Irish America

Irish America

Edythe Preet

Sláinte! Many a Shabby Foal Makes a Fine Horse

By Edythe Preet

May/June 1997

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It is Spring. The foals are being born. In their gawky long-legged honor, I give you the saga of the Irish and their horses. It is a history that stretches across centuries. It is a tale of friendships and working partners. It is a romance born of the land, nurtured by necessity and fastened by ancient bonds. It is one of the oldest love stories on earth.  Horses arrived in … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Many a Shabby Foal Makes a Fine Horse

Slàinte! A Universal Christmas

By Edythe Preet

November/December 1998, republished in Winter 2024

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All around the world, the holiday season is a time to gather with family and friends, to share abundance, to feast, to reflect on the memories of joyful times past, and to make every effort to ensure that the future will be peaceful and prosperous for all. Here in the United States, the holiday season is celebrated in a myriad of ways bequeathed us by the thousands of … [Read more...] about Slàinte! A Universal Christmas

Sláinte! Spring’s Precious Sting

By Edythe Preet
June / July 2010

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Nettles - the edible weed that is also known as the devil's leaf. Some foods don’t have a real come-hitherness about them. Who was the bold soul to first slurp a raw oyster? Artichokes have thorns and stickers growing on every surface. Rhubarb is notorious for its super sour pucker power, and, if carelessly ingested, its leaves are quite capable of killing a foolhardy … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Spring’s Precious Sting

Good Cheer: Ireland’s Sweet Summer Treats

By Edythe Preet
July/August 1996

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When summer comes, Ireland's in her glory. Lazy sunsets linger for hours in a softly glowing night sky. Every nook and cranny of the land turns lush and green. Roses ramble wildly up cottage walls and over stone stiles. Hedgerows turn country lanes into fragrant flowering tunnels. Succulent fruits emerge in gardens and fields everywhere. And Irish cooks turn their prodigious … [Read more...] about Good Cheer: Ireland’s Sweet Summer Treats

Sláinte! Apples: The Fruit of the Gods

By Edythe Preet

Fall 2022

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Apples are abundant in Ireland in the fall, and they play a key role not only on the table but in festivities as well. Several years ago after a rigorous day of exploring County Laois, I pulled into a pub for a well-deserved pick-me-up pint. It was a wee bit early for the local drinking crowd and the long bar held only one customer, a young man who looked more like a fellow … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Apples: The Fruit of the Gods