Irish Culture & Customs Resources
In this section I share articles on Irish music, dancing, poetry, writing, story-telling and history. Many of the topics that we consider to be quite unique in our shared Irish heritage.
Browse the features listed on this page and jump to one that interests you, or enter a placename, surname or other item in the search box below to see related letters and podcasts.
Irish Culture & Customs Letters
This week sees the celebration of Saint Patrick’s day here in Ireland and in many places with a strong Irish connection around the world. Maybe you will attend a Saint Patrick’s day parade or celebration in your own part of the world? I thought it would be fun to take you on a tour today…
What do you think of when you hear the word “Celt” or “Celtic”? Maybe you picture druids with flowing robes in a misty setting near a stone circle, or maybe you think of the collective peoples of Ireland, Scotland and Wales? Surprisingly little is known for sure about the roots and origins of the Celts.…
When I was growing up in Ireland as a young Roman Catholic, a number of things were true for the majority of us Roman Catholics at the time: Few of us youngsters paid much attention to the reflections, suggestions and instructions issued within those letters. The pastoral Letters were, in our minds, aimed at the…
Our son shared the above photo of our grandchild, Aoife, pottering around in their garden last week. As soon as they moved into their new home, he and his daughter spent time planting up a vegetable patch and there was great joy seeing those first carrots appear. She is now fascinated by all the new…
I was going through some photographs from the past few years and came upon the one that I feature in today’s letter. It’s a photo of my good self sitting in a field in my father’s old farm in west County Cork on a beautiful day in July. It got me wondering just how many of our…
Irish Culture & Customs Podcasts
In the month of May, we celebrate the coming of summer here in Ireland. The month of May is called “Bealtaine” in the Irish language, which is also the Irish name for the celtic festival that marks the turning of spring to summer in early May. In this episode we celebrate Bealtaine by sharing some…
In this episode we chat about the running of a very specific castle in County Galway during the time of the Irish Chieftains. We look at the various families who had a part to play in keeping this castle and it’s lands working and productive. We also look at a particular group of Irish families…
Which songs come to mind when you think of Ireland? Do you have a favourite Irish anthem? We all know Danny Boy – Ireland’s unofficial anthem. But what other songs out there are truly worthy of being considered an Irish Anthem? I define Irish anthems as songs that you are likely to hear both on the…
In this episode we visit a field in the wilds of Connemara in County Galway and chat about two significant events – each of which brought about a huge step forward in technology and communications and are associated with this field. In the first letter, we introduce you to an Italian genius and his Irish…
We visit one of the many, many Holy Wells around Ireland and chat with the lady whose family is responsible for the upkeep of this ancient Irish shrine. This is probably a place that was used and venerated from pre-christian times. In the show we share lots of tales, cures and tradtions that many of…