Irish Seisiún Newsletter
The Catskill Irish Arts Week (CIAW) is July 13 to July 18th in East Durham, NY.
Click here for more information
George and Pauline will be there for some evening set dancing and daytime sessions from the 13th to the 15th.
If you are there too, let’s be in touch!.
If you plan to be there, let others know. Please email Tommy Mac at [email protected] with your name and the dates you plan to be there, and I’ll post it here so we’ll know who’s going….
Attending Dates
George and Pauline 13th – 15th
Ann Dillon ????
Noreen and her sister Maire ????
Pat Lyons 13th – 15th
Francy Campbell ???
Players Note:
New tune added to the Devany’s Goat set.
Print a replacement page for your book
by clicking here
Someone, please make a copy
and insert it in the book at Finneans
This Week’s Session 1
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Special Treat
Who knew he could play the pips?
Glen Campbell’s “Amazing Grace” carries a peaceful message of faith, mercy, and hope.
His voice gives the hymn a gentle country feeling, making every word feel humble and sincere. The song reminds listeners that grace can reach people through pain, mistakes, and hard seasons of life.
It is simple, beautiful, and deeply comforting. Songs like this do not need fancy words to touch the heart.
God’s grace is greater than every struggle, and this song reminds us to hold on to faith.
Find out what’s happening at Tim Finnegan’s this month.
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Click here to view calendar
Click either event below to view
Finnegan’s supports us…Let’s support them!
Click either link to visit the site
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“That’s How I Spell Ireland”
Saturdays at 7 to 8 PM EST.
You can listen on 88.7FM or WRHU.org.
For a request please text me on 917 699-4768.Kevin and Joan Westley
Note: Show will be preempted whenever the NY Islanders have a Saturday game
Old Ireland
Recent Mail
Travel in Ireland
FAVOURITE PLACES IN IRELAND
Benbulbin, County Sligo.
(Behold Benbulbin, a feast for the eyes and the imagination!
This dramatic landmark isn’t just a geological wonder—it’s steeped in Irish lore.
Legend tells that star-crossed lovers Diarmuid and Gráinne found their eternal rest here.
To get an idea of the scale of this amazing place watch this drone video, or have a listen to this short violin tune played on Benbulbin.
Irish Language
Tír gan Teanga, Tír gan Anam:
A land without a language is a land without a soul.
Submitted by our own
Anita
On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets in to you,
May a flock of colours,
Indigo, red, green,
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays
In the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.
Free Irish Classes
The classes are over zoom and are held at 12:00 eastern time the 1 st Sunday of every month.
It is basic conversational Irish and open to learners of all ages, especially beginners.
All are invited.
Hope to see you there!
slan go foill. Le dea ghui,
Anita
click here to register
This week’s Irish Recipe
Tender Guinness braised beef with a creamy barley risotto
You couldn’t get any more Irish than Guinness braised beef with a barley risotto.
Justin O’Connor, former executive chef of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, shared this braised beef recipe with a special Irish risotto made from barley – instead of rice. (You won’t be disappointed!)
Guinness braised beef with a barley risotto recipe
Beef Ingredients
- 1 lb of beef cheeks
- 4 ¼ cups beef stock
- 1 sprig of rosemary/thyme
- 1 bottle of Guinness
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 2oz corn flour
Beef Method
Trim the beef so that all fat is removed, and trim the outer sinews.
On a hot pan, seal the beef well on all sides.
Place the beef in the beef stock with the other ingredients and slow-cook for 4–4½ hours, or until the beef is tender.
When the beef is cooked, take it out of the stock and keep it warm.
Place the cheeks on some cling film and roll into a large sausage.
Cool overnight and cut into portions.
Reduce the stock until it is of sauce consistency, or, if need be, thicken with corn flour.
Risotto Ingredients
- 8oz pearl barley, 1 oz basil
- 4 ¼ cups chicken stock 6/10 cups olive oil
- 1 sprig of thyme, 3.5 oz fresh cream
- 1 bay leaf, 1 jar of horseradish mayonnaise
- 4oz wild mushrooms
- 1 container of herbed breadcrumbs
- 2oz diced white onion
- 1oz parmesan cheese
Risotto Method
Cook the barley in the stock with thyme and bay leaf, and in another pan, sweat off the onion and mushrooms. When the barley is cooked, add it to the mushrooms, then add the cream and cheese, and cook until the mixture reaches risotto consistency.
