Culture, Customs & Heritage
Links to museums, libraries, and heritage centres, as well as articles and research related to Irish customs and the Irish language, will be located in this category.
"There are many stories here ... I'll do my best to bring it all to a coherent whole. Keep in mind, the fables are mixed and I bring you the ones, or part of the ones I find most interesting."
Traditions, folklore, history and more. If it's Irish, it's here. Or will be!
Free resource for Irish ancestry, genealogy and family history information. Tens of thousands of free available records online.
Poetry Ireland/Éigse Éireann is the national organisation for poetry in Ireland. We serve all 32 counties and receive support from The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle EalaÃon and The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Kikenny County Library in line with the aims and objectives of its Library Development Plan provides a variety of services to the public.
Stories and articles about Irish history, genealogy, literature, mythology, folklore and poetry.
Everyday-English and slang in Ireland. "Welcome to the original, deadliest Irish Slang site, filling up - even as you read! - with colourful Irish English, or Hiberno English as the academics call it; copied without credit by gurriers all over the web, but updated here regularly."
Bella Online is a comprehensive, online network created by women for women with an extensive Irish culture section.
A German website highlights Irish history, tradition and tourist information.
Noted in alphabetical order are older names of occupations. Example: accomptant/accountant.
Noted in alphabetical order are older names of occupations. Example: accomptant/accountant.
Includes information on exhibitions, artifacts, photographs and genealogy together with a download section.
Interactive maps lead to photographs, descriptions and visitor information on historic sites, buildings, gardens and inland waterways.
Daltaà na Gaeilge is a tax exempt, not for profit corporation dedicated to promoting and teaching the Irish language.
From its rugged coastline to its inland mountains and lakes, Ireland’s Gaeltacht, where the Irish language can still be heard, offers the opportunity for a very different holiday experience.
Ireland’s premier cultural institution and home to the greatest collections of Irish material heritage, culture and natural history in the world.
Journey through the tapestry of Irish history, cultural heritage and rich tradition. See Irish architecture at its finest, great Georgian buildings of the 18th century, Palladian-style houses, country manors, gothic revival houses of the Victorian era.
Ireland was once the scene for many invasions and battles from battles with Vikings to fighting over Clan territory. Fortifications, round towers and Castles would prove to be an essential part for family clans to protect their land from battling enemies. Fortifications in Ireland date back over 2,000 years that had probably been built to protect against attacks from other Irish clans, some of these ancient fortifications can still be found standing today.
Early stone fortifications, castles, towers, and strong-houses, separated and arranged by county name.
"On our first trip to Ireland, we saw our first round tower at Turlough, just outside of Castlebar in County Mayo. Standing proud on the top of a cemetery ridge, it was visible for quite some distance. That it had survived for well over 800 years was incredible to me." Thoroughly researched webpage.
The ancient architecture that is most specific to Ireland is the round tower. In no other part of the world does one find a similar construction. Round towers were first mentioned c.950, when a round tower burned down. They were on average between 60ft and 130ft high and the main door was located 7-13ft above ground level. Round towers were not built for a single purpose.
This site exibits high quality digital copies of sheet music from the collections at the National Library of Ireland dating from the late eighteenth to mid nineteenth century.
This web site features many megalithic, early christian and fortified sites we have visited around Ireland.
The island of Inis Mór (meaning the big island) is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland. Well known internationally, it is steeped in history and resembles an outdoor museum with over 50 different monuments of Christian, pre Christian and Celtic mythological heritage. There isn’t far you can go before being somewhere where there’s something of historical interest and little reason to question its importance in modern Irish Culture.
In 1937 the Irish Folklore Commission, in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, initiated a revolutionary scheme in which schoolchildren were encouraged to collect and document folklore and local history. Over a period of eighteen months some 100,000 children in 5,000 primary schools in the twenty-six counties of the Irish Free State were encouraged to collect folklore material in their home districts.
University College Dublin, home to one of the largest collections of oral and ethnological material in the world. Visitors are invited to explore the large selection of books, manuscripts, audio recordings, videos and photographs, drawings and paintings dealing with Irish life, folk history and culture.
The Heritage Council seeks to protect and enhance the richness, quality and diversity of our national heritage for everyone. It works with its partners, particularly at local level, to increase awareness of our national heritage and to highlight its importance to public policy and everyday life.
