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
It’s been a very interesting week in this part of the world – the Easter 1916 Rising commemoration has been taking place right through the week, with some great events around the country. Although 100 years does seem like a long time, admittedly – more than a lifetime for most of us – it’s not…
Let’s jump back to a time 22 years ago – the place was Dublin City, and the event was the “Eurovision song contest”. The Eurovision song contest is one of those “love it or hate it” institutions here in Ireland. Each year, a song is entered from each country in Europe (that’s quite a few…
If you were to pull out a map of your area this moment and have a look, how many places would you spot named after Irish villages, towns and counties? As you may have noticed, anywhere that the Irish – and other nationalities settled in numbers – they also brought along the names of their…
This week, we are going to have a look at some family names from County Cavan – and one Irish musician in particular. I have put some really nice musical videos in the centre of our letter today and I know that you will enjoy them. The Families of the Kingdom of Breifne. Have you…
Given that you are reading this letter, can I assume that you have an interest in your Irish Heritage and ancestry? Now, let me ask you this – when did you develop this interest? For a few of us, it’s always been there – for others, a curiosity appears in our forties or fifties –…
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…