This week, Kirsten looks at the history and culture of the famous Dublin Castle! It started out as a medieval fortress under English rule, and is now a cultural center and government building. The Assay Office, where jewelry is hallmarked, is located in Dublin Castle. Read on to learn more!
Ireland is old… like, really, really, really old. As Americans, I think it’s hard for us to fathom the ancient structures that are found in Ireland. I will never forget being in class with our professor and one of the American students exclaiming with awe that one of the local pubs was founded in 1811. Our professor laughed and said, “I’m Irish. 1811 was practically yesterday!” The professor had a point. In Ireland, the modern exists adjacent to the ancient. On an anthropological tour of the area that I lived, our guide pointed to an ancient neolithic tomb, two large...
The Celtic Cross is one of Ireland’s most recognisable symbols dating back to the Early Middle Ages. They were made famous by the high cross, featured in many churches and graveyards. The origins of the Celtic Cross is not very well known however, many people believe that the circle represents a halo, while others see the ring as Roman sun-god, Invictus. There are many famous Celtic Crosses and High Crosses in Ireland, especially across Ireland’s ancient east - let’s take a look at my top 3! Clonmacnoise Located in the Clonmacnoise monastery, this is Ireland’s most famous high cross dating...
Your First Holy Communion is definitely a big deal in Ireland. I’m not sure how people do it here, but at home, people go all out! I remember mine. It was a really nice day actually - surprising given that I live on the West Coast of Ireland. The Mass was lovely. Mam and Dad had the house lovely for all of my family to have a party afterwards. It should be noted that my family is about 3 times the size of any normal family so there were 15+ Uncles, 15+ Aunts, 3 Grandparents and about 1,800 cousins (might...
