Happy Spring Equinox everyone! A time-honoured by our ancestors and all of mankind since time immemorial and marked out by great celebrations, and astrologically aligned monuments, to mark the occasion…
With Valentine's Day upon us, I thought it would be a good idea to take a moment to consider the Claddagh ring, perhaps the most famous and powerful Irish symbol…
Wren Day (Lá Dreoilín) is a traditional Irish custom where the bold and mysterious ‘Wren Boys’ perform a ceremonial ‘Hunt of the Wren’, which takes place on Christmas Day or…
Are myths just fireside stories? What can they teach us about the past and ourselves today? Join me as we explore some the archetypal symbolic meanings attributed the various Gaelic…
The name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland. - Constitution of Ireland, Article 4. Ireland was once called Ériu after a goddess queen of the…
Céad Míle Fáilte, this common Irish greeting for travellers arriving at these shores literally translates to mean ‘a hundred thousand welcomes’. But this affectionate name for Ireland is due in…
At the start of October, I had the dual pleasure of making my first trip to Iceland, where I also got to hear eminent scholar David Friedman's analysis of ancient…
The Emerald Isle The following verse contains the first printed example of the term ‘Emerald Isle’ being used in reference to Ireland. William Drennan, a Belfast born poet, was also…
Though there were some Christians already in Ireland before the coming of Saint Patrick in 432 A.D., it was the success of his mission converting the island that the Irish…
Were the rights of women really so good in ancient Ireland? You will hear this fact repeated often, but is it true? With a bit of research we find the…