Musings, ramblings and thought provoking articles from our team of talented writers - all views expressed are their own!
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 […]
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 has a plethora of charming B&Bs, elegant hotels, delightful vacation cottages and chilled out youth hostels. But what if a tent is more your thing? Yes, Irish people do go camping. But no, it is not quite like camping in North America. If you really want to get in touch with your roots among […]
It should go without saying that gardening is popular in Ireland. We have green thumbs after all. But what exactly do we grow? What vegetables, berries and fruits were growing in your great-grandparents’ gardens? While today, many Irish people plant a mix of traditional and more worldly crops in the garden, growing traditional foods is […]
It’s fair to say that Ireland has a dysfunctional relationship with summer. It’s a bit like when you go to the annual Christmas party at your relatives and hope that this year, great uncle Joe won’t slap you on the back and tell you very questionable jokes. Every year you hope, and every year you […]
