Weekly Comment:
Ireland’s Good Friday Alcohol Ban Has Been Lifted
Alcohol can be served for the first time since 1927 on Good Friday in Ireland this year. ℘℘℘ Finding a pint of plain on Good Friday in one of the Republic of Ireland’s world-famous pubs has been nigh impossible (legally) for 90 years. That changed on January 31 of this year, when Irish president Michael D. Higgins signed an amendment to the 1927 Intoxicating Liquor Act into law repealing...
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An Irish Music Playlist Just in Time for St. Patrick’s Day
From Turlough O’Carolan to The Chieftains, The Cranberries to The Corrs, Ireland has always had a world-wide reputation for musical prowess. This St. Patrick’s Day weekend, enjoy this special playlist of Irish music that ranges from traditional Irish songs to more contemporary fare like The Pogues and The Saw Doctors. The 200-song playlist curates the best of Irish music and hopefully...
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Weekly Comment:
Irish Taoiseach Meets with Trump in Oval Office
Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met with President Donald Trump on his first official state visit to the U.S. this week, presenting Trump with a bowl of Irish shamrocks, continuing a tradition that dates back to the 1950s. ℘℘℘ At the annual St. Patrick’s Day reception at the White House this week, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar presented President Donald Trump with a bowl of Irish...
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Weekly Comment:
9 Uniquely American
St. Patrick’s Day Traditions
From Honolulu to Hot Springs, North America has some of the oldest – and quirkiest – St. Patrick’s Day traditions. ℘℘℘ On the morning of March 17, 1853, Archbishop of New York John Hughes addressed a crowd of worshippers at St. Patrick’s Cathedral about the special significance that St. Patrick’s Day had taken on in recent years. He declared: “… the very misfortunes of a...
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The Choctaw Tribe and the Irish Famine
Just 16 years after their own “Trail of Tears,” the Choctaw Indians raised money for Irish Famine relief. Visiting New York in 1989, Don Mullan, Director of Action From Ireland (AFrI), a Dublin-based human rights organization, was addressing members of the American Irish Political Education Committee about AFrI’s “Great Famine Project.” The Project had begun in 1988...
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