Culture and history
Irish customs, tipping, road bowling, literature and the past.
Explore the Literary History of Ireland
One of the best ways to get a feel for the local culture of a place is to examine it's literature.
Irish Road Bowling
For most people, the idea of bowling as a spectator sport probably isn't terribly exciting.
The Bebo and her band
Yes, that's what it's called here: "The Bebo" . It may be only the third most popular social networking site with just 1.18% share of the market, but it's by far the most popular social networking…
The Irish National Tayto
Everyone knows that Ireland is famous for her potatoes. What you may not know is the reverence in which Irish people hold their potato crisps. Specifically, their Tayto crisps.
Sex in Ireland - Part 2
This is the second in a two-part article on sex in Ireland. Read the first Sex in Ireland article here . Let's get right down to it.
Sex in Ireland - Part 1
Things sure have changed in the aul emerald isle since the celtic tiger came along.
An Viking apology 1,000 years in the making
So a great big viking ship sailed into Dublin harbour yesterday. 6 weeks at sea and a bunch of salty Danes rowed up to Irish shores for the first time in centuries.
On being Irish
I was reading a newspaper article in the Westmeath Independent the other week that stated, "More than one in seven of Athlone population is now non-Irish." In the article it delineated the major…
Ireland - A Novel
This novel was reccommended to me when I began talking to a friend stateside about Eamonn Kelly's book .
7,000 B.C. - still romantic Ireland
That's right: 7,000 B.C. That's before pre-history, folks. Apparently the findings from a dig in Abbeylara, County Longford has revealed a settlement of people long before humans were known to be…
Ireland's Master Storyteller
Seanchai is Irish for "storyteller" or "old talker" to get closer to the actual meaning. In Ireland, a seanchai wasn't just something someone did, it was something someone was.
Irish Schools' sexophobia prompts student homophobia?
I came across some of these flyers around the town the other day. Let me first say that, in my experience, the Republic of Ireland is an astonishly accepting place for all peoples, regardless of…
Insight into the Irish personality
Maybe it was the pints talking. Maybe it was because we'd been at work for 14 hours and we were all tired. Maybe it was the magic of Sean's Bar , the oldest pub in Ireland.
The Wren Boys
It was the evening of the day after our first Christmas in Ireland when the phone rang. "Seán," it was the voice of hacky, a local musician and good friend of mine.
Culinary Confusion
So there is one thing here in Ireland that, until today, I have been quite confused about: the names for meals.
21 Kisses
So last night I attended El Rob-o's 21st birthday party. Last time I attended a 21st birthday party I neglected to mention this Irish tradition of 21 kisses.
High sky or low sky?
So there I was in Tesco and ringing one of the co-hosts of tomorrow night's party to see could I get anything that had been missed when he put onto me the purchasing of five more pumpkins.
Who are The Rossport Five?
Today there was another protest about the proposed Shell gas pipeline up in Mayo . A bit of background, for those who have never heard of the Rossport Five.
Nightclubs and the etiquette of Irish drinking
Irish pubs close at 11.30pm. They close at 12.30am on Fridays, Saturdays or nights before a bank holiday.
What's up with the whole Northern Ireland thing?
So some time last year England finally told the Northern Irish government that if they couldn't fix things Dublin and London would get together and do it for them.