Irish Culture
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Céad míle fáilte–One hundred thousand welcomes in Irish. The Irish are known for their hospitality, so welcome to the second post in my Irish month series. There are several symbols that make me immediately think of Ireland. Here are some of the more common ones. Shamrock–The national flower of Ireland. Clover held important meanings to …
Since the first declaration in 1991, U.S. presidents have designated March as Irish-American month. The proclamation calls on Americans to “celebrate the achievements and contributions of Irish Americans to our Nation with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.” With St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, the choice of the month comes as no surprise. So, I decided …