The Old Library and the Book of Kells Exhibition – a “must see†on the itinerary of all visitors to Dublin. Located in the heart of Dublin City, a walk through the cobbled stones of Trinity College Dublin will bring visitors back to the 18th century, when the magnificent Old Library building was constructed. Inside is housed the Book of Kells - a 9th-century gospel manuscript famous throughout the world.
The Royal Irish Academy, the academy for the sciences and humanities for the whole of Ireland will vigorously promote excellence in scholarship, recognise achievements in learning, direct research programmes and undertake its own research projects, particularly in areas relating to Ireland and its heritage.
Online database includes parish records, 1901 census records and Griffith's Land Valuation index. There is a free index search and a cost of €5.00 to view a transcript of the original record.
Industrial Heritage Ireland is devoted to the subject of Industrial Heritage on the island of Ireland and its offshore islands.
High Crosses or Celtic Crosses as they are also known, are found throughout Ireland on old monastic sites. Along with the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow, these High Crosses are Ireland's biggest contribution to Western European Art of the Middle Ages. Some were probably used as meeting points for religious ceremonies and others were used to mark boundaries.
CELT, the Corpus of Electronic Texts, is Ireland's longest running Humanities Computing project. It brings the wealth of Irish literary and historical culture to you on the Internet, for the use and benefit of everyone worldwide. It has a searchable online textbase consisting of 14.5 million words, in 1160 contemporary and historical documents from many areas, including literature and the other arts.
Heritage Town and Medieval City are two names that scream at visitors to Wexford. We also have Messrs Lahiff, Rossiter,The Mariner and others writing in local newspapers about our glorious heritage. Where is it?
Here's Island Ireland's collection of Irish proverbs alongside their English translations. BÃonn chuile dhuine lách go dtéann bó ina gharraÃ. (Everyone is sociable until a cow invades his garden.)
Using information from named authoratative sources, this section of my website explains the decline of the Irish language since the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, and proposes a scheme to reverse it. It also contains background information about the current state of the language & people's attitudes to it. The Irish word for the language is Gaeilge, so it is sometimes referred to as Gaelic or Irish Gaelic. The site may be of interest to supporters of other Celtic languages or Lesser-spoken languages (minority languages).
Oideas Gael offers all sorts of Irish language and cultural courses in spectacular locations in Donegal. Their site may inspire you to enjoy an educational holiday learning Irish (while hillwalking or figuring out how to play the bodhrán or picking up some Riverdance moves).
Founded in 1962, the Irish American Cultural Institute (IACI) is the leading Irish American cultural organization. The IACI is a federally recognized 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit national organization devoted to promoting an intelligent appreciation of Ireland and the role and contributions of the Irish in America. The IACI is strictly apolitical and nonsectarian, and is the only Irish American organization that has as its patron, The President of Ireland.
The National Print Museum collects, documents, preserves, exhibits, interprets and makes accessible the material evidence of printing craft and fosters associated skills of the craft in Ireland.
"Irish diplomacy is the ability to tell a man to go to hell so that he looks forward to making the trip."
Irish toasts for everyday and special occasions. "'Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo arÃs." "May we be alive at this time next year."
The story of Tynte's Castle. Tynte's Castle is a late fifteenth Century urban tower house. It is the only remaining example of several urban tower houses that were formally to be found in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland. It has always been the intention of the McCarthy Family to restore the building to its former glory. Interest was shown in the building by University College Cork relating to the Cork Survey. The BBC requested permission to use it in their Open University Educational Programming; Youghal becoming a Heritage town, the recognition of listed buildings in the town and the reconstruction of the Alms Houses across the street.
Scattered with a seeming randomness across the rolling hills of Ireland are the remains of sixty-five round towers. Soaring as high as 34 meters above the ground, the towers are in remarkably fine condition considering the antiquity of their construction.
To the casual observer, the small, picturesque Observatory at Armagh looks not dissimilar to many other country houses in Ireland of the late 18th century. It has a square, rather sparsely ornamented Georgian residence connected by a low wing to an eastern tower. However, on closer inspection, one becomes aware of a building with a number of rare, if not unique, features and one that tells us not only something of its architect, Francis Johnston, but also something of the history of astronomy over the past two hundred years. To understand and appreciate its architectural features it is necessary to know something of the types of building constructed for making astronomical observations in the 18th century in other parts of Europe.
