Giants are a recurring theme in classical Irish mythology.  Perhaps none is better known than Fionn mac Cumhail ("Finn McCool”) the legendary leader of the Fianna.  According to legend, Finn McCool while standing in Ulster engaged in a war of words with another giant standing in Scotland. At one-point Finn was so enraged that he grabbed a (giant sized) sod of earth … [Read more...] about Charles Byrne, The Tragic Irish Giant

Thomas Plunkett was born in County Mayo in 1840.  His parents emigrated to the United States in 1844 and settled in West Boylston, Massachusetts.  When the American Civil War broke out, young Plunkett was working in a local shoe factory.  Immediately answering the call of his adopted country, Plunkett enlisted in Company E of the 21st Massachusetts as a private. … [Read more...] about Sergeant Thomas Plunkett, “Don’t let (the Flag) Fall Boys”

When this year’s Rockland County St. Patrick’s Day Parade proceeds down Central Avenue in Pearl River, it will be led by Marine Corps veteran Francis T. Duffy.   Frank was awarded the Silver Star for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity” in a battle where Admiral Nimitz noted that “Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue” indicates the high bar that Frank’s courage met … [Read more...] about The Irish Marines

Since the ancient past, societies have honored athletes.  Athletic competition may have developed out of pragmatic concerns such as training warriors, but it was soon realized that certain individuals were gifted with exceptional talents.  In the Ancient Olympic Games winning competitors were awarded Olive Wreaths and honored as human incarnations of Apollo; in modern … [Read more...] about The Sheas, Three Generations of Winter Olympics Greatness