The Grassy Green Pillow
On a recent visit to West Cork, I had the fortune to properly explore Tralibane and the surrounding area. I was bowled over by the hospitality of the people there, Read More …
Bantry Chief O’Neill Festival 2019
Bantry is a beautiful town in West Cork, not too far from Tralibane where Francis O’Neill was born. This year’s 2019 Chief O’Neill festival kicks off tomorrow (September 6) in Read More …
The Day the Chief was Assassinated
In 1897, Mark Twain was reported to have made this famous statement upon being confronted with his obituary by a reporter in London. Francis O’Neill, a few years later as Read More …
The Tragedy of Tralibane Bridge
If you closely read O’Neill’s work, Tralibane bridge turns out to be personally very important to him, as a place and a tune.
Francis O’Neill Irish Arts Week July 29-August 2, 2019
It’s coming up! This year’s Francis O’Neill Irish Arts Week is only 2 weeks away. This will be the 9th annual Irish Cultural Summer program at the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago.
Ronald McDonald House
Did you know the Chicago Ronald McDonald House was once Francis O’Neill’s home?
The Little Fair Child
Although Francis O’Neill left a memoir, it contains very little mention of the tragedies of his personal life: he and his wife Anna lost 6 of their 10 children. Most Read More …
Jigs To Jacobites
There has been a lot of competition for Jigs to Jacobites by Orfhlaith Ni Bhrian and Mick McCabe since this wonderful book arrived at our house. This is an excellent Read More …
Folk Music In Fiction: A Fascinating Discussion
An interesting discussion on thesession.org about Irish (or more broadly traditional) music in works of fiction led to the following list. The last item is my own, as yet unpublished, Read More …
O’Neill’s 100,001 Tunes
Do I have a forgotten collection (and a very lengthy one at that) of O’Neill’s to announce? Perhaps recently found in an attic in the Mid-West like O’Neill’s wax cylinder Read More …