So before I start my inane ramblings again, I just want to point out that as I write this on a PC, the images may be more impressive and easier to access if viewed on a bigger screen than the one that fits in your pocket.....just a suggestion.....though I'm happy if anyone bothers to read … Continue reading Londinium Baby, Part Two
Londinium Baby, Part One
Ok, now I'm moving on to another of the big boys. One of the oldest cities in the world and a centre of civilisation for two millennia, London was founded by the Romans just after the J-Man passed away and stopped magicking up fish, behaving inappropriately around dead bodies and hookers, and pretending his rambling … Continue reading Londinium Baby, Part One
New York, New York, Part Three
So we're finally coming to the end of our exploration of one of the greatest cities in the world. At the beginning of the 19th century, New York City officials sought to put a level of order on the northerly spread of their growing metropolis, and to divide off the land to sell. To achieve … Continue reading New York, New York, Part Three
New York, New York, Part Two
Marty: Wait a minute, Doc. Ah… Are you telling me that you built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?Dr. Brown: The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style? Back to the Future (1985) As a special treat to my many … Continue reading New York, New York, Part Two
New York, New York, Part One
In this blog post, I'll continue examining how cities physically grew and developed from basic settlements to massive metropolises over time. This week (and next) it's the turn of one of the world’s greatest cities – New York - and how it grew from a tiny trade centre in the New World into the sprawling … Continue reading New York, New York, Part One
Great Southern Land
In this blog post (and a few more hopefully), I’d like to indulge my fascination with the development of major urban centres over the years…….how cities physically grew and developed from basic settlements to massive metropolises has always interested me. All of the world’s great cities – London, New York, Sydney etc. – grew from … Continue reading Great Southern Land
Few innocents in war
In this blog post, I plan to take a look at some members of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) who were killed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the War of Independence in the years 1919 to 1922 in what was a brutally murderous campaign on all sides. The RIC was the armed police … Continue reading Few innocents in war
G’day Boy……The Kerry Anzacs
In this blog post, I’ll be taking a brief look at some of my fellow Kerrymen who served in the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) forces during WW1. As a loyal member of the British empire, it was no surprise that Australia supported the declaration of war in the late summer of 1914. … Continue reading G’day Boy……The Kerry Anzacs
Three Men and a Little War
Following on from last week’s absolutely gripping post, today I want to take a quick look at three men who saw action in Italy and the United States during the 1860s. At the start of the American Civil War, a large number of Irish enlisted to serve the Union. John Joseph Coppinger of Midleton, Co. … Continue reading Three Men and a Little War
The Papal Battalion of Saint Patrick
In New York City in the early 1900s, an elderly man named Michael Smith sat composing a letter to an F.D. Hackett in Brooklyn. Smith wrote that ’I regret to learn at this late date that any reflection should be cast on any of the Papal Brigade who fought for God and right [….] I … Continue reading The Papal Battalion of Saint Patrick
