The team here at The Wild Geese would like to convey our support for the communities in Oklahoma which have been decimated by the recent storms.  We extend our sympathy to all who have lost loved ones.

If you would like to donate to help the victims of this tragedy, you can find a well-compiled list of charities ready to accept your donation here.

By the very nature of the vast Irish diaspora, we know there are large numbers of "Wild Geese" in and around the affected areas.  Here is a good read about the history of the Irish in Oklahoma…

This is reposted from Eamon Loingsigh's blog, which you can find here: http://artofneed.wordpress.com

The panoramic photo above is actually from 1907 at the Chelsea piers of Manhattan, well before the outbreak of World War I. On this day (actually yesterday) in 1915, it was sunk by a German U-Boat off the coast of Kinsale, Ireland just months before Liam Garrity, protagonist of Light of the Diddicoy (first book in the Auld Irishtown trilogy), was to set out for New York in a similar Atlantic crossing.

There are all kinds of connections…

A native of Crusheen, County Clare, Christy McNamara has spent a lifetime telling stories of the people of rural Ireland through his photography and his music. He is a true insider, having grown up in a household filled with traditional Irish musicians and storytellers, and his work reflects that: Portrait images uniquely capture the raw authenticity of his subjects, and music harkens back to the days when it was first created by McNamara's elders.

Photographer, musician, singer, composer, a veritable contemporary Renaissance man, McNamara has quite an impressive list of subjects and collaborators, including photography of U2 and the Pogues. His work has been exhibited extensively in Ireland and in the United States, has…

We're thrilled to be unveiling a new feature to The Wild Geese today ... one that should bring another element of both fun and education to our community.  We're calling this ongoing feature, "Crosswords at the Crossroads," as it will consist of a regular series of -- you guessed it -- crossword puzzles.  Each of these puzzles will, naturally, consist of a different Irish theme. 

The name reflects what this community is all about.  In days gone by (and even today in some places), members of an Irish locale would arrange a meeting "at the crossroads" for a ceili or some other event.  Our "locale" happens to be the entire world, and this site serves as our "crossroads."  These puzzles are another way to enjoy our association through our…