When people think of Celtic culture, sometimes their mind goes straight to a man wearing a patterned kilt playing a matching set of fabric bagpipes. It’s a vivid cultural image, in part thanks to to the rich fabric that man is wearing. The kilt of this imaginary man is tartan, a pattern of interlocking lines of varying width that run horizontal and vertical across the fabric. In Scotland, the Tartans have large cultural significance. The oldest known tartan item in Scotland dates back to the third or fourth century. In early times, tartan would have been homespun with wool. The...
Ward Gahan, Biddy Murphy’s CEO (or Chief Experience Officer, as he likes to say!) just returned from a trip back to his native Ireland to scout some new products for Biddy Murphy and enjoy the beautiful scenery. His first stop was the rocky and stunning Connemara region. Read on to hear about his travels (and maybe take some of his advice)!
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!
The Irish spread across the world, making homes in new places such as Australia, the UK, and America. These immigrants have not only impacted the new places they went, but also the place that they left. Learn more about the importance of the Irish diaspora by reading this article!
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...
