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Henry Ford, the industrialist who built the Model T and revolutionized manufacturing with the assembly line, descended from Irish immigrants out of County Cork. His grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather were all born in a stone cottage in Ballinascarthy, West Cork, dating back to the 1700s.

During the Great Famine, Ford's father William left Ballinascarthy with his parents, John and Tomasine, bound for America. Tomasine died during the voyage, a loss that shaped the family long before Henry Ford was born.

Ford never forgot Cork. He opened an assembly plant there that grew to employ 7,000 workers, making Ford Ireland's largest employer for nearly 70 years until it closed in the 1980s. In 2015, his family's ancestral cottage reopened to the public after a three year restoration.

Ford died on April 7, 1947, at 83, but his Irish roots remain part of his story. Swipe through for more, and find the full piece at the link in bio. by @irishcentral

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20 hours ago

Ireland Fashion Week returns October 7 to 12, 2026, for its second edition, and it's grown fast. More than 90 designers will show across six days and eight shows, up from 55 in the inaugural year, with venues spanning Slane Castle, Dublin City Hall, Trinity College's Douglas Hyde Gallery, the RDS, and Mount Juliet Estate.

The lineup includes Sinead O'Dwyer, Paul Costelloe, Aoife McNamara, Sasha Donnellan, RASHHIIID, Brother Wolf by Padraig Whelehn, Mna by Sarah Plunkett Chadwick, and Bold Golf, with O'Dwyer headlining the Dublin City Hall show.

The week's campaign, "Coming Home: An Island in Motion," was shot by acclaimed Irish photographer Damian Foxe in Roundstone, Connemara, featuring Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Ivana Milicevic, Celia Holman Lee, and more.

Founder Ashley McDonnell put it simply: Irish creative talent has always been exceptional, but now it's presenting itself to the world with real confidence.

Swipe through for the story, and find the full piece at the link in bio. by @irishcentral

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In the winter of 1925, as many as 750,000 people across the west of Ireland faced starvation. Failed potato harvests and dead livestock in Connemara, Clare, and the Atlantic islands brought conditions locals compared to the Great Famine of the 1840s.

But the young Free State government, just three years old and desperate to project stability to international lenders, denied it was happening. Agriculture Minister P.J. Hogan told the Dail there was "no abnormal distress," even as the Meath Chronicle warned a famine "as bad as 1847" was imminent.

It took a telegram from a Boston Globe editor in February 1925 to finally force a government response. But the full extent of the cover-up wasn't revealed until state files were declassified in 2014, exposing a chapter of Irish history the new state tried hard to erase.

Swipe through for the story, and find the full piece at the link in bio. by @irishcentral

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2 days ago

Larry Mullen Jr. risked paralysis to get back behind the kit for U2.

Years of drumming had left the 64-year-old with damage to his neck, shoulder, and knees, injuries serious enough to keep him off stage for years. When he finally found a Dublin surgeon willing to attempt the repair, the doctor reportedly told him a "national treasure" was worth the risk. Mullen joked the surgery could have left him "an out-of-work national treasure" if it had gone wrong.

It didn't. "If you've got the head and the heart... my desire to play again overwrote that," Mullen said of the decision.

He's now back behind the kit for U2's 50th anniversary celebrations, including surprise shows in Dublin, with a new album, Carnaval de Luz, due November 13.

Full story at the link in bio. by @irishcentral

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Wake up to the sound of the sea, with hot scones and jam waiting at the door. 🏡

Tucked between Bettystown and Laytown on the Meath coast, this secluded thatched hamlet sits right on the beach — 300-year-old cottages lovingly restored by Roger and Liz Pickett, surrounded by organic flower gardens and just 25 minutes from Dublin Airport.

Sea views, garden views, and a proper Irish welcome. We're already packed. 🇮🇪

👉 Full story see link in bio — and enter to win a €500 Cottages Ireland voucher. by @irishcentral

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4 days ago

A new TG4 documentary, Glúin an tSosa Cogaidh, follows five people born between the 1994 IRA ceasefire and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, as they turn 30 and reckon with a generation shaped by peace that still carries the conflict's weight.

