Hello and welcome
to Ireland’s Own.

The sun continues to shine on our beautiful island, and who better to be this week’s cover story than Ireland’s favourite force of nature, the ecologist, broadcaster and writer, Éanna Ní Lamhna. The popular nature expert chats to Kay Doyle as she launches her brand new book, ‘Our Wild World’.

Paddy Ryan traces the history of the fairytale, which occur both in oral and in literary form, while pilgrims have been coming to Tipperary’s Holycross Abbey for over 800 years to venerate the a relic of a piece of the True Cross of Christ’s Crucifixion, writes Martin Malone.

In this week’s Islands of Ireland series, David Mullen visits Clare Island, Co. Mayo and in ‘The Ballad Sheet’, Eugene Dunphy unravels the story behind a bawdy Dublin ballad, ‘Take Me Up To Monto’.

Liam Nolan begins a new mini-series on ‘The Circus and How it All Began’. The modern circus, as an integrated entertainment experience that includes music, domesticated animals, acrobats, and clowns, traces its heritage to Astley’s Amphitheatre, a riding school that Philip Astley founded in London following the success of trick-riding displays given by him and his wife Patty Jones in 1768, writes Liam.

In his Role of the Irish in WW2 series Con McGrath tells the story of Carlow people in action from Dunkirk to the Occupation of post-war Germany. Judy Doyle profiles Mayo man, Maurice George Moore, who had a varied career as British soldier, author, and Irish Senator.

The book under review this month is Elephant Moon by John Sweeney, while our original short story is ‘The Love Potion’, by Margaret Kelleher. Franz Waxman, the movie music legend, is profiled by MJ Wells.

In his ‘The Witness Statements’ series, Eamonn Duggan profiles Seán Moylan, a committed Republican and outstanding military leader. Eamonn continues his analysis of the statement made by the former TD and Minister to the Bureau of Military History in 1947.

We have all this for you to enjoy along with regular features such as Cassidy Says, Dan Conway’s Corner, Just A Memory, Showband Scrapbook, Stranger Than Fiction, Marjorie’s Kitchen, songwords, puzzles, jokes, pen pals and much much more. Enjoy reading, and I will look forward to talking to you all again next week. Take care.

                                                                                                         Best wishes,

Seán Nolan, Editor, Ireland’s Own