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St. Patrick's Day - The Wearing of the Green and The Weaving of the Myths
The Irish have long been prodigious myth-builders, skilled embellishers, and master blenders of folk tales with historical fact. With so many conflicting stories circulating on every aspect of Irish history and culture, it's forever difficult to know just what to believe, and how to go about sorting out the truth from the pseudofacts and out-and-out fabrications. Read more.
A Shot in the Dark: The Story of Irish Coffee
There are two primary origin stories surrounding Irish coffee - that delectable concoction consisting of Irish whiskey, sugar, coffee, and a sizable floater of cream. Read more.
Christmas In Ireland
Christmas as observed in Ireland has its roots in pre-Christian winter solstice celebrations of the ancient Celts and Druids; in fact, ancient calendars marked December 25 (and not December 21) as the date of the winter solstice. Read more.
Irish Christmas Menu
As you might expect, Irish Christmas traditions extend to the dining table, and food and drink play as big a part in holiday celebrations in Ireland as elsewhere in the world. Read more.
Irish Soda Bread
Over much of their famine-plagued history the Irish struggled to put the next meal on the table. Soda bread was the answer to keeping famine at bay. Read more.
Irish Language
In just the last 150 years, the Irish language has made a dramatic comeback from near-extinction. Read more.
Irish & Celtic Mythology
Prior to the time when Christianity swept western Europe, the Celts had their own vital mythological cycles and pantheons of deities. Read more.
The Irish & Halloween
Just when you figure the Irish couldn't possibly have done even one more thing to further brighten our humdrum, dreary lives, along comes the also-true story of how the Irish invented Halloween.Read more.
Kilts
The whole topic of kilts and kiltwearing can be perplexing, and touches off a veritable torrent of questions. Satisfy your curiosity and learn about kilts here.
Celtic Knot Tattoos
Body art that reproduces centuries-old Celtic symbols has ranked among the most popular categories of tattoo designs for decades. Read more.
The Shamrock: Ireland's Unofficial Symbol
On the Emerald Isle, the three-leafed clover grows wild anywhere there are open fields and grassland, but please tread lightly, lest you trample the unofficial symbol of Ireland, the shamrock, under your feet. Read more.
The Skull
The familiar skull and crossbones has performed centuries of service as a decorative emblem, and in this capacity has adorned everything from the sails on a pirate vessel to the gas tanks of custom choppers. Read more.
Waterford Crystal Series
For centuries, Waterford has carved out an unassailable reputation as the most highly regarded manufacturer of premium crystal pieces on the planet. Read the first Waterford article in this 5-part series.
Whiskey
As whiskey ages in the cask, a portion of it evaporates heavenward and is forever lost. Distillers call the evaporated portion "the angels' share." Read more.