FINN MCCOOL (Fionn MacCool) An Irish Legend

FINN MCCOOL COMES TO AID THE FIANNA 

Fionn MacCool, was no ordinary giant. He was the biggest and the strongest giant in all Ireland. His voice could be heard for miles around. He was so strong that he could lift a hundred men in one of his enormous hands. Fionn lived with his wife in the hills of County Antrim. Fionn’s wife was called Oonagh.

One day a messenger came to Fionn’s castle. He had come all the way from Scotland with news for Fionn. The messenger told Fionn that a Scottish giant called Angus wanted to fight him. Angus wanted to show that he was stronger than any giant in Ireland. Fionn had never seen Angus before, but he knew that he was the biggest giant in Scotland. Fionn was not afraid.

The next day, Fionn began to build a path across the sea to Scotland. This path was called the causeway. It was made of thousands of rocks. Fionn built many miles of the causeway with his great hands. When Angus heard about Fionn’s causeway, he decided to build the Scottish end of the causeway himself. For weeks the two giants worked hard at building the causeway.

One morning Fionn was in the forest near his castle. He saw his wife coming towards him. He ran over to her.
She said to him, “I have heard that Angus is the biggest and the strongest giant in all the world. He is twice as big as you and twice as strong!” Fionn was very worried. “I cannot fight a giant that is twice my size!”

As the sun was setting, he heard a knock on the door. It was the messenger. “Angus wants to fight you tomorrow at sunrise,” he told Fionn.
“Yes, of course,” replied Fionn.

He went into his bedroom when the messenger left. He took the blankets off the bed. Fionn and Oonagh worked through the night. They cut the blankets and made giant baby clothes. Fionn put on the baby clothes and got into the giant cradle.

At sunrise the next morning, Oonagh heard a knock on the door. It was Angus. Angus asked Oonagh was Fionn there. Oonagh told him that he was gone for a walk and that he would be back soon. She invited him in. It was not long before Angus heard a cry. He asked whom it was, pointing to the cradle. Oonagh said, “That’s young Fionn, our baby.
Angus thought that if this is the size of their baby, how big could Fionn be. Then he ran out of the castle as fast as he could. He ran across the causeway and did not stop until he reached his country. He was afraid that Fionn might follow him.

Today, if you go to County Antrim, you can still see a small piece of the causeway. It is called the Giant’s Causeway, because it was built by Fionn Mac Cool, the most famous giant in the history of Ireland.

Source: Baby Names of Ireland

Top 5 things to do in County Cork Ireland

We all have our favorite things to do when visiting County Cork (Contae Chorcaí), but these are my personal top five must go to attractions. Feel free to add your favorite County Cork attractions in the comment section!

Ballyhass Lakes Activity Centre, Fishing & Wakepark

Ireland’s largest cable wakeboarding centre. Ballyhass is delighted to bring the world’s latest and fastest growing water sport into the heart of Munster. Cable wakeboarding uses an overhead cable which pulls you over the surface of the lakes with a feel just like surfing or snowboarding but on water. This is the most accessible water sport for all ages and most of all fantastic fun.

Ocean Escapes

With Ocean Escapes you can explore the coastline both inside the harbour and beyond. Our sightseeing tours allow you to encounter Pods of dolphins and whales in and around the Cork coastline. Experience the unique thrill of a fast ride onboard our RIB and Enjoy the sights from a very different perspective.

Fota Wildlife Park

Fota Wildlife Park is Cork's most visited Tourist Attraction and has been awarded best family day out in Cork and Munster. The Park is set on 70 acres on the scenic Fota Island in the heart of Cork Harbour only 15 minutes from Cork City (top 10 in the best cities to visit in the Lonely Planet guide's 'Best in Travel 2010').The park is not like an ordinary zoo; here you can come face to face with free roaming animals & birds from all parts of the world. So whether it's a kangaroo that hops in front of you or a ring tailed lemur which jumps down from a tree, each visit is sure to bring its own fantastic memories.In addition to the wonderful array of free roaming animals, visitors also have the opportunity to see highly endangered species such as the Rothschild giraffe, European Bison, Lion Tailed Macaque and Scimitar Horned Oryx, most of them without the obstacle of fenced-in exhibits.This is the most spectacular aspect of Fota Wildlife Park, and is the reason you'll want to spend a full day exploring Ireland's Wildest Attraction.

Ballycotton Cliff Walk

Actually in the  famous east Cork fishing village of  Ballycotton is a very scenic spot known as the Ballycotton Cliff walk.  This is not a well known area to Irish locals never mind visitors to this country, yet views from the cliff walk can give many other coastal scenes a run for their money.

The Nightmare Realm

An extreme walk-through haunted event preying on your deepest fears and nightmares and twisting them into a deadly reality. All Nightmare Realm events change yearly with new themes, scenes and characters from the grotesque and blood churning to the sick and extreme.

Your pulse will race and you will laugh and cry at the same time. The Nightmare Realm is not for the faint of heart and younger people may need to be supervised by an adult. The Nightmare Realm annually draws thousands of fans (victims) to their unique and compelling events from ages 13 to 90.

The Annual Across Ireland Motorcycle Run celebrates it's 10th year

The Across Ireland motorcycle run is approaching again. 2014 marks the 10th year of this charity event and the call has gone out for willing participants.

