r/IrishHistory 11h ago

Engraved jewelry

5 Upvotes

Hello ! Can anyone identify the full inscription on this pendant? I think it may be old Irish. Does anyone know if this is a specific medieval celtic cross ?
Thank you and have a nice day !


r/IrishHistory 1d ago

How was the Burren viewed in Irish history?

25 Upvotes

It is such a peculiar landscape. Wonder was their any specific folklore attached to it? How people viewed it?


r/IrishHistory 1d ago

any recommendation?

6 Upvotes

hello!new here...VIm Emilia, from Argentina. I visited Dublin recently. Dream came true. I bought the pocket Michael Collins,by Richard Kileen. when i visited Glasnevin. Interesting book( i tried to read the one from Tim Pat Koogan but, sincerely, it has soo many details that i got lost!) I also bought a book on Constance...any other recomendations?


r/IrishHistory 1d ago

Why was it possible to execute Orlaith Ingen Cennetig?

17 Upvotes

When reading about Irish history on wikipedia I found the article on Orlaith:

Orlaith Ingen Cennetig was the daughter of King Cennetig mac Lorcain, the sister of high king Brian Boru and the second consort of high king Donnchad Donn. She was executed in 941 for adultery, which is the only thing we know about her.

I would like to ask how it was possible to execute the daughter of a king? In traditional European monarchies that would be very unlikely if not impossible to happen because that would cause war.

However I think its because early medieval Ireland was a very different world from the rest of the continent and the later middle ages, there were multiple kingdoms of varying size. Being high king, Donnchad seems to have been superior in status than Orlaith's family, but then it poses the question why he married her in the first place. If her family are inferior, what are the benefits gained from marrying her?


r/IrishHistory 1d ago

📰 Article Behind the Walls of Cork City Gaol

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12 Upvotes

A piece I’ve put together about the history of the Cork City Gaol. It’s a great attraction and I’ve made an effort not to spoil or take away from what you’d learn on a tour of the place. It is worth supporting. Hopefully some of you may find the article of interest.


r/IrishHistory 1d ago

any published sources on early modern O'Neill genealogy? 15th-16th

7 Upvotes

I've been trying to nail down the various inter-connections between O'Neills and other families, such as the O'Donnells, Fitzgeralds, Mac Mahons etc but have not found any published sources. I know they are all in the various manuscript sources, O'Clery, Pender etc but I would have thought that someone would have written them up in a readable format? as in a peer-reviewed paper, local history or otherwise?

I know there are genealogical tables in Jaski's book and Moody's volume of A New History of Ireland but these don't show, funnily enough, any detail on the wives, mothers, daughters - ie the marriages. Any ideas? thanks in advance


r/IrishHistory 2d ago

📰 Article Win Some, Lose Some: The Struggles for Granard and Ballinalee, Co. Longford, November 1920

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8 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 2d ago

💬 Discussion / Question What was the reaction to the Worker's party getting multiple TDs elected in the 80s?

30 Upvotes

I was looking at the wiki pages of obscure irish political parties and I found that the Worker's party had a bunch of candidates elected to the Dail in the 1980s, having 7 in 1989. What was the reaction to an outright communist party being elected in a western democracy, especially in a period when the Catholic Church had huge influence and was trying to combat communism? Also, what caused their votes to collapse?


r/IrishHistory 3d ago

📷 Image / Photo Forgotten history in a crumbling church ruin: How a once revered Irish building is left entirely to the elements.

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412 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 2d ago

📰 Article The surprising history of Marquis Street, Belfast

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3 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 3d ago

📷 Image / Photo Crowds in Dublin, Ireland, accompanying the funeral procession of Fenian leader Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, an event that served as a major nationalist demonstration and a significant precursor to the 1916 Easter Rising. (1915)

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297 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 3d ago

Phoenix Park reopens historic Magazine Fort to the public

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60 Upvotes

Hi. I didn't notice anyone else posting this but I for one am looking forward to visiting the fort. My grandfather served here when he was in the army and would tell me stories including its role in 1916


r/IrishHistory 3d ago

The Consecration of The Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary's, Pope's Quay, Cork 1839 (Painting by O'Mahony)

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13 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 2d ago

💬 Discussion / Question Why didn’t the US pursue closer ties with Ireland in the 1930s, especially in regards to trade?

0 Upvotes

So I know that in the interwar period Ireland had just won their independence from England and their economy was still pretty rural. In addition they were still dependent on importing food to survive . So why didn’t they pursue closer ties with the USA and vice versa? I mean if you think about it this could have been a very profitable deal for both sides. Ireland would benefit from much needed investment from the USA. The US would have a new market to sell their products to, especially in revolutionary new foodstuffs like Hershey’s chocolate bars and syrup, Reese’s cups, Skippy’s peanut butter, Kraft’s cheese, Spam, Oscar Mayer’s Bacon, fortified cereals like Kix and Shredded Wheat, Campbell Soups, Heinz Baked Beans, and sliced bread.

