IrishCentral Irish Tradition - b5cc3275d518416eacb61d676e8d84d1

Summer schools keep the tradition of Irish music alive (IrishCentral)

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 05:19:24 PDT

A seisiun takes place during Willie Clancy Summer School in Co ClareIn recent weeks we have written about the role that fleadh competitions have played over the past half-century in spurring on young people to learn traditional music which may or may not stay with them as they age or move onto other interests What has been proven to be more enduring for all ages are dedicated classes where one can study technique and learn tunes and hone their skills READ MORE

Why Irish grudges are passed on - a long tradition of never forgetting (IrishCentral)

Wed, 01 May 2013 05:48:23 PDT

An 'Open' sign hangs in the window of a general storeMrs Doyle owned the tiny shop toward the bottom of the main street A general store from another era, by the time I was old enough to go in on my own it had a faintly aniseed aroma, as though it were preserving itselfShe was old, and by Donegal standards she wasn’t nice READ MORE

Oliver O’Connell and Mickey Dunne team up to highlight the importance of Irish Travellers to music tradition (IrishCentral)

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 04:33:00 PDT

Mickey Dunne and Oliver O'ConnellOn a brief tour of Massachusetts and New York next week are two very lively entertainers from Ireland who each in their own way are the bedrock upon which Irish traditional music survives and flows into the next generation Oliver O’Connell, originally from Doolin, Co Clare, is a historical storyteller, songwriter and musician He is teaming up with Limerick piper Mickey Dunne for a series of enlightening concerts that will provide a great deal of information about the importance of the traveling community in Ireland in preserving and passing on so much traditional music over the years READ MORE

Cabbage meets corned beef - the stir of family memories brought forth by this traditional Irish American meal (IrishCentral)

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 04:17:34 PDT

Granny FarragherCorned beef and cabbage are two great tastes that taste great together I’ve heard numerous versions on how best to prepare it -- boil the meet twice, once to remove the salt; boil the meet first and use the same water for the cabbage, etc Then there was this time that my brother introduced the beef with the cabbage while we were in Ireland that became stuff of legend in my family I couldn’t have been more than seven and my brother Brendan was looking forward to starting school at the end of the summer READ MORE

'One a Penny, Two a Penny, Hot Cross Buns' - traditional Hot Cross Buns recipe for Easter! (IrishCentral)

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 05:16:43 PST

Hot Cross Buns - "Half for you and half for me, between us two good luck shall be!"Hot cross buns are traditionally baked for Lent, the 40 days before Easter On Good Friday they have been served to commemorate Christ's suffering on the cross However, the bun acquired mythical properties during the centuries Early literature reveals that the hot cross bun was better known as the Good Friday Bun READ MORE

My traditional Irish Christmas Cake recipe - variations on the classic fruitcake (IrishCentral)

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:16:17 PST

I always make three cakes - one for Christmas Day and two to eat every day for tea, until then!Christmas cakes are made in many different ways, but generally they are variations on the classic fruitcakeThey can be light, dark, moist, dry, heavy, spongy etc They are made in many different shapes, with frosting, royal icing, a dusting of icing sugar or plainThe spices and dried fruits in the cake are supposed to represent the exotic eastern spices brought by the three Wise Men to the newborn King! The fruit is all soaked overnight in the brandy, in a covered bowl, before use READ MORE

Days in November and baking for Christmas - mincemeat recipe for perfect traditional mince pies (IrishCentral)

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 05:31:19 PST

Delicious Christmas mince piesA typical November day, cold but not freezing, some sprinkles of rain after a deluge the night before, slightly grey but with a hint of sun trying to squeeze through Christmas baking and lots of past November days floated into my mind Funny what acts as a triggerMemories of stirring the pudding in one of those big mustard yellow ceramic bowls with the creamy interior READ MORE

Everybody Cooks - cookbooks should be about real cooks and not stylized photography (IrishCentral)

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 06:01:10 PST

Lovely photo but what IS the cake?When REM wrote their hit Everybody Hurts they could equally have called it everybody cooks judging by the amount of celebrity cook books on the market This market never appears to reach saturation point READ MORE

Christmas time at Ballymascanlon House Hotel - a real treat for the traditional traveler (IrishCentral)

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:31:29 PST

Ballymascanlon House Hotel Ballymascanlon House Hotel is a home away from home in Co Louth so if you are looking for somewhere different to celebrate Christmas this hotel is the place to be The Ballymascanlon does exactly what it says on the tin; it provides luxury, warm hospitality and comforts all under one roof It oozes tradition and history and lacks nothing READ MORE

Farewell to a good man, Jack Casey - a Navy vet, retired cop, and beloved family man and friend (IrishCentral)

