Rebuilding Lives in Northern Ireland
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Dec 4th, 2014
Nov 25-Dec 23 – This is the time of the ‘Elder Moon’. The winter solstice has passed and the Elder Moon is a time of endings. Although the Elder can be damaged easily, it recovers quickly and springs back to life, corresponding to the New Year.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Nov 6th, 2014
The custom of hanging a horseshoe over the door for luck may come from the old belief that fairies cannot pass through cold iron. The horseshoe would stop them from making mischief inside the house.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Oct 16th, 2014
As the year draws to a close and Samhain approaches, the Ivy moon rolls in at the end of the harvest season. Ivy often lives after its host plant dies which is a reminder that life goes on. The Celts believed this is the time to banish the negative from your life.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Sep 8th, 2014
Bagpipes are among the oldest musical instruments. Hundreds of types exist, each with a unique design and sound. They have an important role in Gaelic culture, being played at funerals, weddings and memorials.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Aug 31st, 2014
The month of August is named for the Celtic god Lugh who presides over the arts and sciences. Fairs are traditionally held in late Aug to celebrate the harvest. According to legend, Lugh decreed that a commerative feast be held at the beginning of the harvest season in honor of his mother Tailtiu. After the […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Aug 28th, 2014
It is traditional to bake a round loaf of bread at Lunasa which is cut into four, and each quarter put in the corner of the barn where the grain is stored to ensure a good harvest the next year.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Aug 22nd, 2014
During the early 1800’s many fiddles were destroyed or hidden both by the fiddlers and laypeople because they thought it best for the soul as it was a “sinful instrument that encouraged wild dancing, drinking and fighting.”
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Aug 11th, 2014
Surnames in Ireland have been passed from father to son for almost 1,000 years. The surname system in Ireland is one of the oldest hereditary surname systems in the world.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Aug 7th, 2014
‘The Celtic Tree Alphabet’ or Ogham consists of a series of strokes along and sometimes across a standing stone to commemorate someone, using the edge of the stone as the center line. Normally read from left hand side, from the bottom, across the top and down the other side.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Jul 24th, 2014
The ‘Statutes of Kilkenny’ 1366 was an attempt to eliminate Gaelic culture and identity. One of its rules was that everyone living within The Pale (Dublin and areas ruled by the English) was to change their Irish names to a color or occupation i.e.: Brown, Black, Smith, Baker, Cooper, Taylor, etc.
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