Irish America

Irish America

Slainte Archives

Sláinte! Samhain: The Celtic New Year

By Edythe Preet

September October 1993

by Leave a Comment

Halloween is a night of magic, mystery and merry making. Ghosts haunt the imagination and trick-or-treaters go begging from door to door. Though the evening's colors are black and orange, they could as easily be forty shades of green because the customs of All Hallows Eve are Irish as the shamrock. The ancient Celtic year was divided by the four seasons. Samhain (November I) … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Samhain: The Celtic New Year

Heroes of the Revolution

By Irish America Staff

Winter 2025

by 1 Comment

As the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence approaches,  Edythe Preet looks to March 17, 1776, and the role the Irish played in America’s  bid for freedom. Pop quiz: what color ink is used to sign legislative bills into law? If you answered black, you’d be right with one exception. On March 12, 1941 Massachusetts Governor Leverett Saltonstall … [Read more...] about Heroes of the Revolution

Slainte! Birds of Celtic Myths and Legend

By Edythe Preet

Fall 2025

by Leave a Comment

In Irish Folklore the Raven was thought to be a messenger from the other world. Autumn is upon us. The leaves have gone gold and scarlet, night falls earlier, the air turns chill, and the season to plant crops won’t come again until Spring. For our ancestors, it was time to breathe a sigh of relief that summer had produced a bountiful harvest and rejoice in that good fortune … [Read more...] about Slainte! Birds of Celtic Myths and Legend

Sláinte!: There is Nothin Like a Spud

By Edythe Preet

July/August 1994

by Leave a Comment

Whether they're baked, boiled, roasted, fried, mashed or hashed, potatoes are a cornerstone of Ireland's diet. Hardly a dinner is served without its helping of boiled spuds. Fish invariably comes with a side of crisp chips. Colcannon (mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage) can almost be called a national dish. In fact, potatoes are so much a part of life in Ireland that many … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: There is Nothin Like a Spud

Sláinte! Lent and Easter: The Fast and the Feast

By Edythe Preet


by Leave a Comment

In pre-Christian Ireland, the spring celebration on May 1 was called Bealtaine. Household fires were extinguished several days before the feast and people were forbidden to rekindle them until Druid priests lit a ceremonial bonfire on the Hill of Tara, stronghold of the High King. When Christianity supplanted pagan customs a new spring celebration was introduced: Easter, … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Lent and Easter: The Fast and the Feast