This year’s two-wheeled fun run takes place on the August Bank Holiday weekend (August 23rd and 24th) and will start from the Xtreme45 Motorcycle Shop, on the Old N1 road, North of Swords.

The run is a cross-country affair, travelling from Swords to Eyre Square in Galway, with an overnight stay for participants in the renowned and popular Hotel Clybaun, and on the Sunday, the return jaunt to Dublin.

Read more here

To pre-register for the cycle run and download a copy of the registration form, go to www.acrossireland.com

Random Odd Facts

Odd Irish Facts

• Achill Island is the largest island off Ireland’s coast. It’s 56 miles square, with dramatic landscape featuring wild cliffs and moors.
• The northern Spanish town of Santiago de Compostela is known as"el Dingle de Santiago" in memory of a journey that Irish religious pilgrims made there in medieval times.
• Killary Bay, on the Mayo-Galway border, is the only true fjord in Ireland. A fjord is a long, narrow inlet from the sea between high slopes.
• Ireland’s 15 principal railway stations are named after the leaders of the 1916 uprising.
• An “An Fáinne” is a lapel pin, worn by some fluent Irish speakersto invite others to speak to them in the traditional language.
• Director John Huston filmed the New Bedford, Massachusetts scenes in his 1956 movie "Moby Dick" in Youghal, County Cork.
• Famed Hollywood movie director John Ford was born Sean O’Feeney in 1894, in Spiddal, County Galway.
• The scenic “Wicklow Way” is the oldest and most popular hiking route in Ireland. Stretching from the Dublin suburb of Rathfarnham in a south-westerly direction toward the village of Clonegal, in County Carlow, the 25 year old public walking route is traversed by over 20,000 people each year.
• James Joyce once called Guinness stout "the wine of Ireland."
• Ireland has virtually no coal deposits, even though it’s just 60 miles from Wales, one of the world’s richest coal fields.
• Muhammad Ali has some Irish heritage. His great grandfather was born in Ennis, County Clare, and emigrated to Kentucky in the 1860s. There, he married an African-American woman. A son born to this couple also married and African-American woman, who gave birth to Ali's mother, Odessa Grady. She married a man named Cassius Clay, and the two moved to Louisville, where the future champ was born.
• Baileys Irish Cream which was launched in Ireland in the early seventies, is now the most popular liqueur in the world.
• Louth is the smallest county in Ireland; Cork is the largest.
• About 30% of the people in Australia are of Irish descent.
• Ireland is the world’s only country with a musical instrument for a national symbol: the harp.
• It’s not the custom in Ireland to wear green ties, hats or other green clothes on St. Patrick's Day. A sprig of shamrock in the coat lapel is the preferred display.
• One old Irish superstition holds that May is an unlucky month to get married in, because of its association with the Virgin Mary. This superstition seems to have lost its power, however, since May is now one of the most popular wedding months for Irish people.
• The Irish tricolor flag, created in 1848, was designed to reflect the country's political realities. Orange stands for Irish Protestants, green for Irish Catholics and the white stripe for the hope that peace might eventually be reached between them.
• The tallest identical twins ever born were the Knipe Brothers from Magherafelt in County Derry who were 7ft 2in. They were born in 1761.
• Actor Kenneth Branagh hails from Belfast.
• The red kite, an almost extinct species, will be reintroduced in County Wicklow Ireland in the fall of 2007. The red kite is a raptor that has been supported by special breeding and release programs in England. It has not been seen in Ireland since the 19th century.
• Ireland’s highest mountain is Carrantouhill, in County Kerry (3,445 feet).
• Trinity College in Dublin, which happens to be Ireland's oldest university, has famous alumni including Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker.
• Pop singer Christina Aguilera’s mother is Irish-American.
• Belleek Pottery will celebrate it’s 150th anniversary by reissuing 15 items from deep within it’s archives, including a 19th century Round Tower centerpiece.
  

"But you're Irish!"

The Irish must be one of the most stereotyped groups of people on the planet. There are the semi-positive ones: leprechauns, red heads and being great storytellers. Then there are the negative ones: heavy drinking, tendency to violence and being stupid. But where have these stereotypes come from? Like most groups, the Irish have been stereotyped by others, not themselves. Believe it or not, we don't think of ourselves as cheery, Guinness-guzzling leprechauns - that's how other people have portrayed us. Both the England and the USA have seen heavy Irish immigration over the years, and it is in these countries that many of the stereotypical ideas of the Irish have been formed.

1. The Irish are heavy drinkers. Truth rating: 8

Historical records of the Irish love of alcohol date from ancient times, when Roman historians noted the Celtic people's particular love of wine. And there is unfortunately a notable genetic tendency towards alcoholism among the Irish, in common with other groups such as the Scottish, Scandinavians and Native American peoples. So there may in fact be a sad grain of truth to the stereotype that the Irish don't know when to stop drinking. Added to that is the strong pub culture in Ireland which continues to this day - this results partly from our famously wet weather which discourages healthy outdoor activities, and partly from a strong cultural idea that drinking alcohol is an essential part of socializing . However, there are Irish people who don't touch alcohol, and others who drink lightly (like myself!). So it doesn't do to generalize.

Overall this stereotype gets a truth-rating of 8 out of 10. I've traveled a lot and my native Ireland is definitely one of the stronger drinking cultures I've encountered. However I've knocked a couple of points off because plenty of other people drink a lot but don't get stereotyped!

