A good deal of the countryside of ancient Ireland was once covered with trees and scrub with hazel one of the most important providers of food. The nutritious nut (cnó) of this tree can be kept for up to a year and must therefore have been a valuable winter food. It […]

In Irish folk tradition, St. Brigid’s Day, February 1, is the first day of spring, and thus of the farming year. It is the festival of Ireland’s much-loved Brigid, who is often  called ‘Mary of the Gael’. She built her convent in Kildare (Cill Dara, the Church of the Oak). […]

Christmas joy has always been expressed in music and song, in poetry and art. Not only have the great masters of art depicted Nativity scenes that capture the atmosphere of the most holy of nights, but simple artists and unknown wood carvers have portrayed in the Christmas Crib the great […]