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

An Irish Easter Celebration

Is this how your Irish Ancestor celebrated Easter?

Have you ever wondered how your Irish ancestor celebrated Easter? Come and have a chat with us as we take a look at a traditional Irish Easter celebration.

Farming Folklore: Spring Planting Rituals in Rural Ireland

Farming Folklore: Spring Planting Rituals in Rural Ireland

With springtime comes the planting season in rural Ireland. Discover the pastoral rituals and traditions that come with this important time in the time of our ancestors.

Cuckoo Day and April Fool's: Old Irish Pranks and Irish Superstitions

Cuckoo Day and April Fool’s: Old Irish Superstitions and Pranks

Discover uniquely Irish superstitions around April Fool’s Day, known as “Cuckoo Day”, with traditional pranks and folklore dating back generations.

How Irish Railways Transformed Your Ancestors' Lives

How Irish Railways Transformed Your Ancestor’s Life

All aboard for this week’s Letter from Ireland, as we take a train ride through the history of Irish railways and their impact on our ancestors’ lives.

Bridging Oceans and Generations: The Irish Thread that Binds us

Bridging Oceans and Generations: The Irish Thread that Binds us.

St. Patrick’s Day is upon us once again! In these times, I like to reflect on the Irish thread that binds us all together, wherever we may be.

Irish Culture & Customs Podcasts

Liverpool, UK - May 17 2018: Bronze statue of the Beatles stands at the Pier Head on the side of River Mersey, sculpted by Andrew Edwards and erected in December 2015

The Leaving of Liverpool, The Irish & The Beatles (#746)

We chat about just some of the Irish families who decided to stay in Liverpool – and their very famous descendants, four lads who formed a band called The Beatles.

Emigration from Ireland

The Most Irish of Towns Outside Ireland? (#745)

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…

Connaughtmusic counties - Galway Bay and the Music and Songs of Connaught (#744)

Galway Bay and the Music and Songs of Connaught (#744)

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…

Bould Thady Quill - Is This The Best Memorial For an Irish Ancestor? (#743)

Is This The Best Memorial For an Irish Ancestor? (#743)

In this episode we look at two types of storyteller. First, we have the “bard” who composes songs to honour the deeds and exploits of the great (and not so great) among us. In this case, a certain gentleman called “Thady Quill” had a song composed in his honour which has lived on long past…

Celtic cross in Irish church graveyard

How The Irish Saved Civilisation (#742)

In this episode, we look at the time of the Brehon laws of Ireland and take an example of just some of these Gaelic common laws that held our society together. We also chat about the Brehon families and some of the Irish surnames associated with these families. We then go on to chat about…