2. The Irish are hot-tempered and quick to fight. Truth rating: 4

Most of the Irish people I know are the friendliest, mildest people you could ever hope to meet. The stereotype of the fighting Irish seems to have arisen in response to a wave of Irish immigrants into America in the later nineteenth century. On almost the bottom rung of society, the Irish gained a reputation of fighting fiercely to keep any advantage they had managed to gain. Added to that most likely was the British impression of their 'rebellious Irish' subjects. Britain ruled Ireland for seven centuries and there were indeed various rebellions against a rule that the native Irish saw as illegitimate and unfair.

So this stereotype gets a 4; the Irish are certainly capable of fighting - they are not Buddhist monks - but not are not necessarily more inclined to violence than any other group.

3. Irish have 'the gift of the gab'. Truth-rating: 9

The 'gift of the gab' means the ability to spin a great story - regardless of factual truth. In my experience living here, the Irish are great at this. Everyone on this island is a natural storyteller. There is a rich tradition of myth and legend in Ireland, and it often seems we prefer a good story to factual accuracy. What you need to understand if you are not from Ireland, is that this is not the same as lying - in Ireland everyone knows when someone is 'spinning a yarn' (telling a good story that isn't true). It is considered good entertainment, not an attempt to deceive anyone - though it can confuse visitors!

This gets a truth-rating of 9 because in all my travels I have never met storytellers like the Irish. Added to this is Ireland's great literary tradition - Ireland has four Nobel-winning writers. Not bad for a small island!

4. The Irish are stupid. Truth rating: 0

This is probably the most racist myth spread about the Irish. In the nineteenth century and continuing into the twentieth, the Irish were caricatured as a lesser race than other Europeans, and as ape-like and stupid. In the past, through poverty the Irish struggled to have access to education, but they were perfectly intelligent. Today Irish graduates are employed all over the world and many international companies are based in Ireland because of the highly-educated hard-working population.

5. The Irish love potatoes. Truth rating: 7

This is pretty true of older generations, who grew up on potatoes as a staple food, and who like to eat them every day. As one person I was chatting to recently put it: "The Irish talk about potatoes the way other people talk about wine. We are potato connoisseurs!" Older folk in Ireland can discuss at length the best potato-growing areas and the best season for certain varieties. Potatoes became the staple food of the Irish because they grew easily in our wet climate and because a small plot of potatoes could feed a family for a year.

However, I have given this stereotype a truth rating of 7 because it is going out of date. The Irish have embraced world food culture and our supermarkets are full of Asian, Italian and Spanish foods nowadays.

6. Ireland is the land of Leprechauns. Truth rating: 3

There are many stories about a whole range of supernatural beings in Ireland. I have no idea why Leprechauns have become world famous, while almost no one has heard of the 'Tuath de Danaan', the 'pooka', the 'fir dearg' or any of the others. Maybe the Lucky Charms advertisements had something to do with it! Truth rating is 3 because while there are various Irish stories about Leprechauns, there are many other Irish fairies who deserve not to be forgotten!

What I have learned from exploring the stereotypes about the Irish is that stereotypes can be based on a small grain of truth which is exaggerated, or they can also be based on racist ideas which have no truth at all. Because I know how many Irish stereotypes aren't true, it helps me to remember not to stereotype other people. At the end of the day, I firmly believe that it is best to treat everyone as an individual. As an Irish person,in my experience, a lot of people in other countries find it hard to believe I'm not a big drinker. "But you're Irish!" they protest. I just shrug my shoulders and order another mineral water....

Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway

Flanked by the wild North Atlantic Ocean and a landscape of dramatic cliffs, for centuries the Giant’s Causeway has inspired artists, stirred scientific debate and captured the imagination of all who see it.

Why not experience the Giant's Causeway for yourself? Visit the world-famous basalt columns with one of our knowledgeable tour guides, or pick up an audio guide and go at your own pace. Climb the Shepherd's Steps and hike along the cliff-top trail to get a bird's eye view of the beautiful causeway coast.

Unlock the mystery and stories of the landscape in the exhibition area of our award-winning visitor centre, which also boasts a café serving a seasonal menu, and retail zone where you can pick up locally sourced souvenirs and handicrafts.

Read more here

Discover Poulnabrone Dolmen

Poulnabrone dolmen is located in the Burren in County Clare and is one of the finest dolmens (single-chamber megalithic tomb) found in Ireland dating from the Neolithic period, approx built in 3200BC.

Poulnabrone means ‘The hole of the sorrows and consists of upright stones supporting a large capstone. How we see the Poulnabrone dolmen today would have been very different to how it looked during Neolithic times when it was covered in earth to form a barrow.

Excavations of the site during the 1980′s produced amazing evidence of ancients burials with the discovery of 21 people and animals buried under the dolmen. Other items found buried alongside the people consisted of a polished stone axe, a bone pendant, quartz crystals, weapons and pottery.

Guinness BBQ Sauce

Guinness BBQ Sauce

This BBQ sauce has the wonderful flavor of Guinness Draught. No BBQ is complete without this family favorite! 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 onions, minced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 cup Guinness beer
• ½ cup white vinegar
• 1½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 1 cup (8oz can)tomato paste

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, and garlic to the saucepan and saute until they are tender and beginning to caramelize, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the molasses, beer, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper and cayenne Bring to a boil. Let it cook with a low rolling boil for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the saucepan.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and lower the heat. Let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool to room temperature.
5. Puree in a blender until smooth.

