indigo.ie/kfinlay/
FOR those among us (me for instance) who thought that Buck Whaley was merely the name of a nightclub on Dublin's Leeson Street, this site is an eye-opener. The adventures of Thomas "Buck" Whaley (born 1766 in Dublin) are among the many interesting aspects to this site. Dublin from 150 AD is well covered here and the Neighbourhoods of Dublin section is particularly good. Ken Finlay, whose site it is, has done a job for which many will be grateful.
Athenry history
The History of Athenry (http://homepage.tinet.ie/& tilde; foregan/ adc/hiscont.html) is presented in a series of articles in conjunction with Carnaun National School. Particularly good are the pieces on the Mace and Seal of Athenry, and the town's medieval history, by Professor Etienne Rynne. There are good writing and pictures. A slight criticism though would be that some picture links are broken and promised articles not available.
Ballyclare history
The Ballyclare and District Historical Society (http://dnausers.d-n-a.net/ UlsterHistory/index.htm) has a simple but very well-designed homepage. From there we find out that people have lived in that part of Co Antrim for 5,000 years, that Jonathan Swift preached there and that it was from there that Mark Twain's family left for America. Now that's the way to ensure that people read on! The use of pictures is excellent.
Ulster history
The brief overview of Ulster history (http://www.cruithni. org.uk/index.html/overview)
has three main sections covering 7000 BC to 300 BC, 300 BC to 1600 AD and 1600 to the present. The fact that Northern Ireland's second biggest town is generally referred to as Londonderry will give you some idea as to where the political ideologies of the site's curator lie, as will the love of all things orange. Best stick to the early history sections here.
brennansonline.com
Devoted to the 1,100-year history of the Brennans in Co Kilkenny and surrounding areas, www.brennansonline.com says they've been robbers, rebels, wealthy landowners, poor farmers, coalminers and more. A joint effort between Tom Brennan, New York lawyer and author of The Brennans of Idough, and Jack Brennan, a south Florida journalist, this is brilliant if you are a Brennan from Kilkenny, but of interest to anyone studying general Irish history too.
