Ancient Ireland, crossing the Atlantic and Authentic Irish drinks…

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 
Poulnabrone, Co. Clare. Poulnabrone Dolmen is still standing since it was built back in the New Stone age period. It’s an amazing piece of history on the Burren landscape and is a valuable connection to Ireland’s distant past. Get an up close look of the Dolmen and the landscape by clicking here.

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FEATURED IRISH SURNAME
Our Irish surname of the week is Murray. This famous surname is often considered Scottish but is also found as an Irish gaelic name. It is thought to have come from Moray in Scotland and traveled to Ulster. However, some Murrays may also be from the Irish name Mac giolla Mhuire, meaning “son of the follower of the Virgin Mary” or Mac Muireadhaigh, meaning the son of the sea man. Both of these original Irish gaelic names were often anglicised as Murray or Murry. To see where the name appears in Ireland in the mid 1800s go to this page on Johngrenham.com

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BOOK I’M READING NOW
Irish Transatlantics, 1980-2015 by Íde B. O’Caroll. An intriguing that looks at how our Irish ancestors made the journey from Ireland to America and sometimes back again, due to a brightening economy back in Ireland. It’s not just about migration, but also about how technology transformed the way we live ‘here’ and ‘there’ across the Atlantic. It lays out the stories of 20 different Irish souls individuals. I’d highly recommend it for anyone curious about Irish immigration and what “life was like at the time”. See the book on Amazon here.

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IRISH WORD OR PROVERB

“Go n-éirí an bóthar leat“
(pronounced “Guh ny-ree on bow-har lat“)

Which translates to “may the road rise to meet you”.

Click here to listen to the pronunciation.

One of the most poetic blessings we have here in Ireland I think! 

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IRISH CRAFT/PRODUCT WE LOVE

We recently visited Killarney Brewing & Distillery in Co. Kerry with one of our Green Room members and had an amazing time at their new Brewery and Distillery looking out over the iconic Gap of Dunloe. Read more about the brewery and distillery here.

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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 the Amazon link) which means we get paid a small amount should you choose to purchase. This helps us keep the show on the road!