The Shamrock

According to the Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, the identity of the true shamrock has long been debated, but the plants most often designated as the emblem of Ireland are the white clover, the small hop clover, and the wood sorrel, or oxalis.

It's likely that some or all of this information was provided by the botanist, Nathaniel Colgan, who endeavored to identify "the real shamrock" at the turn of the 20th century. He asked people all over Ireland to send him living, rooted specimens which he carefully planted and labelled. When the plants matured and blossomed, he was able to identify four different plants - the three already mentioned and one called Black Medick.

So how did the shamrock become an emblem of Ireland? It may surprise many readers to learn that the plant's international association with the Emerald Isle is relatively recent. It wasn't until the 17th century that it became the custom to wear the shamrock on the feast of Ireland's patron saint; until then, the Irish wore a special St. Patrick's cross, made just for the occasion. Then, in the late 18th century, the shamrock was adopted as an emblem by the Volunteers of 1777. But it didn't really become widely popular until the 19th century, when the emerging Nationalist movements took the shamrock, along with the harp, as one of their emblems. Viewed as an act of rebellion in Victorian England, Irish regiments were forbidden to display it. This one single act may have done more to establish the shamrock as Ireland's national emblem than anything else. It was also the catalyst for the creation of the famous ballad, The Wearin' O' The Green: "Oh Paddy dear, and did ye hear the news that's going round? The shamrock is forbid by law to grow on Irish ground! No more St. Patrick's Day we'll keep; his color can't be seen, For there's a cruel law agin' the wearing o' the Green!"

While the lyrics may have stirred the souls and hearts of rebellious Irishmen, there are a couple of strange contradictions in this verse: it's very likely that St. Patrick wore vestments of blue, not green; and since the plant wasn't cultivated but grew wild, there was no way the Crown could have successfully banned its growth!

As for St. Patrick using it to teach us the mystery of the Holy Trinity, it was never mentioned in any of his writings. So, that of itself, remains a mystery. On the other hand, Triads, or groups of three, were of major significance in ancient Ireland; so it is quite possible that the shamrock may have been used by early Christian teachers because, not only could it instantly illustrate and explain an important belief, it would also have been symbolically acceptable.

But that was then.

Today, the shamrock is firmly established as the most instantly recognizable emblem of Ireland. For good luck, it's usually included in the bouquet of an Irish bride, and also in the boutonniere of the groom. It's the symbol of a quality B & B that's earned the right to display it. It's part of the Aer Lingus logo, as well as those of many other companies, sports teams and organizations. And, it's also an integral part of an old tradition called "drowning the shamrock." This takes place on St. Patrick's Day, when the shamrock that has been worn in the hat or lapel is removed and put into the last drink of the evening. A toast is proposed and then, when the toast has been honored, the shamrock is taken from the bottom of the glass and thrown over the left shoulder. Sláinte!

( Order this shirt today , by clicking the link below)

http://teespring.com/webleedgreen2

Palm Sunday in old Ireland

Irish speakers once referred to Palm Sunday as Domhnach an Iúir - Yew Sunday. That's because the "palm" was most often a sprig from the yew tree or some other conifer such as a silver fir, spruce or cypress. In County Fermanagh, early on every Palm Sunday morning, a Protestant cut down sprigs of yew and placed them on his garden wall.In the old days, families brought their own fronds of "palm" to the church to be blessed. While he didn't have a Palm Sunday ceremony in his own church, it's on record that this very considerate Protestant soul offered palms to his less than fortunate Catholic neighbors on their way to chapel.It was expected that every member of a family would be present at Mass to receive a blessed palm in commemoration of Christ's entry into Jerusalem. After Mass, the men and boys broke off a sprig and wore it all day in their hat or lapel. Often, it was worn for much longer.In Spencer T. Hall's Life and Death in Ireland, he writes: "...most of the men and boys I met had small bunches of palm in their hats or buttonholes (lapels), which they said had been consecrated by the priest, and which many of them wore or renewed for a nearly a fortnight afterwards." In this context, we are assuming that the author is implying that renewal meant more blessings - perhaps on Good Friday, Easter and beyond.

As for the womenfolk and children, they brought their fronds home. A palm would be hung up in the house; one would be put out in the barn so that the animals could share in the blessing. And another would be set aside to be used as a sprinkler for Holy Water.

In many areas of Ireland, a palm stem was charred and a cross was marked on eggs set for hatching, while in parts of Galway and Mayo, a bit of palm was shredded and mixed through the seed grain. In any event, most families had extra eggs on hand because of the Lenten fast, so Palm Sunday was often the day that children called on neighbors and began collecting eggs for Easter.

The date on which Palm Sunday fell was also closely observed. If it coincided with St. Patrick's Day, when "the Shamrock and Palm would be worn together", it was said that something unusual would occur. This could be interpreted as ominous. The optimistics predicted an exceptionally fine summer or an end to Ireland's troubles. They also made the same predictions when Palm Sunday fell on the feast of the Annunciation - March 25th.

