Gleann Cholm Cille and St. Columba’s trail
We are in Ireland. The remote valley of Gleann Cholm Cille, in western Donegal, was already a holy site when Stonehenge was but a vision taking shape. Named after Columba, […]
Carrageen Moss Pudding – a sweet, silky Irish pudding with a seaweed as secret ingredient ~
Ever seen “carrageenan” at the end of an incomprehensible list of ingredients on the back of your ice cream tub (or your toothpaste tube, too)? Probably you didn’t know that […]
Clare Island Lighthouse, an Ireland hidden gem
A visit to Clare Island Lighthouse, Ireland, is absolutely something different.First, you can leave your car behind at Roonagh Pier on the Mayo mainland and, journey across the water for […]
Fanad Head: sandy beaches, epic views, whales and sunken treasure…
Standing between idyllic Lough Swilly, one of Ireland’s very few glacial fjords, and sandy Mulroy Bay, lies Fanad Head Lighthouse. With its location in the Donegal Gaeltacht, an Irish speaking […]
Hook Lighthouse: one of the oldest operating lighthouse in the world
We are on Hook Head at the tip of the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford, in Ireland. Hook Lighthouse is an astonishing still-intact medieval lighthouse. Built 800 years ago, it […]
Púca: Ireland’s shapeshifting trickster spirit of Celtic folklore
Try to imagine: you’re a normal worker, and you live in your pretty cottage just outside Dublin. It’s autumn and, despite the wind is brisk, the weather is pleasant and […]
12 Ways Halloween is celebrated around the globe
In America, people associate Halloween with pumpkins, costumes, candy, and spooky stories or ghosts but, around the world, it could be a little different. The holiday might look slightly different […]
Ballycotton Lighthouse, one of only two black lighthouses in Ireland
Built in the late 1840s, Ballycotton Lighthouse sits atop the unspoilt eponymous Island, in Ireland. On January 16, 1847 the paddle steamship Sirius, the first vessel to cross the Atlantic […]
Port: the Irish ghost village off the map.
The top of Glengesh Pass in County Donegal, Ireland, is breathtaking. Here you’re in one of the most remote corners of the country, sparsely populated, windswept and wild. You’re as […]
St John’s eve: ancient rituals to mark midsummer
Saint John’s Eve, starting at sunset on 23 June, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke states that John […]
Milltown Cemetery – Belfast, Northern Ireland
We are in the Ballymurphy area of Belfast, Ireland. Milltown cemetery is a sprawling graveyard full of history, conflict and tragedy. It has seen some of the largest funeral processions […]
Some surprising things you (probably) didn’t know about Good Friday
Have you heard of the theory that it storms on Good Friday in the afternoon between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.? The Christian belief is Christ’s crucifixion occurred on this […]
Friar’s Bush Graveyard: the big (and grisly) history of the oldest Christian burial ground in Belfast ~
The sense of ancient mystery enshrouding the old walled cemetery in south Belfast has long fascinated historians and local people alike. Though it’s only two acres in size, the oldest […]
10 hilariously bad reviews of Dublin’s Pubs
All we know that Dublin is the capital city of Ireland. Located on the East coast of the country, it is the most densely populated metropolis on the Island and […]
March, 17: It’s St Patrick’s Day!
All we known that March 17 is St Patrick’s Day, a cultural and religious holiday celebrated every year in Ireland and by Irish communities around the world. The celebration marks […]
”The big fish” of Northern Ireland
We are in Northern Ireland, along the banks of the River Lagan in Donegall Quay, Belfast. “The Big Fish,” also known as “The Salmon of Knowledge” (Irish: bradán feasa), is […]
Menlo Castle: an Irish abandoned castle claimed by nature
We are in Ireland, just outside of Galway City on the banks of the River Corrib that flows through the city into Galway Bay. This mysterious abandoned castle is visible […]
Biddy Early: Healer, Herbalist, Clairvoyant…or Witch?
On the afternoon of 22nd April, 1874 a woman called Biddy Early died in her small, two-roomed, mud-walled cottage. Her life story was first published in 1903 and since that […]
Jack O’Lantern: the Halloween Legend!
The Irish brought the tradition of carving pumpkins into Jack O’Lantern to America. But, the original Jack O’Lantern was not a pumpkin, because they did not exist in Ireland. Ancient […]
Ireland’s Hungry Tree
We are within the grounds of The Honorable Society of King’s Inns, Ireland’s oldest school of law, founded in 1541 during the reign of King Henry VIII, where an 80-year-old […]