Valparaiso by Pádraig de Brún: Poem and Meaning
Welcome back. I am on my last few poems from the top 100 poems list! This week it is an Irish poem well initially written in English and later converted …
Oíche Nollag na mBan by Seán Ó Ríordáin: The Women’s Christmas Poem
With Christmas coming up in a few weeks I felt the poem Oíche Nollag na mBan, by Seán Ó Ríordáin would be a great choice! This week I have selected …
A Cork Boy Sang With a Busker on TikTok. Nearly a Million People Watched
Well, now, being from Cork myself, I always enjoy seeing some locals get out there on social media. Korey Power, who is regularly singing and doing live shows on TikTok, …
The Splendour of God by Joseph Mary Plunkett: Poem and Meaning
The poem, the splendour of God, is a great Irish poem that comes in at number 75 on the top 100 Irish poems list. And yes, you guessed it, the …
Irish Coffee Recipe: How to Make It Properly (and Stop the Cream Sinking)
The classic Irish coffee recipe with metric and US measures, the fix for sinking cream, which Irish whiskey to use, the right glass, the story from Joe Sheridan at Foynes to the Buena Vista Cafe, and a spiced Christmas version.
A Disused Shed in Co Wexford by Derek Mahon: Meaning and Analysis
My list of the top 100 Irish poems is getting shorter every week. Every week I publish a brief analysis of a random poem from this top 100 Irish poems …
Toilet Irish Dancers: Who Really Made This Funny Irish Dancing Video?
A line of dancers in full Lord of the Dance mode, all desperate for one portable toilet. And they aren’t even Irish. Here’s who made this funny clip, and why Irish dancers keep their arms still.
On Raglan Road by Patrick Kavanagh: Meaning, Story and Song
The Raglan Road poem, or On Raglan Road as it is more commonly known, is one of the most well-known Irish poems. By the ever-so-descriptive Patrick Kavanagh. His Irish poems …
Night Feed by Eavan Boland: A Beautiful Poem for New Parents
This week I have picked number 58 from the top 100 Irish poems list. It is a beautiful Irish poem about a new mother getting up in the middle of …
And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda: Liam Clancy Sings Eric Bogle’s Song
Liam Clancy sings Eric Bogle’s And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda, the 1971 anti-war song about a young Australian at Gallipoli. Here’s the story behind it, The Pogues’ version and the Irish soldiers who died on those same beaches.
She Moved Through the Fair by Padraic Colum: Meaning and History
A wonderful Irish poem and popular song, “She Moved Through the Fair” by Padraic Colum (1881-1972). Colum wrote most of the words to an old air he and Herbert Hughes …
The Lost Heifer by Austin Clarke: Poem and Meaning
This week I picked a powerful poem by Austin Clarke titled The Lost Heifer. This poem was published in 1925, in The Cattledrive in Connaught, and it was a time …
What Is an Irish Goodbye? (And How to Pull One Off)
Ever heard the expression, “Ah, sure he did an Irish goodbye”? Well, it is quite a popular party trick. What is an Irish goodbye? It is basically when you leave …
Irish Inventions: 24 That Changed the World (and the Famous Fakes)
What did the Irish really invent? Here are 24 inventions and discoveries, from Tayto’s cheese and onion crisps and Rynd’s hollow needle to Holland’s submarine and Walton’s part in splitting the atom. Each comes with its year, its birthplace and, where needed, an honest caveat. There’s also a summary table, an FAQ and the famous fakes, like the bacon rasher.
Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire: The Greatest Lament in the Irish Language
This week, I chose number 27 on the top 100 Irish poems list for my poem choice—the tragic tale of the greatest poem ever composed in the Irish oral tradition. …