Home to some of the most unique superstitions in the world and a whole host of traditions dating back centuries, the arrival of a new year has always been a time of hope and excitement in Ireland.

Irish New Years Eve traditions in Ireland long ago were important in that they determined the luck of…

In addition to offering a wide-range of holiday recipes in my new cookbook, Festive Flavors of Ireland, you’ll also enjoy reading about many long-standing, often bygone, Irish holiday traditions at the end of each chapter. Brian Nolan, a Loughrea, County Galway native,…

In the early evening they would gather in the grove, beneath the sheltering embrace of the sacred white oak tree. The Master had carefully dowsed the area, and had chosen it for the serene beauty and peaceful aura. The salmon-filled, crystal clear waters of the river wound a course through the…

At the Ould Lammas Fair boys were you ever there

Were you ever at the Fair In Ballycastle-O?

Did you treat your Mary Ann

To some Dulse and Yellow Man

At the…

My last night in the homeland was spent at Bunratty Castle, a 15th-century tower house in County Clare, on the Ratty river. Caisleán Bhun Raithe meaning Castle at the Mouth of the Ratty. On the grounds of the castle is a folk park, which is just lovely. I unfortunately was wandering through at closing time so didn't get to…

Memorial Day, originally titled Decoration Day, has a somewhat murky origin. But what is clear is that on May 30, 1868, 146 years ago today, 5,000 gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the 20,000 fallen warriors buried there, with the help of remarks by General and future President James…

New Year’s eve had been celebrated with cheerful noise for many years, but in New York City on December 31, 1888, that all changed with the formal addition of music to the annual celebration and it took an Irishman to do it. In those early days, the tiny triangle of land at the…

I love unique Irish gifts ... things you won’t find in every “Plastic Paddy” souvenir shop in the country.

Today I received a package of goodies from MyIrelandBox.

Here’s what husband-and-wife team, Katharine and Thomas Barrett, have to say about their…

A Blessed Nettlemas to all our members here.

Nettlemas, the name the Irish gave to the eve prior to Féile na Neantóg or May 1. On Nettlemas night, boys walked in the streets stinging one another with nettles. We can for go that custom, I am thinking. Instead, shall we toast to the start of a new season, the half…