History & Folklore

Christmas as a time of celebrations and revelry goes back to the customs of  pre-Christian times. Mistletoe, yule logs, holly and evergreen trees are of pagan origin, sacred to the Romans and Celts. Of all the Christian festivals, Christmas was considered the most important in Ireland, and preparations began some […]

While today we are more inclined to see life as a linear progression from our physical birth through to our death, a beginning and an ending , Eugene Daly says the ancient Irish saw life as a recurring cyclical process of birth, life, death and regeneration. In the midst of […]

Commemoration can be a dangerous thing. Just ask President Higgins. The diplomatic corps in Ireland and Britain must have been working overtime, when the President turned down an invitation to “mark the centenaries of the partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland”. President Higgins is not just an […]