The rock of Cashel, the Irish Race and Laziness…

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 Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary. It was the seat of Kings of Munster and the place that Brian Boru was crowned. You can find an impressive array of medieval buildings here and, well, it just looks spectacular! Click here to hear from the tour guides of the Rock of Cashel themselves and go on a virtual tour.

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FEATURED IRISH SURNAME
Our Irish surname of the week is O’Carroll. The surname Carroll comes from the Irish first name of “Cearbhall”. This may denote a butcher or fierce warrior from the word “cearbh”. Six main O’Carroll septs existed in Ireland, in counties Kerry, Monaghan, Tipperary, Offaly, Leitrim and Louth. Notably, Charles Carroll signed the American declaration of independence and John Carroll was America’s first Catholic bishop and Archbishop of Baltimore. 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
“The Story of the Irish Race” by Séamas MacManus. A very comprehensive book that tracks from the beginnings of Ireland until the Easter Rising. Reading the whole thing through in one sitting may be a tough ask but certainly worth dipping in and out of and has something for almost every period of Irish history. See the book on Amazon here.

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IRISH WORD OR PROVERB

“Is trom an t-ualach leisce“

It translates as “laziness is a heavy load”.

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

This Irish proverb ultimately teaches us that laziness is a burden and not a relief (but I must point out that laziness is different to rest!).

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

Solvar Irish jewellery have been going in Dublin since the 1940’s and make some fine Celtic and Irish inspired jewellery. If you’re looking for some early holiday gifts then I would suggest giving them a look. I especially like their claddagh range.

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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!