I've been down in the green valley, the holy place.

This year’s shortest day of the year is on Wednesday, December 21, which will also mark the longest night of the year. Every year, the winter solstice marks the turn of the calendar as autumn ends and the winter begins. From an astronomical standpoint, the winter solstice means that the two opposite points in the…

Many ancient brooches have been found in Ireland, but the Tara Brooch is the most impressive and best preserved. Found in 1850, this Celtic designed Tara Brooch dates back to A.D. 700, the Iron Age. If you are ever in Dublin take a visit to the National Museum of Ireland where this brooch is on…

Turf cutters have unearthed more than home heating fuel from Ireland's bogs.  Bog bodies - naturally preserved human remains - are a fascinating study.  The chemical composition of the bog has antibiotic properties which kill the bacteria that would normally break down the flesh.  The…

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When the Tuatha system of rule was replaced by Gaelic rule the areas of Ireland were known as 'cúige',  which in Irish means 'portion' or 'fifth', indicating the original division of the five areas:

Mide * Ulster * Munster *…

By Dr. Laura Kelley

Usually, when we speak about the Irish Diaspora in the USA, New Orleans is not among the cities that first come to mind as centers of Irish population and…

Cathal Brugha [Charles William St John Burgess] Is another man who is less known for his role in the 1916 Easter Rising. He was born and raised in Fairview, Dublin, July 1874, one of 14 children of Thomas and Maryanne Burgress [née] Flynn.  His mother was a Roman Catholic and his…

There are more than just Christmas lights illuminating the darkness as the sun rises on the Winter Solstice in Ireland. On December 21, a marvelous event occurs at Bru na Boinne. On a hill in the Boyne Valley of County Meath stands a complex of three monuments to the early…

In 804, monks from St. Colmcille’s of Iona, Scotland founded a monastery in the town of Kells, County Meath. There, the Book of Kells was completed in the 9th century. The monastery is also known for its round tower and high crosses.

The town of Kells in County Meath boasts ecclesiastical significance, as it was the site of a monastery founded in the 9th century…

It's older than the pyramids of Egypt and England's Stonehenge, and it's an astronomical wonder as well. Yet the passage grave at Newgrange, in Ireland's County Meath, is often ignored in…

Atop the mystical hill of Tara stands the stone of Fal, one of four treasures brought to Ireland by the Tuatha de Dannan. It is otherwise known as the ‘stone of destiny.’ There, through the ages, all ard ri (high kings) were crowned. Marriage ceremonies took place there also. These rites were always blessed by the Druid, the holy man of the Celtic peoples. The Brehons, the…

When I first heard the phrase "boutique hostel," I figured it was a bit of marketing gimmickry at work. I mean, hostels were bottom-of-the-barrel, right? I suspected the word "boutique" was in line to replace "charming" and "lots of character" for describing accommodation that wasn't quite up to par.

Well, this summer I got a taste of modern hosteling,…

As we were heading north on R-702 in Kiltealy, County Wexford during our recent vacation to the southeast of Ireland, my eye caught sight of some sort of plaque on the wall along a driveway to the right. There was a beautiful horse farm that seemed to run along both sides…

I am not usually a great one for "tourist sites," and it was a damp, rainy day and I was not of a mood to go out. But I had a friend visiting, and by heaven, she had read about this place north of Dublin (where I was living and where I had a very comfortable spot, and a lovely pub…