Musings, ramblings and thought provoking articles from our team of talented writers - all views expressed are their own!
Halloween has Irish roots. It was originally Samhain, the last day of the Celtic year. The ancient Celts believed a sort of veil separated our ordinary world from the spirit world. As the year went on, this veil got worn thinner and thinner until on the last day of the year, it was so worn […]
In October, people across Ireland are lighting fires in their fireplaces and stoves to take the chill out of the air. It’s starting to get cool, but it isn’t really cold yet. Outside of the cities, people often burn sods of turf they’ve harvested from their own plots in the bog. They go out in […]
The 2018 autumn equinox is on Saturday, 22nd September for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. On this day, the sun rises at due east, passes directly above the equator, and sets in due west. This divides the day into two equal halves of light and dark, but due to the way light passes […]
Wexford, with Vinegar Hill and its National 1798 Rebellion Centre, is the star of that particular effort to gain freedom from British rule. The county had many successes in that uprising. Insurgents captured the towns of Enniscorthy, Wexford, and briefly Gorey. The rebellion ended in Wexford in early July, but it had yet to begin […]
The Boyne Valley is home to an amazing site of Neolithic structures decorated with intriguing and distinctive swirls and spirals. It’s a must-see for visitors to Ireland, and the island’s recent drought conditions have revealed that it is even more amazing than previously known. Historian Anthony Murphy, who has written extensively about the area, was […]
Some traits are more common among the Irish. The ability to turn an ordinary event into a great story. Hospitality. The musical talent to sing a ballad so it grabs your heart. Insults so subtle and witty the insulted person needs a few days to discover the slight in the words. And celiac disease, a […]
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and her husband Prince Harry are getting the royal treatment for their visit to Dublin this week. Markle, who arrived wearing a simple but stunning dark green dress from Givenchy, is living every Irish American’s dream. She is being presented with details of her Irish roots and visiting some of […]
Annie Moore entered the history books as the first immigrant to the USA processed at Ellis Island when the center opened on New Year’s Day, 1892. It’s unclear exactly how she came to be first off the boat, but one credible theory is that the ship’s captain called out ‘women and children first’ and other […]
A wedding is a time when we tend to embrace tradition, but what we think of as Irish wedding traditions aren’t the oldest approach to marriage on this island. The Claddagh ring has a very romantic backstory and beautiful symbolism, which make it a lovely choice for an Irish wedding ring. Horseshoes, wedding bells and […]
Ireland had many high kings, but one name has stood out through the centuries. Brian Boru. Who was he, and why has he towered over Ireland’s other high kings in history? Why do we know his name today? Brian Boru’s best documented legacy is his victory at the Battle of Clontarf on April 23rd, 1014 […]
