Edythe Preet explores ancient traditions of fortune telling and explains how to see the future in a cup of tea. My Irish grandmother, Margaret McCaffrey, was a psychic. “Pooh! Not possible,” you say. Maybe, maybe not, but here’s the story. You be the judge. One fine May week when Dad was in first grade, his class was scheduled to have a picnic on an island in the middle of … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Trees, Tea and ESP
Slainte Archives
Slainte! Alive, Alive-Oh!
Dublin's iconic Molly Malone statue Lately, I’ve been craving oysters, crab, and mussels. I could write it off to the fact that I keep seeing rafts of the succulent treats on shopping forays. Like many things I’ve written of, however, I’m sure the shellfish love affair that began in my childhood with clams, oysters, shrimp and crab, was my father’s doing. During summer … [Read more...] about Slainte! Alive, Alive-Oh!
Slainte! Ireland’s Viking Heritage
Edythe Preet looks at the legacy of the Vikings in Ireland, including influences that linger in Irish winter holiday celebrations. One day while searching for I can’t remember what in my foot-thick Webster’s, which has been my word go-to since high school, I stumbled upon a most interesting linguistic factoid. Every single question word in the English language (who, what, … [Read more...] about Slainte! Ireland’s Viking Heritage
Slainte!: Blow Winds, Blow!
Memory is a slippery thing. Mine works like a photo album that randomly opens to a moment in time then snaps shut and reopens on another page. Storms have left some of the most permanent imprints. The twin hurricanes Connie and Diane that walloped the East Coast while my family vacationed on the Jersey shore back in 1955 were certainly something that I should be able to recall … [Read more...] about Slainte!: Blow Winds, Blow!
Sláinte!: Feasting with the Angels
Pop quiz: what’s the most popular Irish boy’s name? Odds are, the first one that came to mind was Patrick. Wrong. While Saint Patrick is Ireland’s patron, his name comes in at #18. Go ahead, try again. Did you say Sean? If so, you picked #2, and you get extra credit because Sean is also spelled Shane, Shawn, Shuan, Eoin, Ion, and Ian, all of which rank in the top twenty and … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: Feasting with the Angels