By Peter Makem In my lifetime, Ireland has never experienced such a hot blast of summer. Not so long ago in February last, we had the Beast from the East, an arrival of frozen wind direct from Siberia which lowered… Continue Reading
By Frank Dougherty America’s first used bookstore was a Philadelphia family venture founded in 1836 as a sidewalk stall in Center City. For bookworms around the world, it was known as Leary’s Books, one of the largest such enterprises in… Continue Reading
(Above) Anthony Waskie, Ph.D. president of General Meade Society of Philadelphia and vice president of the GAR Civil War Museum & Library was the master of ceremonies at St. Anne Parish Gravesite Dedication Ceremony By Brendan Clay On a rainy… Continue Reading
By Thom Nickels Shrines are wonderful places. In a world of increasing secularity they remind us of what is important and what is eternal. One such shrine is Germantown’s Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Founded by Fr.… Continue Reading
By Msgr. Francis A. Carbine “Our ship, Brittanica, arrived in New York from Cobh, County Cork, on Saturday evening, April 14, 1957. We anchored in the harbor. “I saw the illuminated Statue of Liberty. I could see the lights of… Continue Reading
Thakkek is a town along the Mekong River in Laos with a nice long runway nearby. The mission was that at dawn 10 H-34 helicopters would line up on the runway and each would board 10 local combat soldiers. My… Continue Reading
By Carmel McCaffrey Interest in the Vikings and their escapades throughout Europe has grown in recent years mostly because of popular TV dramas – but much of what is written and described in these dramatizations is more myth than historic… Continue Reading
Reviewed by Msgr. Francis A. Carbine The story of Margaret and Mary Brigid Pearse has been eclipsed by that of their brothers, Patrick and William Pearse. Both men were executed in May, 1916, for their role in the Easter Rising.… Continue Reading
Above: Harry McHugh with Frank McDonnell, President of the Donegal Society, in the Library of the Commodore John Barry Arts and Cultural Center By Marita Krivda Poxon Harry McHugh, 73, Galway-born retired executive at Wawa Inc., spoke to members of… Continue Reading
Above: Hill of Tara By Carmel McCaffrey Although Christianity arrived in Ireland in the fifth century AD it did not come to a society unfamiliar with religious rituals or bereft of any deity. On the contrary, the new arrival came… Continue Reading