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 05:15:41 PDT

Jack's grandson, Ryan Casey (left), is a great bagpiper from Iona College and now a Port Authority copA wake on a dreary and wet autumn Monday evening is a lousy way to start off a weekBut we do our duty willingly, especially for the good ones Thankfully, we have a fair few in our ranksWith cold Irish weather pouring down outside, we said our good-byes to John Thomas Casey inside the funeral home in Clark, New Jersey READ MORE

The old tradition of the Irish town butchers -- Judge your butcher on the selection of "cheap" cuts and food knowledge (IrishCentral)

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 06:00:47 PDT

Lean and red meat only in the butcher's shopThe local butcher shop used to be an integral part of every town and village in Ireland and there was usually more than one In Northern Ireland very often there was one for each section of the community - The Protestant butcher and the Catholic one The butcher shop was a monitor of how affluent the town and hinterland was This changed somewhat with the arrival of big multinational supermarkets, particularly in more urban areas READ MORE

The Menlo Park Hotel in County Galway is a real affordable treat – warmth and tradition in the midst of the lively Galway City (IrishCentral)

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 05:30:14 PDT

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My wedding this week and discussing the old days at my bachelor party -- We all agree that the innocent days of youth are only a memory now (IrishCentral)

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 04:16:15 PDT

Daithi O Se realizes he's not quite the party machine he used to beI think you need a watershed in your life to make you stop, look back and realize that things have changedThe world and her mother knows I’m getting married on Thursday so I went for a few quiet ones with the boys during the week One of the first things that have changed is that I can’t drink anymore A neighbor of mine who shall remain nameless once told me that it takes three days to come out of a good Sunday READ MORE

Easter the Irish way - some traditional tips for the Spring holiday (IrishCentral)

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:46:51 PDT

By: IrishCentral Staff Writers

Apart from Christmas and St. Patrick's Day, Easter is the most important religious holiday in Ireland's calendar.

How's the head after St. Patrick's Day?The top ten best Irish hangover cures (IrishCentral)

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 09:00:52 PDT

By: MOLLY MULDOON

So you partied hard for St. Patrick? Thoroughly drowned the shamrock and you've some green paint still on your noggin?

Irish wedding parties are not for the faint of heart - Americans could learn a thing or two (IrishCentral)

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:00:21 PST

Party hard - Irish lessons in how to tie the knotConsidering what I wrote last week about Irish guys being immature, I was very surprised when one of my Irish classmates invited me to attend a wedding with him down in Wicklow I wasn’t too sure if he was interested in me, desperate for a date, or just wanted to show me that Irish guys are fun, but I really didn’t care either way I never pass on an opportunity to dress up and I was excited to finally have an excuse to wear the new dress I had recently spent way too much money onNow, generally speaking, weddings in America typically start on the day of the actual marriage; however, I quickly found out that in Ireland the celebrations actually start the night before and continue for a whole weekend READ MORE

Presidential tidings and flying the flag for Ireland (IrishCentral)

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:10:10 PDT

It is good to learn of the recent news that one of the two original tricolors unfurled at the GPO buildings during the 1916 Easter Rising is now in the good hands of the folk at the American Irish Historical Society Some comment has been raised about such a historically precious artifact, so central to the narrative of Irish independence, belonging on Irish soil, but to raise such heckles is to be totally oblivious to the point that Irish America was also at the heart of this independence movement That the American Irish Historical Society, with its traditional warm welcome and its dedication to the motto of its founding patrons, “That the world may know” now hosts the flag is entirely appropriate The Society’s mission since the time of Teddy Roosevelt’s involvement and before to Thomas Hamilton Murray in the 1880s has been to bring to light the history of the Irish people READ MORE

The essential traditional colcannon Irish recipe - a St. Patrick's Day essential (IrishCentral)

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:04:41 PDT

By: IrishCentral Staff Writers

This the family together for St. Patrick's Day and enjoy this traditional Irish side with this colcannon recipe

The learned Irish tradition was first written in the trees (IrishCentral)

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 01:25:13 PDT

The Irish have a learned tradition that is unique to Europe and which helped flip the continent from barbaric illiteracy in Dark Ages, to the illumination and bookishness that would become western civilization Important European universities began as Irish monasteries, built by literati that left Ireland with the education to teach the chaotic post-Roman world to read Old Irish books are tortured creatures, made from skinned calves, and often fated to the bonfires of Europe's philistine streak In the bonfires of conquerors the independent scholarly tradition of Ireland's proto-universities was almost destroyed, as with the round towers and sanctuaries along the Shannon READ MORE

The Mummers Parade and Other Irish Traditions (IrishCentral)

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:30:20 PST

Today, January 6th, is “Little Christmas” – the day the three Wise Men dropped in on Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the manger In many countries it’s the day that gifts are exchanged My mother always made a big deal of Little Christmas in our house The figurines of the Magi bearing their gifts, Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh (and their camel), would be kept to one side and only on this day would they take their places alongside the Holy Family (and the donkey) in the crib that was set up on the sideboard weeks before READ MORE