A Fun Irish Fair, Tribal Surnames and an Irish Castle

Céad míle fáilte, welcome to your Letter from Ireland “Shorts”.  Each Tuesday we’ll bring you a quick-read of some of our favourite and interesting Irish things for this week.

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FAVOURITE PLACES IN IRELAND 
Killorglin, County Kerry. (see it on a map here)

Last weekend, the town of Killorglin in County Kerry celebrated Puck Fair, one of the oldest festivals in Ireland. In it, a wild male goat or “puck” is crowned “King Puck” to commence the festival – just like in the statue pictured above! Check out this video of last year’s festival here.

For Letter from Ireland Plus members: Also check out our County Kerry Homelands Feature here for much more.

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FEATURED IRISH NAMES – Tribes and Kingdoms of Ireland

This week, I thought I would touch on the time when different tribes and kingdoms ruled Ireland. Click here to see if your family surname was part of the leading tribes of Ireland.

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BOOK I’M READING NOW

“The Searcher” by Tana French. This suspenseful novel from acclaimed crime novelist Tana French may be her best work yet! It tells the story of a retired Chicago police officer looking to build a new life for himself in a small Irish village, only to discover some dark, dangerous secrets lurking beneath. A real page-turner! Click here to see the book on amazon.

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IRISH WORD OR PROVERB

“Go n-ithe an cat thú, is go n-ithe an diabhal an cat!“

Which translates to “May the cat eat you, and may the devil eat the cat!”

Click here to listen to how a native Irish speaker would say it

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IRISH CRAFT/PRODUCT WE LOVE

This time, it’s not a craft – but a castle! A while back we got the opportunity to stay in Wilton Castle in County Wexford. It’s a fantastic place owned by Sean Windsor, who is a local farmer, and he’s put a lot of money and love into this unique piece of Irish heritage. Have a look at this video where we interview Seán on his royal surname and find out more about just why he reclaimed his castle.

If you ever find yourself on a trip to Wexford, we would highly recommend staying here like we did. You can see more on the castle here.

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RIDDLE OF THE WEEK

“What wears its heart in its head and stands on one leg?“

Click here to see the answer.

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That’s it for this week. Send us an email with any of your own favourites for inclusion in future emails, or if you’re a plus member leave a comment below.

Slán for now,
Mike & Carina.

*Note: The above article may contain some affiliate links (for example Amazon) which means we get paid a small amount should you choose to purchase, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep the show on the road!