With the New Year in mind, Edythe Preet writes about Robert Burns: Scotland’s Immortal Bard. In case any reader has ever wondered how a gal named Preet could claim Irish ancestry, here’s my genealogy: my maiden name was Burns, my father was George Burns (mom heard many a “So are you Gracie?” wisecrack), and dad’s mom was a McCaffrey, born in County Fermanagh. Like thousands of … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Auld Lang Syne
Slainte Archives
Sláinte!: New Wave Greens
The therapeutic benefits of seawater and seaweed baths, as well as seaweed as an important food source, is explored by Edythe Preet. I’ve got this thing about immersing myself in water. I like it body temperature or better. Thus, although Ireland has beaches aplenty, plunging into its frigid sea is out of the question, and I usually limit my adventuring to manor houses, … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: New Wave Greens
Sláinte!: Ahoy Me Hearties
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
“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