An eye witness account of an Ambush in 1921 on The Black and Tans

Memories of the Black and Tans during Irish War of Independence

Britain ruled Ireland in 1921,  So the Irish people were fighting for their freedom from British rule.

This period in Irish history is known as the Irish War of Independence,

My grandmother died a few years ago when she was 98 years old.  She witnessed an ambush between Irish soldiers and the British Black and Tans in 1921. She was playing in the street with her friends.  She was 12 years old.

She also tells of what happened when the soldiers raided the homes around her and what she and the Irish people thought of the Black and Tans!

Her account of what happened is very  interesting and remembered vividly by her.

Memories of the 1916 Easter Rising

This was another important battle that the Irish fought.  It lasted a week in 1916  but ended in surrender.  My Grannie was only 7 years old but speaks about trying to get through the barricades with her pregnant mother and younger brother.

To read these fascinating stories and about the life of Bridget Maguire, born 1909, click the link below,  

There are also lots of family photos of that time in Dublin Ireland

Irish War of Independence: Black and Tans 1921 in Stoneybatter Dublin 7 Ireland

John F Kennedy visited Arbour Hill, Dublin in 1963: 1916 Easter Rising Deaths

This is the story of the visit of President John F Kennedy to Arbour Hill Memorial in Dublin Ireland in June 1963.

He spent a few days in Ireland in 1963 on an Official State visit and stated that the Memorial Park was his favorite event.

Arbour Hill is the place of a mass grave that holds 14 men who were executed by the British Government after they surrendered with the failure of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin.

President John F Kennedy said he would be back for another visit to Ireland but was assassinated in November of that year. His wife Jacqueline knew that he loved the Honour Guard at the memorial in Arbour Hill so asked the Irish Government could they come to the USA and attend the funeral of JFK. They did.

For the full story of the visit with photos and the lives and deaths of the men at the mass grave click the link below.

John F Kennedy visited Arbour Hill, Dublin in 1963: 1916 Easter Rising Deaths

Irish Convicts Transported to Australia

Irish Female Convicts as young as 12 years old given 7 year prison terms in Australia. 

The John Calvin Ship left Dublin 1848

Transportation to Australia of Irish women and children was very common in the 1800's in Ireland.

I have concentrated on one convict ship The John Calvin which left Dublin in 1848.

There were 171 female prisoners who were sentenced to at least 7 years as convicts in the Penal Colony of Australia.  The women and children were imprisoned at the Grangegorman Female Prison in Stoneybatter Dublin 7. 

The youngest Irish female convict was 12 years old.  She was not alone there were many children this age who were sentenced to seven years in Australia as convicts. 

To read more about the transportation of Irish women and children  the Convict Ship  The John Calvin click the link below.

Irish Convicts Transported to Australia: The John Calvin Ship left Dublin 1848

The 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin Ireland. My great grandparents and grannies memories of this time

Memories of my Grannie as a child during the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin Ireland

My grandmother told me of her memories of playing in the street in Stoneybatter when the 1916 Easter Rising started in Ireland.  




She was 6 years old but remembers it today so vividly because it was the first and only time she saw her father scared.  He got her mother who was 6 months pregnant, herself and younger brother to safety out of Dublin. 

This is the story of the life of my grannie's parents, my great grandparents from 1910 until they died in the 1960's.   


Dora and Paddy Maguire did have an ordinary life in Dublin but it was also a very interesting part of Irish history that they and my grandmother lived in.  

To read the full story and see some wonderful old photos of Dublin during that time in 1921 onwards click on this link below. 

http://hubpages.com/_zutla8pbc8fl/hub/Living-an-ordinary-life