It was a tale of an extremely familiar heartache that forced one oppressed nation to help another.

The Taoiseach has today announced a scholarship for Choctaw native American students on a visit to Oklahoma.

The chief of an Native American nation and a number of his people will be special guests at the official unveiling of a magnificent eagle feather sculpture which commemorates the generosity of his forebears to the Irish during the Great Famine.

Choctaw artist Waylon Gary White Deer has settled so well in Ireland that he’s appeared in Fair City and even counted the late Martin McGuinness among his friends, writes Aisling Meath.