Musings, ramblings and thought provoking articles from our team of talented writers - all views expressed are their own!
James Joyce might not seem like the most Christmasy and festive of Irish writers, but he does have a special resonance at this time of year. Yes, those who have a week or so of extra free time during horrible weather do have a great chance to try (again) to tackle Ulysses, but there is […]
Americans have Black Friday. The Irish have something far more frightening. Culchie Shopping Day. They rose before the first light yesterday, hustling to get ready for the planned assault on the nation’s capital. Taking sandwiches and biscuits along with bags for the loot they expected to bring home, they left their homes early to travel […]
For some, there is deep darkness behind the twinkling lights. What can you do to help anyone in your life who is struggling with depression? One of Ireland’s most famous singers recently posted a suicide note on Facebook, and was thankfully found in time to be helped. That individual deserves privacy at this time, but […]
Many American families have a tradition of taking their children to see the ballet at Christmas. The Nutcracker is hugely popular. And surely the little ones enjoy the magic of it all, the beauty of the dancing and music, the fun of sitting still in their seats for an evening watching others dance, the joy […]
Let’s be clear – that is craic, not crack. In Ireland, we have a few Christmas staples that have not crossed the Atlantic in a significant way, and one of them is the traditional Christmas cracker. This is not an hors d’oeuvre. The last thing you’d want to do with these is eat them. A […]
Christmas decorating does not stop with decking the halls and lighting up the tree. Tis the season to make yourself or someone on your gift list a merry little necklace or bracelet with festive Christmas and winter theme beads from Tara’s Diary. Dreary winter days are the perfect time to get creative and crafty, and […]
Halloween has Irish roots. It developed out of the pre-Christian Celtic New Year called Samhain, when it was believed that supernatural creatures and departed souls could come creeping from the spirit world to torment the living. But that isn’t why Halloween is so much more disturbing here than in North America. In many ways, Halloween […]
Throughout Ireland and around the world, people march in parades on St. Patrick’s Day in honor of Ireland’s patron saint, but that is not the only walking done in his memory. St. Patrick’s largest namesake in Ireland is Croagh Patrick, which is known as Ireland’s holy mountain. More than 100,000 religious pilgrims come to this […]
Around the world, a lot of little boys and girls are getting very excited and thoughtful about a big day they have on the horizon – their First Holy Communion. It is huge milestone, developmentally and spiritually. They are old enough to start really thinking deeply and asking meaningful questions about God and faith and […]
A daughter is proof that big things do come in small packages, and at some ages they really do want the moon and stars. A bit too big for dressing up in princess costumes, but a bit too young for fine jewelry is not an easy stage – especially when she really does love all […]
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