Rebuilding Lives in Northern Ireland
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Feb 18th, 2013
The nocturnal hare is associated with the moon. To see a hare gazing at the full moon is said to bring luck and abundance. The Celts were once spread across Europe but took to the island lands which protected them with the rocky coasts and stormy seas. Many made their livelihood from the sea.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Jan 29th, 2013
Rhiannon is the Celtic goddess of inspiration and the moon. She rode a horse so fast, its hooves never seemed to touch the ground. No rider could catch her.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Jan 1st, 2013
It is customary in Ireland on New Year’s to set a place at the dinner table for any family member who had passed away during the year. Pork is a favorite food for New Year’s dinner because the pig ‘roots’ forward with his snout. And chicken is never eaten because it scratches ‘back’. Fish is […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Dec 3rd, 2012
The elements of fantasy, cosmic horror and the supernatural form an indispensable ingredient in the folklore of the Celts. (“Celtic Myths and Legends” by Peter Ellis)
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Dec 1st, 2012
A ring of mushrooms is known as a fairy ring, a magical place where spirits dance.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Nov 29th, 2012
In Celtic tradition, the wolf is associated with intuition and learning. In Celtic lore. Cormac, son of the king, was stolen from his mother and raised by a wolf, alongside her four cubs. When he returned to live among his people, he was always accompanied by the four wolves of his infancy, as loyal to […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Nov 27th, 2012
To the Celts, the Tree of Life was an enduring link between the upper and lower worlds, a connection transcending time. Its roots and branches unite all beings, its fruit is the gift of love.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Nov 18th, 2012
“Hungry Grass”-If someone in Ireland describes an unspeakable hunger, legend says they have walked over a ‘famine grave’ – these were open pits prepared during the Great Hunger of 1840’s when starving people stood in line waiting for food carts to arrive. Some died while waiting and fell into the linear communal tomb.
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Oct 31st, 2012
The Celtic New Year is called All Hallow’s Eve and is the origin of Halloween, when the dead cross over between this world and the other. At all Hallow’s Eve , God keep you safe From goblin and pooka and black hearted stranger From harm of the water and hurt of the fire, From thorns […]
Posted in Irish Culture and Customs on Oct 30th, 2012
The ‘wee people ‘ are believed to exist in remote parts of Ireland and Scotland and are gifted with magical powers. They prefer the color red-red hair, red clothes. They are great musicians and the women spin wool. The Clurichaun is a fairy that lives in the southern part of Ireland. They guard wine cellars […]
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