Have you ever wondered how limericks, those short, five-line rhyming ditties were named after one of Ireland’s counties? I recently completed a post taking readers on a photographic tour of County Limerick, and as I was creating this piece I started wondering about the origins of these infamous little “Irish” poems. Are they really Irish? […]
Irish Poetry
Let's explore the poetry of Ireland's talented writers from the past and present. Ireland is home to many writers who continue to find inspiration from the words of those who came before us.
If I Were A Lady …. I’d Wear A Hat
It’s Kentucky Derby weekend, and the people of Louisville are donning their finest attire for a day at the races. Ornate hats will balance atop the heads of well-heeled ladies, as they watch the Run for the Roses tomorrow. Image Credit These fashion statements of Churchill Downs may be relics of the past, yet Kentucky […]
Finnegan’s Wake, With An Apostrophe – In Memory of Irish Poet Paddy Finnegan
Each year on Saint Patrick’s day the Irish literati assemble on the banks of the Grand Canal in Dublin to commemorate one of Ireland’s greatest poets, Patrick Kavanagh. This year there was one poet missing, Paddy Finnegan. In today’s guest post, Mattie Lennon, writer and folklorist, remembers his friend, sharing some beautiful memories of […]
A Rose For William Butler Yeats
This year, 2015 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of William Butler Yeats, Ireland’s renowned and beloved poet. To mark the occasion the good folks at The Secret Gardens of Sligo are launching a brand new Irish rose to be named in his honor. Image Credit Why Name A Rose For Yeats: Naming […]
To Ireland’s Far-Flung Exiles / A Poem By Irish American Mom
Ruined stone cottages lie dotted across the Irish landscape, permanent reminders of Ireland’s emigrants, forced to leave their homes by famine, and eviction. Over one million people left Ireland in the years of the Great Hunger from 1845 to 1850, and in the decades after many more followed. Every time I see the old shell […]
The Rose As A Symbol Of Ireland
The rose is not widely known as a symbol of Ireland, the shamrock being more famously associated with the Emerald Isle. However, in centuries past The Black Rose was sometimes used as a code word for Ireland, when English law prohibited direct references to Ireland as a nation. I was browsing through my albums, and […]
Dublin Sunrise
On cloudless mornings the sun rises over Dublin Bay, brilliantly illuminating the skies. Today I thought I would share some photos I took this summer, as Dublin slowly came to life, together with my poem, Dublin Sunrise. Hope you enjoy these words and images. An immense dark sky Flushes in expectation, Casting a glowing […]
The Old Woman Of The Roads
Tonight as I write, the wind is howling and snow is falling for our first winter storm in Kentucky this year. Every time the mercury falls way below freezing and the icy winds blow, I think of the homeless and pray they find warm shelter. A poem I learned at school a long, long time […]
What I Miss About Ireland – Swans
Crisp October days bring back memories of swans. Each and every autumn flocks of wild swans arrive in Ireland, to escape the harsh winters of their northerly, summer homes. Photo Credit Yeats was inspired by The Wild Swans at Coole: “The trees are in their autumn beauty, The woodland paths are dry, Under the […]
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