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? […]
Bog Cotton
Trembling in summer breezes, bog cotton brightens the Irish landscape. These fluffy, feathery blooms are found where their name suggests, bang smack in the middle of Ireland’s beautiful bogs. Ireland’s bogs and peatlands may not hold precious memories for those who were forced as kids to cut and stack turf, but trust me Ireland’s bogs […]
Lissadell House – A Family History
Lissadell House is a magnificent Georgian home in County Sligo, where the Gore-Booth sisters, Constance and Eva, once passed their childhood summers. Despite her privileged upbringing, Constance played a pivotal role in the Easter Rising of 1916. Yeats, a frequent visitor to Lissadell penned a tribute to these sisters, a poem I vividly remember learning […]
The Mother by Patrick Pearse
Today, May 3rd 2016, marks one hundred years since Pádraig Pearse (1879-1916) was executed for his part in the Easter Rising of 1916. Today my thoughts turn to his mother, who not only lost Pádraig, but merely one day later lost a second son, Willie. As people all over the United States prepare to celebrate […]
CualaNYC – New York City’s Irish Cultural Festival
Today’s blog post is especially for New York readers and anyone planning a trip to the Big Apple before June 2nd, 2016. I’m delighted to announce that CualaNYC, New York City’s first annual festival of Irish culture, kicks off today at 11 am in front of City Hall. CualaNYC, (pronounced Kool-ah) A Mammoth Celebration […]
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 […]
Heartscald by Alphie McCourt – Book Review And Giveaway
Today I am delighted to introduce a wonderful, new book of poetry and prose by Alphie McCourt, the youngest of the famous literary McCourt brothers. Copies of Heartscald: A Collection of Verses, Songs and Chronicles will be won by some lucky readers. So please read on, and check out how to enter at the end […]
Wise Old Words From Ireland For Mother’s Day
Wishing all mothers of the world a very happy Mother’s Day. This holiday may be celebrated on different days throughout the world, but this weekend let’s join American families to honor our mothers with sincerest sentiments of love and gratitude. To mark this day I thought I might share some Irish wisdom on motherhood and […]
