Musings, ramblings and thought provoking articles from our team of talented writers - all views expressed are their own!
Does creativity require a bit of solitude? Consider the stereotype of writers toiling away in an attic somewhere. Virginia Woolf said women need a room of our own, and long before man caves men were retreating to workshops to create all sorts of wood crafts. Our Irish ancestors had this figured out. In fact, they […]
A lot of people think that wedding bells are only rung on your wedding day. But an old Irish tradition says otherwise. Ireland has two wedding bell traditions. Church bells are rung, of course. That started because people believed that the sound of bells scared off any evil spirits lurking around. (You’ll have to provide […]
Irish mothers are a special breed. And Irish people are extremely close to their mothers. North Americans living in Ireland often have a moment of culture shock when they realize it is perfectly normal for Irish professionals to phone their mothers from work daily. They aren’t ringing to check on any alarming medical issues. They just know […]
They say talk is cheap, but the written word is another matter entirely. Today, we have predictive text on our mobile devices and universal education and we think nothing of typing out quick comments as we skim social media throughout the day. But our ancestors had a very different relationship with the written word. They […]
It has been a whole year since that magical, glorious day when you exchanged vows and put a ring on it. Every couple’s first year is different. Maybe you both lived at home until you wed, and setting up housekeeping together was exciting because it was all so novel. Or maybe you both lived in […]
Year round, Ireland is lauded as the land with forty shades of green. But in May, our favorite shade of green gets the center stage. This is the emerald isle, and emeralds are the birthstone for May. It’s quite fitting really. May is often a gloriously green month in Ireland. Yes, it’s wet, but spring […]
Wedding rings are a very traditional symbol of the commitment of marriage. Wearing a ring tells everyone you meet that you have made a decision to spend your life with your beloved. It’s such a universally recognized symbol that some single women wear a gold band on occasions when they want to be left alone […]
Ireland was influenced by Scandinavia long before Ikea built their massive shop in north Dublin. The first wave of Scandinavian invaders were rather different, however. Sure, they brought some interesting fashions and built a lot, but their ventures didn’t pull in bored families with a bit of dosh to spend. The Vikings were a pretty […]
April is a dazzling month to be born. The weather is still a bit unpredictable, but it’s improving. The whole world feels optimistic. We see more of the sun. Plants are coming back to life, and the earliest flowers have begun to bud and bloom. Who isn’t charmed by April? It’s such a hopeful month, […]
You may know the love story behind the original Claddagh ring. Richard Joyce was a fisherman captured off the shores of Galway and sold into servitude to a goldsmith. As he worked toward his eventual freedom, he designed the iconic heart, hands and crown motif. When he returned to Galway, he presented the first Claddagh […]
