Happy St Patrick's Day - My Favourite Irish Things

To all Irish and all not Irish, Happy Paddy's day to the lot of you!

Lets kick off with my favourite places in Ireland:

My family comes from Ireland and I spent a lot of summer holiday's with my Nan in her little cottage in the middle of the Irish country side. County Meath is right above Dublin and Kildare and has many interesting places to visit. 

Newgrange Farm was one of my favourites as a child growing up.
My had lots of animals and cute baby ones that you were allowed to feed and cuddle. 

Bradley the grumpy horse was always told you when it was time for you to leave him alone at the end of the day by pushing your hand away with his soft nose.

The lambs were always excitable when they had children to play with and were just as bouncy as them. as well as the kittens that had climbed so high in its enclosure it wasn't sure how to get back down. As well as the geese who goad you into goading them.

Newgrange tomb just up the road is always cool especially around the winter solstice. The history and stories of this place will have to wanting to explore Ireland's historical secrets even more.

Just a heads up for tall people, a lot of ducking is involved so be prepared to stay as low as you can.

The Hill of Slane is another of my favourite places in Ireland. This place has a lot of history dating back long into the past. 

I remember climbing the spiral stair case in the tower and being scared of how high it was when I got to the top. Even St Patrick supposedly gave this place a visit. 

Irish Food

Well you have your Guinness, Jameson's and Baileys as we all know and probably be drinking large quantities today/tonight and waking up with a large enough hangover to match.

Here are a few yummy foods the Irish eat traditionally:

Soda Bread - Soda bread is a rustic quick bread that would look right on a farm house dinner table.

Coddle - Coddle is came as a left overs recipe. Today it consists of sliced Pork/sausages, Potatoes and onions.

Colcannon - Colcannon is basically mashed potatoes with cabbage/kale mixed in and is extremely tasty.

Barmbrack - Barmbrack in a bread with sultanas and raisins. Sometimes you can buy it with other added fruits for flavour. This is a traditional recipe for Halloween so maybe try and add this to your party food list for then.

Irish Themed Films

There are so many films based in Ireland and about the Ireland that i want to share a few:

I love this strange fairy tale film about selkies and there descendants. I spent many an hour watching over and over this little secret adventure.

10-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland. She soon learns the local legend that an ancestor of hers married a Selkie - a seal who can turn into a human. Years earlier, her baby brother washed out to sea in a cradle shaped like a boat; someone in the family believes the boy is being raised by the seals. Then Fiona catches sight of a naked little boy on the abandoned Isle of Roan Inish and takes an active role in uncovering The Secret of Roan Inish. - IMDB

Yes i know this film is mostly set in America but it's all about the Irish taking a gamble and immigrating to America in search of a life and land of there very own.

A young man (Cruise) leaves Ireland with his landlord's daughter (Kidman) after some trouble with her father, and they dream of owning land at the big giveaway in Oklahoma ca. 1893. When they get to the new land, they find jobs and begin saving money. The man becomes a local barehands boxer, and rides in glory until he is beaten, then his employers steal all the couple's money and they must fight off starvation in the winter, and try to keep their dream of owning land alive. Meanwhile, the woman's parents find out where she has gone and have come to America to find her and take her back. - IMDB

The lucky winner of the national lottery is Ned Devine, so taken by his good fortune that he now can't be waked, because he died from the shock of it! News of the win spread quickly in the scenic little Irish village of Tully More, but not the secret news of Ned's demise. With lottery officials closing in to confirm the prize claimed by the deceased Devine, Ned's closest friends scheme to keep the prize money close to home, in memory of Ned of course! But as the plot twists humorously, they learn it is hard is to keep such a secret in a small town.- IMDB






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That's it from me for now, i hope you all have a great day if you are Irish or not.