Vikings, Irish Crystal, Poetry and more…

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 
Reginald’s Tower, Waterford City, County Waterford. This 1,000 year old building in the middle of Waterford city is quite a sight! But the replica Viking ship next to it makes it even more intriguing. Waterford city was originally a Viking settlement and saw many battles for dominance over the years. Click here to watch Carina show you more on the tower and the ship.

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FEATURED IRISH SURNAME
Our Irish surname of the week is “Meagher” (Maher or Magher) which comes from “O’Meachair”, meaning “kindly and hospitable chief”. The clan originates near Roscrea in County Tipperary and was one of the few not to be ousted following the Norman invasion.

Just next to the tower in Waterford city above, you will find a statue of Thomas Francis Meagher who was the first man to raise the tricolour flag in Ireland. He has an amazing story to read more about here. 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
“Irelands Hearts – Best loved Poems of W.B. Yeats”. One of the biggest names in 20th century literature and also a senator of the Irish Free State. This gift book pairs his best poems with paintings from some famous Irish artists of the time. Click here to see the book on amazon. 

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IRISH WORD OR PROVERB

“Is leor nod don eolach“

Which translates to “A word to the wise (is sufficient)” meaning if a person is wise enough then all they need is a nod. I’ll leave it there!

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

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

Criostal na Rinne is a family run crystal maker based in the gaeltacht (Irish speaking area) of An Rinn in County Waterford. It was started by master craftsman Eamonn Terry and we had the pleasure of meeting him recently and seeing his work. Each piece is a work of art and you can tell he puts his heart into all that he does. His Cló range, based on ogham writing with such delicate lines would be my personal favourite.

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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!