The official list of top baby names in the U.S. for 2012 was published in time for Mother’s Day and Irish ties are strong once again.

I finally made the trip across the Atlantic this year to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in my ancestral home, for The Gathering. I grew up in Boston listening to my grandparents talk about the country they left behind.  

Irish baby names are hugely popular, and not just with us normal plebs, but with the Hollywood elite in LA and across the pond in Europe. Of course despite the fact that the most popular baby names of Irish origin are Kaitlyn, Aidan and Liam (usual names) the Hollywood stars had to go for something different.

Few things compare to the wisdom an Irish Mammy can offer. Created by Cork comedian Colm O’Regan, @Irishmammies Twitter account offers a daily dose of tips from an Irish mother. With over 56,000 followers, it seems there are countless people out there interested in what an Irish mammy has to say.

“Listen, I'm going to slap on me runners and leg it down to the chipper!”

Not convinced about what a rare wonderful breed Irish men are?

It is Easter and the jokers are out and about again. Here are our favorite kid’s jokes for the big day.

One Direction, the boy-band byproduct of the 2010 season of the UK ‘X Factor,’ have recently taken the US by storm. Perhaps the next coming of the British Invasion, the lads have already topped the charts and are selling out concerts across the country.

My American friends always tell me how they love Ireland. But when I stayed in Chicago in the 1990s they described an Ireland I never knew existed. On a recent visit back, it seems that little has changed.

What famous Irish sayings really mean.

May the road rise to meet you -

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Who more than anyone deserves a special gift? The Irish mammy, who puts up with so much from her children and always looks after their needs.

The Irish are notorious for sharp tongues.

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A pint of plain, a glass of “Uisce Beatha” or just a place to rest your weary bones and soak up the atmosphere -- there's nothing quite like an old-fashioned Irish pub, and the older the better.

As one of the prime destinations on Ireland’s west coast, the Dingle Peninsula is rich in seacoast vistas, pristine beaches, rugged mountain passes, and deep green valleys as well as colorful little towns, fishing ports, and great pubs.

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