The above image is of my personal copy of Chief O’Neill’s memoirs, collected and extensively annotated by his great-granddaughter Mary Lesch and Chicago historian Ellen Skerrett. I was fortunate enough Read More …
Francis O’Neill was a Chicago detective for many years before his appointment as police chief. His memoirs outline several interesting cases: how he helped upset confidence schemes and violent crimes Read More …
2020 has been a tough year in so many ways, and yet people are adapting like never before. Take for example, the Irish Music School of Chicago. For ten years Read More …
Francis O’Neill is remembered for his huge contribution to Irish music while Chicago police chief at the turn of the last century. But not many know about his life at Read More …
If you drive about ten minutes outside Bantry, you might come upon a solitary flute player in a quiet glen, surrounded by the foothills of the Kerry mountains. It’s Chief Read More …
This blog is delighted to announce the forthcoming movie adaptation of Chief O’Neill. Cork native John Crowley (Brooklyn, Intermission) is to direct. Cillian Murphy, also a native of County Cork, Read More …
What would Chief O’Neill have made of some of the more outrageous aspects of modern Saint Patrick’s day? I remember, as a teenager in the 1980s, visiting downtown Chicago to Read More …
UPDATE: Due to Covid-19, publication has been delayed until May 2021. Walsh Whiskey, based in Carlow, produce a fine single malt whiskey called Writers’ Tears. It is my favourite tipple Read More …
Nineteenth century figures who came from the Far West and loved the Far East.
The story of Chief O’Neill owes a great debt to his great-granddaughter Mary Lesch. It was Mary who followed through on family stories and hunted down her famous ancestor’s unpublished Read More …