I did a bit of digging. In 1347, Palm Sunday coincided with the feast of the Annunciation. That year, the black death arrived in Messina. By New Year's Eve, it had spread to Genoa. Within three years it had wiped out one third of Europe. On a happier note, in 1945, the Annunciation and Palm Sunday coincided and the war in Europe came to an end. We found two other recent dates: St. Patrick's Day and Palm Sunday coincided in 1940: the Annunciation and Palm Sunday coincided in 1956. We'll be delving into the history books a bit further to see, in retrospect, if these old Irish predictions hold any water.

For future reference: The next time the Annunciation and Palm Sunday coincide is 2018. As for St. Patrick's Day - it won't happen again until 2391. God willing, by then, the troubles will be as ancient history as the pyramids.

Ancient Order Of Hibernians

The National Organization

The AOH is a Catholic, Irish-American fraternal organization founded in New York City in 1836. The Order can trace its roots back to a parent organization, of the same name, which has existed in Ireland for over 300 years. While both share a common thread, the North American AOH is a separate and much larger organization.

The Order evolved from a need in the early 1600's to protect the lives of priests who risked immediate death to keep the Catholic Faith alive in occupied Ireland after the reign of Henry VIII. When England implemented its dreaded Penal Laws in Ireland, various secret societies were formed across the country to aid and comfort the people by whatever means available.

Similarly, the AOH in America was founded May 4, 1836 at St. James Church in New York to protect the clergy and Church property from the "Know Nothings" and their followers. Anti-immigrant sentiment was high at that time and the Irish would soon be arriving in peak numbers, escaping the Great Hunger and other persecution in their native land. Many Irish social societies sprung up and grew during this period, but the largest was, and continues to be, the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

Active across the US, the Order, along with the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, have traditionally been among the first to welcome new Irish immigrants. Here, the Irish culture - art, dance, music, and sport are fostered and preserved. Newcomers can meet some of "their own" and are introduced to the social atmosphere of the Irish American community. The AOH has been at the political forefront for issues concerning the Irish such as: Immigration Reform; economic incentives - both here and in Ireland; human rights as addressed in the MacBride legislation; Right-To-Life; and a peaceful and just solution to the issues that divide Ireland.

Did you know ? Irish Trivia to confound your friends (or not ).

• Ireland's largest church is St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin?

• The Popularity of Patrick as a Christian name in Ireland is due to the great 17th century general, Patrick Sarsfield, not our patron saint?

• The word íochtar (eek-tur) literally means lower part and is often used for the youngest child in an Irish family?

• George Bernard Shaw bequeathed one third of his estate to the National Gallery in Dublin, claiming that he received his education there?

• Guinness's fermenting vessel ferments 2,304,000 pints at one brewing?

• According to old custom, a piece of candle, a coin and a small quantity of wine or spirits should be placed next to someone who has died? The candle was to give the deceased light, the coin was to pay the fare over the river of death, and the liquor was to sustain him or her on their journey.

• Mass has been celebrated every Sunday at Ballintubber Abbey in Co. Mayo since 1216?

• Swallowing a live frog was an old Irish cure for a stomach ache?

• St. James's Gate Brewery is built on the site where, since medieval times, Dubliners held an annual drinking festival every 25th July to celebrate the feastday of St. James?

• Emmett Square in Birr, Co. Offaly, marks the centre of Ireland?

• Dublin was originally called Dubh Linn meaning Black Pool? The pool to which the name referred is the oldest known in Northern Europe and currently forms the centre-piece of the penguin enclosure in Dublin Zoo.

• Chieftains in medieval Ulster went out of their way to marry Scotswomen because their dowries consisted of axe-wielding galloglass mercenaries? When Turlough Luineach O'Neill married Lady Agnes MacDonald of Kintyre in 1568, she brought 10,000 troops with her.

• Ireland's smallest church is at Portbraden in Co. Antrim? Only ten feet long by six feet wide, the structure is dedicated to St. Gobhnan - the patron saint of builders. (huh?!)

• Mulgrave Street in Limerick, which contains two hospitals, a prison and a lunatic asylum, is known as 'Calamity Avenue' by the locals?

• The sinister sounding Bloody Foreland in County Donegal owes its name to its magnificent sunsets?

• Every spring, more than twenty million eels swim into the River Bann to breed?

• In the village of Ballyporeen, Co, Tipperary, there's a pub called The Ronald Reagan Bar?

• Charles Stuart Parnell was known as the Uncrowned King of Ireland?

• Irish women received the right to vote before American women?

• A river called the Poddle runs under Dublin Castle?

• The largest town in Offaly is Tullamore?

• Fota in Co. Cork is a wildlife park?

• Two signers of the American Declaration of Independence, William Whipple and John Hancock had Irish mothers?

• William Barclay "Bat" Masterson - gunfighter, buffalo hunter, frontier lawman, and newspaperman - was the son of Catherine McGurk who was from Northern Ireland?

• Oscar Wilde's mother, Lady Jane Francesca, wrote under the pen name "Speranza?"

• John Ford, father of Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Corporation of America, emigrated to America after being evicted from a small holding in Ballinascarty Co. Cork in 1847?

• Billy the Kid, born Henry McCarty, was the son of Irish immigrants, Michael and Catherine McCarty?

• There are five areas in Dublin whose names end in the letter 'O'? Fewer than one Dubliner in 20,000 can name them off by heart. They are: Rialto, Marino, Portobello, Phibsboro and Pimlico.

