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
Slainte: Irish Recipes
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
Sláinte! The Irish Pig, Part II: Everything but the Oink
How the Irish used every part of the pig to create varied and resourceful dishes. Anyone who has ever visited Ireland has encountered one of the nation’s legendary feasts: The Irish Breakfast. When I was a child, my journey to enjoy that treat was a lot shorter. All I had to do was roll out of bed on Saturday morning and go downstairs to the kitchen of my family’s Philadelphia … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Irish Pig, Part II: Everything but the Oink
Sláinte! The Irish and their Horses
Irish horses are much more than the stuff of legend 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 … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Irish and their Horses