History tells us that when the stakes were substantial, Pitch and Toss games could become extremely serious. In Dundalk in 1914 a man died following an altercation during a game of Pitch and Toss when an argument arose as to who was entitled to the winnings. Continue reading
Filed under History …
St Patrick’s Day in South Australia
From the beginning of European settlement, St Patrick’s Day in South Australia has been commemorated annually as a rallying call to express Irish identity in a new land. Continue reading
Irish dust devils
My poem was written in English and in Irish, so I needed to find a suitable Irish term for a Dust Devil. Continue reading
From the Papers
There is an older generation in Ireland for whom the first Australian name they ever heard was that of John Landy. Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís. Continue reading
Bloody Sunday: 50 years on
It was a sunny afternoon when 10,000 – 15,000 people joined together to take part in the march. The march began in the housing estate of Creggan and then made its way down the Bogside, which is the largely Catholic area just outside of Derry’s Old City walls. Continue reading
The Treaty: 100 Years on
It may help to know that the book is written by an Australian-born journalist, now living in Dublin. She comes to the story as a neutral outsider, unburdened by the many educational and social experiences that an Irish writer would carry. Continue reading
Northern Ireland identity
With 83% of those surveyed expressing a sense of belonging to Northern Ireland, the rise in a Northern Irish identity is more a reflection of an attachment to one’s homeplace, than a political statement. Continue reading
Paul Strzelecki, Hero in Australia and Ireland
The highest peak of the Snowy Mountains. He named it after the Polish-Lithuanian statesman Tadeusz Kosciuszko, giving us Mount Kosciuszko. Continue reading
‘A very jolly spree’: Irish Contraceptive Laws in the 70s
I have never smuggled anything over borders before or since and I was extremely nervous, but our car was not searched on the way over. The return trip was a different matter. Continue reading
The ‘Contraceptive Train’ and Dr Caroline De Costa
This brave act of defiance, with Caroline as part of the group, paved the way for discussions about access to contraception in the ROI and particularly highlighted the need to start exploratory discussions on the provision of contraception for Irish women living there. Continue reading