Among them: Gareth Spence, a Shankill Estate rapper who uses music to process childhood trauma. Aoife Enright, a West Belfast youth worker whose father was murdered months before the Agreement was signed. Séamas MacEochaidh, who grew up in rural Mayobridge and now promotes the Irish language across the island. Órlaith Mac Eoin Manus, a Dublin-based artist and activist whose father took part in the 1981 hunger strike. And Andrew Clarke, who runs the Instagram page Tanistry and says his generation increasingly wants an identity beyond old political boxes.

Five different paths, one shared inheritance.

Glúin an tSosa Cogaidh airs Tuesday, October 6 at 9:30 PM on TG4, and streams globally on TG4.ie.

Full story at the link in bio. by @irishcentral

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An Orange Order march down Garvaghy Road in Portadown was left up in the air on Sunday morning, after a legal and policing standoff that drew thousands to the route overnight.

The Portadown district of the Orange Order, 35 members strong, had sought to walk the road for the first time in nearly 30 years. A High Court judge initially granted a temporary injunction blocking the march, but the Orange Order successfully appealed the ruling. The PSNI then confirmed it could not facilitate the route on Sunday morning as scheduled.

DUP MP Carla Lockhart called the court appeal "a seismic win," while Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald addressed the crowd gathered to block the route, telling them, "There are no second-class citizens on Garvaghy Road. We stand here firm."

It's a moment that reopens one of Northern Ireland's most contentious disputes over parading rights and shared space.

Full story at the link in bio. by @irishcentral

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5 days ago

On September 25, 1983, 38 IRA prisoners broke out of the Maze, in what remains the largest prison escape in British history.

The Maze was built to be inescapable: a 15-foot perimeter fence, 5.5-meter concrete walls around each H Block, and electronically controlled steel gates. Guards called it Europe's most secure prison.

Just two years earlier, the H Blocks had seen the 1981 hunger strike, which claimed 10 lives starting with Bobby Sands, after Margaret Thatcher's government refused to restore political status to paramilitary prisoners.

The escape itself took 20 minutes to control an entire block, using a hijacked food truck and smuggled handguns. Fifteen escapees were recaptured the same day; two were never found.

Swipe through for how it happened.

Full story at the link in bio. by @irishcentral

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6 days ago

Dermot Kennedy is bringing The Weight of the Woods Tour to Forest Hills Stadium.

The Irish singer-songwriter hits the New York stage on Tuesday, September 29, with special guests Jonah Kagen and Aaron Rowe joining the lineup.

One of Ireland's biggest voices in one of NYC's most iconic outdoor venues, this is a show you don't want to miss.

Tickets available now, link in bio! by @irishcentral

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Tucked into the beachside village of Bettystown, Co Meath, sits a hidden thatched hamlet that feels like stepping back 300 years, minus the inconveniences.

The Cottages Ireland's renovated holiday cottages blend heritage charm with modern luxury: sea views, organic flower gardens, cozy interiors, and a welcome from owners Roger and Liz that starts with hot scones and homemade jam at the door.

Just 25 minutes from Dublin Airport, it's the kind of place that makes the rest of the Boyne Valley, its green hills, sandy beaches, and charming villages, feel like your own private backyard.

Romantic escape, family retreat, or a solo heritage journey home: swipe through to see why this spot is stealing hearts on the East Coast.

And here's the best part: enter our competition for a chance to win a €500 Cottages Ireland voucher toward your own stay.

Full story, giveaway details, and booking info at the link in bio. 🏡🌊

@thecottagesireland by @irishcentral

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7 days ago

Long before he was a Beatle, Paul McCartney's family story ran straight through a tiny Co Monaghan townland.

His maternal great-grandfather, Owen Mohin, came from Tullynamalrow, roots McCartney has carried into his music for decades. "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" answered Bloody Sunday head on, while "Let It Be" holds the memory of his mother, Mary, whose family ties trace back to that same corner of Ireland.

The connection came full circle in 2002, when McCartney married Heather Mills at Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Co Monaghan, just miles from where his own family began.

Swipe through for the story of a Beatle's quiet Irish roots.

Full story at the link in bio. by @irishcentral

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