Irish-isms

When I first started my current job, I bought myself a mug for the office. It had the pattern of a Freisian cow and her udder, complete with four stumpy-yet-engorged teats,

What I used to drink in Ballinastack and what is commonly referred to as “tea” by everyone else are two entirely different beverages. I’d add enough sugar to satisfy a bustling candy floss stand at a popular traveling circus, and the rest of the mug was filled with tea and milk in almost equal measure….

As I ambled out of The Brattle Theatre into the crisp New England night, I kicked at the freshly-fallen leaves as I took the shortcut home through Harvard Yard, completely lost in thought. I was thinking of home and instead of the usual scowl I reserve for such occasions, I was smiling.  Wistful but happy. …

The other day I watched the special hurling segment that was produced for 60 Minutes. It is 15 minutes of people with connections to hurling waxing lyrical about the game and tripping over themselves in an effort to romanticize its effect on the country. Maybe Donal Og Cusack isn’t quite as miserable as he comes…

There are four things the Irish blame for all of the country’s woes: the English, the Catholic Church, the bankers, and the demon drink. At Easter, all four come together to form a cocktail of happiness that the entire country looks forward to from March 19th – the day before being one the country decides…

People often say that Christmas is not the same once Santa ceases to exist. Christmases cannot simply be broken into ones with Santa and without. There is a longer progression from childhood Christmases to adult ones that take in various stages of growth. With the siblings spread across 4 countries and 3 continents this Christmas,…

Petrol station owners the country over are now ruing their decision not to stock up on the miniature flakes that accompany soft serve ice cream cones. With Ireland using up its quota of good weather for the summer during the Leaving Certificate exams in early June, the general presumption was that the only people eating…