Irish Culture & Heritage Blog

Tús Maith Leath Na Hoibre translates as "A good Start is Half the work".

Often in our lives we fall afoul of a difficult to perceive influence which we are exposed to all of the time in our modern world. We are constantly shown how "great" a thing is in its completed state and rarely the effort that went into getting it there.

Thank you.

Yes, you. Whether you bought the shirt yourself, as a gift for someone, or even just shared the links to the product, You have helped do an amazing thing.

Ireland has long been a place set between the worlds and here to this very day we have some very firm and rightly observed lore about the folk of the Otherworld. From our early stories we are told the sidhe and the danger that may befall the unwary. One such danger is known as the fairy ring.

In Irish folklore there is much ado made of the powers of a Blacksmith. We see this in the high regard Goibhniu holds within the Tuatha Dé Danann to the deference that King Conchobar makes towards Culainn the smith in the Ulster cycle. The knowledge  of fire held by these people, and the skill to use said fire to shape some of the strongest elements has long been held in high regard.

The formation of the Republic of Ireland as an independent country is a long story.
One aspect of the Irish struggle for independence that rarely received enough mention in the history books is the role Irish women played in this struggle, and not just within the home but also in demonstrations, activism, unionization and, when all other avenues failed, radical militant action. The Easter Rising was carried forward on the brave actions of not just Ireland's men, but its women also.

It was Rosie Hackett herself who bragged that "it took four hundred policemen to take four women."

The Republic of Ireland owes a lot to its women heroes for their deeds, their passion and their resilience.

Allowing ourselves to explore the language of our phrases can help inform our mindset around these situations. It might be better to rephrase the term 'social distance' to 'physical distance', because even in a post Covid world there will always be non tactile folk who want to socialise. Sometimes they just need help to be clear where the boundaries are.

Physical Distancing Does Not Equal Social Distancing. We're Still Friends, Just don't Fucking Touch me

In our work here we have the privilege of sharing in many peoples first experiences of native Irish culture and spirituality, some of which occur here in our island as Ireland still calls strongly for distant people to come and place their feet upon the soil. On so many occasions I have heard folk say 'I cant wait to come back' or even more telling ' I don't want to leave'. It was hard for me to truly comprehend the draw of Ireland until I spent more than a few days away from her.