By Pat Fenton A Christmas Eve memory comes back to me, almost hauntingly in this crazy long night of the Pandemic, the Corona Virus we’re all living through. And it makes me think again of the importance of memory and how it brings us back so faithfully to the way we were. I’m 20 years old, a young soldier from 17th Street in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. And I’m down … [Read more...] about Silent Night
Christmas
Winterval in Waterford City
On Saturday, November 17, International Rose of Tralee, Kirsten Mate Maher joined Santa and the mayor in Waterford City for the launch of the seventh annual Winterval, Ireland’s largest Christmas festival. They gathered in John Roberts Square to turn on the city’s Christmas lights, with a musical performance by local band Brass & Co. Earlier in the day, Santa’s elves hit … [Read more...] about Winterval in Waterford City
Ireland's Biggest Santa Cycle Reaches €1 Million Mark for Sick Children This Christmas
On Sunday, December 2, 500 Dubliners dressed as Santa Claus with Christmas lights took part in Ireland’s biggest Santa Cycle, now in its fourth year. After departing from the Phoenix Park, the Santas cycled through Dublin, past Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin, and finished in Clondalkin. The event was arranged by the Laurels Charity Crew, who won the charity event of the year at … [Read more...] about Ireland's Biggest Santa Cycle Reaches €1 Million Mark for Sick Children This Christmas
Nollaig na mBan
One of the most unique of the many events the Irish American Partnership puts on each year to raise money and awareness of its goals is its celebration of Nollaig na mBan, or “Women’s Christmas,” an old Irish tradition honoring women’s leadership within the family and community, celebrated each year in January by giving women a day of rest and merriment after the Christmas … [Read more...] about Nollaig na mBan
The 17th Christmas
The Greyhound roared up the Jersey Turnpike in the rain, its fierce power leaving the cars behind, the thick wheels ripping through the gathering pools of water with the driving stateliness of a cruiser. The bus that was carrying us home for that 1952 Christmas smelled of stale smoke and damp wool; on that detail, memory does not fail. Sailors stood in the aisles, soldiers … [Read more...] about The 17th Christmas