• Dublin's O'Connell Bridge was originally made of rope and could only carry one man and a donkey at a time? It was replaced with a wooden structure in 1801. The current concrete bridge was built in 1863 and was first called "Carlisle Bridge".

• One of the great gaffes in social history took place at Stormont in the 1920s? During an important function, Northern Ireland minister Dawson Bates - who was in attendance with his wife and son - entered the main hall. As the party made their way towards the gathered dignitaries, they were grandly announced "the honourable Dawson Bates, his wife, Lady Bates, and their son Master Bates." (We're not kidding - this really happened!)

• The Irish alphabet has only 18 letters? J, K, Q, V, W, X, Y and Z are not used.

• According to Irish custom, cold and wet weather was welcomed on Good Friday? It was interpreted as a sign of nature in mourning for the death of Christ.

• If a boy was born on Easter Sunday, he was destined for high office in the Church?

• It was on Easter Monday, April 18, 1949, that Éire became officially known as the the Republic of Ireland?

• An Irishman, Jimmy Kennedy, from Co. Tyrone, wrote the song Red Sails in the Sunset?

• Singer, Eyna's real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin

• St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh stands on a bit of land called the ridge of the willow tree? According to legend, this land was given to St. Patrick by Irish chief Daire, after St Patrick brought him and his horse back to life.

• When St. Patrick died, his followers argued about where to bury him? To settle the dispute, they harnessed two untamed oxen to a cart carrying St Patrick's earthly remains. Wherever the oxen stopped was where the saint would be buried. According to the legend, the oxen stopped when they reached Dun-lethglaisse, the site of the present Church of Ireland Cathedral, Downpatrick

• The jawbone of St.Patrick was preserved in a silver shrine and was often requested in times of childbirth, epileptic fits and as a preservative against the evil eye?

• In 1931 Ernest Walton, who was born in Dungraven, Co. Waterford, split the atom for the first time? This scientific landmark was achieved with an accelerator built to his own design. Walton and his partner John Cockcroft received the 1951 Nobel Prize for Physics for their efforts.

• Leinster House in Dublin was originally built as a private home for the Duke of Leinster? At that time, the most fashionable part of Dublin was the North Side and he was asked why he was building on the South Side. He said "Where I go, fashion follows me" To this day the most fashionable part of Dublin is the South Side.

• Robert Barton of Co. Fermanagh composed the unofficial anthem of Australia, "Waltzing Matilda?"

• The lyrics to "Danny Boy" were written by an Englishman? His name was Frederic Edward Weatherly and he also wrote the lyrics to the popular WWI song, Roses of Picardy.

• St. Patrick might not be buried in Ireland at all? One legend says he ended his days in Glastonbury, England and was buried there. The Chapel of St. Patrick still exists as part of Glastonbury Abbey and there is evidence of an Irish pilgrimage to his tomb during the reign of the Saxon King in A.D. 688.

• St. Patrick was the first person in history to speak out against slavery and he is the Patron Saint of the Excluded? By the time of his death, or shortly thereafter, the Irish stopped slave trading and they never took it up again.

• St. Patrick's real name is believed to have been Maewyn Succat?

• In 1948, Harry Truman was the first American president to attend the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City?

• One of the more recent school-yard customs is to pinch anyone not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day?

• In 1999, the world's smallest St. Patrick's Day parade was held In Dripsey, Co. Cork? It was just 25 yards long and went from from one pub to another.

• The crocus, which flowers about this time in Ireland, is St Valentine's Flower?

• Yeats' described Co. Sligo as "the land of heart's desire?"

• I love you in Irish is Tá cion agam ort? Pronunciation: thaw kiuhn ag-gum urth

• Ireland's largest 'Chinatown', with a community 5,000 strong, is in the Botanic area of Belfast?

• You can only call yourself a true Dubliner if you were born between the North and c Roads?

• The phrase "The Emerald Isle" was first coined by the Belfast doctor and poet, William Drennan, in 1795?

• Four Irish writers have won the Nobel Prize for Literature? G. Shaw, W. B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney

• Mary of the Gaels is more commonly known as St. Brighid?

• Until the 1920s, on St. Brigid's Day (February 1st) at Teltown, Co.Meath, couples could legally marry by simply walking toward each other? If the union didn't work out, they could 'divorce' by walking away from each other at the same place exactly a year and a day later.

• The world's most northerly vineyard is in Mallow, County Cork?

• Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, was once the hosiery capital of the world? Around the turn of the century, stockings and tights were widely known as 'Balbriggans'

• If some is described as "maggalore" it means they've had one too many? It's from the Irish phrase maith go lor which means "well on" or "good enough."

• If someone's glass is described as flathúil - flahool - it means overflowing? The literal translation is "chieftainlike" and has evolved to mean generous or liberal.

• If money is described as flúirseach (flew-shirk), it literally means that it is plentiful?

• Louis H. Sullivan, the Boston-born son of an Irish immigrant is said to have created the modern skyscraper?

• There are thirteen Dublins in the United States?
According to the Weather Channel, there are 10 Dublins in the USA:
California
Georgia
Indiana
Mississippi
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas
Virginia
According to other sources, there’s also a Dublin in Michigan, Maryland and Kentucky. Beyond the USA, there’s a Dublin in Nova Scotia, Ontario and South Australia.
• The only town in the world to be named St. Patrick is in Missouri, USA?