An understanding of traditional processes is essential for the conservation and repair old stone buildings and walls. In most cases traditional materials and methods are more sympathetic and appropriate for conservation and repair than modern ones. These old ways are neither difficult or mysterious. They can be learnt. Traditional ways of working with stone and lime nearly became extinct in the latter half of the 20th century. Problems developed when some modern materials were applied to old buildings indiscriminately. There is a need to maintain traditional ways in order to repair old buildings. They are a direct physical and cultural link to the past and a source of learning and enjoyment.
OaC is a community-based company formed to promote the study of the culture of County Clare. The aim of OaC is to foster and promote the Irish traditional arts in their native environment.
From the dawn of history, long before man could read or write he used symbols and emblems to convey his ideas. In the days of the Roman Empire the Romans carried the eagle atop their standards as a symbol of strength. The Old Celtic clans used a system of colours to indicate social and political standing. The rank of the individual was displayed on his cloak by the number of colours he was permitted.
We unlock the door to an Ireland full of treasures in the Shannon Region. For visitors who wish to experience the best of Irish hospitality and history, we have a range of superb evening entertainments and top tourist attractions for you to enjoy. Shannon Heritage have been entertaining visitors in our castles since 1963. In that time over 4.5 million people have enjoyed evenings in four distinct and unique venues
Athy is a designated Heritage Town of Ireland and the Athy Heritage Centre-Museum focuses on the history of Athy and the surrounding area.
Meath Travellers Workshops Ltd has a strong commitment to preserving, promoting and celebrating Traveller History and culture. This site illustrates the long, vibrant and important tradition of Irish Travellers.
Culture Northern Ireland is an online cultural atlas, covering music, literature, sport, heritage, dance, theatre, fashion and the visual arts.
Now at Irish Life and Lore, over 3,000 voices have been captured as they discuss their own lives and histories, along with personal and family experiences of events in Irish national and social history.
The Heritage Council seeks to protect and enhance the richness, quality and diversity of our national heritage for everyone.
The bodhrán (pronounced bow-ran, bow-rawn or bore-on, depending on the source) is an ancient Irish instrument that has gained mainstream popularity over the last 50 years. It is a handheld drum that produces a low, staccato sound and provides the foundation of the percussion in Irish and Celtic music.
The Irish World Heritage Centre, Manchester, has been in operation since 1984 and was officially opened by Peter Barry, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the 2nd November 1986.
The bodhrán is the heartbeat of Irish music. This ancient framedrum is traditionally made with a wooden body and a goat-skin head, and is played with a double-headed stick called a cipÃn, tipper, or beater.
Men with Gaelic surnames coming from the west of Ireland are descendants of the oldest inhabitants of Europe. In a recent study, scientists at Trinity College, Dublin, created a new genetic map of the people of Ireland.
Who were the Celts, and how close is our connection to this ancient race? Is this culture actually relevant to people today?
Red hair, especially pale red hair, is often regarded as the characteristic feature of the people of Ireland.
The harp played by the Irish and Scottish harpers of the old Gaelic order was an aristocratic instrument, played in the courts of kings and before the chiefs of clans.
The official web site for the Riverdance company. Information on all three touring company's with photos, biographies and tour dates.
Irish Dancing.com the best and biggest community for Irish dancers on the web. Make friends from all over the world.
Set dancing is a form of social dancing which has been popular in Ireland for over 150 years. Sets are danced by four couples in a square, and usually consist of three to six figures with a short pause between each.
The 50th Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s promises to be an explosion of music, drama, theatre, talks, film, dance and comedy.
Folk drama is the oldest surviving form of theatrical tradition found in Ireland.
Birds have great prominence in Irish mythology. They were seen as intermediaries, in pre-Christian times, between this world and the next.
Pages ranging from Irish poetry, superstitions, stories and recipes to specific Irish calendar celebrations such as St. Patrick's Day.
My Druid is Christ, the son of God, Christ, Son of Mary, the Great Abbot, The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Nearly every culture in human history has sought to honor the divine, the mysterious, the supernatural, or the extraordinary in some way.
Between the 5th and 8th centuries there was a remarkable flourishing of Celtic Christianity. Monastic Ireland brings to life the stories of the Celtic saints, their vibrant spirit and the places associated with them.
