Number 10
Ever wonder why St. Patrick’s Day is so popular in North America? It’s because so many of us have Irish ancestry. 4.3 million Canadians and a whopping 33.3 million Americans are of full, or at least partial, Irish ancestry. Those 6.4 million people in Ireland have a lot of relatives overseas.
Be reminded of your Irish roots with these framed prints of the Irish countryside.
Number 9
Irish women are known for their beauty and kindness, but they are also formidable. Take for example, Grace O'Malley, known in the 1500s as the "Queen of the Pirates”. She commanded a crew of over 200 men, inheritied and ran her father’s trade and shipping business, and had an audience with the Queen Elizabeth I. Stories, songs, pubs and plays have been created in her honour and she remains an important Irish figure to this day.
Number 8
The Irish have one of the biggest rock bands of all time, U2! 30 years ago today “The Joshua Tree” album was released. It soared to number one in Ireland and around the world, with over 25 million copies sold. This summer an North American and European tour will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album, featuring hit singles With or Without You, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and Where The Streets Have No Name.
If are a music fan, or have one close to you, the vintage music cover handmade journals at Cedar Lake will hit the right note.
Number 7
Surfer’s call it “cold-water Eden”. Believe it or not, Ireland is a grand place to surf. In fact, the Travel Channel lists Bundoran Beach, County Donegal, Ireland as its third favourite surfing location in the world both because of its beauty and almost constant swells. Even the famous Irish Pulitzer Prize-winning author George Bernard Shaw was known to surf, at age 75 no less!
Number 6
The Irish are a musical bunch. And so, it is fitting that Ireland is the world’s only country with a musical instrument, the harp, for a national symbol. The harp is also the trademark for the most popular Irish beer, Guinness. The only difference is that the national symbol is turned with its straight edge to the right, rather than to the left as on the beer logo.Enjoy other ancient Celtic symbols in this set of three wall hangings in traditional leaded frames – a lovely shower or wedding gift.
Number 5
Irish people are known to have the gift of the gab. Maybe that’s why you will find these tongue-twisting names like Muckanaghederdauhaulia, a village in County Galway – the original name literally meant ‘pig-shaped hill between two seas’; or Sruffaunoughterluggatoora and its sister stream, Sruffaungolinluggatavhin; and a cove in Corkaguiny, Co. Kerry called Coosfohermarenabinia. After those, Ardloughnabrackbaddy, part of a mountain range in Co. Donegal, seems quite straightforward.
Number 4
Irish roots run deep in North America. The first St. Patrick's Day parade in America was hosted by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston in 1737, 280 years ago. And Irish North Americans yearn for the untamed Irish countryside dotted with stone ruins, and depicted here in this detailed limited-edition etching. Order it today and enjoy it every day!
Number 3
Dublin was originally called "Dubh Linn," which means "Black Pool." The name refers to an ancient treacle lake in the city, which is now part of the penguin enclosure at the Dublin Zoo.
Number 2
From the Irish sail éille (shee-lay-lee), meaning 'cudgel with a strap,' the shillelagh is a stick with a large knob traditionally made from the roots of blackthorn or oak. The shillelagh, though it looks like a walking stick, was made for Bataireacht (Bat-er-akt), an ancient Irish martial art. The stick was used to strike, parry and disarm an opponent. It was considered a gentlemanly way of settling a dispute.
Here the image of the blackthorn is printed from a copper-plate etching, and framed in a traditional soldered frame – an awesome affordable gift.
Number 1
The Irish have more than their fair share of famous authors and poets, historically and to this day. Just start thinking of great writers, and many that come to mind are Irish including W.B.Yeats, Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, Sean O’Casey, C.S. Lewis, G.B. Shaw, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Anne Enright, Maeve Binchy, and Colm Tóibín just to name a few.
TOP OF THE MORNING TO YOU ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY! One last fun and fine fact about Ireland: It was traditional for Irish men to pin a shamrock to their hats or their lapels on St. Patrick’s Day. Then, after mass, they would head to the pub. For the last drink of the day, they would put the shamrock in the bottom of the glass, drink their beverage, pick out the shamrock and throw it over their left shoulder. Perhaps you will have a chance to “drown the shamrock” in celebration!