born in Boston on May 29, 1917, the great-grandson of famine emigrants. Although his family arrived destitute like so many others, each generation did better than the one before and baby Jack was born into an extremely wealthy family.

In total, there were nine Kennedy siblings – four boys and five girls – and in an age when women rarely ran for office the family’s ambitions centered on the four brothers. The oldest, Joe Jr, was hailed as a future President when born and his father Joseph Sr hoped the others would attain high office as well.

In 1938 JFK's father, Joe Sr, was made US Ambassador to Great Britain and Kennedy traveled with him for a time, working as his secretary. His book, “Why England Slept,” was based on his Harvard University thesis and recounted the lead up to the Second World War and Britain’s inadequate preparations for the conflict. It became a bestseller, but the young JFK declined a career in journalism and joined the US Navy.  

There he served with distinction and was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his bravery in action off the Solomon Islands.

Early Political Career

After a brief stint as a journalist in Europe, JFK threw himself into electoral politics, with all his father’s money and connections at his beck and call.

He was twice elected Congressman for Massachusetts's 11th district before winning a tight US Senate race in 1952.

Not long after his election he proposed to 23-year-old Jacqueline Bouvier. She took a while to accept, but the pair declared their engagement in June 1953 and married that September in what was considered the wedding of the season.

Road to the White House

In January 1960 Kennedy told the world he was running for President. Few who knew the handsome and ambitious 42-year-old were surprised but the race against the sitting Vice President, Richard Nixon, proved a tough one. Kennedy charmed voters with his authority and calmness in the nation’s first Presidential debate but ultimately triumphed only by a wafer thin 120,000 vote margin in the popular vote. He did, however, win a comfortable 303 vote slam dunk in the electoral college with huge support in the southern states thanks to his running mate, Lyndon Johnson.

Inauguration

JFK set the bar high for oratory at all subsequent inaugurations. He exhorted his fellow citizens to “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” and declared war on "common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself."

Domestic Policy

Kennedy appointed former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to head a Presidential Commission into the Status of Women – leading to the Equal Pay Act of 1963. He also cautiously advanced the cause of civil rights, issuing a number of executive orders to curb discrimination.

His ‘New Frontier’ policies saw an expansion in healthcare for the elderly, more federal money for education and he slashed taxes.

Foreign Policy

Frustrated by Congress, JFK’s primary focus during his years in the White House was on the world beyond America’s shores.

In 1961 Kennedy ordered what came to be known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Revolution swept a young Fidel Castro to power.

The CIA hoped the invasion by young anti-Castro Cubans would topple Castro, depriving the Soviet Union of its greatest ally in the region.

But the invasion failed and Castro, more hostile to the US than ever, and the young dictator agreed to host Soviet intermediate ballistic missiles weapons on the island.

The Cuban Missile Crisis saw the world teeter on the edge of nuclear war until Soviet leader Khrushchev blinked and agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba. Kennedy had faced his biggest test as Commander in Chief and triumphed.

Assassination

Kennedy was shot and killed on November 22, 1963 in Dallas by Soviet sympathizer Leo Harvey Oswald. All Americans, and most other people around the world, remember where they were on that fateful day.

Vice President LBJ was sworn in on Air Force One that day with a stunned Jackie Kennedy at his side.

The funeral was one of the greatest spectacles the world had ever seen, hundreds of dignitaries attended as the first Catholic Irish American President was laid to rest in Arlington, VA and an eternal flame was lit to burn forever in his memory.

There’s no surprise that an odd bunch of tall tales surrounds the Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs’ jarring beauty has inspired legends ranging from underwater mythical cities to a witch falling in love with Cu Chulainn.

Here are summaries of five of the most popular stories.

The Legend of the Hag and Cu Chulainn

A witch named Mal fell deeply in love with Cu Chulainn, the legendary member of the Red Branch, the warrior band of the High King of Ulster. Unfortunately for the Hag, Cu Chulainn did not return her love. Mal would not be denied and began chasing Cú Chulainn all about Ireland. Cu Chulainn ended up south of the Cliffs of Moher, on the mouth of the Shannon River. Cu Chulainn leaped to the island known as Diarmuid and Grainne’s Rock. Mal continued the chase and luckily was carried by a gust of wind as she leaped for the island. Cu Chulainn quickly leaped back and Mal, with the false confidence from the last jump, leaped again but fell short without the help of wind. Mal crashed into the rocks and her blood reddened the bay giving some cause to assert that Malbay was surely named after her. The rocks, now named Hag’s Head, was said to take the shape of Mal’s profile and remains visible to this day.

The Mermaid of Moher

A local man was fishing at the Cliffs of Moher and noticed a mermaid. He struck up a conversation with her but soon set his sights on her magic cloak. As the two talked, the man grabbed the cloak and ran for his house. Needing the cloak to make her return to sea, the mermaid followed the man back to his house but couldn’t find the cloak for it was well hidden. With little options left, the mermaid agreed to marry the man and the two would soon have a son and daughter together. However, the mermaid would not forget her magic cloak. Years later, while the man was out fishing, the mermaid found her cloak, left for the sea, and the man, nor their kids ever saw her again.

The Corpse Eating Eel

The Cliffs of Moher are situated in the parish of Kilmacreehy which is named after the Irish saint Macreehy. Legend has it that Macreehy killed quite the eel. The eel is said to have ventured into the cemetery just beyond the village of Liscannor to feed on the corpses. Macreehy, seeking to protect his fallen friends, killed the eel. Two stones of the cliffs, only visible during low tide, are said to mark the saint's bed. A carving of the eel appeared on a stone in Kimacreehy for generations until it recently completed faded.

The Lost City of Kilstiffen

The city has also been called Cill Stuifin, Kilstpheen, Kilstuitheen, Cill Stuithin, and Cill Stuifin. The city sank when the chieftain lost the golden key that opened the castle doors. The city is said to remain underwater until the key is returned, which has yet to happen. Some say the key lays under the ogam-inscribed gravestone on Slieve Callan, east of Milltown Malbay while others claimed the key was in a lake on top of a mountain. Many have claimed to see the city shining below the surface while others say the city rises every seven years. The legend has it that if someone witnesses the city above water they will die before it rises again in seven years. Within the reef of Lisacannor Bay, there are submerged forests and bogs, which many believe to be the basis for this legend.

Read more:11 places in Ireland you have to visit (VIDEO)

The Leap of the Foals

Saint Patrick’s introduction of Christianity to Ireland ended the prominence of Celtic practices. Tuatha De Danann, the pantheon of Celtic deities, were obviously angered by the explosion of Christianity and in protest, they turned themselves into horses. They galloped to Kilcornan where they took refuge in the caves for centuries. Finally, seven foals emerged from the caves but, having been in the darkness for years, were immediately spooked by the sunlight. They galloped along the edge of the cliffs and eventually plummeted to their death. The same spot where the fell is today known as Aill Na Searrach, or The Cliff of the Foals.

What legends have you heard surrounding the Cliffs of Moher? Have you ever visited the cliffs themselves? Share your thoughts in the comment section, below.

* Originally published in 2015.