An Ancient Irish Hill, Galloglass Mercenaries and Ogham Stones…

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 
Hill of Uisneach, County Westmeath.

The Hill of Uisneach (pronounced “ish-knock) is located in county Westmeath and believed to be the spiritual and mythological centre of Ireland. Nowadays, it’s the setting for the ancient Bealtaine Festival, or the Festival of Fires, which takes place on May 11th this year. Check out this short video of this Irish “Festival of Fires“.

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FEATURED IRISH SURNAMES – Galloglass Surnames

The Galloglass were a group of Scottish-Norse mercenaries who first arrived in Ireland in the 13th century to fight alongside the Irish chieftains. Do you have a Galloglass surname in your family? Have a look here – and see if you spot any of your own Irish surnames!

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BOOK I’M READING NOW

“Famine” by Liam O’Flaherty. O’Flaherty’s “Famine” follows the fictional Kilmartin family as they navigate the terrible times and struggles of the Great Famine. Click here to see the book on amazon.

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IRISH WORD OR PROVERB

“Bealtaine“

Which translates from the old Irish as “Bright Fire” and is also the word in the Irish language for the month of May.

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

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IRISH CRAFT/PRODUCT WE LOVE

Brian de Staic Jewellers are a well-established, family-owned business located in Dingle, County Kerry.  They design and create jewellery that is inspired by ancient Irish culture and traditions. Here we have one beautiful example – a pendant that is insrcibed using the old Ogham alphabet found in ancient Ireland.

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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!