Irish Culture
I love holidays and celebrations. Though some, like Groundhog’s Day on the second of February, I find rather silly. And yet, I turned on the news to see if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Would there be another six weeks of winter? And how does a groundhog know this? I was a little more vested […]
A Groundhog Predicts the Weather? Read More »
In searching for the next topic for Native American Heritage Month, I came across a reference to the importance of language to native speakers. That resonates with me, as years ago, I began learning Scottish Gaelic. With a daughter who did Scottish Highland Dance and played bagpipes and a son who played the fiddle, I
The Importance of Words Read More »
As the saying goes, “Everyone’s a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.” Now, we all know that isn’t true, but there is a large percentage of Americans with Irish roots. I have ancestors from Donegal. But where did the phrase originate? The main reason may be due to the significant Irish immigration throughout history
A Little Luck of the Irish! Read More »
Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and I am wearing my green. Usually, I eat corned beef and cabbage while enjoying a Guinness. However, I am going out with friends today to celebrate the winter beer, bock bier, here in Germany. I wonder if they will have corned beef on the menu. So who was St.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Read More »
Whether you celebrate Imbolc, St. Brigid’s Day, Candlemas, Groundhog’s Day, or all of them, the beginning of February is a busy time on the calendar. So where did these all originate? I’ll start with the easy one; Groundhog’s Day. This celebration began in the United States in 1887. It seems to have nothing to do
I sat down today to write this week’s blog post about the Roman ruins we found in The Netherlands last week. Then the doorbell rang, and Widgit, the dog, went crazy. He usually barks, but this time he was excited. Opening the door, I saw four local children dressed in the robes of the magi.
Have you ever attended a local fall festival? This week marks Lughnasadh, the fourth of the ancient Celtic quarter festivals celebrating the year’s passing. Ancient cultures divided the world into light and dark: day/night, summer/winter, sun/moon, and so on. It helped them understand life and the natural world around them. They began the year with
Celebrating Lughnasadh Read More »
Well, here it is, Week 5 of Irish month. Little did I know, when I decided to focus on the arts, how little I knew about Irish artists. As you may have seen in last week’s post, I am more familiar with authors and playwrights. So I suppose wrapping up Irish month with artists allows
How little I know… Read More »
One of my favorite things to do visiting Dublin is to go on a Literary Pub Crawl. I’ve done it twice and had so much fun. Though I learned the trick is to order a half-pint in each pub! So, with those fond memories, I dedicate this article in my Irish Month series to Irish
There are so many topics to cover in Irish Month that I’d need at least six months. My background is in the arts, and now, as an author, I have decided that the remaining three weeks will be devoted to music, literature, art, and the Irish contributions to each. Wikipedia defines Irish music as a
Do you have an Irish playlist? Read More »