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!

An Irish Rebel Easter (#715)

As we approach Easter here in Ireland, the thoughts of many Irish people turn to the historic events around the Easter Rising of 1916. In this episode we talk about that time as well as another Irish leader who was killed 100 years ago this year. We also feature Irish rebel songs commemorating many of…

Have You Heard of The Irish Patriot called Michael Collins?

Last week, we spoke about the “Start of an Irish Spring” – how the ancient Celtic festival of “Imbolc”/Saint Brigid’s day celebrates the start of spring here in Ireland. For the the rest of this letter we’ll have a look at one ancient Irish tribe that gave us a number of Irish surnames – and…

Irish Sayings – Is there Room for the Irish language in your Life?

I must admit, I find English – the language of this letter – to be one of the most beautiful languages in the world. Down through the centuries it stretched in the most imaginative of directions – absorbing the beautiful lines of poets and scribes who were supported by a wealthy power and taking in…

Did Your Irish Australian Ancestor Follow the Black Velvet Band?

2.1 Million Australian citizens who identified themselves as being of Irish ancestry in the 2011 census. When I hear from our Australian readers, there is often at least one story of “transportation to a penal colony” in their ancestry.