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"People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors."
-Edmund Burke

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Shop for the best of Irish products from the comfort of your home

We combed the internet to find reliable resources for the most popular Irish products: Aran Isle sweaters, Guinness glasses, Waterford Crystal, genuine blackthorn walking sticks, the flag of the Republic and more. Some of these shops have become friends; others we trust from their reputations and some offer products that are completely unique. We hope you enjoy browsing through what's on offer and We are confident you will find gifts for any occasion or person, all with an Irish flair.







Memories of Christmas Eve Past
by Bridget Haggerty

As I write this, it's very late on Christmas Eve. The apple pie is done. So is the pumpkin; and, the sponge cake is fresh out of the oven. It will stay out overnight to stale up a bit and become the foundation for the trifle I'll assemble tomorrow. While my Christmas dinner menu is very different from my mother's, I spent most of today just as she did - preparing for the Christmas feast. Things seem to be in order. But, now, the big decision - Midnight Mass in just an hour or so, or should we go first thing in the morning? It's difficult for me to decide which I like best.



An Irish Christmas - The Day Before
by Bridget Haggerty

The goose got a bath and so did we. Then, we hung up our pillowcases at the foot of the bed, crawled in, curled up, and waited for Father Christmas.

How they got away with it, I'll never know, but a day or so before Christmas, a crudely wrapped parcel would come from Dublin. The gamey odor emanating from within heralded the arrival of our Christmas dinner. Mum quickly cut the twine and tore open the brown paper. There, plucked and headless was the goose. And tucked inside of it, a pound of pure Irish butter. In those days, no-one seemed to worry very much about spoilage - but then, I recall how the weather was in late December. Never the extremes we get in North America; but, in retrospect, it was cold enough to keep a smelly goose or rancid butter from killing us.






An Irish Christmas - Then and Now
by Bridget Haggerty

If it snowed on Christmas Eve, Irish children were told that geese were being plucked in heaven. A new moon was a lucky omen. And cold, frosty weather was welcome, because this meant a mild spring and an absence of illness. On the other hand, mild weather on Christmas Eve was cause for concern because, according to the old Irish proverb, "A green Christmas makes a fat churchyard."

Regardless of the weather on the day before or on the day itself, the weeks preceding Christmas were spent in great preparation.






Time at this Point of the Year
by Cormac MacConnell

Time changes at this point of the year. These are Limbo days, hours, minutes, seconds. Time elasticates itself. It seems to stop. Or to move jerkily forward like an old clockwork grandfather's minute hand. Or to even run backward on a silent tick-tockery of Memory. Or to fast forward to a Christmas we may never see. Or to pulse feverishly on some frequency not related to our Time at all.




An Irish Christmas - Ding Dong, Merrily on High...
by Bridget Haggerty

One of the contemporary traditions in the Haggerty household is that no-one is allowed to play Crosby's Christmas in Killarney until after Santa pulls up outside of Macy's at the end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Not that it would ever come first on the play-list anyway. It's more likely that you'd hear Manheim Steamroller's Hark the Herald, or Leon Redbone's Frosty, the Snowman. Perhaps I've lived in America for far too long.




An Irish Christmas - Food for the Feast
by Bridget Haggerty

Every Christmas, my parents put the same delectable dinner on the table - delectable that is, if you don't count the parsnips. When we were old enough to serve ourselves, the rule was that you ate whatever you took; my dad loved roast parsnips, so mum would mix in a few with the roast potatoes. Only problem was that, when they were all nicely browned, you couldn't tell them apart.

There would be at least one groan of dismay as a sibling bit into what he or she thought was one thing and it turned out to be the dreaded other. However, while the folks usually held fast to the rule, on Christmas they relaxed it and allowed us to trade with Dad. Phew!




Basic Irish: Words and Phrases for the Holiday Season - Part 1
The Holiday Season covers many days. St. Nicholas day, then Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year's and last, Epiphany(January 6th, we exchange our presents then - what's good enough for the Three Wise Men is good enough for us).
With all that, there are many words, and one lesson turned out to be too little. Here is the first batch and we will go on to another (and maybe another) before the holidays run through.
Photo credit: Small-Leaved Shamrock



The Irish Kitchen: Spiced Beef

Served cold and thinly sliced, this is a great buffet favorite in many Irish households during the holiday season. While not difficult to prepare, it does require quite a bit of time and care. The following recipe is adapted from several in our collection.









Kids' Ireland: Midnight Visitors
by Grainne Rowland

It was Christmas Eve in the Galway countryside. Patrick, his young sister Kathleen, and their parents had just finished supper.

"Well," said Mother, "it is time to light the candle. Kathleen, come quickly. It is already dark."

Mother handed the match to little Kathleen. "Kathleen, you know it is the Irish custom for the youngest child to light the Christmas candle. Be careful, now!"

"Mother, why do we light such a big candle on Christmas Eve?" asked Kathleen.







Music Review: The Bells of Dublin - The Chieftains
by Bridget Haggerty

We've owned The Bells of Dublin for about ten years and it remains one of our favorite Christmas recordings. The Chieftains are impeccable as always but, in addition to their traditional Irish sound, they team up with a group of contemporary vocalists; for the most part, the mix works well. In fact we like every cut except one.






Letters
We receive many lovely letters from visitors to our web site and subscribers to our newsletter. As we’re fond of saying, your feedback helps to make all of the time and effort worth while. While we have a Readers Write Page where we post comments from time to time, we’ve decided to also select a Letter of the Month - one that, for whatever reason, tickled our fancy.



Hello,

I have finally been able to make time to do the trivia again!  The trivia contest is one of my favorite aspects of your site as it gives me a chance to learn things I never would have thought of otherwise.  Thank you for you great site and all the enjoyment you provide by giving it to us.  God bless you throughout the New year and every year.

Tex

Book Cover: So You Think You're Irish by Margaret Kelleher.

Image: The Letter by Kirsten Soderlind, Note card from All Posters
Caption: We lost a lot when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call.
To read our previous letters, please click Letters



Live Music from Mayo

A link to the internet service from Midwest Radio out of Mayo. Broadcasting from their state of the art studios; Midwest Irish Radio plays nothing but the best Irish music. No matter where you are in the world, you are never too far from Ireland when you listen in.
Click here for: Irish Midwest radio.



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If you think you may have missed an issue, newsletters are archived here: Archive.

The December Trivia contest is posted! Happy Christmas; we don't believe this is all that difficult. Have a go and if you find yourself struggling, it's better than coal in your stocking. Please click here for the Trivia Contest.