Ireland’s Southwesterly Point and Michael Collins’ Blanket

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 
Mizen Head, County Cork. (see it on a map here)

Have you visited this wild, scenic spot? If not, do consider it on your next Irish visit. It’s the most southerly place on the island of Ireland and has a very interesting visitor centre and much more. You can read more about Mizen Head and this part of the “Wild Atlantic Way” on this blog post we recorded after a recent visit.

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

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FEATURED IRISH NAMES – County Cork Surnames

This week we’re going to look at surnames from County Cork, a county close to our hearts, as we live there! Did your ancestors come from County Cork? See if your surnames made the list here.

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BOOK I’M READING NOW

“Tara Road” by Maeve Binchy. Maeve was an amazing Irish author who captured the heart of Ireland and its people with her books. Reading her novels, I was struck by the warmth and depth of her characters and their exploration of family and relationships. “Tara Road” is a beloved work which tells the story of two women whose lives become intertwined after they swap homes for the summer. Click here to see the book on amazon.

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IRISH WORD OR PROVERB

“Tóg go bog é“

Which translates to “Take it easy”.

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

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IRISH CRAFT/PRODUCT WE LOVE

We have purchased many woven goods from Foxford Mills in Foxford, County Mayo down through the years. We love their heritage and beautiful Irish products. Our last purchase from them was this replica of a “Michael Collins” blanket – worn by “the Big Fella” on his final day as he was driven in his open top car in 1922.

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RIDDLE OF THE WEEK

We’ll leave you this week with a new feature — a riddle or a brain teaser to test your thinking skills!

“Rich people need it. Poor people have it. If you eat it you die.“

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!