Monday, January 9, 2012

An Irish Explanation of St. Stephen's Day

I received this information from my dear friends in Ireland, Maureen and Orla.
On other occasions I had talked about  St. Stephen's Day which is Dec. 26th. It is  a day of fun and merriment in Ireland.
 We don't celebrate that day  here but
thought some of you might find it interesting.
Here it goes ( directly from the Maureen and Orla) as I asked them to
explain it to me: The "Wren" boys go from house to house playing music
and singing. In some parts of Ireland they are called Mummers. 
It is mostly children who go from house to house. If they don't sing, then
they will say a little rhyme that goes..."The Wren, The Wren, the King of
all birds...St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze, Up with the kettle and
down with the pan, give us a penny to bury the wren.  The homes they visit
 give them some money.  The adults often go around to the pubs at
night and use the money they collect for charity.  They dress in old clothes
and masks so no one knows their identity. More on this in my next blog.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Feast of the Epiphany - January 6th

Promised myself I would avoid the temptation to take down the tree before
the Feast of the Epipany.  It is coming down today. In Ireland,
all  the days after Christmas are  part of the
Christmas season and  not to be missed!!   It is even okay to send
out your holiday cards anytime up to the 6th...(note to self for next year).
Had a few unexpected visitors and all of us were able to just unwind and
enjoy each other's company....no pressure....and eat up all those Christmas
goodies. Love this "down time" after Christmas.  Hope you are able to
catch up on all my back posts so you will get an idea of where I am
going with my blog....would love to have you join!! Happy, Healthy
and PROSPEROUS  New Year!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Irish Granny makes Top Ten List in Irish American News--so exciting!





Irish American News

My daughter, Colleen, now writes a monthly column (the Irish Connection) for Irish American News. 
She mentioned my blog  so now I'm under pressure to REALLY have
something to say!  She has promised to stop by and show me how to
put on pictures, etc. (which she showed me once but I forgot)...so that
we can get the blog out to more people.  If you are just joining my blog,
may I suggest you read some of my past blogs so you can get a feel for
where I am going with all of this....and WELCOME!

Sunday, January 1, 2012