IrishCentral symbols of ireland - b5cc3275d518416eacb61d676e8d84d1

Step into a storybook garden with a fairytale castle at Lismore Castle and Gardens Arts Centre in County Waterford (IrishCentral)

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 04:33:00 PDT

Lismore Castle Gardens, Lismore, County WaterfordLismore Castle Gardens are exactly how I imagined my storybook garden to be, complete with a fairytale castle and Prince Charming throwin for good measure A place where I could wile away endless sunny afternoons in a floaty dress, playing Titania in "A Midsummer’s Night Dream" Or take afternoon tea in the shade of a gnarled old apple tree having painted yet another perfect botanical watercolorNeatly trimmed box hedges barely contain the flower filled borders with not a dead plant, bald spot or a weed to be seen anywhere READ MORE

No reason to allow Union Jacks to fly alone over Belfast any more - Unionists need to get used to equality agenda and equal symbols (IrishCentral)

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 04:45:38 PST

Belfast City HallI’d almost feel sorry for the Loyalist protesters complaining about their Union Jacks no longer flying proudly over Northern Ireland were it not for the fact that they had it so good for so long -- and still do in terms of lording it over nationalists when it comes to symbolsDanny Morrison, writer and former Sinn Fein political figure put it beautifully recently when he compared the place names of Belfast and showed just how dominant the unionist tradition remainsIf you’re a nationalist in his imaginary board game he says “You can't use the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, the Queen's Bridge, the Albert Bridge, the King's Bridge, Victoria Street, Prince's Street, Queen Street, King Street, Albert Street, the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hospital, a helicopter from the Kings Hall, Lower Windsor Avenue, the fields behind the Royal Academy Nor can you be disguised as a prostitute from the Albert Clock, a student from Queen's, a worker with Royal Mail, a violinist with the Royal School of Music, a Queen's Counsel, a (former) member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, a screw of Her Majesty's Prison Service, a soldier with Her Majesty's armed forces, a Crown Court judge READ MORE

Martin McGuinness describes Queen’s handshake as 'highly symbolic' (IrishCentral)

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 04:54:45 PDT

By: HILDA HIGGINS

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has described his meeting with Queen Elizabeth as highly significant and symbolic.

The last great symbolic moment as Queen Elizabeth meets Martin McGuinness (IrishCentral)

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:23:59 PDT

By: Irish Voice Editorial

The picture of Sinn Fein leader and Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth displays the last great symbolic act of the peace process.

Adamstown, Dublin stands as a symbol of the Celtic Tiger collapse (IrishCentral)

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:44:54 PDT

By: KERRY O'SHEA

Adamstown, just 15 minutes outside of Dublin, was first developed in the now bygone better times of the Celtic Tiger in order to help alleviate the growing population of Dublin at the time. Now, though, Adamstown, once promised to be a bustling and vibrant suburb, now has only a fraction of what it had initially marketed itself to be.

Return the Ballyvaughan road sign now - controversy over removal errupts in Ireland (IrishCentral)

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:20:08 PDT

Do you know it defies belief, when every man woman and child in this country is putting their best foot forward to recover from our economic woes that the government pulls the rug from under us, yet againThis time its one of those ‘jobs worth’ moments when the NRA (National Roads Authority) have simply removed an iconic sign that has been standing at the crossroads in Ballyvaughan for over 30 years Possibly the most photographed road sign in Ireland, as one protester rightly put it, more ‘folk art’ then actual road signage It is located along what Conde Nast has described as one of the Top 10 road trips in the world, out to Doolin via Blackhead READ MORE

Bought shamrock? Is it the real thing? (IrishCentral)

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:05:06 PDT

Visit our special St Patrick's Day sectionRead more: Michelle Obama wants to grow shamrock at the White House As children we often gathered more clover than shamrock to wear in the run up to St Patricks Day as it’s almost impossible to tell the difference And to be honest nobody seemed to care very much back then anyway, you simply washed the mud off the roots and pinned a bunch to your hat or lapel with a safety pin and off you went Nowadays you can buy handy packets of commercially grown fresh shamrock at supermarket checkouts READ MORE

Irish Holy Well, pagan origins - christian cures.... (IrishCentral)

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:50:05 PST

There are 100’s of holy wells all over of Ireland, sacred places since long before they were credited with the Christian saints names they bear today and are well worth a pause and a prayer if you are lucky enough to come across one of them ‘Tobar’ is the Irish word for well, so anywhere with a name that ends in ‘tubber’ as in Baile an Tobair (the town of the well) or Ballintubber is bound to have one, most likely close to the church (where Pierce Brosnan got married) or graveyardOthers, you will spot these easily enough by the roadside, as they are often adorned with statues, colourful (plastic)flowers and dozens of rosary beads But many more you will have to ask about locally to get directions and possibly hike over some muddy fields and ditches to get to them READ MORE

Dan Brown's 'Lost Symbol' comes to life in Ireland to rock Freemasons (IrishCentral)

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:11:08 PDT

By: KENNETH HAYNES

Father Tim / The Freemasons make a comeback, of sorts / Click here