Shop for the best of Irish products from the comfort of your home

We combed the internet to find reliable resources for the most popular Irish products: Aran Isle sweaters, Guinness glasses, Waterford Crystal, genuine blackthorn walking sticks, the flag of the Republic and more. Some of these shops have become friends; others we trust from their reputations and some offer products that are completely unique. We hope you enjoy browsing through what's on offer and We are confident you will find gifts for any occasion or person, all with an Irish flair.



Christmas Greetings from President Mary McAleese - 2008

It gives me great pleasure to send warm Christmas and New Year greetings to every member of the Irish family at home and abroad and to all Ireland's friends right around the globe.

As this year 2008 comes to a close most of us are reflecting on the great changes and global economic turmoil that have occurred in the latter half of the year. Much of the news that we have received recently in Ireland has been worrisome and we face a more uncertain New Year than we've seen in quite some time.

Nonetheless, it is now more important than ever to view current events through the prism of history's long perspective, to remember the considerable progress that has been achieved in our recent period of remarkable growth and also to take pride in the lasting legacy of peace and reconciliation that has been accomplished on this island. None of these things happened by accident but by commitment and they made this generation Ireland's most capable, problem-solving generation ever.

Facing into the New Year we will need to draw on that generation's skills and our strengths as a nation. Among our best assets are our exceptional traditions of community involvement and voluntary activities, our culture of taking responsibility for one another's wellbeing and of pulling together through difficulties. We also have the solidarity and support that comes from membership of the European Union. With these resources we can muster the confidence to get through the tough times ahead and restore growth and opportunity for all our people.

Christmas is a season of generosity, of gatherings of friends and family, of caring for one another with an even deeper sensitivity. It is our special opportunity to be community to one another and to show our care. I hope everyone will feel cared for this Christmas in some distinctive way that showcases the best and most noble traditions of Irish people everywhere.

To each one of you, whether members or friends of Ireland's large clan, wherever you are, I send my very best wishes for a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful, safe and prosperous New Year.

Resource: President's Office


Mary McAleese
President of Ireland



An Irish Christmas - St. Stephen's to New Year's Eve
by Bridget Haggerty

When I was a little girl, the day after Christmas was almost as much fun as the day itself. It was, and still is, a national holiday in Great Britain and Ireland, which makes a great deal of sense to me; adults get a day off to relax (or recuperate!), kids can look forward to going to the pantomime, and best of all, there's still that magical feeling of good cheer in the air.











New Year's Day to Epiphany
by Bridget Haggerty

In this last week of the season, even as a child I could feel the mixed emotions of leaving behind an old year and welcoming the new. In Ireland long ago, on New Year's night they'd remember those in the family who'd passed on the year before by setting a place at the table and leaving the door unlatched. In our house, from morning to evening, we welcomed all who came through our door - and, thanks be to God, the only spirits among them were the ones that came in a bottle!




Mumming - a Yuletide Tradition
by Bridget Haggerty

Hanner's Chronicle describes King Henry's celebration of Christmas in Dublin in 1172 as "...the sport, and the mirth, and the continual musicke, the masking, the mumming and strange shewes, the gold, the silver, and plate, the precious ornaments, the dainty dishes...."







Oiche na Gaoithe Moire...
by Bridget Haggerty

...the night of the big wind.
On the evening of Saturday, January 5th, 1839, heavy snow fell throughout Ireland. The next morning, it was completely calm and the sky was covered with motionless, dense cloud. As the morning progressed, the temperature rose well above the January average. While children played in the snow outdoors, mothers and fathers were inside their homes preparing for the festivities of Little Christmas - the feast of the Epiphany.








Who was Behind The Doors of Dublin?
by Bridget Haggerty

It was 1970 around St. Patrick’s Day that a colourful collage of Dublin doors appeared in the window of the irish Tourism offices on Fifth Avenue in New York City. People on their way to watch the parade were stopped in their tracks by what they saw. Drawn by the uniqueness of the image, many of them went inside to find out where they could get a copy. There were so many requests that Joe Malone, North American Manager of Bord Fáilte at the time, commissioned the poster that has since become an icon of Ireland.








