Irish Gift Giveaway From Biddy Murphy

In celebration of the Thanksgiving weekend and to salute the upcoming holiday giving season, the good folks at Biddy Murphy, a Michigan based retailer of Irish gifts, have graciously sponsored a lovely array of Irish gifts for readers of Irish American Mom to win.

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Irish Gifts

Thanks Biddy for being so generous and for once again working with Irish American Mom to bring the best of Irish gifts to our little corner of the world wide web.

Technically it's not Biddy who deserves my gratitude, but Ward Gahan, the founder of this wonderful Irish store. Biddy, is a nickname for Brigid, and Murphy is one of the most common surnames in the province of Munster. It's well known in America through the infamous Murphy's Law.

And so, before I share the details of these wonderful prizes and how to enter for a chance to win, I thought I would share Ward's personal immigrant tale and his American evolution from Tipperary born Irish step dancer, to the proud owner of the Biddy Murphy store and online gift shop.

Real Irish Gifts From Real Irish People

BiddyMurphy.com is a global online retailer for beautifully handcrafted Celtic gifts. I love their tag line - "Real Irish Gifts From Real Irish People" found on their online shop.

To tell you the truth you cannot find a more Irish proprietor than Ward Gahan. His name in Irish is Eamon O’Gaoithin, which means Edward or Ward Gahan.

Born in Clonmel, Co. Tipperay, Ward went to college in Ireland and started his working life in Dundalk, County Louth and and in Naas, County Kildare. During those years he fostered a great love of Irish culture, the infamous Irish craic, our sports, language, music and of course dancing.

Ward was a young Irish step dancer during his early years in County Tipperary. He actually qualified for the World Championships twice with a certain Michael Flatley. I love how Ward says on his website ... "I didn’t think he’d amount to much either."

Ending Up In Michigan

Way back when in 1985, Ward made a decision to cross the pond and travel to Chicago, one of the most Irish of all American cities. But he did not stay there very long.

From Chicago he got a notion to hit the road to go see the rest of the United States, but I'm afraid he didn't roam too far.

Lo and behold, he ran out of gas (or petrol as we say in Ireland) on US-31 at Exit 20 in South Haven, Michigan, and it's there he put down roots, founding his Irish gift shop and making South Haven home.

Choosing Merchandise for Biddy Murphy

Ward, and his Irish team of retail experts, love to deal with Irish companies and their distributors in North America. They have taken time to visit their manufacturing facilities in Ireland to personally get to know the people and artisans with whom they are working.

Ward is a member of the North America Celtic Traders Association and has been elected by the membership to serve terms on the board of directors.

He passed the Federated Jewellery Manufacturers of Ireland exam at the Royal Dublin Society, making him one of a select few in North America certified as proficient in the design, construction and sale of Irish made, gold, silver and diamond jewelry.

And so, what does this mean for you? Being from Ireland, Ward's team offers authentic Irish products at excellent prices with service that will keep you coming back again and again or as we say in Ireland, arís is arís eile, (pronounced ah-reesh iss ah-reesh ella).

The Prizes

Ireland boasts a long history and tradition for sheep farming. The vast mountainous landscapes of the west of Ireland provide acres of wild land for sheep to graze.

Native Irish sheep found in County Galway and the west of Ireland have an extremely high quality, soft wool, just perfect for fabricating clothing with a luxurious feel.

This beautiful Irish wool scarf from Biddy Murphy is no exception, and it's lovely brown and pink tones are complimented by this uniquely designed Irish tweed cap.

Hanna hats are made with pure new wool from Donegal tweed and are designed and assembled by hand in Donegal town. Hanna Hats of Donegal are extra special since all of their hats are crafted from uniquely designed patterns.

The first prize, which one lucky winner will win, is this lovely hat and scarf.

The next prize is this beautiful Claddagh pendant featuring Ireland's most enduring symbol of friendship, faith, love and loyalty.

The third and final prize is for this beautiful Trinity Knot pendant.

Celtic patterns and knots are mystical symbols of Ireland used to represent faith, love, and unity. The trinity knot, a simple interwoven loop with neither a beginning nor an end, is an exquisite emblem of infinity and eternity.

The Giveaway

To enter just leave a comment on this blog post by noon on Wednesday, December 7th, 2016. Any comment will do, but if you need inspiration why not tell us why you like to buy Irish gifts.

Three winning comments will be chosen randomly. Remember to leave your e-mail so that I can contact you should you win. Your e-mail won’t be published or shared, just used to contact our lucky contestants.

Winners will be announced on Wednesday December 7th, 2016, at the bottom of this blog post.

You may check out Irish American Mom’s complete terms and conditions for sweepstakes' entries by clicking here.

Thanks to everyone who supports and enters this little giveaway.

Feel free to tell your family and friends by sharing this post.

Thanks a bunch for spreading the word

about Irish American Mom and Biddy Murphy.

Update – Winners Chosen

Good news. Our winners have been chosen using the randomized “Pick Giveaway Winner” WordPress plug-in.

Congratulations to …..

Lorna Sixsmith - winner of the scarf and hat.

Kathleen - winner of the Claddagh pendant.

Jeff Ford - winner of the Trinity Knot pendant.

I’ll send our winners a quick e-mail to let them know about their little bit of Irish luck.

Thanks to everyone who joined in and entered this little Irish American Mom giveaway. Wishing the good folks at Biddy Murphy's continued success as they bring a little bit of Ireland to America.

A Little Bit of Legalese - my disclosure notice:  Irish American Mom did not receive payment for this blog post. I simply like to help spread the word about Irish and Irish American businesses. If I receive payment for a sponsored post I will always share that information with you. A big thank you to Biddymurphy.com for graciously sponsoring the prizes for this holiday giveaway.

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