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Posted by Cindy on May 31, 2013 | 2 comments

Ellis Island, Linking America and Ireland

If you’re Irish-American, you should know about Annie Moore. She’s the Irish teenager who came through Ellis Island when it opened in 1892, the very first...

Posted by Cindy on Dec 10, 2012 | 2 comments

Cook Up a Traditional Irish Christmas Feast

Who’s up for cooking a traditional Irish Christmas dinner? It will take some advanced planning, so here are some tips and recipes to get you going. Christmas...

Posted by Cindy on Jun 12, 2012 | 1 comment

Raising Children: The Path to Peace in Early Ireland

Fosterage today has a totally different implication than it did in the Middle Ages in Ireland. Today a child is put into foster care if his/her parents are not able to...

Posted by Cindy on Apr 30, 2012 | 16 comments

Cuppa Tea, Anyone? Ireland’s Other “Black Stuff”

Of Course It’s Hot! On my second day in Ireland my Irish friend took my husband and me out to lunch. I ordered iced tea, something I did not do again. The server,...

Posted by Cindy on Mar 15, 2012 | 1 comment

Tour a Part of Ireland’s Sacred Past: Follow the St. Patrick Trail

Amid all the celebrations, shamrocks, and green beer it’s easy to forget that St. Patrick was a real man. In Northern Ireland you can easily follow St....

Posted by Cindy on Feb 25, 2012 | 5 comments

Fairy Trees

While most folks in Ireland today will tell you they’ve left the fairy faith in the past, there is some evidence that it still exists. What’s fairy faith?...

Posted by Cindy on Feb 1, 2012 | 8 comments

St. Brigid… Ireland’s Other Patron Saint

Ireland’s Other Patron Saint Besides St. Patrick and St. Columcille (Columba) there is another revered saint. Mary of the Gael, Ireland’s female patron...

Posted by Cindy on Nov 22, 2011 | 2 comments

Sweet Irish History

The Tale of the Irish Bees The history of beekeeping is a long one in most cultures, and the Irish are no different. As mentioned in Early Medieval Ireland, 400-1200 by...

Posted by Cindy on Oct 28, 2011 | 4 comments

A Spooky Occurrence in Kilkenny

Claire Nolan is the author of a novel called The Stone, Alice Kytler, the last witch of Ireland, a medieval tale of money, power, witchcraft, family, and death. Claire...

Posted by Cindy on Sep 14, 2011 | 1 comment

The Power of Words

Words have a magical power. They can raise up the spirits or dash them down. They can bring laughter as easily as tears. Spend words like a miser counting coins. Make...

Posted by Cindy on Aug 25, 2011 | 9 comments

All About That Celtic Hair

The color of one’s hair, the way it was cut or not cut, and the grooming was extremely important to the ancient Irish. The issue of the cut of a monk’s tonsure was even...

Posted by Cindy on Jul 27, 2011 | 3 comments

Twin Monuments Across the Sea

When you are traveling, it’s always a good idea to keep your camera ready, and there’s no place where that’s truer than in Ireland. When my husband and I were in...

Posted by Cindy on Jul 17, 2011 | 5 comments

Tree Lore

It’s difficult to imagine today, but Ireland was once an island of forests. Pre-Christian Ireland had no temples for worship, but they did have plenty of trees so they...

Posted by Cindy on Jul 1, 2011 | 4 comments

In Gratitude to Lady Gregory

If you love old Irish stories and tales, chances are you’ve heard one through the storytelling of Lady Gregory. Who Was Lady Gregory? Born Isabella Augusta Persee on...

Posted by Cindy on Jun 21, 2011 | 1 comment

Sunwise Walking

Happy Summer Solstice! Thinking about the sun (and I’m not currently seeing it where I am!) made me think about the ancient Celtic tradition of turning sunwise or...

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