Hidden deep in the country side village of BallyMacElligott, Co.Kerry lies Bealagrellagh castle. In English it translates at "Mouth of the miry ford" and is the last remaining castle of my ancestors who built four of them in the region in the 1500s. The 16th century is when my surname McElligott first appeared and began … Continue reading A Visit To My Ancestor Ulick McElligott Castle “Bealagrellagh”.
Category: History
Grave Maintenance For Granny Maria And Aunt Lucy
Maria and Lucy I Contacted the local stonemason this morning and decided to have the grave of my great grandmother Maria and Aunt Lucy done up for the first time since 1952 when it was first erected. Not that it means much to them it's more or less for me as I was tired of … Continue reading Grave Maintenance For Granny Maria And Aunt Lucy
How King Brian Boru Teaches Us The Value Of Ignoring Distractions During Prayer
source: public Domain King Brian Boru was considered to be the very first Irish rebel. You can read a quick synopsis regarding his life and many activities here. The purpose of this post is really to focus on his last Battle for Dublin. It's famously known as the battle of Clontarf. Towards the end of … Continue reading How King Brian Boru Teaches Us The Value Of Ignoring Distractions During Prayer
Review: My Heritage Ancestry Website
With the lockdown ongoing here in Ireland, one day out of the blue I took an interest in researching my ancestry. Don't ask me why only God knows, but by the end of the research it dawned upon me that they were looking for prayer. They got prayers said for them and I got to … Continue reading Review: My Heritage Ancestry Website
Troubled Over The Irish Troubles
source: public domain On my way into republican Newry from the border town of Dundalk, it was dark by 6pm. I'm 12 years old and I'm wearing a scary mask in the back of my sisters car. We come across a checkpoint and flagged down by a soldier. He shines his flashlight into the back … Continue reading Troubled Over The Irish Troubles
How Medieval Sleeping Arrangements Compare To The Modern World
Image Source: Public Domain Today many men would see something seriously wrong with the featured image in this article. Three men lying together with an Angel watching over the entire affair appears to be heresy surely. Well, in the middle ages people slept together in one big bed. It was not uncommon for families to … Continue reading How Medieval Sleeping Arrangements Compare To The Modern World
The Hagia Sofia Should Not Be Cause For Division
Image by Waldo Miguez from Pixabay It's been a strange few weeks for me. In the lead up to the President of Turkey converting the Hagia Sofia into a Mosque I found myself studying the Crusades. I had been gifted a book by Christopher Tyerman, "The World Of The Crusades". I followed this by purchasing … Continue reading The Hagia Sofia Should Not Be Cause For Division
Should Catholics Be Embarrassed By The Crusades?
Source: Web The Crusades seem to be provoke many (mostly non believers with an existing dislike for Catholicism) to anger. Whenever there is unrest with fundamentalism in the Islamic world from groups such as Isis, westerners are always quick to remind Christians that Crusaders done many terrible things to Muslims in the name of Christ. … Continue reading Should Catholics Be Embarrassed By The Crusades?
Video: Debunking The Myth Why The Crusaders Sacked Constantinople
A common misconception is that Constantinople was sacked by the Crusaders simply for economic reasons and to gain power. Nothing could be further from the truth. As the video below demonstrates quoting many historians, the sack of the city was self inflicted. Alexius the IV, who had an agreement with the Crusaders to fund the … Continue reading Video: Debunking The Myth Why The Crusaders Sacked Constantinople
How The Crusader Tamed The Lion
Source: Web Gouffier of Lastours was a Crusading knight from France who took part in the first Crusade. He helped in the siege of Antioch and took Jerusalem in 1099, driving the Muslims back into the tower of David where they ultimately surrendered. During the course of his stay, it is said he rescued a … Continue reading How The Crusader Tamed The Lion
