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...
Kirsten Fedorowicz studied abroad in Ireland in January-May 2017. She now works as a Content Writer for Biddy Murphy. When I arrived in Ireland for my study abroad tenure, I was surprised to see two languages appear on all of the street signs. As we road on our bus through western Ireland on that first day, I noticed how different the street signs were from my native Michigan. On each sign we passed, the English name for something- a town, the airport, the nearest exit- appeared below another language, which I soon learned was Irish.... A language I didn’t know...
That’s right - Valentine’s Day is barely out from under us and we’re starting straight into Paddy’s Day! Well, what can we say? We’re Irish! It really is the greatest day of the year! So much craic and laughs to be had! We want you to be super prepared for Patrick’s Day 2017. So here I am! At your service! (What is this, a bond film?) Well let’s start with the basics. You’re going to want to be warm! If Paddy’s Day here is anything like Paddy’s Day at home, you’d do well to bring a rain jacket & umbrella...
This week, the Irish adventure continues for Ward, Mary and the family. On New Year’s day, they all set off for Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin. For those of you who don’t know, Kilmainham Gaol (pronounced ‘jail’) is one of the oldest prisons in Ireland. It was built in 1796. Many public hangings took place in front of the prison but by the 1820’s, very few hangings were taking place publicly. There was a cell inside for that job. There was no segregation of prisoners; men, women and children were incarcerated up to 5 in each cell, with only a single...
We've got some great Ruanas and capes for you this season. Before we get into that, we'd like to offer you a quick Biddy Murphy lesson on what they are. Ruana: Surprisingly, Ruanas are originally from the Andes region of South America. The word ruana comes from the ‘Chibcha’ meaning “Lord of Blankets”. They are usually square or rectangle shaped with a opening for your head and a slit from htat opening to the middle edge. They’re very thick, soft, sleeveless and are usually knee length. In Ireland, we often wear them with one side thrown over the opposite shoulder...
