One of the most amazing sites on the north coast of Ireland, very near the Giant’s Causeway, is Dunluce Castle. I visited there on a beautiful sunny day. I wrote about the castle in a post for the Irish Fireside. You can read about it here.
Author: Cindy Thomson
When Exactly Do You Count the 12 Days of Christmas?
From Wikipedia: The traditions of the Twelve Days of Christmas have been largely forgotten in the United States, where the public generally tends to equate the Christmas season with the Christmas shopping season and its attendant commercial marketing campaigns. Contributing factors include the popularity of stories by Charles Dickens in nineteenth-century America (with their emphasis on…
Happy Boxing Day
While it’s not really a Celtic celebration, it is observed in some Celtic countries. It has nothing to do with the sport, just in case you were wondering. Boxing Day is celebrated in Australia, Britain, New Zealand, and Canada. Boxing Day began, as far as I can tell, in the nineteenth century. It’s an…
The Pipes of Christmas
Bagpipes and a pipe organ. Does anything sound more like Christmas? And then, wait for the drums! Enjoy!
Merry Christmas from Armagh
We visited an empty St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh. I would have loved to have been there for this. Enjoy!
How Christmas Came to the Celts
You may have heard this before: December 25th wasn’t really when Jesus was born. The date was chosen because the church commandeered another pagan festival, this time the winter solstice. But, have you thought about why? The ancient pagans were not evil people, at least not especially evil for the times they lived in. They…
Santa’s Irish Connection
The real Saint Nicholas is generally believed to be a 4th century bishop from Turkey. Legend says that he was wealthy and gave away most all of his fortune. One tale is about a poor father who had no dowery for his three daughters. They were destined to become slaves without a dowery, but for…
Happy Winter Solstice
And welcome to the light half of the year! If you’ve never watched the sunrise at Newgrange in Ireland, you should. They’ve been live streaming it the last couple of years, and it’s amazing. I still can’t wrap my mind around how the ancient people constructed this. You can see photos and learn more at…
Original Christmas Tune from the Doans
I have some friends I’ve never met in person. Maybe you do too. Many years ago Deirdra Doan answered an email I’d sent to her husband, Celtic musician John Doan. I sent them a copy of Brigid of Ireland and John sent me a CD of his music. Since then Deirdra and I became friends,…
More Irish Christmas Traditions
You can find all kinds of Irish Christmas decorations now. I found an Irish Christmas angel ornament at a local department store and have ordered others, like the star below, online. But the truth is America decorates in a much more lavish manner than other countries do. Actually, that might not be a surprise to…