• The medieval purgatory on Lough Derg, Co. Donegal was believed to be one of the two entrances to Hell, Mount Etna on Sicily being the other?

• Squire Watson, an eccentric 18th century Kilkenny landowner, had such an unshakeable belief that he would be reincarnated as a fox that he had a luxurious marble den built in the grounds of his estate in anticipation of his return?

• In 1922, at the height of the Irish Civil War, Free State Brigadier Patrick Paul escaped from his Republican captors in Waterford disguised as a mother superior?

• Over 800 million cans of Guinness Draught have been sold in over 70 countries since the brand's launch in 1989?

• Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island, took a supply of Guinness with him on his travels to Samoa?

• At 198 calories a pint, Guinness has fewer calories than a pint of skimmed milk or orange juice?

• There are documentary records of 9,724 shipwrecks around the Irish coast?

• Ernesto Guevara Lynch, the father of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, was a descendant of a Galway woman, Ana Lynch y Oritz, who settled in Argentina in the 18th century?

• Dublin's first bus route was inaugurated in 1919 by the Clondalkin Omnibus Company, using a wooden body from a horse-drawn vehicle on a five-ton chassis? Source: The new Encyclopedia of Ireland

• The password for George Washington's troops in Boston on March 17, 1776 was "St. Patrick"?

• Catherine McCarthy, known as the "jolly Irishwoman of the Lower East Side" was the mother of notorious outlaw Billy the Kid?

• Comedic genius and creator of the Keystone Cops, Mack Sennett, was the son of Irish immigrants?

• Kevin Street Garda Station was once the Palace of the Archbishop of Dublin?

• The police station in Dungannon, County Tyrone, should overlook the Khyber Pass? in the 19th century, the plans for this fearsome fortress-type building were sent by mistake to Ireland instead of India!

• In Sligo, you still officially need a licence to buy molasses? It's a legal hangover from the days when the county was the poitin capital of Ireland.

• The first casualty of the Irish Civil War (1922-23) was a Free State Sniper who was smashed over the head with a teapot by an elderly Dublin woman?

• In the old days, it was the custom for the oldest girl in an Irish family to marry first and her sisters according to age afterwards?

• Dublin's oldest traffic light is situated beside the Renault garage in Clontarf? The light, which is still in full working order, was installed in 1893 outside the home of Fergus Mitchell who was the owner of the first car in Ireland.

• Scotland's capitol, Edinburgh, is named after the Irish nun Edana who founded a convent there in the 6th century?

• In 1986, a 900 year old cheese was found perfectly preserved, in a Tipperary bog?

• Cahirciveen in Kerry was once so inaccessible from the rest of Ireland that it was quicker to send newspapers and mail from Dublin via New York?

• John Tyndall, a physicist who was born in Leighlin Bridge, Co. Carlow, was first to discover why the sky is blue? Don't you just love it that it was an Irishman?

• The Devil's Bit mountain near Thurles, County Tipperary, is so called because Satan, furious at finding no wicked souls in Ireland as he flew over it, supposedly bit a chunk out of the rock in his rage?

• A monkey appears on the FitzGerald coat of arms in tribute to the family pet which rescued the infant 1st Earl of Kildare from a fire at Kilkea castle in the 14th century?

• Covering some 400 square miles, the midland Bog of Allen is the largest peat bog in the world?

• Trout from Lough Melvin in Co, Fermanagh taste like chicken when cooked? According to legend, St. Patrick transformed them from fowl to fish.

• The largest carillon of bells in the British Isles (128 of them) is housed in the spire of St. Colman's Cathedral in Cork?

• Dublin's oldest workhouse closed its doors for the last time in July 1969? Based in Smithfield, it sheltered as many as 10,000 orphans during the 170 years it was in operation

• Ireland is the world's 20th largest island?

• The milk drawn from a hazelnut kernel, when added to mead or honeyed water, was once used to help cure a cough?

• Dublin's West-Link bridge lanes are the busiest in Europe, possibly even in the world? Each lane handles 20,700 vehicles a day, compared to 10,800 per lane at New York's George Washington Bridge.

• Most likely, the oldest pub in the world is in Ireland? The Guinness Book of Records confirms that Sean's Bar in Athlone, Co. Westmeath, built in the year 900, is the oldest pub in Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales, and is probably the oldest pub in the world. Sean's Bar was built 300 years before Athlone Castle across the street and the building still contains a section of the "Clay & Wattle" wall with which it was originally built. The Brazen Head in Dublin has long claimed to be Ireland's oldest pub, but it is in fact 700 years junior to its Athlone counterpart.

• The original Abbey Theatre in Dublin was opened in 1904 on the site of a morgue?

• The world's most northerly vineyard is in Mallow, Co. Cork?

• The ancestors of the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, were from County Fermanagh?

• The first mummy to be seen publicly outside Egypt was displayed in Belfast in 1824? It is still there.

• A holy tree on the Tyrone shore of Lough Neagh was said to bring good fortune to those who hammered coins into its trunk? It eventually died of metal poisoning.

• On April 13th, 1829, the day the English Parliament gave the vote to Irish Catholics, the statue of George Walker - Protestant hero of the 1689 siege of Derry - which had stood quietly on the city's famous walls for more than a century, inexplicably crumbled?

• The popular song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was written by Bob Geldof?

• "Christmas in Killarney" was written by singer-songwriter John Redmond of Burditt Hill, in Clinton, Massachusetts?