For the wild garlic pesto, blend the wild garlic with olive oil and Parmesan cheese, and season. To prepare the beef, rub the top with horseradish mayonnaise, topped with an herb breadcrumb.
To serve, place the risotto in a bowl, top with the beef cheek and jus. Garnish with the pesto and cress.
* Originally published in 2017, updated in July 2026.
Poem of the Week
Beannacht
by John O’Donohue
On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets in to you,
May a flock of colours,
Indigo, red, green,
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays
In the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.
.
Stories and Tales
Another special musical treat
Click below to view and click the speaker for sound
When done, click “back arrow” to return here.
Tommy Mac Here…..
Most of our Irish readers don’t need anyone telling them what turf is…..
But for some, this may not be known…
The smell of an open fire in Ireland is intoxicating, but what is Irish turf?
“Settle in and little to the fire flame as our Irish American Mom explains all.”
What could be more nostalgic and calming than the experience of sitting in front of an open turf fire in Ireland, but do you know what Irish turf is?
Settle in and listen to the fire flame as our Irish American Mom explains all.
When most Americans hear the word “turf”, an image of green grass immediately comes to mind, like the lush green turf of a golf course. For Irish people, the word conjures up dreams of lapping flames and the distinctive smells of a turf fire.
And so today I thought I might introduce my American readers to Irish turf.
Known as peat in other parts of the world, the Irish prefer the term turf, unless referring to hard, compressed fuel blocks known as peat briquettes.
But whatever you call these brown earthen blocks, I think most Irish people appreciate the warmth and comfort of a turf fire.
Turf is dried peat and was a primary fuel source for Irish people for thousands of years.
Upon hearing the word ‘turf’ my husband immediately recalls days of back-breaking summer toil, cutting, stacking, drying and bagging winter’s fuel supply.
When he reached his teenage years, his poor father had to peel him off the bed to come to help him in their Donegal bog. Somehow, the lure of an ice cream cone at the end of the day had lost its appeal for a cool teenager.
In the past, Irish people used turf to heat their homes and cook their food. Turf was harvested from a bog. Cutting turf by hand is a laborious task.
A two-sided spade called a sleán is used to slice blocks of peat from the bog.
So much work was involved in entire families, in years gone by, that they took part in the summer turf-cutting expeditions to the bog. Everyone’s effort was necessary to save enough fuel to sustain the family through the cold winter.
Preparing turf requires drying it out so that it will ignite when lit.
Sods of newly cut turf is laid out in the sun and turned to allow them to dry.
The turf blocks or sods are then stacked into small ‘stooks’ as shown in the photo above.
These little towers of peat allow the wind to blow through the sods and help with drying.
Standing the sods of turf upright and leaning them against each other is no easy task. This process is called ‘footing’ the turf.
Stacking turf is back-breaking work.
Very few people cut turf these days, but in some western counties, turf stacks can still be seen in the summer months, balancing precariously against each other to dry out in the wind and the sun.
The sods of turf in the picture above are almost ready for the fire. However, they probably wouldn’t see a match until the cold days of winter.
Once the turf is deemed dry enough, it is gathered together into a great mound or rick for storing.
In the summer months of 1846, at the time of the Great Irish Famine (1845 – 1850), many Irish people were too hungry and weak to work in the bog.
Cutting turf and saving it was exhausting work. A day at the bog was a daunting prospect on an empty stomach.
As a result, the poorest Irish folk had an inadequate supply of fuel stored for the winter months of 1846-1847. And to make matters even worse, that winter was cruel, with bitterly cold temperatures.
I have read that people dried cow dung to burn in their fires for heating since they had no turf left.
Such sad, sad times.
Today, turf cutting is primarily completed by machinery in the vast bogs of Ireland’s inland counties. But you’ll still see turf stacks in unusual places along the coast.
In the photo above a rick of turf has been gathered on top of the high cliffs overlooking the Atlantic ocean on the Inishowen Peninsula, in County Donegal.
