Rise & Fall: The Maguire Kings of Fermanagh

Rise & Fall: The Maguire Kings of Fermanagh

Fifteen Maguires were crowned as Kings of Fermanagh between 1264 and 1589. The region was, by and large, stable for those three centuries. The Maguires were exceptionally progressive, their households replete with historians, poets and learned men. They were also...
The Choctaw Nation’s Extraordinary Gift to Ireland, 1847

The Choctaw Nation’s Extraordinary Gift to Ireland, 1847

In 1847 the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma raised $170 for Irish famine relief. Their empathy was stirred by a similar experience during the early 1830s when between 1500 and 4,000 died Choctaw on the infamous ‘Trail of Tears’. This story explores the fate of the Choctaw...
Waterways Through Time

Waterways Through Time

‘A most wonderful selection.’ Eanna ni Lamhna Mooney Goes Wild, RTE Radio One   “Upon those who step into the same rivers, different and ever different waters flow down.” Heraclitus   *****   On 21st February 2022, my fiftieth birthday, I launched...
A History of Bishopscourt, Clones, Co. Monaghan

A History of Bishopscourt, Clones, Co. Monaghan

Built as a rectory for the Church of Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars, Bishopscourt was considered such a fine abode that two Bishops of Clogher opted to use it as their main place of residence during the first decades of the 20th century. This tale takes in the...