• The carol "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night" was written by poet-laureate of England, Dublin-born Nahum Tate?

• The first pantomime in Ireland, "The Magic Rose", was staged at the Theatre Royal in Dublin in 1811?

• December 27, the feast of St John, was believed to be a good day for farmers to borrow money in order to buy new seed for the coming season?

• Shane MacGowan's classic "Fairytale of New York" is the most widely played song on Irish radio every Christmas?

• According to Irish folklore, it's bad luck to take the Christmas decorations down before January 6?

• To have good health in the coming year, you should eat an apple on Christmas Eve?

• You should never launder a Christmas gift before giving it to the recipient? It washes out the luck? (Especially if it's a DVD player!)

• In 1171, King Henry II took Christmas festivities to Ireland? He went there to get the Irish chiefs to swear allegiance to the English Crown, and on finding them very agreeable, so history tells us, he had a huge hall built, in traditional Irish style, in a village near Dublin, called Hogges. There he laid on a sumptuous feast, introducing the Irish to the customs of tournaments, Christmas plays, and mumming

• It was on Christmas Eve in 1601 that the Irish and Spanish armies were defeated in the Battle of Kinsale?

• Long before Christianity came to Ireland, it was customary to place holly leaves and branches around the home during winter? This was intended as a kindly and hospitable gesture as it was believed that the good people who inhabited the forests would come into the home and use the holly as shelter against the cold. This may actually have had some basis in fact, as holly growing in the wild is often used as shelter by small animals and insects.

• A US Marine of Irish descent, Daniel Joseph Daly, was awarded the Medal of Honor twice?

• The "father of Argentina's Navy" was Admiral William Brown who wasborn in Foxford, Co. Mayo?

• Ireland's last Great War veteran was Thomas "Tommy" Shaw who was 102 when he died in 2002. He was buried with full military honours in Bangor, Co. Down, and a bugler from the Royal Irish Regiment sounded the Last Post.

• It's said to be lucky to breakfast by candlelight on Christmas and New Year's morning?

• One should always wear something new at Christmas (and Easter, too) or new garments will be few in the coming year?

• It is unlucky to wear a ragged garment on Christmas Day? A hole meant a leak in the purse. However, if clothing is torn on the festival, it should not be sewn; it should be pinned together.

• Ireland is the best place on the planet to avoid an earthquake? No epicentre has ever been recorded there.

• Over half a million Irish homes now have a computer, and 80 per cent of those have internet access?

• Ireland has more dogs per capita than any other EU country?

Green Beer, take it or leave it?

As an Irish American I have grown up with all the Saint Patrick's Day customs including green beer. I have worn my green shirts and shamrock shades, painted rainbows and pots of gold on my face. I never miss a good Irish Pub Crawl, or a good old fashioned Irish brawl, but I have never had a green beer. I prefer my beer dark and the thought of a watery beer and food dye cocktail does not appeal to the beer lover in me. That does not mean that you should not go full on Irish this Saint Patrick's Day. If you want green beer simply add a few drops of blue food coloring into a light colored beer. It is that easy, I bet you could even add it to ginger ale or apple juice for the non drinkers.

 There are different versions of where this tradition started, though it seems no one really knows. Some say the tradition probably started in Boston or New York, where there are large numbers of Irish-Americans. There is also the tradition of “drowning the shamrock”. The custom of imbibing alcohol on St. Patrick's Day comes from an old Irish legend. As the story goes, St. Patrick was served a measure of whiskey that was considerably less than full. St. Patrick took this as an opportunity to teach a lesson of generosity to the innkeeper. He told the innkeeper that in his cellar resided a monstrous devil who fed on the dishonesty of the innkeeper. In order to banish the devil, the man must change his ways. When St. Patrick returned to the hostelry some time later, he found the owner generously filling the patrons' glasses to overflowing. He returned to the cellar with the innkeeper and found the devil emaciated from the landlord's generosity, and promptly banished the demon, proclaiming thereafter everyone should have a drop of the "hard stuff" on his feast day. This custom is known as Pota Phadraig or Patrick's Pot. The custom is known as "drowning the shamrock" because it is customary to float a leaf of the plant in the whiskey before downing the shot.

I am not sure how it started, but I am positive it will never end.  We will continue to paint ourselves and and everything in our  world green for a day to celebrate our immense pride. It is our thing, it is what we do (most of us). We are Irish American, and we are proud!

Sláinte!

Irish Scones Recipe

Irish Scones

Makes 6 Scones

1 cup white flour 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 pound butter, softened 
2 ounces sugar 
1 egg, slightly beaten 
2 ounces milk 
Sultanas (white raisins) optional 
Walnut halves (optional) 

Mix flour and baking powder. Add butter, blending 
until mixture is butter-colored. Add sugar and continue 
to mix well. Add half the beaten egg and all the milk. 
Add raisins or some nuts, if desired, mixing well to 
make a sticky dough. Turn dough onto floured board and 
knead at least 5 minutes or longer. Cut dough into 
rounds and place on greased baking sheet or hot frying 
pan. Brush tops of scones with remainder of beaten egg. 
Place walnut halves on top, if desired. Bake at 350 to 
375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until brown. If 
preparing over an open fire, heat frying pan till very 
hot. Place scones in pan and cook 7 to 8 minutes. Turn 
and cook 7 to 8 minutes more.