Celebrate “Talk Like a Pirate Day” on September 19 by upping your knowledge of these Irish buccaneers of yonder years. Read on and ye’ll discover the Irish men and women who sailed the high seas as pirates, buccaneers, and privateers. Some lived to a ripe old age. Some were cut down in their prime. All left their mark on the pages of history. Grace O’Malley (Grainne Ni … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: Ahoy Me Hearties
Slainte Archives
“Sláinte, Mon!”:
The Irish of Jamaica
That Irish is Jamaica’s second-most predominant ethnicity may come as a surprise, especially to those outside the country. It all started in 1655 when the British failed in their efforts to claim Santo Domingo from the Spaniards and took Jamaica as a consolation prize.
Of course, the British also had been quite active in Ireland, where, between 1641 and 1652, about half the … [Read more...] about “Sláinte, Mon!”:
The Irish of Jamaica
Sláinte! Music: The Food of Love
With Father’s Day in mind, our columnist writes about her own dad, “a true Irish bard.” I live with a disc jockey. No, not like one you’d find in a dance club, not at all. My jock lives in my head. His repertoire is wide and deep, it ranges through all music genres, and I never know what tune he’s going to spin next. Some days his pick is my first waking thought. Other times … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Music: The Food of Love
Sláinte! Calling All Fools, Fairies, and Leprechauns
The history of April Fools’ Day and tricksters of folk mythology. ℘℘℘ April is full of surprises. When spring sunshine starts warming the earth, night can fall on a brown leafless landscape and day break to green grass and golden flowers splashing the garden with color. A balmy day can suddenly turn cold, gray, and rainy. As the weather capriciously switches from sunshine to … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Calling All Fools, Fairies, and Leprechauns
Sláinte! Flipping Over Pancake Tuesday
Once the winter holiday feasting frenzy ends, hundreds of ads bombard us with ways to lose weight. There is certainly a time to count calories, but then there is Fat Tuesday. Dieters beware. The two will never go together any better than oil and water. As the final day before Lent, Fat Tuesday has for almost two-thousand years been cause to consume high-calorie, … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Flipping Over Pancake Tuesday