The place names of Ireland can trace their origins to a mixture of Gaelic, Viking and English roots. The Anglicization of Irish towns in particular has resulted in a certain amount of confusion regarding their pronunciation and spelling but amongst all the confusion, you have to wonder if the Irish people just got fed up of naming their towns sensibly and aimed for the funniest, rudest, or longest names that they could get away with.

Notre Dame Fans were saddened to watch as the comeback fairytale season for the Irish came to a dismal ending. Fans everywhere watched as Alabama beat up on what seemed to be a middle school team. Unfortunately, the Fighting Irish had more to deal with when the Notre Dame Football star Manti Te’o was the subject of one of the strangest stories of the year. Defeat and shame are the themes of the final chapter of the great story of the 2012 Notre Dame football team. 

Although they lived a century apart, the political lives and assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy bear many eerie similarities that history can’t explain.

Lincoln and Kennedy were elected to Congress exactly a century apart. Lincoln was elected in 1846 and Kennedy was elected in 1946. Likewise they were elected president a century apart, Lincoln in 1860 and Kennedy in 1960.

We’ve heard of ridiculous rider contracts and high-strung demands from superstars but it seems that the list of questions you are not allowed to ask One Direction is endless. It is hard to know whether this interview with Zayn Malik is a joke or not but a Canadian radio show “The Morning Hot Tub” demonstrated live on air how difficult it is to interview the band.

As many Americans may have figured out, the Irish accent can sometimes be a difficult one to comprehend.  Abbreviating (and bludgeoning) words coupled with an almost superhumanly rapid rate of speech has left a lot of heads spinning over the years.
 
This is why an Irish hex may be the most sinister hex of all. A curse is bad enough when you know what you’re dealing with but imagine not being able to understand the wicked sorcery that is about to come down upon your head. Here are the top ten Irish curses to look out for.

The quiet grave in a small Catholic cemetery in Coram, Long Island contains the bodies of Bridget and Patrick Stuart Huston, her son.

Update: Sadly according the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Facebook page this dolphin was found dead. "Local whale watch expert, Colin Barnes, that he has just seen a dead dolphin washed up on the island on Lough Hyne".

Update: Sadly according the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Facebook page this dolphin was found dead. "Local whale watch expert, Colin Barnes, that he has just seen a dead dolphin washed up on the island on Lough Hyne".

Sex equality in the workforce

In 1976 the Irish Government was rapped on the knuckles for failing to comply with the European Economic Community guidelines by implementing the agreed sex equality legislation.

In Jig, director Sue Bourne’s magical new film about the mysterious world of competitive Irish dancing, culture and tradition come to life in a way that will have you cheering in the aisles. The film follows nine dancers as they prepare to compete in the Irish Dancing World Championship, as the rivalry between them reaches a nail-biting climax. CAHIR O’DOHERTY meets the director behind the spellbinding new film.

Think the Irish don't have enough imagination to give their food unusual names, think again! Take a gander (Irish slang for look) at these ten gems.