Two Irishmen who’d never rehearsed together and never met before teamed up at a train station to play the most dazzling piano duet you’re ever likely to hear. It’s a rare gift to be able to play any tune by ear no matter how complicated, but it’s a talent these two have in spades.
Category: Features
Featured articles about health, lifestyle, travel and family.
Spinetingling: Worshippers from 300 churches sing The Irish Blessing
There are few more glorious sounds than hundreds of people coming together to sing in unison to lift spirits in times of trouble. That’s exactly what happened when worshippers from more than 300 churches in every county of Ireland got together through the wonders of technology to sing a one-thousand-year-old hymn.
The Irish passport is one of the top 10 most powerful in the world
The Irish passport is one of the most powerful in the world, according to the latest calculations by the Henley Passport Index. Henley studied data from the International Air Transport Association to see how freely a citizen was able to travel using the passport of their country.
The Sack of Baltimore – when Irish villagers were kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery
Horror descended on the southern Irish fishing village of Baltimore during the summer of 1631, when locals were attacked and kidnapped by pirates. The residents of the village, near Cork, were then sold into slavery in northern Africa.
The Wexford Martyrs – rebels against the English Crown
The Wexford Martyrs were a small group of Catholic rebels who refused to take the Oath of Supremacy, which declared Elizabeth I of England to be the head of the Church. They were found guilty of treason for aiding the escape of James Eustace, Viscount Baltinglass, who had supported the Desmond Rebellion against the British.… Continue reading The Wexford Martyrs – rebels against the English Crown
Chilling story of the only Waterford man to be hanged in independent Ireland
Author Colm Wallace tells the chilling story of William O’Shea, who was the only Waterford man to be hanged in an independent Ireland. By February 1943 William O’Shea had been married to his wife Maureen for three years, although he was aged just 24 and she was 21. At this point the couple were blessed… Continue reading Chilling story of the only Waterford man to be hanged in independent Ireland
Frederick Maning – Irish founding father of New Zealand
Frederick Edward Maning was born in Ireland but rose to prominence as one of the early settlers in New Zealand. He won the trust of the native Maori people and helped them negotiate with the British, who were colonising the country in the mid-19th century. He published two books, Old New Zealand and History of… Continue reading Frederick Maning – Irish founding father of New Zealand
The fairy tale estate that Henry Ford’s Irish ancestors had to flee
More than a million people fled Ireland in the wake of the Great Hunger in the 1840s, but few had to abandon an area as beautiful as the fairy tale estate Henry Ford’s ancestors left behind. Of course, the lowly Ford family didn’t own the idyllic paradise known as the Lisselan Estate, near Clonakilty in… Continue reading The fairy tale estate that Henry Ford’s Irish ancestors had to flee
Thomas Barnardo – Irish founder of Barnardo’s charity
Thomas John Barnardo was an Irish doctor who set up the world famous Barnardo’s charity providing help and care for homeless children across the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. He began the charity in 1866 and it has since grown into a multi-million pound project providing more than 900 services for vulnerable young people in… Continue reading Thomas Barnardo – Irish founder of Barnardo’s charity
Thomas Meagher – Young Irelander in the American Civil War
Thomas Meagher was a leading Irish nationalist who took part in the 1848 Young Irelander Rebellion and brought the tricolour flag of greeen, white and orange to Ireland from France. He was sentenced to penal servitude for his part in the rebellion but escaped to the United States where he became a prominent figure in… Continue reading Thomas Meagher – Young Irelander in the American Civil War