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
Have you ever heard of Thomas Francis Meagher? He was born in County Waterford in 1823, arrested for his participation in the Young Irelander rebellion of 1848 – and when convicted of sedition, received transportation for life to Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania in Australia). Before that, he created what later became the tricolour flag of Ireland…
Earlier this week we had the start of Lent – which remains quite a big deal in Ireland. This was a time of year that affected our shared Irish ancestors in many ways. It was a lean time in the larder as the food from the previous harvests thinned out. It was also a time…
Last week, we spoke about the “Start of an Irish Spring” – how the ancient Celtic festival of “Imbolc”/Saint Brigid’s day celebrates the start of spring here in Ireland. For the the rest of this letter we’ll have a look at one ancient Irish tribe that gave us a number of Irish surnames – and…
This coming week sees the “official” start of spring in Ireland – kicking off with the old Celtic festival of Imbolc which has developed into Saint Brigid’s day since Christian times. And that is the subject of our letter today! A Celtic Festival To Celebrate. The old Irish word “Imbolc” refers to the “belly of…
Today, we’re going to meet a man whose organisation is at the forefront of sharing Irish history and heritage among so many people of Irish descent around the world. The organisation is Cork University Press – a prolific publisher of books like “The Atlas of the Irish Famine“ and “The Atlas of the Irish Revolution“ and their…
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…