The Twelve Days of Christmas is a popular Christmas song, but how many people were aware that they signified actual days and specific occurrences? No, I am not talking about the eight maids of milking or the seven swans a swimming etc., but instead about the actual days that correlate to the twelve days of […]
Category: Celtic Symbols / Imagery
The Irish Christmas Candle Tradition
Irish Christmas decorations are similar to those in the USA, but not exactly the same. While some enjoy the lights around the window, most houses seem to prefer a few larger light-up decorations. Signs pleading ‘Santa please stop here!’ and images of the jolly man himself are always popular, but one image stands out for […]
Pilgrimages to Spirituality
Much of Celtic spirituality has revolved around designs, artwork and various other mediums. It is usually easy to identify a work of Celtic art because of it’s unique characteristics. These symbols included combining religious symbols with overlays and other geometric shapes. The designs are usually very ornate and detailed. One of the most famous examples of […]
Winter Wonders
One can often wonder about Ireland in the winter time. For instance, if someone wanted to travel to this great isle, would this be the time of year to do it or should that person wait? Well, suffice it to say, there should really be nothing stopping anyone from visiting Ireland in the wintertime for […]
Brigid the Triple Goddess
Brigid is a famed mythological goddess of the Celts with not just one key attribute but three distinct ways in which she ruled the ways. Her skills were in healing physical ails, poetry and smithcraft. This would make her the perfect goddess symbol for Shanore, for she would have appreciated the fine metal working that […]
Autumn Equinox and Our Ancient Ancestors
Although Newgrange’s spectacular display at the winter solstice gets all the attention, it isn’t the only astrological event or the only amazing prehistoric cairn in the Boyne Valley. Tuesday, 23rd September was the autumn equinox, the period when the day and night are equally long. Perhaps it gets less attention because we generally dread the […]
Too Beautiful to Cross Out
Many of Ireland’s most beloved symbols have been used for centuries; some even go back further than recorded history. While various symbols have waxed and waned in popularity over time as fashions come and go, one moment in Irish history stands out as a time when Celtic symbols were embraced and exalted by our leading […]
Has a Pint of Plain Always Been Our Only Man?
Brian O’Nolan (aka Flann O’Brien) declared the pint of plain as your only man in his famous verse The Workman’s Friend, which is in his 1939 novel At Swim Two Birds. And the classic pint of Guinness has long been iconic. The Guinness Storehouse at St. James’s Gate on the quays of the River Liffey […]
A Celtic Love Tale
Ireland is no stranger to classic love stories. The beautiful scenery found in the Republic has hosted many a love tale both in triumph and in tragedy throughout history. Many people flock to Ireland today because of the deep reputation rooted in Ireland’s past of so many souls who have found each other here and […]
Lucky Leprechauns
Do you really know what a leprechaun is? Have you ever seen one? The first time most of us ever heard of leprechauns were most likely when we were children and we were told about rainbows and how legend said that at the end of a rainbow there was a pot of gold. Some of […]