Millions of Irish people emigrated to North America, Australia and New Zealand in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The ancestral farmsteads and cottages of some of those Ulstermen who rose to positions of power in the new state have been preserved.
Ireland, like most countries, has a number of Christmas traditions that are all of its own.
The Society was founded in 1849 in Kilkenny 'to preserve, examine and illustrate all ancient monuments and memorials of the arts, manners and customs of the past, as connected with the antiquities, language, literature and history of Ireland.'
These pages will give you a flavour of the rich heritage of County Kildare.
Some coals of fire from the old house were often taken into the new one, but the croch (chimney-crane for hanging cooking vessels) was always left behind.
Various objects were hung in a house or kept there to ensure good luck. A caul-clay from Tory island off the coast of Donegal, or house-leek (Sempervivum) would save the house from being burned and from lightening, this was grown on the roofs of thatched houses, or in specially made niches or nooks in or about the roofs or porches of houses covered with other materials.
Certain materials were considered unlucky and should not be used in building a house. Some types of white stones are included in this category (cloch scáil in Co. Kerry; cloch éibhir in Co.'s Galway and Mayo).
There were lots of little 'rules' or pisheogs (sayings) related to the building of a house. A new house to replace an old one should never be built across the road from the old one.
We hear many stories in relation to the traditions or superstitions which the old folk practised or believed in. Most of these have to do with the house and the 'luck' of the house.
The ruins of Ballintober Castle are amongst the most magnificent in Connaught, and are memorable as the last strong- hold of the O'Conors.
If he did not sit on the hob, the seanachai always got a chair nearest the fire, that's if the cat was not in the way.
This is an extract from Sir William Wildes Superstitions of Ireland. For those who don't know Sir William Wilde was the father of Oscar Wilde - Oscar Wilde achieved his own notoriety as an author, poet, playwrite and character of some eccentricity.
Above all the islands in the lakes of Killarney give me Innisfallen, "sweet Innisfallen" as Tom Moore, the poet, described it. It is indeed a fairy island, although Ihave no fairy story to tell you about it; and if Ihad, these are such unbelieving times that people only smile at my fairy stories, and doubt them.
In olden days there lived in a magnificent castle near the centre of Ireland a rich chieftain named Ruairi with his wipe Manissa and their three sons, Sean, Aindreas and Brian.
The ruins of Ballintober Castle are amongst the most magnificent in Connaught, and are memorable as the last strong- hold of the O'Conors. The castle, which stands on an elevated ridge by the road-side, above the little village of Ballintober.
The famous Volunteer force collapsed somewhat abruptly and ignominiously in 1793; and a militia force was the only safeguard of peace in the country which was seething with sedition and evidently heading for rebellion.
Conception could be prevented if an enemy tied a knot in a handkerchief at the time of marriage; no child would be born to that couple until the knot was loosed.
Fiddown, as the word is usually pronounced, means "The Wood of the Moat or Fortress." The moat from which the name is derived is still to be seen to the north-west of the site where an old monastery stood.
Superstition is generally regarded as the offspring of the religious instinct in man misled by ignorance. Few other human weakness' have been so unsparingly and so unanimously denounced, and yet, it survives: the savage carries his charm, and the modern motorist or the regiment .on the battlefield has its mascot.
Extract from 'My Ireland' written by Kate O'Brien, first published 1962. Out of print. From 'Antrim and Belfast'.
An anthem is a song of loyalty or devotion, a song of praise. A national anthem is therefore by definition a song that praises a nation or expresses loyally to a nation. A nation is an aggregation of people or peoples of one or more cultures or races organised into one state.
A paper presented to the Irish Natural History Society and later published in the Journal of that Society.
Dublin has many places of interest and attractions to make a visit to Ireland’s capital city a memorable one. For those who like to enjoy a more cultural or literary break, a trip to the Trinity College Library where the famous Book of Kells is housed, is a must.
The Meath Heritage Centre provides a professional family history service to people who wish to trace their Meath ancestors. All the major sources are now available at the centre.
Above all the islands in the lakes of Killarney give me Innisfallen, "sweet Innisfallen" as Tom Moore, the poet, described it. It is indeed a fairy island, although Ihave no fairy story to tell you about it; and if Ihad, these are such unbelieving times that people only smile at my fairy stories, and doubt them.