A new Gallup poll indicates a decline in religious affiliation in Ireland. Fifty years ago, Ireland was one of the most religious countries in Europe, but according to a recently released poll, taken by the Gallup International in 2011, Ireland now ranks among the top ten atheist nations worldwide. These results are a huge shift from the last poll, in 2005. In the six years … [Read more...] about Is Ireland Losing Its Religion?
Island of Ireland
Keep ‘er Lit: The Olympic Torch in Ireland
The Olympic torch relay, a throwback to ancient Greece, became a contemporary Olympic tradition at the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin. The 2012 summer games will open on July 27, in London, after the torch has completed a 70-day tour of 8,000 miles, carried by 8,000 torch bearers. As the Olympic torch traveled its 5-day relay through Northern Ireland and Dublin June 3 through … [Read more...] about Keep ‘er Lit: The Olympic Torch in Ireland
Titanic Commemoration in Ireland
Belfast is abuzz in preparation for the upcoming three-week-long Titanic Festival, which will both commemorate the centenary of the sinking of the Belfast-built ocean liner and celebrate the eagerly-awaited opening of Titanic Belfast, the centerpiece of city’s revitalized waterfront. The festival, which runs March 31 through April 22, will feature 120 events, including light … [Read more...] about Titanic Commemoration in Ireland
Save Dublin’s Moore Street – Last Battlefield of 1916 Rising
February 13, 2012
The last battlefield of the 1916 Rising's heroes must be preserved.Moore Street, Dublin – for years the bustling site of flower markets and fruit sellers, but today the object of a fight to preserve Ireland’s heritage and the genesis of its nationhood. Sometimes called the “Alamo of Ireland,” the laneways and streets surrounding Moore Street are some of the most historic in the … [Read more...] about Save Dublin’s Moore Street – Last Battlefield of 1916 Rising
Your Travel Story: Doolough
On a lonely stretch of road in Co. Mayo, between Louisburgh and Delphi Lodge, I took this photo of Doolough, which translates as dark lake. It was a lovely day, and the light was perfect, as it often is in Ireland, and I just took one shot. I now have this photo., many times enlarged, hanging behind the desk in my office. Visitors are struck by the beauty of the scene, but most … [Read more...] about Your Travel Story: Doolough