Den Lane (1923–2023)  Turf Dealer of Glin, County Limerick

Den Lane (1923–2023) Turf Dealer of Glin, County Limerick

‘T’was only the country children would go to school barefoot. You’d never see a town child go barefoot. On 1st October, we’d put the boots on again but our feet were so hard by then that we could nearly walk on glass or thorns. And now I couldn’t even go out to the...
The Palatines in Ireland

The Palatines in Ireland

In 1709, just over 3,000 mostly Protestant refugees from Germany's Palatine region sailed for Ireland. Their descendants include the families of Switzer, Wyse, Keppel, Cooke, Young , Embury, Miller, Teskey, Baker, Poff and Gleasure. This article looks at the origins...
Lola Montez and the King of Bavaria

Lola Montez and the King of Bavaria

Lola Montez was one of the most famous dancers in Europe in the 1840s. Her love affair with the King of Bavaria brought him crashing down before she embarked upon a new life running a literary and social salon in California. This tale follows the rise and fall of this...
Mary Spring Rice (1880-1924)

Mary Spring Rice (1880-1924)

During her all too short life, Lord Monteagle's remarkable daughter sailed out with the Childers on Asgard on that extraordinarily audacious gun-run in 1914 and, during the War of Independence, she made her mark by offering indispensable first aid lessons to nurses...
Walt Disney’s Leprechaun Hunt

Walt Disney’s Leprechaun Hunt

By the time of his death in 1966, Walt Disney was a household name across the world, having racked up far more Oscars than anyone else in history and established a multination company with zillions of dollars, as well as resorts and theme parks. A classic American...