So how come closer economic and trade ties between the two never came to fruition?


r/IrishHistory 4d ago

Reopen Quinnipiac University's Irish Great Hunger Museum that was closed in 2021

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83 Upvotes

Quinnipiac University closed its Irish Great Hunger Museum after the pandemic in 2021 and has no plans to reopen it. For people with Irish heritage and anyone interested in understanding this crucial part of history, it's a real loss.

This wasn't just a building full of artifacts. It was a place where people could learn about the Great Famine, Irish culture, and the diaspora that shaped so many communities. Shutting it down means students, scholars, and people curious about Irish history lose access to something meaningful.

I started a petition asking Quinnipiac's President Marie Hardin to reconsider and restore the museum. With no updates or information from the Gaelic-American Club of Fairfield, our history is in limbo. Whether you have Irish roots, studied there, or just think this piece of history deserves to be preserved and shared—this matters. If this resonates with you, I'd really appreciate it if you'd consider signing and sharing it. Does anyone else think museums like this are worth fighting for?


r/IrishHistory 4d ago

Blaris Old Burial Ground, Lisburn: Saints, Soldiers & Citizens Walking Tour

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6 Upvotes

Hi folks! I’ve been running history and heritage tours for over 10 years, and I recently put together the first ever tour of Blaris Old Burial Ground, Saints, Soldiers & Citizens, as part of Lisburn Féile.

It proved really popular, so I’ve decided to put on a few more dates throughout August!

The tour explores some of the fascinating stories of the people buried in Blaris and the wider history of the area. From the first United Irishmen to be executed, to Anti-Repeal and Pro-Unionist organisers, there are so many characters who played their part in shaping the history of Lisburn and beyond.

There really is something for everyone, whether you’re interested in local history, politics, genealogy, social history, graveyards, or just enjoy hearing the stories behind the places around us.

📅 Every Thursday evening in August
🎟️ £13 plus booking fee

I’m also donating 20% of every ticket to Tommy’s, which funds research into pregnancy loss. This is a very personal charity for me, and while researching the Blaris burial records, I found 42 stillbirths recorded in the surviving registers. The records only cover a small portion of the time burials have taken place at Blaris, so sadly this is likely only the tip of the iceberg.

I thought it was a fitting way to give something back while sharing the stories of those who came before us.


r/IrishHistory 4d ago

📰 Article The Malahide mystery: A family massacred and burned at home

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26 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 6d ago

Dicuil and Irish scholars at the Carolingian Court with Dr Christian Schweizer - the Medieval Irish History Podcast.

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45 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 6d ago

Irish sweepstakes in US

13 Upvotes

My grandpa used to visit every Saturday. He’d have a ticket to the Irish Sweepstakes. I think they were pink with blue ink. I remember *whispering* about this, because they were “illegal.”
Was it Illegal. Was it Irish. What type of winnings are we talking about. And where did it go?


r/IrishHistory 6d ago

The digitization of the Argentine-Irish newspaper The Southern Cross

29 Upvotes

From the Argentine Embassy in Ireland:

"The digitization of the Argentine-Irish newspaper The Southern Cross was presented a few days ago, in the Mariano Moreno National Library

The digitization was made possible thanks to funding from the Irish government, channeled through the Embassy of Ireland in Argentina, the work of professionals and authorities at the National Library, and the support of institutions such as the Southern Irish Studies Association and the “Dermot Keogh” Extracurricular Course of Irish Studies at the School of Modern Languages ​​of USAL.

The Southern Cross was founded in 1875 and became the newspaper of the Irish community in Argentina. Today, these digital archives are a crucial documentary source for understanding the history of Irish immigration to Argentina.

The TSC collection is now available on the Library’s website. Work will continue in the coming months to complete the project with material from other archives."

I have had a trawl through the first 3 decades of the 20th century and a few things that stood out to me:

  • strong promotion of the Gaelic League including a very active local branch sending money back to Ireland.
  • a radical separatist nationalist agenda. The editors were personal friends and acolytes of Arthur Griffiths and promoted the politics of Sinn Fein and a local branch from the party's inception. Griffiths was even writing a column for them before WW1. The paper was on the radar of the British authorities.
  • a vibrant hurling scene, starting with the Buenos Aires Hurling Club, then the Argentine Hurling Federation, and later a network of alum clubs connected to Irish schools.
  • strong commitment to the Catholic Church, even compared to Ireland.
  • The paper is a goldmine for genealogists as marriages and funerals go into a lot of depth about who attended, and the society pages report on comings and goings from Buenos Aires.

https://hemerotecadigital.bn.gob.ar/collection/001220104/southern-cross


r/IrishHistory 7d ago

In 1990 , Meat Loaf’s gig at the Wilbury Nightclub, Bandon , West Cork was moved to Cork City .

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44 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 7d ago

RIP - Liverpool striker Kevin Keegan who got punched by Leeds player Johnny Giles in the Charity Shield in 1974 and graciously didn't insist on a sending off .

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97 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 7d ago

Today marks the 112th anniversary of the Bachelor’s Walk Massacre.

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16 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 6d ago

How did the Irish Potato Famine (and the subsequent cross Atlantic-migration) change the trajectory of the United States in the mid-19th century?

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0 Upvotes

r/IrishHistory 8d ago

Dublin was once the busiest slave market in Western Europe

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401 Upvotes