The traditional harvest, the Autumn Equinox, religion, ancient history and cooking the fatted goose and a crumble in Ireland on Michaelmas. Some Irish recipes for St. Michael's Day.
Little is known of the first impact of Christianity on Ireland. Traditions in the south and southeast refer to early saints who allegedly preceded St. Patrick, and their missions may well have come through trading relations with the Roman Empire. The earliest firm date is ad 431, when St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre in Gaul, proposed, with the approval of Pope Celestine I, to send a certain Palladius to “the Scots believing in Christ.” Subsequent missionary history in Ireland is dominated by the figure of St. Patrick, whose 7th-century biographers, Tirechán and Muirchú, credited him with converting all the Irish
How do we accumulate knowledge? And how do we know what we now know? Prof. Pierce Grace on patients of the past and what their remains can tell us about
Pop quiz: what’s the most popular Irish boy’s name? Odds are, the first one that came to mind was Patrick. Wrong. While Saint Patrick is Ireland’s patron, his name comes in at #18.
Go ahead, try again. Did you say Sean? If so, you picked #2, and you get extra credit because Sean is also spelled Shane, Shawn, Shuan, Eoin, Ion, and Ian, all of which rank in the top twenty and honor the gospel writer John. Another Irish version of this venerable Hebrew name, which means “one whom God has favored,” is Jack, which places at #3.
Since you still haven’t picked the winner, I’ll save you some brain strain. The numero uno Irish boy’s name is Conor, a variant of Conaire Mor who, according to Irish legend and historical tradition, was Ireland’s most famous High King. His reign was long (ranging from thirty to seventy years depending on which account is consulted) and peaceful, quite a feat in a time when provincial kings contested constantly for supremacy. Conor’s birth, ri