Irish America

Irish America

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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

Sláinte! The Happy Pear

By John Kernaghan and Pam Martin

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Twins, Dave and Steve Flynn have created a community of well-being. The galloping gardener leapt over vegetable rows to offer fresh herbs for tasting. “Guess what that is,” asked Steve Flynn, one half of The Happy Pear, the Irish twins who have developed a huge following with their plant-based recipes and other health programming. “Mustard,” Flynn told the stumped visitor to … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Happy Pear

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! Mead in Ireland

By Sharon Ní Chonchúir
Spring 2023

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Often referred to as “nectar of the gods” mead is possibly the oldest alcoholic beverage on earth. From a banquet in Bunratty Castle to a modern Meadery in Kinsale, our travel writer is raising a glass to the honied wine. On a dark rainy evening in January of this year, I found myself being ushered into the great hall of a 15th century castle in County Clare by a bearded man … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Mead in Ireland