Irelands Own

Inishowen Peninsula

IT’S 6.20AM at the Redcastle Hotel on the Inishowen Peninsula, and I can’t sleep. I’m partly to blame, for I took a quick peek behind the curtains and my senses have been awakened by the end of summer sun reflecting off the calm Lough Foyle water. It’s...

BARNEY McKENNA

Drawing on memories from his sister Marie and others who knew him, Seán Creedon looks back on the life of the legendary banjo player with The Dubliners whose humour, generosity and groundbreaking musicianship helped shape Irish traditional music for...

the SUPERVET

IASKED NOEL to tell me about his childhood and growing up in Co. Laois. “I was born in Ballyfin, the second youngest of Seán and Rita’s six children. I grew up on a farm. It was mixed farming with mainly cattle and sheep. Everyone was expected to help...

The making of MICHAEL COLLINS

Thirty years after its release, Neil Jordan’s Michael Collins remains one of the most important and influential films ever made in Ireland.

COMMODORE JOHN BARRY

As America marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, Eamonn Duggan recounts the remarkable story of Wexford-born Commodore John Barry, the pioneering naval commander who rose from humble beginnings in Tacumshane to become celebrated as the ‘Father...

KATELYN CUMMINS

From being crowned the Rose of Tralee to winning RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars contest, trainee electrician Katelyn Cummins has had a year that she will never forget. She shares her story with Ireland’s Own readers as she prepares to pass on the crown...

THE NUN OF RAVENSBRÜCK

When author Cathi Fleming signed a contract to write The Nun of Ravensbrück, she began an extraordinary journey into the life of West Cork nun and resistance hero Sister Kate McCarthy – a woman whose courage in the face of Nazi tyranny would change her...

50 years of magic at Aillwee Caves

From ancient bear bones and myths of the Otherworld to its transformation into one of Ireland’s most beloved visitor attractions, the story of the Aillwee Caves is a remarkable tale of discovery, resilience and reinvention beneath the limestone...

MISS FLANAGAN INVESTIGATES

THE KNOCKING on the door had all the hallmarks of someone in a hurry. “If they keep knocking like that, they’ll have the paint off the door!” Sergeant Reilly chuckled, as he helped himself to a large slice of sponge cake. Miss Flanagan opened the...

The legendary Meath manager talks about his life and career.

SEÁN BOYLAN

100 years of our National Anthem

DEPENDING on who occupied the British throne at the time, God Save the King or God Save the Queen was once played at most official events in Ireland. PostFamine, however, a sea-change was underway, as evidenced by the many press reports of Irish...

WITNESS STATEMENTS: Reflections on the 1913 Strike and Lockout.

Eamonn Duggan continues his examination of a speech delivered in 1953 by James Larkin Jnr., during which he reflected on the momentous events of 1913 and the role played by his father.

ROLY DANIELS

From chart-topping singer to winning racehorse owner and painter of Ireland’s quiet beauty, Roly Daniels has lived a life as colourful as the canvases that now fill his home.

Ireland’s Medieval Castles

From earthen mottes and timber palisades to mighty stone fortresses and elegant tower houses, Ireland’s castles chart centuries of conquest, settlement and adaptation.

JUNE

Broom out the floor now, lay the fender by, And plant this bee-sucked bough of woodbine there, And let the window down. The butterfly Floats in upon the sunbeam, and the fair Tanned face of June, the nomad gipsy, laughs Above her widespread wares,...

MILO O’SHEA

IT WAS A beautiful sunny day in Dublin City as three of us were heading in a car to cheer on Waterford in a hurling match. was sitting in the front passenger seat and, as we waited for a set of lights to turn red, a very familiar figure crossed the...

THE STORY OF US

On 18 April 1926 the first census of an independent Irish state was undertaken. Across the 26 counties over 700,000 census forms were completed by, or on behalf of, the 2,971,992 people living in the Irish Free State. A fascinating new book, The Story...

‘THE IRISH WHIP’

Daniel ‘Danno Mahony’ O’Mahony, the man from Ballydehob who became the youngest ever heavyweight wrestling champion of the world.

Ireland’s GREENWAYS

David Flanagan takes us around twelve of Ireland's longest greenways based on the book which he and co-author Richard Manton have produced as a practical guide containing everything you need to know to tackle Ireland’s greenways on foot, by bike or...