The Irish Kitchen: Good libations for your celebrations!
Is deacair amhran a radh gan gloine - It's hard to sing with an empty glass.

Contributed by Hartson Dowd

Whether planning for a family feast or a festive gathering of your one hundred closest friends, your choice of drinks is as wide as the Irish Sea!




Basic Irish: A New year

A New Year, A New You? Whether or you succeed in taking off the pounds or giving up the smokes, why not make this year the year you resolve to learn some Irish? We have close to seventy lessons, beginning with the very basics all the way to greetings and toasts! Athbhlian faoi mhaise! (Happy New Year! (pronunciation: Ah-vleen fwee wash-eh)

Kids' Ireland: The Day After
by Grainne Rowland

It was December 26, St. Stephen's Day, Wren Day. Anthony and Joseph were jumping with excitement.

"Is it time yet?" asked Joseph for the hundredth time. Their mother was preparing breakfast in the early morning dawn.

"Will you two please calm down!" she exclaimed. "You can't go anywhere until you have something warm in your stomach. It will likely be hours before you come back and it is cold outside."

The Bells of Dublin - The Chieftains
by Bridget Haggerty

We've owned The Bells of Dublin for about ten years and it remains one of our favorite Christmas recordings. The Chieftains are impeccable as always but, in addition to their traditional Irish sound, they team up with a group of contemporary vocalists; for the most part, the mix works well. In fact we like every cut except one.






Letter of the Month - November
We receive many lovely letters from visitors to our web site and subscribers to our newsletter. As we’re fond of saying, your feedback helps to make all of the time and effort worth while. While we have a Readers Write Page where we post comments from time to time, we’ve decided to also select a Letter of the Month - one that, for whatever reason, tickled our fancy.


Just a quick thanks for an amazing website! I'm researching as much as I can about Ireland, and Dublin in particular as I will be moving there in the spring due to my husband's job. We are coming from northern Minnesota and know it will be quite the culture shock, but are so excited! Thanks for helping us to anticipate what we may encounter!

Cathy

Photo Credit: All Posters

Image: The Letter by Kirsten Soderlind, Note card from All Posters
Caption: We lost a lot when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call.
To read our previous letters, please click Letters of the Month

Live Music from Mayo

A link to the internet service from Midwest Radio out of Mayo. Broadcasting from their state of the art studios; Midwest Irish Radio plays nothing but the best Irish music. No matter where you are in the world, you are never too far from Ireland when you listen in.
Click here for: Irish Midwest radio.



Notices

Did you get your Newsletter?
We try to send one out every week or so. If you aren't receiving it, something is wrong. Let us know and we'll try to solve the problem. Note: subscribers are automatically deleted from the data base if the newsletter bounces back multiple times. Full or disabled mailboxes will also cause a subscription to be cancelled. If you have any questions, please contact Bridget.
If you think you may have missed an issue, newsletters are archived here: Archive.

The December Trivia contest is over!. OK the year is over, so is the Trivia contest for December - make one of your New Year's resolutions 'play the Trivia Contest every month'. You could start the year with some grand prizes- click here for the Trivia Contest.

This statue of Annie Moore - the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island - stands on the dock in Cobh. Co. Cork. She looks back towards the home she is leaving while her brothers look out to sea and, beyond the horizon, the New World, three thousand miles away.
Annie set off for America from here aboard the S.S. Nevada, on December 20th, 1891. Imagine how excited and nervous she must have been when she and her brothers arrived in New York on January 1, 1892. As the very first of 700 immigrants to disembark from her ship and two other boats that day, she was given a wondrous welcome - and also a $10.00 gold coin!


Click for More Culture Corner.

This Web Site Bashed, Kicked & Glued together by Russ Haggerty.