In an innovative commemoration of the 1916 Rising An Post has repainted 10 postboxes in Dublin red. The red reflects the color they were painted in 1916 before Irish independence. But the program is more ambitious than just painting them red. Each postbox contains a key word which, when texted to a provided number, returns…
Analysis of a bear bone found in an Irish cave has provided evidence of human existence in Ireland 2,500 years earlier than previously thought. Until now it was thought that Ireland was first inhabited by man about 10,000 years ago. But now analysis of a bear bone shows that man has lived on the island…
1916 was one of the most important years in Irish history. The Easter Rising was a short-term failure but led within 5 years to independence. The Proclamation was one of the key documents from the rising. It was signed by the 7 leaders of the rising. Text POBLACHT NA hÉIREANN THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF THE…
Halloween is now a huge international and commercial holiday. But did you know it has its origins as a millennias-old Celtic festival called Samhain? The festival of Samhain marked the end of the harvest and also the start of winter, with its long nights. The importance of this time has been recognised since pre-Christian times…
We know that a huge number of Americans claim Irish ancestry. But this interactive map from Pew research shows just how this happened. It shows the patterns of immigration to the US since 1850. The map is part of a study of immigration patterns over the last 150 years. It’s eye-opening to see just where…
There are estimated to be over 6,500 languages spoken in the world today. Irish is one of the 10 oldest still spoken daily and has the oldest vernacular literature in Europe. While it’s hard to identify when any language begins and so it is impossible to rank them in terms of age, it is believed…
A trophy commemorating Major-General Blackader’s victory over Irish rebels in 1916 is to be auctioned in Dublin. The trophy, a dinner gong, was built from a shell fired from the British ship ‘Helga’ which sailed from Dún Laoghaire (then Kingstown) on April 25th, 1916, up the river Liffey to shell the rebel-occupied Boland’s Mills, and,…
Old photographs can be very precious and losing one can cause grief. One unlucky person left this photograph behind in Terminal 1 of Dublin Airport last week. Can you help return it? The photograph was left at the security check in Terminal 1. It is of two children and on the back of it there’s…
Many people know that the centre of Cork is built on an island. But did you know that it was once many islands? And had a canal-based transport system? Until the late 18th century the centre of Cork was marshy and the land was directed by the river. Through that time the channels were used…
Situated 12 kilometres off the Kerry coast, Skellig Michael is a 218m (715ft) high lump of exposed rock. It was also the site of a unique monastery for 600 years. The Skelligs Skellig Michael is one of two Skelligs. The other, The Little Skellig, is uninhabited by man but is the second largest gannet breeding…
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