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
The 12th of July is a holiday across the 6 counties of Northern Ireland. It is the day that many celebrate by participating in marching bands, having barbecues and enjoying the holiday with their families in different ways. In this episode we look at the arrival of the Scots in the counties of Ulster –…
We chat about Irish sayings and proverbs in their original Irish, how to pronounce them and what they mean in English. Also, three very beautiful Irish songs in their original Irish. Hope you enjoy!
Carina and Mike chat about Irish Whiskey and other fine Irish concoctions! They share some Irish drinking songs along the way with lots of Irish history, surnames, genealogy, chat and craic along the way.
In todays extended Irish Musical episode – called “The Evolution of Irish Music in 12 Tracks” – we bring you a very personal selection of Irish music from Mike. As he works (enjoys!) his way through a very personal selection of music, he chats about Irish history, culture and just why he selected each track…
In this episode we take a trip inside the “Hedge Schools” of Ireland – places of learning that were dotted around Ireland right up to the mid-1800s. We also look at the prevalence of so many biblical/latin first names in Ireland – names such as Jeremiah or Cornelius – and explain just why they were…