1) Do you know any old Irish traditions or Gaelic words?
2)From your point of view what food do you think is the most popular and delicious??
3) How is your first (and probably) only St. Patricks day in Ireland? How do they celebrate there? What are some traditions and rituals, if any? Is it as big a holiday as we in America think it is over there?
Q: Do you know any old Irish traditions or Gaelic words? I’m part Irish and I really want to learn about that part of my family. Thank you. - Jessica P.
A: Hi Jessica, one of the traditions that I heard a lot about is the belief in fairies. It's most common in the rural area and there's a belief that ringforts are home to fairies. Many ringforts (Medieval enclosures) are left untouched due to fear of angering fairies. Another tradition that I'm learning about is the folklore and music tradition. In fact, one of my classes discusses Irish traditional music. These songs are either in English or Irish and are always about everyday people and their ordinary lives.
I'm not taking any courses to learn the Gaelic language although the university does teach it. However, because Irish (Gaelic) is the official language of the Republic of Ireland, signs are always in both languages. I know a limited amount of Gaelic words because things are written in both languages but I'm not sure what the pronunciation of them are.
An Lár = Town/City Centre
Bruscar = Litter
Q: I was told you're currently in Ireland. I've always wondered what's the most common food in Ireland. From your point of view, what food do you think is the most popular and delicious? - Luis N.
A: Hi Luis, I don't like playing on stereotypes but the most common food in Ireland would be potatoes. Potatoes in any form usually accompany any dish in Ireland. They could be potato spuds or fries (known as chips) or mashed potatoes but almost every "traditional" meal I have had here includes potatoes. Brown bread is also popular here. It's a very coarse and dense type of bread (almost cake-like in texture). People usually just put some butter on the bread and eat it or have baked beans on top of bread.
Some popular dishes are:
Another popular eating out experience is the Carvery option found at most local pubs and restaurants. Pubs in Ireland are not a place solely to drink alcohol. Most people often eat lunch at pubs and socialize with others. The carvery option is basically several slices of meat (pork loin, ham, or beef) with side of vegetables (usually carrots, cabbage,etc) and potatoes (chips, mashed, or spuds).
I don't eat out that much because it's expensive. I usually stay home and cook for myself so it's hard to say what food is my favorite dish. However my favorite food to buy at the grocery store is brown bread.
Q: How is your first (and probably) only St. Patricks day in Ireland? How do they celebrate there? What are some traditions and rituals, if any? Is it as big a holiday as we in America think it is over there? - Cheungo
A: St. Patrick's Day for me was uneventful. In Dublin, the celebration lasts 4 days (March 16th - 20th). I only went out to the city on the actual day (the 17th) because I had a huge paper to do before my sister and I went to Galway on the 19th & 20th. I went to the city at 10 am and came back at 5 pm.
Dublin celebrated with a parade that included floats, bands, and dancers. The parade had a theme based on the story "Brilliant" by Roddy Doyle. Since I didn't read the story beforehand, I didn't really understand the parade and the vibrant, outrageous costumes parade participants wore. I think they also had a fair at St. Stephen's Green (a local park) but I didn't go to it.
Overall, I felt as though the celebration and parade was held for tourists and visitors. Most of the people I met watching the parade were visitors and tourists. One thing disappointing was that the atmosphere was quiet unless a band was playing and there wasn't much excitement.
St. Patrick is celebrated for bringing Christianity and Catholicism to Ireland. I did not get any sense of that celebration during the time I was there. It seemed like a way to legitimize people getting crazy and partying.
So in summary, they celebrated with a festival and a parade. The parade showcased the creativity and diversity of Dubliners based on who participated in the parade. But, I feel as though the attractions were put together as another way to attract tourists. It is a big holiday only in the sense that it is another way to attract tourism.
On the upside, a lot of people wore green, orange and white (the national colors) so there was a sense of nationalism.
I plan on posting pictures from the parade in another post so be on the lookout for that.
A: Hi Jessica, one of the traditions that I heard a lot about is the belief in fairies. It's most common in the rural area and there's a belief that ringforts are home to fairies. Many ringforts (Medieval enclosures) are left untouched due to fear of angering fairies. Another tradition that I'm learning about is the folklore and music tradition. In fact, one of my classes discusses Irish traditional music. These songs are either in English or Irish and are always about everyday people and their ordinary lives.
I'm not taking any courses to learn the Gaelic language although the university does teach it. However, because Irish (Gaelic) is the official language of the Republic of Ireland, signs are always in both languages. I know a limited amount of Gaelic words because things are written in both languages but I'm not sure what the pronunciation of them are.
An Lár = Town/City Centre
Bruscar = Litter
Q: I was told you're currently in Ireland. I've always wondered what's the most common food in Ireland. From your point of view, what food do you think is the most popular and delicious? - Luis N.
A: Hi Luis, I don't like playing on stereotypes but the most common food in Ireland would be potatoes. Potatoes in any form usually accompany any dish in Ireland. They could be potato spuds or fries (known as chips) or mashed potatoes but almost every "traditional" meal I have had here includes potatoes. Brown bread is also popular here. It's a very coarse and dense type of bread (almost cake-like in texture). People usually just put some butter on the bread and eat it or have baked beans on top of bread.
Some popular dishes are:
- Irish stew, which is a soup made usually with lamb, potatoes, carrots.
- Fish & Chips: fried fish with a side of fries
Another popular eating out experience is the Carvery option found at most local pubs and restaurants. Pubs in Ireland are not a place solely to drink alcohol. Most people often eat lunch at pubs and socialize with others. The carvery option is basically several slices of meat (pork loin, ham, or beef) with side of vegetables (usually carrots, cabbage,etc) and potatoes (chips, mashed, or spuds).
I don't eat out that much because it's expensive. I usually stay home and cook for myself so it's hard to say what food is my favorite dish. However my favorite food to buy at the grocery store is brown bread.
Q: How is your first (and probably) only St. Patricks day in Ireland? How do they celebrate there? What are some traditions and rituals, if any? Is it as big a holiday as we in America think it is over there? - Cheungo
A: St. Patrick's Day for me was uneventful. In Dublin, the celebration lasts 4 days (March 16th - 20th). I only went out to the city on the actual day (the 17th) because I had a huge paper to do before my sister and I went to Galway on the 19th & 20th. I went to the city at 10 am and came back at 5 pm.
Dublin celebrated with a parade that included floats, bands, and dancers. The parade had a theme based on the story "Brilliant" by Roddy Doyle. Since I didn't read the story beforehand, I didn't really understand the parade and the vibrant, outrageous costumes parade participants wore. I think they also had a fair at St. Stephen's Green (a local park) but I didn't go to it.
Overall, I felt as though the celebration and parade was held for tourists and visitors. Most of the people I met watching the parade were visitors and tourists. One thing disappointing was that the atmosphere was quiet unless a band was playing and there wasn't much excitement.
St. Patrick is celebrated for bringing Christianity and Catholicism to Ireland. I did not get any sense of that celebration during the time I was there. It seemed like a way to legitimize people getting crazy and partying.
So in summary, they celebrated with a festival and a parade. The parade showcased the creativity and diversity of Dubliners based on who participated in the parade. But, I feel as though the attractions were put together as another way to attract tourists. It is a big holiday only in the sense that it is another way to attract tourism.
On the upside, a lot of people wore green, orange and white (the national colors) so there was a sense of nationalism.
I plan on posting pictures from the parade in another post so be on the lookout for that.
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