Obama: A Tale of Irish Wigmakers, Shoemakers & Oratorical Bishops

Obama: A Tale of Irish Wigmakers, Shoemakers & Oratorical Bishops

Barack Obama descends from an Irish shoemaker who emigrated to Ohio in 1850 when the family wig-making business dissolved in Ireland. This story looks at his unlikely links to the Kearney dynasty, one of whom was Provost of Trinity College Dublin, as well as the de...
Spike Island –  Australian Convicts & the Vagrancy Act

Spike Island – Australian Convicts & the Vagrancy Act

Between 1787 and 1868, over 30,000 Irish men and 9,000 Irish women were transported to the Australian colonies as convicts. The vast majority were held at Spoke Island before they departed for exile from Cobh, the County Cork seaport which had been renamed Queenstown...
The Irish Roots of the Brontë Sisters

The Irish Roots of the Brontë Sisters

Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey are considered three of the greatest literary classics of all times. The three novels were published in 1847 by the brilliant Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne. This is the lesser known story of their father, an...