Turf cut from peat bogs may be the traditional fuel in the west of Ireland, but unfortunately, it is smoky. It has been banned in smokeless urban zones.
In my granny’s cottage kitchen in rural Ireland, turf was the fuel of choice. I still remember the bright, lapping flames of the turf fire and the sweet aromatic scent that permeated her kitchen.
Turf brings back lovely childhood memories.
Let us know in the comment section below if you have ever had the pleasure of warming your toes in front of a glowing turf fire, or perhaps you endured days on end of back-breaking labor to save the precious turf when you were a child. I’m looking forward to reading all your stories.
Many Irish pubs in the west of Ireland still burn turf in open fires, helping tourists and locals experience a little bit of the olden ways of Ireland.
Slán agus beannacht leat!
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom.
* Mairead Geary came to America for one year 20 years ago. She now lives with her husband and children in Kentucky and is proud to be an American citizen. Read more on her blog here.
** Originally published in 2007, updated in June 2026.
Céad Míle Fáilte, and welcome to your Letter from Ireland for this week.
Submitted by Lawrence Mahoney
On This Day: The Irish Crown Jewels disappear from Dublin Castle in 1907
The Irish Crown Jewels disappeared from Dublin Castle on July 6, 1907, and have never been found.
The Irish Crown Jewels were stolen from Dublin Castle on July 6, 1907 – they’ve never been recovered.
The Irish Crown Jewels were stolen from Dublin Castle in 1907. Valued at about $20 million today, the stolen gems have never been found. The crime remains one of Ireland’s greatest mysteries.
What are The Irish Crown Jewels?
Dublin Castle explains: “The Irish Crown Jewels were not linked to the monarchy, but to the Order of St Patrick, an elite aristocratic order founded in 1783 in the mold of the Order of the Garter in England or the Order of the Thistle in Scotland.”
“The last knight of the Order of St Patrick died in 1974. The regalia were worn by the Grand Master of the Order – who was the Viceroy, the representative of British power in Ireland.”
“At the time of the theft, the Viceroy was Joseph Gordon Campbell, Earl of Aberdeen. The jewels were housed in the Bedford Tower, in the Upper Castle Yard, where the Office of Arms was located. This office was responsible for genealogy and heraldry, as well as the safekeeping and care of the state regalia. The Ulster King of Arms, Sir Arthur Vicars, was the one responsible for the office.”
Guarded at Dublin Castle
The Irish Crown Jewels were kept in Dublin Castle where they were guarded by the Ulster King of Arms and his staff as well a 24-hour outdoor patrol of policemen and soldiers. In 1903, a safe room was installed in the castle, but it was only after it was built that it was discovered that the safe, which held the jewels, was too large to fit in the doorway. Because of this, the safe would remain outside the strongroom in the library.
Dublin Castle today (Getty Images)
Seven latch keys to the door of the Office of Arms were held by its staff, but the two keys to the safe were kept by Sir Arthur Vicars, the Ulster King of Arms, who was charged with protecting the jewels. He carried one of the keys on his person, while the other was kept in a locked drawer in a desk at his home.
However, Vicars was rather lax in his security. One story has it that after a night of drinking, he handed his keys over to his friends. The next morning he woke up draped in the country’s most valuable ornaments. And in May 1907, Vicars mistakenly left the first key to the safe attached to a key ring with his other office keys. The keys were discovered by a maid, who sent them to the Chief Herald’s office via a male servant.
The Irish Crown Jewels vanish
On the morning of July 6, 1907, a cleaning woman assigned to Bedford Tower found the door to the safe room standing wide open. The inner security door was bolted, but the keys, which also opened the library, had been left dangling in the lock.
Vicars was not alarmed at first. It wasn’t until later that afternoon, when Vicars sent a messenger to the library to deposit the collar of a deceased knight in the safe, that it was discovered the safe had been emptied and the Irish Crown Jewels were gone.
The jewels went missing just four days before King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were expected to arrive for the Irish International Exhibition, at which it was planned to invest Bernard FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown, into the Order. The king was furious about the theft, and the ceremony, which required the crown jewels, was canceled.
The Dublin Metropolitan Police conducted an investigation into the theft, but the crime has never been solved. There were strong indications that it was an inside job.
