Colourful Townhouses, Surnames and their Counties and a History Lesson

Céad míle fáilte, welcome to your Letter from Ireland “Shorts”.  Each Tuesday we’ll bring you a quick-read of some of our favourite and interesting Irish things for this week.

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FAVOURITE PLACES IN IRELAND 
Deck of Cards Houses, Cobh, County Cork. (see it on a map here)

You might be familiar with the sight of this colorful row of houses in Cobh, County Cork. Called the “Deck of Cards” houses, they’re an iconic fixture of the scenery! You can find out more about them and Cobh here. And check out this video where Carina has a chat with the general manager of the Cobh Heritage Center as he shows us just why this place is so special.

For Letter from Ireland Plus members: Also check out our County Cork (Revisited) Homelands Feature here for much more.

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FEATURED IRISH NAMES – Irish Surnames and Their Counties

Have you ever wondered where your Irish surname comes from? We’ve compiled some of the most popular surnames for each county so you can check where each surname might have originated. Read more about it here – and see if you can spot your own surname in the mix!

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BOOK I’M READING NOW

“The Twelve Apostles” by Tim Pat Coogan. From acclaimed historian Tim Pat Coogan comes a detailed and thought-provoking account of the titular “Twelve Apostles”, an elite assassination squad formed by famed IRA intelligence chief at the time, Michael Collins, and their role in Irish history. Click here to see the book on amazon.

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IRISH WORD OR PROVERB

“Slán“

Which translates simply to “Goodbye”. An easy one to fit in the everyday vocabulary

Click here to listen to how a native Irish speaker would say it

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IRISH CRAFT/PRODUCT WE LOVE

Hibernia Landscapes on Etsy , created by Stephen Wallace, captures the beautiful, sweeping landscapes of Ireland in perfect detail – ready to be hung up on your wall! Check out their shop here.

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RIDDLE OF THE WEEK

“What goes away above the ground and returns under it?“

Click here to see the answer.

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That’s it for this week. Send us an email with any of your own favourites for inclusion in future emails, or if you’re a plus member leave a comment below.

Slán for now,
Mike & Carina.

*Note: The above article may contain some affiliate links (for example Amazon) which means we get paid a small amount should you choose to purchase, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep the show on the road!