Hawthorns are also associated with fertility, their musk-scented flowers blooming as harbingers of Spring. Their fruit ripens in time for Halloween, symbolizing death and rebirth. They stand as protectors, symbols of birth, death, and renewal, embodying a liminal space where exchanges occur between the human and spirit worlds. Continue reading
In the plush dark of the cinema,
this shy, reclusive man rode out with the drunken Sherriff to El Dorado
understood why the lawman took to the drink
when the saloon girl left town.
Wept for his loss. Continue reading
We have subscribers in 117 countries and on every continent. Our authors have been Irish-born and Irish resident; Irish-born and Australian resident or resident in other countries; Australian-born of Irish descent; or simply interested and involved in the Australian-Irish connection. Continue reading
It had been many, many, years since my sister and I had been upstairs on a double decker bus. Just holding on to the two side bars on the steps going up was enough to bring back memories of running up those steps as teenagers and of boys using them to swing down without touching the steps, to the annoyance of the bus conductor. Continue reading
all public bodies are now obliged to do at least 20% of their annual advertising in Irish and to spend 5% of their advertising budgets on advertising in Irish in the Irish language media. Continue reading
rish poetry is known for its lyricism and romanticism, and it might be seem strange to find beauty in the controversial ‘Fairy Tale of New York’, but comparisons can indeed be made between this popular song and traditional love poetry. Continue reading
As I was growing up in Edenderry, near Tullamore, in Ireland, my mother always made a Christmas pudding. The smells of the pudding, wrapped in cloth, pervaded the house with the scent of Christmas approaching. Continue reading
Do children become the ‘littoral’ or interface that joins the émigré parent/s to the new homeland? Is the émigré in a transitioning state of ‘liminality’ until they have children born in the new country? Eamonn Wall says that having children connected him to his new home. Continue reading
Barm Breac* Recipe It’s that time of year again. Ingredients 500g raisins cut in half 500g sultanas 1 cup brown sugar 2 tsp grated lemon rind 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 cup hot strong tea Two thirds cup Irish whiskey 4 eggs lightly beaten 3 and a half cups plain flour 3 tsps baking powder … Continue reading
The longer the book went on, the more convinced I was that I had not read it before, but then I found on the bottom of page 189 a note in my pencilled handwriting. Continue reading
Tinteán 