Irish history facts

Discover 75+ fun and interesting facts about Ireland that you should know before you go here. Even if you are Irish you might still learn a thing or two about the Emerald Isle.

HUMAN remains which were washed up on a beach in Canada belonged to shipwreck victims who were fleeing the Famine, the Canadian government has confirmed.

1. James Sligo Jameson, the heir to Irish whiskey manufacturer Jameson's, bought an 11-year-old girl and offered her to cannibals to document and sketch how she was cooked and eaten.

While the term “Black Irish” has been in circulation for centuries, you’re bound to ask your colleague or friend its meaning, and they’re likely to draw a blank.So, to put the record straight, find out below about the “Black Irish,” where the term comes from, and who exactly it is referring to. #BlackIrish #Irishhistory #Irishheritage

For hundreds of years, Ireland followed a justice system known as Brehon Law - is your surname among the Brehon families of Ireland?

An amazing act of generosity

One of the great mysteries in my past will be that of my second great grandfather, Patrick Murphy. Lost, among the many Irish souls that came before me, he has remained. I think that he has become somewhat of an illusion or maybe even a dream of my...

The workhouse or poorhouse, the most-feared institution in Ireland, has many a local story to tell. Rising to infamy during the Great Famine, few realise how long they were around before that, or how many of them are still extant today. There's much to discover in workhouse records, from the names of the guardians and local farmers (supplying turf and potatoes) to the orphan girls sent overseas by Earl Grey's scheme. To learn more, share, or attach your ancestor's story to a particular…

01. Katie Mulrennan was denied for a teaching job in South Korea, citing the “alcoholic nature” of Irish people as a reason for rejection.

1. The government of Ireland declared a State of Emergency at the beginning of WWII, on the 2nd of September 1939, which wasn’t lifted until 1976. This event is known simply as “The Emergency.”