The Irish nation is saddened at the passing this week of author Dermot Healy. While Seamus Heaney was Ireland’s international literary star, it was Healy who was a national star, one who was actively engaged in cultivating the next generation of Irish writers. His contribution to the Irish arts wi

Fairies do not always come in the form of leprechauns. These earth elementals can be spotted in places of outstanding natural beauty. But be aware that now you see them, now you don't! They take a dim view of trespassers as well, nor do they lodge deeds of ownership with the Irish Land Registry.

With so many people emigrating from Ireland, many people seek to trace their family roots or ancestry to Ireland. Find some new online sources as well as some less conventional ways of connecting with ancestral Irish heritage.

What was originally a pre-Christian agricultural and fertility festival, Bealtaine is the Irish name for the month of May, kicking off the flurry of summer festivals and events calendar. Bealtaine celebrates creativity now especially for the over-50s in the population.

The rites for honoring the dead and celebrating their life are still very much part of Irish rural culture. Undertakers may bury but the waking of the dead is still very much in the hands of the family of the departed.

Happy Earth Day! It's Earth Day every day in a Global Geopark. Ireland has three UNESCO designated Global Geoparks in recognition of the international importance of both the natural heritage and built heritage.

Coffee may have made inroads into Irish culture...and not just with whiskey added either. Tea remains the beverage that keeps the Irish on course.

Irish food has many regional variations. Most visitors are familiar with 'the full Irish' breakfast but Northern Ireland has it's own unique variation known as the Ulster Fry. Take a tour of what appears on Northern Irish breakfast plate.

"Ireland Online" is the newsletter for those interested in Irish Culture. Your editor writes directly from the island of Ireland itself. Culture is dynamic so the Irish Culture site covers Irish heritage, the Irish dispora,as well as contemporary Ireland developments.

Ireland has three patron saints and one is a woman, St. Brigit. So strictly speaking she is a matron saint and a motherly concern for so many aspects of life reveals that she watches a lot of backs!