SEÁN O’CASEY

Maolsheachlann Ó Ceallaigh recalls the Abbey Theatre riots over The Plough and the Stars 100 years ago, where art, politics, and national identity collided, elevating Seán O’Casey’s play from scandal to classic. THERE ARE moments that are etched into...

WHEN THE LUFTWAFFE BLITZED IRELAND

FATHER JOSEPH MULLOOLY

IN THE SHADOW of the colosseum in Rome today stands a basilica with a very strong Irish connection. When one walks into the Basilica of San Clemente for the first time, there’s no escaping the feeling you are stepping into far more than a church. You...

ADI ROCHE

Forty years on from the horror of one of the worst nuclear catastrophes the world has ever witnessed, Nichola Beresford talks to the Irish woman who has helped thousands of children affected by the Chornobyl fallout. IN THE EARLY hours of April 26,...

IRELAND’S OWN COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS

All competition entries must be submitted to the address provided and should arrive no later than 5pm on the specified closing date. Entries received after this date will not be included. Winners will be announced in Ireland’s Own edition dated April...

PART NINE OF OUR SERIES ON GREAT IRISH LEADERS

Saint Patrick's Day Annual 2026

MISS FLANAGAN CASSIDY SAYS DAN CONWAY KITTY THE HARE STRANGER THAN FICTION CATCH THE CRIMINAL JUST A MEMORY PEN FRIENDS & MUCH MORE

THE FOUNDING OF FIANNA FÁIL

In 1926, the Irish Free State officially recognised Gaeltacht areas for the first time following a Coimisiún na Gaeltachta report, defining them as districts where Irish was the primary community language. These regions were concentrated along the...

THE IRISH ON THE WALK OF FAME

Ireland’s influence on Hollywood is etched directly into its sidewalks. Many Irishborn performers earned stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, marking their contributions from the silent-film era to modern television. These stars form a visible legacy...

MAISIE MCDANIEL

MAISIE MCDANIEL had attained living legend status as the Queen of Country & Western musi ci nthe early sixties before the Country & Irish genre was ever heard of. Of all the singers in popular music at the time, none could equal Maisie for her...

Keeping our past alive

The National Folklore Collection is a goldmine of our country’s traditions, preserving innumerable tales, rhymes, customs, games, and other elements of our past that might otherwise have fallen into oblivion.

MARIO ROSENSTOCK

As we continue our series on the stars of Glenroe, the actor and comedian chats to Seán Creedon about his life and career.

IRISH AUTHORS OF THE Supernatural

Cornelius Clarke begins a new mini-series on Irish writers who specialised in stories of the paranormal.

Stand and Deliver! The story of Ireland's Highwaymen

Ireland's highwaymen did not necessarily fit the romantic vision of Robin Hood robbing the rich to help the poor, but they still proved popular amongst the native Irish as they generally targeted planters or the gentry, writes Colm Wallace. HIGHWAYMEN...

DERMOT BANNON

DERMOT BANNON is a leading voice in modern Irish architectural design. He runs his own practice, Dermot Bannon Architects, which was established in 2008 and runs on the belief that good design responds to its surrounding environments and resonates with...

JOHN CREEDON

JOHN CREEDON currently produces and presents The John Creedon Show on RTÉ Radio 1. We talk of his early beginnings in radio, Gerry Ryan and Terence, and the advice he would give to those trying to break into this great medium. “The radio was king in...

Ireland in 1026

AS THE New Year of 1926 dawned, the people of the Irish Free State looked forward to another twelve months of peace and prosperity. By then it was clear to everyone the fledgling Irish state was finding its feet, not only as an independent nation but...

IRELAND’S OWN COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS

All competition entries must be submitted to the address provided and should arrive no later than 5pm on the specified closing date. Entries received after this date will not be included. Winners will be announced in Ireland’s Own edition dated...

The Fishermen Heroes of Quilty

Liam Nolan recounts an astounding act of bravery in a County Clare fishing village in 1907, when local fishermen put their own lives on the line to save the lives of shipwrecked French sailors.

THE WILDE ONE

“Iawoke the imagination of my century, so that it created myth and legend around me. I summed up all systems in a phrase and all existence in an epigram.” Who else but Oscar Wilde could summarise his life with such eloquence? He was born on October...

Christmas wouldn't be the same without it!