The only explanation I can think of of why I didn’t go to Kildare before this is that I was saving it to experience with you in 2023! My first trip to Ireland was four years after the publication of Brigid of Ireland and I suppose I was focused on other things, but I’m so…
Author: Cindy Thomson
5 Best Irish Immigrant Historical Novels
I made a list! These are great books. There are more, but at this moment in time they are the best I’ve read. Have you read them? My book shows up in the preview, but I did not pick my own book, just in case you were wondering. I could only pick five, so… https://shepherd.com/best-books/irish-immigrant-historical-fiction…
On the Eve of The Feast of St. Brigid
On the eve of St. Brigid’s Day, in many areas of Ireland, children weave St. Brigid’s crosses. A new one each year. Spring comes sooner to Ireland than it does where I live. There are snowdrops popping up out of the ground. Lately many areas of Ireland are seeing snow, but the calendar clicks over…
St. Brigid’s Day: National Holiday in Ireland
Beginning in 2023, February 1, the feast day of St. Brigid, will become a state holiday in Ireland. Now, I ask you, is it a coincidence that we are going to Ireland in 2023 to visit sites connected with her on the #ancientbrigidtour2023 ? (see the photo in the sidebar) This is pretty exciting! We’ll…
Stop 2 on the Ancient Brigid Tour: Glendalough
In the Wicklow Mountains, just south of Dublin, lies a site significant to the development of Christianity during the Golden Age of Monasticism. The original monastic settlement at Glendalough was found by St. Kevin who was born in 498. This makes him approximately a contemporary of St. Brigid. Brigid was probably born in 451 and…
Looking Back to Ireland in 2010
I posted this after our first trip to Ireland. It was a time of great delight in finally seeing the land I had been longing to see, and also a time of sorrow. I hope it can still serve to describe to readers what wonders await if you plan a trip to Ireland. This is…
Nineteenth Century Irish Poor
What do you think of when you think of the poor in Ireland? Chances are it’s The Potato Famine, which prompted mass emigration from 1845-1852. But the problem started earlier than the potato blight. The island was overpopulated and a great many people who could not afford to go to America or Canada to seek a new…
Stop 1 on the Ancient Brigid Tour: Dublin Part 2
Find Part One Here Today we’re going to explore The National Museum of Ireland. Ireland has been collecting her historical artifacts for centuries. The National Museum in Dublin (free to visit) was established in 1877, using collections from several prior institutions. According to the web site, its aim is ‘to increase and diffuse the knowledge…
My One Word for 2022
But first, some thoughts about my word for 2021. If you’re wondering what all this is about here’s a post I wrote about it in 2015. I’ve been choosing a word, instead of a resolution, for several years running. I was first challenged to do this by my writer friend Cara Putman. So my word…
I Heard the Voice
I love hearing new arrangements of old hymns. I love the old ones too. The hymn I’m sharing with you today is “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”, words by Horatius Bonar in 1886. I found several versions of it on YouTube (I’m sharing a few with you here.) I noticed that it’s been called…
