IrishCentral Irish custom - b5cc3275d518416eacb61d676e8d84d1

One Direction set to buy a customized version of Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine (IrishCentral)

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:48:16 PDT

"Little Things" is one of One Direction's latest songsThe 'Little Things' hitmakers - Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson - are investing almost £70,000 on a vehicle styled like the van from the popular cartoon series and they hope to use it as a new tour busAn insider told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "The boys love cartoons and 'Scooby Doo' is a cult classic"They wanted to do something special ahead of their US tour and decided to get a bespoke tour bus created The guys are desperate to have it shipped over to America so it can join them on tour READ MORE

British retail giant Marks & Spencer apologizes over refusing customer’s Irish passport (IrishCentral)

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:45:57 PDT

By: IrishCentral Staff Writers

Marks & Spencer (M&S), the British retail giant, has apologized to an unnamed woman who was “humiliated” when her Irish passport was not accepted as a valid form of identification at a store outside Belfast, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

AK-47 among deadly weapons seized by Irish customs officers in 2012 (IrishCentral)

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 04:13:06 PST

By: PATRICK COUNIHAN

The Irish authorities have released their annual list of weapons seized by customs officers – including an AK-47 machine gun.

The light in the sky and merriment in the streets - the lovely signs of summer in Ireland (IrishCentral)

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:32:08 PDT

Illustration by Caty BartholomewAt the height of the merriment in one of the bars clustered around the end of the Pier, I took a break for myself and walked up the hill Behind me a good ballad singer was making a fine effort at the classic "Shores of Amerikay" made popular again a couple of decades ago by Sarah and Rita Keane"To the mountains grand of my own native land/I'm bidding a last farewell,” they sangThe Galway mainland lights are gently golden on a calm May night and the sea is as calm as a mountain lough READ MORE

The Irish hen's night experience - boating, drinks, dancing, fabulous women and handsy men (IrishCentral)

Tue, 15 May 2012 05:30:12 PDT

Hen Party [not us] enjoying Temple Bar, DublinSince first arriving in Ireland I have harbored a morbid curiosity about hen nights Anyone who has been in Temple Bar on a Friday or Saturday will understand why I say "morbid" - I've seen seemingly normal (save whatever bachelorette-party-indicating feather boa/tutu/penile paraphernalia they bear) groups of women trot by at the beginning of the evening and then a few hours later they'll have transformed into shrieking harpies who will grope anything with a Y chromosome and shed items clothing by the Jaeger BombSo it was with equal parts dread and excitement that I went to face my first Irish hen night this past weekend In point of fact, my first bachelorette party ever READ MORE

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?

Slainte! The meaning of the famous Irish word on St. Patrick's Day (IrishCentral)

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 06:26:00 PDT

By: NIALL O'DOWD

Click here for IrishCentral's St. Patrick's Day section

Getting the feel for Galway city's torrential rain, crowded pubs and all (IrishCentral)

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:45:19 PST

Buskers dance for money in the rain in Galway City CenterOur arrival to Galway occurred during what most Arizonans would describe as the storm of the century It was pouring rain with huge gusts of wind that I worried would send my 50lb bags flying down the street We were given our apartment assignments and a quick rundown on how everything operated I have three American roommates from my same program, and we are currently waiting on our fifth roommate to arrive READ MORE

In the blur of baby days and toddler tantrums - "Parents Need to Eat Too" - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:00:25 PST

Parents need to eat too This may sound obvious but, it is a simple little fact that is often forgotten in the blur of baby days and toddler tantrums My husband is actually great at remembering this little tidbit and frequently recalls the airline advice that urges adults to put on their oxygen masks before tending to the children around them He thinks of food (three full square meals a day) like that oxygen READ MORE

Top ten Irish phrases and their meanings - from "Eirin go bragh" to "Cead Mile Failte" (IrishCentral)

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:34:09 PST

By: NIALL O'DOWD

What famous Irish sayings really mean.

