A Pirate Queen’s Castle, Brehon Surnames and Irish Greeting Cards

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 
Rockfleet Castle, County Mayo.

Carraigahowley Castle (which translates as “rock of the fleet”) is best known as the home and operations base for the “pirate queen of Connacht”, Grace O’Malley. We share more about the castle in this article – check out this aerial video of the castle as well.

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FEATURED IRISH NAMES – The Brehon Families

For thousands of years, Gaelic Ireland was ruled by “Brehon Law”, so named because they were devised by the “Brehon” or judge of each gaelic kingdom. Like many positions in ancient Ireland, this was usually a hereditary role that was passed down among specific families in each county. Let’s have a look at some Brehon surnames – and see if you can spot your own surname among them!

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BOOK I’M READING NOW

“Eternal Echoes: Exploring our Hunger to Belong” by John O’Donohue. Taking inspiration from the rich spiritual beliefs and timeless wisdom of Celtic Ireland, author John O’Donohue discusses our human desire to belong and teaches us how to fulfill it in our modern world. A very inspirational read! Click here to see the book on amazon.

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IRISH WORD OR PROVERB

“Ní mar a shíltear a bhítear“

Which translates to “All is not what it seems”.

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

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IRISH CRAFT/PRODUCT WE LOVE

Connect The Dots Design on Etsy, based in Belfast, creates gorgeous and creatively designed greeting cards, prints, posters, and stationary that takes pride in their Irish heritage with the use of Irish proverbs and cultural symbols. We simply adore this “Seanfhocail Gaeilge” print, containing many wise Irish proverbs.

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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 and Etsy) 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!