STUDENTS of modern Irish history are welcoming a new e-book series examining the history of Irish Republicanism, from the Border Campaign of the 1950s right up to the Belfast Agreement in 1998, using the personal accounts of those who were involved.

THE Scottish Fleadh took place on the last weekend of April to record numbers of competitors in a celebration of Irish music, song and language.

IN THE Dublin of the late 18th century, a peculiar and troubling phenomenon took hold among a segment of the city’s privileged youth. Known as the ‘Pinking Dindies,’ these young men, drawn largely from wealthy or aristocratic backgrounds, became synonymous with disorder, intimidation, and casual violence.

THE days when an oil rush brought Irish Catholics flocking to work in the shale mines and oil refineries of West Lothian (above), are being recalled thanks to the establishment of a Shale Trail, linking Livingston with West Calder.

JUNGLE Days: Supporting Celtic in the 1980s by John Wight does what it says in its title. The book chronicles his support of the Bhoys in the one of the most turbulent decades of the 20th century. Yet the tome delivers far more, giving a superb history of Celtic and its importance to the Irish in Scotland.

THE Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD, recently published the Irish Government’s new Diaspora Strategy.

McGINLEY Coach Travel has announced the return of its popular summer service from Glasgow City Centre to County Donegal, offering passengers a seamless and stress-free way to travel across the water.

IN EARLY June 1937 a squad of 23 young seasonal agricultural workers left Achill Island, County Mayo to work on the annual Scottish potato harvest. There were 13 young women and girls and 10 young men and boys; the average age of the latter being around 16, the youngest, 13 years of age.

AS DERRYMAN Mickey Mullen reminded readers of The Irish Voice in these pages recently, and as Paul Brady’s song recalls, it can frequently be ‘nothing but the same old story’ when the Irish diaspora shows its face in Britain.

AT THE recent civic St Patrick’s Day Festival Parade in Glasgow, there was a familiar face among all the flags being held aloft.

WHEN my son, Gabriel Cormac, was accepted to Law at the University of Glasgow, I had never been so proud of him. I paid for his rites of passage sixth year leavers’ party trip to Corfu. But I wanted to give him gifts of value rather than something that had a mere price. So, I decided to give him my two most prized possessions that I have carried with me throughout my adult life.

WITH the 90th anniversary of the tragic Bothy Fire in Kirkintiloch set to be marked in 2027, plans are well under way for a more extensive memorial to the site of the death of ten boys and young men from Achill Island—with the fundraising target already surpassed.

AN DTIOCFADH linn dul fríd mí amháin gan conspóid leis an Ghaeilge ó thuaidh? Ní thig linn, de réir dealraimh! An mhí seo caite bhí mé ag scríobh faoin vótáil a bhí in Ollscoil na Banríona, i mBéal Feirste, chun fograíocht dátheangach a thabhairt ar ais san institiúid sin.

I WAS in Donegal for a long weekend last month. Back to my ‘spiritual home.’ The place I go to decompress and recharge the aul batteries. While I was there, I was reading a lot of John O’Donohue, in particular a piece he wrote about death, and it resonated with me on a deep level because my time there coincided with the funeral of the ‘First Lady of Celtic music,’ Moya Brennan.

I WAS selected to be part of team Scotland to represent young people on behalf of our jurisdiction at the inaugural UK-Ireland Youth Forum. The forum acts as means to represent the opinions of young people across UK and Irish politics, to share perspectives and ultimately influence the policy.

THE Gaelic Football season is now well underway in Scotland and there are some familiar patterns beginning to emerge even in these early stages.

THE recent World Irish Dance Championships once again saw a plethora of fantastic performances from our own talented dancers.

A GROUP of Celtic fans have chosen to embody the spirit of Brother Walfrid by founding their own charity aimed at providing a warm welcome for refugees and asylum seekers.

IN THE world of flat racing, the month of May traditionally heralds the beginning of the season’s Classic races, a collection of Group 1 events seen as the most prestigious in the calendar.

AT 37 years old and having just won a second La Liga title in Spain, Robert Lewandowski, the Barcelona and Poland striker, attributes his playing longevity —at least in part—to following what’s known as the ‘reverse diet.’ Basically it means that he consumes his dessert first, before turning to his main course.