Rebuilding Lives in Northern Ireland
Posted in Irish Trivia on Dec 20th, 2010
Spiced beef is traditionally eaten on St. Stephen’s Day, December 26th. The Battle of Kinsale was fought (and lost) on Christmas Eve 1601, marking the beginning of the “Flight of the Earls.” A snowman is known in Ireland as “Fear-sneachta.”
Posted in Did You Know?, Irish Trivia on Nov 8th, 2010
Wool from a black sheep worn constantly in the ear is a sure remedy for earache. To cure a fever, place patient on a sandy shore when the tide is coming in. The retreating waves will carry away the disease and leave the patient well.
Posted in Irish Trivia on Sep 30th, 2010
The Irish are the world’s greatest consumers of tea, ranking even above the English. It is pronounced “tay” which is the 18th Century pronunciation and is also said this way in other European countries. Sugar is consumed in large amounts by the Irish. Ireland is self-sufficient with respect to sugar, manufacturing it from the millions […]
Posted in Irish Trivia on Sep 28th, 2010
Mutton and lamb are the principal meats eaten in Ireland. Sheep farming was one of the only ways of life in mountain areas unfit for cattle. The Irish are Europe’s number one consumer of potatoes. Dulse (laver) is a flat, red-brown seaweed that can be eaten raw in salads. Sloke or sea-spinach requires a long […]
Posted in Irish Trivia on Mar 28th, 2010
The following is the last stanza of a poem written by Dominic Crilly to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Easter Rising of 1916: There were no deaths in Dublin on that Easter day some fifty-years ago Such music makers cannot die As many mercenary soldiers do With battles lost or won. They have but […]
Posted in Irish Trivia on Mar 1st, 2010
The Island of Montserrat in the Caribbean celebrates St. Patrick’s Day as a national holiday (as does Ireland) and has a full week of festivities. A traveler to the island will have his/her passport stamped with a shamrock and will be greeted with a banner that proclaims “Cead Mile Failte.” The flag has a […]
Posted in Irish Trivia on Feb 10th, 2010
In the 300 A.D. era, the Roman Emperor decreed that no marriages should take place on the grounds that unmarried males made better soldiers. Valentine, a priest, ignored the decree and married young lovers. He was arrested, beaten with clubs and sentenced to death. He refused to denounce his faith and converted his judge to […]
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