The prime suspects
One of the first suspects was Sir Arthur Vicars, who possessed the keys to the safe. He denied that he committed the crime to his dying day, and no hard evidence could be found to link him with the crime. However, he was still fired from his position at King Edward’s behest. In 1921, he was killed by members of the Irish Republican Army for being a royal informer.
Vicars’ assistant, Pierce O’Mahony, was also seen as a possible suspect, but most believe he was innocent of the crime. He would also meet with an unfortunate end — he was killed in 1914 in an accidental shooting.
Vicars’ second-in-command at the castle was Francis Shackleton, brother of the great explorer Ernest Shackleton. The young Shackleton was accused by several people, including Vicars, and is the man who most still believe was the true culprit.
Frank Shackleton (flat cap) pictured here in 1913 (Getty Images)
An article appeared in The Irish Times in 1968 that suggested that Shackleton, working in conjunction with Captain Richard Gorges, stole Vicars’ keys one night after Vicars had gotten drunk, removed the jewels, put everything back in its place, and returned the keys as if nothing had happened. However, Shackleton was never formally accused of the crime.
He was thrown in jail after being convicted of banking fraud in 1913. He changed his name and disappeared without a trace when he was released several years later.
A final suspect, who only came to light many years after the theft, was Francis Bennett Goldney.
Goldney was appointed Athlone Pursuivant at Dublin Castle, a junior position to the Ulster King of Arms, just a few months before the crime. Although he had an opportunity to steal the jewels, many thought Goldney, an English gentleman, lacked motive. It wasn’t until after he died in 1918, in a car accident in France, that it was discovered he had a trove of stolen goods in his home. Still, there was no evidence linking him to the stolen crown jewels.
There is a belief that the investigation was unceremoniously dropped a few years after it started due to a deeper scandal that was uncovered and then hastily covered back up.
It has been suggested that the investigation found a ring of debauchery at work in Dublin Castle, including wild, drunken parties, orgies, and homosexual affairs. The rumor was that when Edward VII heard about the scandal, he shut down the inquiry, fearing the consequences of public revelation.
As for the jewels, they have most likely been broken apart and sold as individual pieces, sold to a wealthy collector, or hidden away somewhere long forgotten.
You can learn more about the disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels in this video from Gerry Nelson on Vimeo.
* Originally published in 2014. Updated in July 2026.
Irish weather woman who saved D-Day from disaster
profiled in new documentary
Maureen Sweeney delivered the weather forecast that convinced the Allied Forces to wait 24 hours before launching D-Day.
Maureen Sweeney delivered the weather forecast that convinced the Allied Forces to wait 24 hours before launching D-Day.
There was a myriad of elements at play in making the Allied D-Day attack the turning point of WWII: over 160,000 Allied troops, 5,000 ships, 13,000 aircraft.
And one 21-year-old Irishwoman named Maureen Sweeney. She is the subject of the forthcoming documentary “Storm Front in Mayo,” which will air in Ireland on June 6, the D-Day anniversary, on RTE1.
Maureen and her husband, Ted, were in charge of Blacksod Lighthouse, which presides over the Atlantic near Mayo’s most westerly point. One of the roles of lighthouse keeper was to take weather reports.
On the night of June 3, 1944 – also Maureen’s birthday – they took a report indicating bad weather ahead. The winds were at force six and the barometer was rapidly dropping, indicating a storm approaching. They sent it in and, Maureen recalls, quickly received a call from a British woman asking them to check and confirm the report.
“We took the weather in the ordinary way and passed it on. We got a message back again saying, ‘Please check and repeat’. So I went back but I was right, the barometer had dropped,” she told the Irish Sun in a 2016 interview.
An hour later, she received a call from the same British woman, asking her to check and confirm again, which she did.
Maureen didn’t know this at the time, but the Allied leaders gathered in London were relying on her weather reports to judge whether they should proceed with the D-Day launch as planned. The chief meteorologist, a Scottish man named James Scagg, was giving General Eisenhower regular weather updates.
While Ireland was technically neutral during WWII, these weather reports were one of the covert ways in which they supported the Allies. Given the Nazi plans to invade Ireland, which never came to fruition, this was in Ireland’s interest.
