Otherworldly Islands, Irish American Stories and The Irish Language…

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 
The Skellig Islands, County Kerry. You never forget a visit to the Skelligs! They are unique and strike such an imposing figure that they’ve even been featured in Star Wars. Click here to see a short video to experience the islands a bit more. Skellig Michael is a world UNESCO heritage site, a sanctuary to many seabirds and an overall source of awe and wonder. Tuatha have a great free resource here on Skellig Michael with all the details you may need for a visit. Make sure to scroll to the end to see a video on the life of the islands current feathered inhabitants!

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FEATURED IRISH SURNAME
Our Irish surname of the week is Moriarty. It comes from the Irish “Ó Muircheartaigh”, which means “descendant of the navigator”. The Moriarty clan is synonymous with County Kerry. The earliest documented Moriarty is “Teag O’Moriarty”, a clan chief from the 13th century. To see where the name appears in Ireland in the mid 1800s go to this page on Johngrenham.com

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BOOK I’M READING NOW
“Stories From Ireland and America” by William Oliver O’Neill. This was recommended by one of our Green Room members so I’ll let them summarise it in their own words: “This is a new book by William Oliver O’Neill, born in Tipperary in 1942 and studied for the priesthood in Wexford. He came to America and eventually served as a priest here in Savannah. His short stories are plainly written and not at all preachy.  He covers old Irish traditions, superstitions, farming methods and life in general.  I’m enjoying it very much.” Click here to see the book on amazon.

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IRISH WORD OR PROVERB

“Níl bua gan dua“

It translates as “There’s no victory without hardship” or “No pain, no gain”

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

I’m sure many emigrants from Ireland had this thought on their mind as they navigated a new world.

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IRISH CRAFT/PRODUCT WE LOVE (not an advert – just things we like) 

Oideas Gael Irish language holidays. This one comes highly recommended from our Irish language expert friends at Bitesize Irish – and I can see why. They have a number of week-long and weekend courses which focus on learning the Irish language but also combine it with Irish cultural activities like music, dance and cooking. On top of this it’s all set on the dramatic Donegal coast. I’m quite tempted to join myself and get a refresher on my Irish! Maybe you’ll join me?

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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 the Amazon link) 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!