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 is a list of popular books that are mentioned many times in our Green Room Book Club.
The books listed cover the topics of Irish history, The famine, colourful country life, letters, Irish cooking, fictional genealogy, murder mysteries and Celtic spirituality. Something for everyone!
A somewhat contentious question for this week. Does the Irish shamrock best represent Ireland – or is there another contender? This question was on the mind of our guest contributor for this week – Simon O’Flynn, who recently retired from his Butcher’s shop after 68 years in the business. Simon often shares a story or…
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…
Irish Culture & Customs Podcasts
In todays special end of year episode, we look back over 2022 and select the 10 most popular Letter from Ireland Podcast episodes during the year. Something here for everyone! Let’s begin the countdown – starting at number 10 and working our way to number 1: At Number 10: “From The Vikings to The Normans”.We look…
In todays special Christmas episode, we share a selection of old Irish Christmas carols, songs and tunes. Something here for everyone! They include: With lots of chat along the way! We hope you enjoy! You can listen to the show on your computer/smartphone by clicking on the play button above (the triangle with the circle…
This week we look at one of the most Irish of cities outside Ireland – the city of Liverpool on the western shores of Britain. It’s a place that has seen over a million Irish pass through its port to stay in England, Wales and Scotland or to head to places further afield such as…
This week we look at the fact that there are many, many more people of Irish descent OUTSIDE the island of Ireland than on the island of Ireland. Many Irish immigrants brought their Irish place names with them when they settled in a new country. We look at just two cities with an Irish pedigree…
Welcome to this special musical edition of the Letter from Ireland podcast. We take a tour around the five counties – Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon – of the Irish province of Connaught. We have chosen two songs/pieces of music from each County with plenty of history and stories along the way. We hope…