This post was first published in 2010 on my old blog. Makes me wonder if this influenced me when I was writing the character of Juniper in Finding Juniper. It may surprise people that medicine and surgery was studied in Ireland from early times. Physicians were professionally trained. Medical practice and knowledge was handed down…
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The Druid’s Fog in Colonial America
This post first appeared on an old blog of mine from 2010. As we approach the 250th birthday of the country, I thought it might be interesting to revisit this. Féth Fíada, or the druid’s fog, is thought to be an enchantment. The fog conceals someone, makes them invisible, and fog can truly do that…
I Feel Related
This post first appeared in my old blog in 2011. Sadly my friend Alister passed away suddenly in 2024 .Alister was one Irish native who understood why so many Americans say they are Irish when they were born and bred in America. This is a mystery to most of the Irish people. Some people believe…
Surprises in Ireland
This post first appeared in my old blog in 2011, after my first trip to Ireland. I’ve been two more times since and there’s always something new to discover. Maybe the surprises aren’t the same, but there is always something. Like sheep have the legal right of way on the roads and there is no…
Color My Book!
This was fun to turn my novel’s cover into a coloring page. (You should be able to right click the images to download and then print.) So I decided to try it again. And finally, my favorite. Let me know if you like these and I’ll try it with some more covers.
Poetry Inspired by Easter
Here is a blessing from Irish Culture and Customs: A Blessing for Holy Week From Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday,may God in His infinite mercygrant you and yours a journeyof renewal and hope;a time of prayer and reflection;And joyful anticipationof our Lord’s resurrection. From Celtic Benediction, “Saturday Morning Prayer of Thanksgiving” by J. Philip Newell For the…
When Novel Research and Genealogy Collide
I recently finished Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, the reputed president of the underground railroad: being a brief history of the labors of a lifetime in behalf of the slave, with the stories of numerous fugitives, who gained their freedom through his instrumentality, and many other incidents. Yes, that’s the entire title. I read the original on…
The Real Saint Patrick
The Real St. Patrick© 2007 Cindy Thomson, All Rights Reserved He wasn’t Irish, and yet America’s biggest Irish celebration is held in his name. He wasn’t the first bishop sent to Ireland, yet he is responsible for launching the evangelical push that converted the pagan Irish to Christianity. He never drove the snakes out of…
The Shamrock
In Irish Gaelic, seamróg, the shamrock is an Irish symbol we’re all familiar with. But how did it come to be associated with Ireland, and why is it important to St. Patrick’s Day? St. Patrick, according to legend, used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity: one plant, three leaves. One God, three parts: Father,…
Happy St. Brigid’s Day
This is an updated version of an old post from 2010. As Joseph A. Knowles said (and mentioned in my book, The Roots of Irish Wisdom): In a life of the Saint…many legends and traditions must be introduced to stimulate the devotion of the reader, and to relieve the monotony which would inevitably ensue from a…