May the road rise to meet you -

Are the Irish cultural or 'jackasses' - munching on snack through theatre performance appalls visitors (IrishCentral)

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:15:17 PST

Irish theater goers stuff their face during the performanceI have always loved theater I've been a devotee since I was about ten or so, and I've been participating in productions for about as long (although thankfully I think my mother has finally lost the taped proof re: my elementary school's yearly musical) Even today, I do chorus work for my home university's musical theater troupe, surrounded by wonderful, crazy people who are essentially my family Outside of rehearsals, we attend tours and plays in a solid mass, and spend hours obsessing over the talents of their casts and crew READ MORE

Irish expression and artistry through their fashionable hair styles (IrishCentral)

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 06:45:23 PST

Asymmetrical haircuts rule in for youths in IrelandI find Irish hair fascinatingI should preface this by saying that I generally find hair fascinating, so perhaps it isn't unusual that I've fixated on it while abroad Hair is a wonderful modicum of expression and artistry, and I've always loved the most exotic of contemporary styles (remember Natalie Portman's bald era? I can’t be the only person who misses it What a diva) READ MORE

Galway welcomes new president Michael D Higgins home and a proper scare at Halloween (IrishCentral)

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:45:25 PDT

Michael D opens 2011 Cruinniu na Mbad festival in KinvaraFive thousand people greeted our new president Michael D Higgins in Galway city on Sunday And there are a lot of smiling faces in Kinvara Halloween went well, if you judge it by the mountainous pile of sweets the girls managed to accumulate trick or treating They dressed as a witch and her cat READ MORE

Pregaming, beer pong and the legal drinking age limit - Young-adult party cultures of Ireland and America (IrishCentral)

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:30:19 PDT

Enjoy some drinks out in IrelandA Texan pays a visit to Ireland He enters a pub and raises his voice to the crowd of drinkers,'I hear you Irish are a bunch of drinkin' fools I'll give $500 American dollars to anybody in here who can drink 10 pints of Guinness back to back'No one takes of the Texan's offer READ MORE

The secrets of Irish superstitions - failing my exams or getting myself pregnant (IrishCentral)

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:45:16 PDT

TessaApparently this year I am going to fail my exams, or get myself pregnant, or bothI'm still not entirely sure how it happened One minute I was crossing through an archway in UCC's main quadrangle, and the next minute a crowd of girls squealed and lunged away from me as our tour guide announced, with no small amount of glee:“ READ MORE

I may have found the man who murdered chivalry and he’s American (IrishCentral)

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 06:15:18 PDT

Now before you start giving out, I am not about to tar all men with the same brush here, but my latest dating experience in New York City has really shocked meSo this gentleman, Rick from California, I thought was a dead cert After a few dates, I was elated, as he ticked all the boxes: smart, ambitious, energy, looksI ignored the signs in the beginning, I told myself I was judging too quickly, but the latest episode was where I must draw the line READ MORE

At last my first Irish kiss - alas dear reader it’s the Blarney Stone (IrishCentral)

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:00:15 PDT

Those who kiss the stone are bless with the 'gift of the gab'Read more Gaelic Girls stories here I'm in the single most precarious position of my life: flat on my back, hands clutching two iron poles, with my butt actually sliding off the ramparts of a castle – and I'm straining to get even further out into the void Are you seeing this? Me, dangling upside down with my legs over my head, suspended hundreds of feet above the ground? Not the most graceful situation I've ever been in, I can tell you thatIt's for a worthy cause, though, because today I'm kissing the Blarney StoneRight now, as a matter of fact READ MORE

I’m an American shopaholic let loose in Cork City (IrishCentral)

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:30:14 PDT

Hannah styling in Irish buysRead more columns from the Gaelic Girls here I may have mentioned that I love shopping in last week’s article, but I will say it again: I LOVE SHOPPING!!This is almost to a fault, that said I am an extremely budget conscious shopper who will search and search for good deals and regularly frequents the sale racks The only clothing items I will buy at regular price are usually jeans (on the rare occasion that the store has my size in the correct length), swimsuits, and the occasional sweater - everything else is usually used in conjunction with a coupon or “Buy one-get one” deal, or comes from the clearance rackThese habits were thrown right out the window the second I stepped into Penney’s I had heard from dance friends who go there every time they are overseas that the prices are really affordable, I just didn’t know how affordable they really meant READ MORE

Irish women dress to kill (IrishCentral)

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:15:23 PDT

Hannah at Trinity College, DublinMy name is Hannah Stone and I am approximately one month into my study abroad experience at University College: Cork I am a junior majoring in History with a minor in Marketing at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado I am also a native of Colorado and have rarely been this far away from home In fact this is my second time out of the United States READ MORE

Top ten reasons to go on a date with an Irish man (IrishCentral)

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 04:05:14 PDT

Not convinced about what a rare wonderful breed Irish men are? If you have turned down a date with an Irish man in the past have a read of this and then reconsider1 You won’t put your hand in your pocketIrish men can be very decent when it comes to paying for a lady Of course there are exceptions (men with their communion money still under their mattress) but many of them love the feel of the dollar in their hand and will make sure your glass is always half full READ MORE