It is a frigid-2 degrees morning with glittering sun-gold snow mounds and I am in need of prayer. I’ve been weakened by the flu and the vicissitudes of life. And yet I am hopeful and grateful this day, even if another foot of snow looms ahead. It is St. Brigid’s Day, February 1st. And because freedom to believe and…

St. Brigid is the second patron saint of Ireland, whose feast day is her birthday -- the first day of spring, 1^st February (Lá Fhéile Bhride). Brigid is also known as Muire na nGael or "Mary of the Gael," which means Our Lady of the…

Check out our past quizzes here.…

Originally recorded as January, Janaway, Jenery, Jennery, Jennardy, in England, Janvier (France) Janer and Jane in Spain, Januario in Portugal, Gennaro and Zannari (Italy) and many others, and recorded throughout Europe, this is a name of truly ancient origins. It has…

A.D. 2014 has been a magnificent year for The Wild Geese Irish Social Network.  As this year draws to a close, we thought it would be interesting to compile the most popular articles and videos from the community.  Depending on how new you are to The Wild Geese…

Photo by: sugargliding

I have often heard about the Irish Christmas tradition of placing a single lit candle in a window, signifying that in that house there was room and welcome for Mary and…

This beloved carol, believed to be originally of Welsh origin, had already been around for quite a while when Mozart used it for a piano duet in the 18th century. You can read more about its interesting history in …

[Below is a link to a recording of an interactive broadcast of Irish Christmas songs and stories, part of TheWildGeese.Irish Sibin series of discussions and…

The Irish have only a few Christmas traditions that stand out as traditionally Irish and not borrowed from other cultures in recent times. Perhaps the oldest of these traditions is ... housecleaning!  And it may, too, have been borrowed from other cultures, although it was as long ago as before the birth of Christ.

This is not your typical housecleaning. Traditional Irish "whitewashing the…

It was Samhain, the night when the veil between worlds was parted, the night when the spirits would come back to earth and commune with earthly mortals. As a child, he had often heard the tales told around the fireside but as he grew older, he dismissed them as harmless ghost stories…

The…

May I respectfully add my…

It seems to me people start Halloween the first of October. They claim it has overtaken Christmas as the best holiday of the year. Approximately 100 countries celebrate Halloween but just what are we actually celebrating?…

The dealing man can still be found in every market square and bazzar in towns and villages around the world. Their nationalities and languages may be different but the art of dealing always follows the same ancient ways. Dealing men were expected to look the part at all times and had a common mode of dress with only slight…

The Annual Connemara Pony Festival takes place in Clifden, County Galway from Sunday the 27th through Sunday the 24th of August. The highlight of the festival is the Connemara Pony Show on Thursday and Friday. To mark this important annual event, I'd like to offer this brief primer…

The  following is a transcript from the LIVE Community Chat held here at TheWildGeese.com on Friday, August 8, 2014 with with Annette…

Two years ago if you asked me what magic realism was I would have confidently told you that it was “a creative device where magic elements appear within an otherwise realistic environment.” I was sure I understood the concept. After all I had read Allende, García Marquez…

Matchmaking and Lisdoonvarna are two things that naturally go together ... like strawberries and cream.

If love is what you are looking for (or even just a fun time with other singles), then you cannot miss the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival.  So, get on your dancing shoes,…

There are 12 months in a year, 12 inches in a foot, 12 signs of the Zodiac, and most multiplication tables go up to 12; and so one more of any of these would make 13. The modern day fear of 13 is based on Norse mythology: 12 gods were dining at Valhalla (where gods go when they…

Willie Walsh was every inch the typical Mayo man, hardworking and well disposed to help his fellow villagers, and indeed it was just such an act of kindness which brought about his early demise.

Willie had often spoken of his fear of dying, especially if the Ban Sidhe should…