Eisenhower had wanted to commence the Normandy and Omaha landings on June 5, but based on the impending storm report decided to hold back – the storm passing over Blacksod would reach the shores of Normandy on June 5, and would have created treacherous conditions at sea and poor visibility from the skies.
On the morning of June 4, Maureen reported good visibility and an interlude in the storm, giving the Allied forces the window they needed to launch D-Day on June 6.
Sweeney, now 96, still lives in Mayo, in a retirement home. She eventually became aware of just how significant her weather reports were:
“I was reading a piece in an English paper recently and it said that if Eisenhower had gone to war that night (June 3, 1944) it would have smashed America,” she said in a 2016 interview with the Irish Independent.
“That weather report from Blacksod – of all places – changed the war. Who would have thought it?”
75% of New York City Firefighters were of Irish descent in 1900!
Submitted by Lawrence Mahoney
In 1900 seventy five percent of New York City firefighters were Irish Catholics.
When Irish Famine emigrants arrived in America the only doors open to them were the dangerous ones. Low pay. Long hours. No benefits.
The Irish took those jobs anyway. They ran toward fires when everyone else ran away. The Irish called it Fir Na Tine — Men of Fire.
By the 20th century the Irish ran fire departments in New York Boston Chicago and Philadelphia simultaneously.
And on September 11 2001 when you read the roster of firefighters who died that day most of them had Irish names.
The tradition that started in the Famine never stopped. Share this with every Irish family that ever had a firefighter in the family.
They come by it honestly.
Tommy Mac here…..
I am very proud to have been a part of this history.
I retired from the FDNY in 2001 after 31-years.
And I followed in my Father’s footsteps
He retired as an FDNY Captain.
The photo below is of him in Proby School as a new Fireman
And our own Seamus Murphy continues the tradition
As a Captain with the West Palm Beach Fire Department.
Ronan hasn’t quite made his career path yet.
News From Ireland
90% of US firms plan to maintain or grow Irish workforce
Nine in 10 American companies operating in Ireland plan to maintain or increase their workforce over the next 12 months, while 70% expect to make further investments in the country over the next five years.
The findings were released to coincide with AmCham’s annual Independence Day lunch in Dublin, celebrating the 250th anniversary of US Independence.
The event at the Clayton Burlington Hotel is attended by more than 450 business leaders and guests, including Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Jack Chambers.
The survey, conducted over the past week among AmCham members, highlights continued confidence in Ireland as a location for foreign direct investment despite growing concerns over competitiveness.
Almost half (48%) of respondents said they expect to increase employee numbers in Ireland over the coming year, while a further 42% intend to maintain current staffing levels.
However, businesses also identified several challenges that could threaten Ireland’s attractiveness for future investment.
One-third of respondents said cost competitiveness is the biggest obstacle to expansion, followed by housing (27%).
Looking ahead over the next five years, housing shortages and public infrastructure constraints were each identified by 22% of respondents as the greatest risks to continued foreign direct investment, ahead of trade tariffs (16%).
Energy infrastructure also emerged as a concern, with more than half (54%) saying Ireland’s current energy capacity and security of supply place it at a competitive disadvantage compared with other investment locations.
Artificial intelligence remains a key priority, with 66% of companies planning to increase investment in AI over the next year.
Read more
Half of respondents identified AI and emerging technologies as the biggest business opportunity over the next five years, although 52% said access to AI talent remains a barrier to expansion.
Companies also plan to increase investment in employee training and development (51%), research and development (45%), digital transformation (42%) and talent acquisition (39%).
When asked what measures would encourage further investment, 21% cited enhanced research and development incentives as the single most important action Government could take, followed by improving the availability of skilled workers.
Planning reform also featured prominently, with 30% of respondents identifying planning regulation as the area most in need of simplification, ahead of energy policy and AI regulation.
AmCham chief executive Paul Sweetman said the survey underlined the strength of the economic relationship between Ireland and the United States.
“The US-Ireland relationship has evolved into one of the world’s most successful economic partnerships, built on decades of investment, innovation and collaboration.
Read more
“Irish companies employ almost as many individuals across all 50 US States as American companies employ in Ireland.
