Musings, ramblings and thought provoking articles from our team of talented writers - all views expressed are their own!
Lughnasa was not actually that big a part of the play and subsequent film Dancing at Lughnasa. The story was so captivating, it’s easy to focus on that and forget all about the name. But Lughnasa was once a fairly important event in Ireland. It was the Celtic harvest festival, and it was named for […]
The Eiffel Tower is pretty, but is standing in line with a mob of other tourists really all that romantic? If your idea of romance involves seclusion, rugged natural beauty and a sense of history, Ireland offers a lot of spots that are perfect. Of course, we have plenty of places that draw crowds. Blarney […]
The bogs play a remarkable role in Irish life. For generations, Irish people have cut turf from the bogs to burn as fuel. Visitors arriving to parts of Ireland in winter notice the rich, distinctive smell, and Irish people living overseas long for the smell of the home fires. Bogs have also preserved and eventually […]
Somewhere along the way, Beltaine became conflated with May Day in Ireland. People began celebrating on the first day of May with festivities our ancestors would have considered quite tame. It is also the first day of summer, although the weather rarely cooperates with that. The word ‘beltaine’ is used for the month of May, […]
St. Patrick’s Day shows us just how the various strands of Irish are woven together – Irish, Irish-American and Irish in America. The history of the holiday is a story of traditions going back and forth, evolving and influencing each other. It’s not a case of tradition flowing only from the old country to the […]
Ireland has many claims to romantic fame. We have a legacy of poets, although most of their love poetry features tragedy. The same is true of our romantic ballads. St. Valentine is buried in Dublin. Well, not all of him. But a relic of his is at Whitefriar Church on Dublin’s south side, not far […]
St. Valentine’s Day is on the horizon, and romance is in the air. Who doesn’t love a good love story? The Irish are known for our gift of storytelling, and so it is no surprise that behind one of most popular Irish motifs is an incredible love story. The Claddagh design is iconic and deeply […]
The traditional question our Irish ancestors popped was ‘would you like to be buried with my people?’ Today, it doesn’t sound all that romantic! But you can still find many ways to plan a proposal that embraces Celtic heritage. Ireland really is a very romantic place, and you can bring some Irish romance to the […]
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 […]
Old Irish cottages are popular vacation rentals. Spending a week in one leaves you with amazing memories and perhaps a dream to retire and renovate one to live in. But what is really involved? How much can you modernize an old Irish cottage without robbing it of its charm? Which details are critical and what […]
