How the tradition of hospitality to strangers has its roots in an ancient law. ℘℘℘ For more than a thousand years Ireland was regulated by the Brehon Laws. Here are a few of my favorite examples. If a person was stung by one of a beekeeper’s bees, the injured party was owed a portion of the hive’s honey. Yum! If a woman’s husband went off wandering and stayed away too long, the … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Land of a Thousand Welcomes
Tradition
GAA Takes Off in Texas
In Dallas, Texas, it’s all about community and camaraderie over competition. Spurred by the success of the Celtic Cowboys, a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) league formed in Austin in 2004, Fionn Mac Cumhaill GAA was founded in Dallas in 2010. Emmett Long, Brian Geraghty, Kevin McCann, Paddy Walsh and Davey Devlin were among the founding members – all from Ireland. They sent … [Read more...] about GAA Takes Off in Texas
A Gaelic Storm Lights Up St. Louis
Patricia Harty writes about Helen Gannon and the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Convention. Storm clouds gather over St. Louis, but Helen Gannon is unfazed as the tornado warning siren blares and we move into the center of the hotel, away from the windows. After many years of living here, she has made her peace with the weather patterns that in spring can range from heavy rain to severe … [Read more...] about A Gaelic Storm Lights Up St. Louis
St. Patrick’s Day Traditions in the U.S.
On the morning of March 17, 1853, Archbishop of New York John Hughes addressed a crowd of worshippers at St. Patrick’s Cathedral about the special significance that St. Patrick’s Day had taken on in recent years. He declared: “... the very misfortunes of a temporal kind that have fallen on Ireland have sent forth the children of that unhappy land to every clime and to every … [Read more...] about St. Patrick’s Day Traditions in the U.S.
Slainté! New Year – A Time of Big Portions
Edythe Preet, Irish America columnist, Jan 2012
Who needs Hocus Pocus when we have global positioning satellite systems, cell phones, iPods, and full-body airport scanners? No one believes in magic anymore. Well, if that's the case why do you suppose we stay out of a black cat's path, avoid walking under a ladder and put a penny in a new bride's shoe? Because we are superstitious creatures, that's why. Since the beginning … [Read more...] about Slainté! New Year – A Time of Big Portions