Irish culture and Irish customs - World Cultures European

Fáilte
Welcome to Irish Culture and Customs, a labor of love we began several years ago. What started as a surprise milestone birthday trip to Ireland became the beginning of a journey through time. A 2,000-year voyage on a quest to learn as much as we can about everything Irish. So here's where we are so far - more than 700 pages that range from Irish poetry, superstitions , Kids Stories and recipes to specific Irish calendar celebrations such as St. Patrick's Day , Beltane, Samhain and the Feast of St. Brigid. Whether it's an Irish symbol such as the shillelagh, the Shamrock and the Book of Kells or an Irish craft like Aran Isle knitting, you'll discover a wide range of topics in our index. We hope you find the little bit of Ireland you may be looking for.

Galway Races - Where the Pint is the Unit of Currency!
by Gerard McLoughlin

The Galway Races, traditionally run in the last week of July, represent one of Ireland’s most enduring and most characteristic festivals.

In tribute to George Bernard Shaw
by Bridget Haggerty

Did you know that G.B.S. wrote more plays than Shakespeare? Not only was he a prolific dramatist, he was also a supporter of women's rights, advocated equality of income, supported radical change in the voting system and campaigned for the simplification of spelling and the reform of the English alphabet. In 1925 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He accepted the honor but refused the money.

Irish Landmarks:The Abbey Theatre
by Bridget Haggerty

Led by W.B. Yeats, a group of prominent figures in Irish literature came together with the intention of championing, promoting and preserving the works of Irish-born playwrights. It's thanks to Yeats, Lady Augusta Gregory, J.M. Synge and George Russell that many of the most memorable plays of all time are still being enjoyed by theater-goers all over the world.

Constance Georgina de Markievicz
Suffragette, Socialist, Soldier
by Joe McGowan

"How can I voice my grief
For the patriot dead?
Sorrow and tears are often brief,
Though many will be shed —
Not alone in Lissadell
But around the peopled earth,
Wherever Irish exiles dwell
Or freedom struggles to have birth."
Dr. James P. Gallagher

Watching the weather on St. Swithin's Day
by Bridget Haggerty

St Swithin’s Day, if it does rain
Full forty days, it will remain
St Swithin’s Day, if it be fair
For forty days, t'will rain no more."

This charming weather-rhyme is well known throughout the British Isles and Ireland. St. Swithin was an early Saxon Bishop of Winchester and legend says that as he lay on his deathbed, he asked to be buried in the common graveyard, "where the rain would fall on him and the feet of ordinary men could pass over him." For nine years, his wishes were followed, but then, the monks of Winchester attempted to remove his remains to a splendid shrine.

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.

Irish Kitchen: Fraughan Fool with Sweet Biscuits

In her book The Festive Food of Ireland, Darina Allen explains that fraughans, herts or billberries are the names used in different parts of Ireland for wild blueberries which grow on the acid hilltop soil. They were traditionally picked on the first Sunday of August - during Lúgnasa - and eaten mashed with sugar or in pies. If there was an abundance, they would also be made into jams.

Basic Irish: Going on Holiday
Going on holiday/vacation? In this lesson you will find words and phrases related to the annual trip for some rest and relaxation. Also, be sure to check Lesson 53 which covers the great outdoors and words such as beach as well as Lesson 59 which focuses on Travel and phrases like travel agent.

Old Whiskers Wins a Wife and Aine Learns a Lesson
by Grainne Rowland

King Laoghaire's daughter, Aine, was of an age to be married. But, she was being very stubborn about the possible husbands her father presented to her.

"No, Father!" yelled Aine, stamping her foot. "Not one of these chieftains is good enough for me. I've looked at 79 of them. They are all too old, or too fat, or too thin, or too tall, or too short! Why, the last one had a scraggly beard down to his chest. No wonder I turned him down - Old Whiskers, indeed!"

Karan Casey and Ships in the Forest
by William Ramoutar

Well, sadly Frank Harte is gone, but he will never be forgotten if Karan Casey and her like have anything to do with it. Frank passed many songs on to Karan and she sure made some of them her very own. There is no one who will ever outdo her version of “She is Like the Swallow.” But on this brand new cd of hers, it is unlikely anyone will ever surpass her ladyship’s rendering of Martin Furey’s superb song, “The Town of Athlone.”

Letter of the Month - May
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.

We just returned from Ireland a week ago, and the building that is going on there is astounding! An incredible amount of money is going into the infrastructure there from the EU. And they have the prices to match - a pint of Guinness in the pubs averaged the equivalent of $6.50 - we had to cut back on eating to make up for it.
Many of our favorite places in the West are hardly recognizable anymore. In fact, we have been especially fond of Leenane (just a bit south of Louisburg) and were startled to find a traffic light there although I think it is temporary for the duration of the bridge construction.
We had gone to a wedding in the North (Limavady) and the prices there are even higher in that the conversion rate for the pound sterling is running 2 to 1. All of this is great for the people of Ireland, but it sure makes you tighten your belt.

Jim

Photo Credit: Leenane - Virtual Tourist

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 new internet service from Midwest Radio out of Mayo and the opportunity to request a song.
Click here for: Irish Midwest radio.

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The July Trivia contest is posted!. All right then, out of the water, put down that beer and answer the questions, you will win (well maybe not, but it's worth a try) - click here for the Trivia Contest.