Hello and welcome
to this week’s edition of Ireland’s Own
In this week’s cover story we feature an actress that has been a warm and familiar face in our sitting rooms for many years – Geraldine Plunkett. Geraldine talks to Maxi about her career as a theatre, film and television actress, the things she holds dear to her heart, the losses and gains of the past twelve months, and what she is looking forward to in 2025.
In ‘The Kilkenny Man and the White House’, Gerry Moran profiles James Hoban, the Kilkenny man who designed the iconic building in which the American President resides. In our ‘Irish Myths and Legends’ series we bring you the concluding part of Gemma Grant’s four-part story, ‘The Strange Death of King Muirchertach Mac Ercae’.
Con McGrath returns with his ‘Role of the Irish in WW2’ series, this week bringing us the story of Irish-American Joseph Reilly, who was awarded the Bronze Star for his defence of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. The Ballad Sheet is back, and Eugene Dunphy charts the history of a clever comic song, ‘Nell Flaherty’s Drake’.
Behind every Showband hit single there was a talented songwriter! There is a popular myth that the showbands of the 1960s only did cover-versions of hit-songs and were more or less a ‘human jukebox’. Francis K. Beirne sets out to show how that belief is very much a myth.
In his piece ‘My Night in ‘Casablanca’ MJ Wells recalls a night in the Sleep Clinic when fantasy and reality merged! ‘On Yer Bike’ says Anne Delaney as she writes in praise of the humble bicycle. Our original short story is ‘Another’s Treasure’ by Terri O’Mahony. The GAA Year of 2004 is reviewed by Aidan Grennan.
In his series on ‘The Witness Statements’ Eamonn Duggan looks at the story of ‘Ernest Blythe – An Unlikely Patriot’. In part one of his series, Eamonn examines the statement given to the Bureau of Military History by Ernest Blythe, who was a central figure in the Irish revolution and the first decade of the Irish Free State.
David Flynn is back with another Classic U.S. TV Series – how many of you recall watching ‘Annie Oakley’? Paul Swift takes a trip along the Lismore Canal and Eugene Daly takes a look at some famous ‘Sunken Cities’. Arthur Flynn’s Classic Film is ‘To Have and Have Not’. Our resident pet expert, Pete, shares some advice on why regular grooming is so important for some dogs.
We have all this for you to enjoy alongside regular favourites like Cassidy Says, Dan Conway’s Corner, Marjorie’s Kitchen, Patrick O’Sullivan, Tom McParland, What’s In Your Name?, Catch the Criminal, jokes, songs, Pen Friends, our Puzzle Page, Owen’s Club and much much more.
I hope that you enjoy this week’s issue and that you will join us all again next week when we bring you another edition of Ireland’s Own – the country’s favourite weekly family magazine since 1902.
Best regards, Seán Nolan, Editor, Ireland’s Own