“Over 1,000 US companies operate in Ireland, contributing more than 40 billion annually to the economy, meanwhile Irish companies have invested $390bn into the US economy.”
While global uncertainty remains, he said maintaining Ireland’s competitiveness will be essential.
“While volatility is likely to remain a defining feature of the decade, stability, predictability and trusted partnerships will become more valuable.
Minister Jack Chambers attended the event. (Pic: Conor McCabe Photography)
“Ensuring that Ireland remains competitive is critical to maintaining success.
“90% of our members surveyed in the past week said they plan to increase or maintain employee numbers in the next 12 months, while 70% said their corporate headquarters already have plans to invest further in Ireland in the next 5 years.”
* This article was originally published on BusinessPlus.ie.
New Tuam Mother and Baby Home exhibition
gives survivors a permanent voice
A groundbreaking exhibition at Galway City Museum explores the legacy of the Tuam Mother and Baby institution through the firsthand accounts of 18 survivors.
A landmark new exhibition examining the legacy of the Tuam Mother and Baby institution has opened at Galway City Museum, marking Ireland’s first dedicated museum installation focused on Mother and Baby institutions. Developed by University of Galway in partnership with the museum, the exhibition shines a light on survivors’ experiences while honoring the work of historian Catherine Corless, whose research transformed public understanding of one of Ireland’s darkest chapters.
A new exhibition, “Survivor Stories: Tuam” and Ireland’s Institutional Past has opened in Galway City Museum, the first dedicated museum installation to focus on Mother and Baby institutions and their impact on Irish society.
The exhibition provides an insight into Ireland's treatment of single mothers and their children, focusing on the Tuam Mother and Baby institution and the legacy issues still faced by survivors today.
Highlighting Catherine Corless’ immense contribution to Irish history, the exhibition tells the stories of 18 survivors of the institution through audio and visual exhibits. An accompanying podcast series has also been created to allow for in-depth, personal engagement with survivors’ stories.
Corless said: “What a wonderful and vital project this is, to gather the life stories of the Tuam Home Survivors, which otherwise would be forgotten in time. This Tuam Oral History Project, created in University of Galway, by a dedicated team, led by Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley, will now be exhibited in the Galway City Museum, who have graciously given space and time for all Survivors.”
The exhibition has been created with University of Galway’s survivor-led Tuam Oral History Project, led by Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley and Dr John Cunningham, which has been gathering testimonies and other personal artefacts from institutional survivors, their families and those directly affected by this history since 2018.
Through oral histories, photographs, documents, and personal objects, visitors are invited to engage with first-hand experiences of institutional life and its lasting impact across generations.
The exhibition is the first collaboration between Galway City Museum and the University of Galway since the agreement of a new memorandum of understanding to facilitate closer collaboration between the two organisations.
President of University of Galway, Professor David Burn said: “It is fitting that
Catherine Corless and survivors of the Tuam Mother and Baby institution will now have a place beside heroes of Galway in our city museum. We are delighted to partner with Galway City Museum on this project as it encapsulates our shared commitment to enrich our cultural heritage by truly engaging audiences to help us all learn lessons from our dark past.
“Belonging and Respect are two of our university’s core values where everyone
should feel welcomed, supported, connected and valued as an integral part of our
community. This dedicated exhibition acts as a powerful reminder of the historical absence of such values and why it is so important that the wider public gets to learn about these 18 survivor life stories.”
The exhibition at Galway City Museum will comprise of photographic portraits of survivors, testimonies, audio alongside archival documents, and objects, including a detailed scale model of the Tuam Mother and Baby institution created by Catherine Corless and a very poignant lock of hair from writer and survivor J.P. Rodgers.
Acting Director of Galway City Museum, Adam Stoneman said: “We are pleased
to share this important exhibition on the Tuam Mother and Baby institution, developed in close collaboration with a group of survivors through the Tuam Oral History Project. Their voices and experiences are vital to understanding this difficult history. Museums can be places of reflection and healing, as well as understanding, and this exhibition marks a first step in a longer-term commitment from Galway City Museum and University of Galway to develop greater public awareness and understanding of Ireland’s institutional histories.”
