Even today, our school children are told the story of the American Revolution as one of New England Puritan Yankees and "Scots-Irish riflemen" on the frontier fighting for freedom. Over time, this portrayal has hardened into a historical dogma. Even in an age of revisionism that rightly seeks to recover the voices of women, African Americans, and Native peoples, the Ulster … [Read more...] about The Patriots They Erased: Irelandâs Sons in Washingtonâs ArmyÂ
Before the U.S. Navy, There Was O’Brien
Jeremiah O'Brien was born in 1744 in Kittery, in the district of Massachusetts that would later form the state of Maine, the eldest of six sons of Morris and Mary O'BrienâIrish Catholic immigrants from County Cork. In 1765, the family moved to Machias, a frontier settlement on the Maine coast. There, the O'Briens established a sawmill operation along the Machias River. There, … [Read more...] about Before the U.S. Navy, There Was O’Brien
Starving in a Sea of Plenty: The Fish Story That Whitewashes the Irish Famine
Among the more persistent and insulting myths of the "Great Hunger" is the claim that the Irish "starved while surrounded by fish" because they were too ignorant or too stubborn to help themselves. Â It's a narrative repeated in history books, classrooms, and casual conversationâa defaming simplification that distorts the truth of what our ancestors endured. Let's be clear: … [Read more...] about Starving in a Sea of Plenty: The Fish Story That Whitewashes the Irish Famine
Annual Golf Outing, Friday, May 9th
Division 3 sponsors only two major fundraisers a year, and our spring event is our annual golf outing. The outing takes a tremendous amount of effort by a large group of people and that effort will continue with organizational meetings of the Golf Committee â weâll share times / dates. This yearâs outing is in memory of all those members we lost over the last five years, … [Read more...] about Annual Golf Outing, Friday, May 9th
The Laden Table, an Irish Christmas Tradition
Christmas is a time of tradition. Every year, millions of Americans enact a tradition that few realize has its origins in Ireland and the mists of time: "the Laden Table." In pre-Christian Celtic Ireland, hospitality was more than just good manners; it was actually written into the law. Under Brehon Law, all households were obliged to provide some measure of … [Read more...] about The Laden Table, an Irish Christmas Tradition