The exhibition will run at Galway City Museum from July to September 2026 in the museum foyer and aims to engage Irish and international visitors. 29 US tour groups will visit Galway over the period specifically to see the exhibition and learn about Ireland's past.
A programme of public talks, workshops and screenings will accompany the exhibition. For more information visit GalwayCityMuseum.ie.
American mother found dead in Kerry as man sought by police
New York native Jamey Carney was discovered with fatal head injuries at her home in Killarney on Tuesday afternoon.
A major manhunt is active in Ireland after an American healthcare worker was found dead in her home in Killarney, County Kerry. Jamey Carney, a mother of one originally from New York, suffered fatal head injuries in what authorities suspect was a brutal assault.
The 43-year-old woman was originally from Westchester County and relocated to Ireland in 2021. She had been living with her teenage daughter in the Homeland estate, on Muckross Road. She was well known in the local community and worked diligently in the healthcare sector.
On Tuesday afternoon, her 13-year-old daughter grew concerned for her welfare and contacted a family friend. The friend quickly alerted authorities to the house. Gardaí [police] and emergency services responded to what they described as an “incident” at the property. The American-born mother was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators have launched a massive search for a male suspect known to the victim. The man is believed to be in his twenties or thirties and occasionally stayed at the Killarney house. Authorities suspect he fled the area shortly after the attack. Alerts have been issued at all Irish ports and airports due to fears that the suspect might attempt to leave the country.
A source close to the investigation confirmed the intensity of the manhunt, stating, “There is a major search for him.”
The property on Muckross Road has been sealed off to allow for a full forensic examination. The Office of the State Pathologist has been notified and a post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place at University Hospital Kerry.
A senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the inquiry and an incident room is now established at the Killarney Garda station. A family liaison officer is also working to support the relatives of the deceased during this tragic time.
Detectives are conducting door-to-door inquiries and are appealing to the public for any information that may help the investigation. Anyone who was traveling in the Muckross Road area of Killarney between the evening of July 6 and the afternoon of July 7 is urged to contact gardaí. Officials are particularly interested in speaking with individuals who may possess dashboard camera footage, doorbell security video, or closed-circuit television recordings from the area.
Terror at 20,000ft as Ryanair passenger sucked out of
smashed cabin window ‘up to his shoulders’
A Ryanair passenger required medical treatment after his “passenger window dislodged in-flight.”
A Ryanair flight was forced to turn back just minutes after take-off after a passenger window reportedly became dislodged mid-air.
The flight had been travelling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, on Friday morning, July 10, when it returned to the Greek airport as a precaution.
One passenger required medical assistance after the aircraft landed, while all passengers were safely returned to the terminal.
Πτήση θρίλερ από το «Μακεδονία» της #Θεσσαλονίκης– Έσπασε παράθυρο την ώρα της πτήσης, τραυματίστηκε επιβάτης – Διαβάστε περισσότερα: https://t.co/iUtFwCy2Ks pic.twitter.com/Ue88WkCcIF
— Rthess.gr (@RThessaloniki) July 10, 2026
Greek media reported the incident happened while the plane was flying over North Macedonia, claiming the window was damaged by debris that detached from one of the aircraft’s engines.
There were reports that the wife of a 61-year-old Serbian man stopped him from being sucked out of the Boeing 737 by pinning him down.
His head and shoulders were “sticking out of the broken window,” a shocked witness told Greek outlet ERT.
Another witness told local media, “his head was completely outside of the plane.”
Ryanair has not confirmed those reports.
https://t.co/irpmyrhulK – Exclusive new video: This is the passenger from the terrifying Thessaloniki–Munich flight – https://t.co/TLuPz89XmJ#RThess #Θεσσαλονικη #Thessaloniki pic.twitter.com/i7pSUMbRB4
— Rthess.gr (@RThessaloniki) July 10, 2026
In a statement to Extra.ie, the airline said: “A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning (10 July) returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged in-flight.
“The aircraft landed normally, and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.”
Ryanair said it arranged a replacement aircraft to minimise disruption, with the new flight departing at 9.53 am local time.
“In order to minimise any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen, which departed Thessaloniki at 9:53 local this morning,” the airline added.
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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