Ireland is probably not what many would consider the natural venue to host an international conference of nudists. Yet the 34th International Congress of Naturists met in Ireland's most sparsely populated county for their annual meeting.

While there have been four Irish literary Nobel laureates, only one has been from Northern Ireland and Roman Catholic. Seamus Heaney's life and background marries the Irish pastoral tradition with the newly emerging post-industrial Ireland.

Many of those charming Irish names in books are a complete mystery since Irish is not phonetically the same as English. Here's a handy guide to some of the more popular and mind melting.

"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.

The more things change, the more they stay the same - if a bit altered with the fashions of the current decade. Here are six traditions that make up an Irish Christmas; family, food, time off, lights, a little religion and some straw men.

St. Brigid's Day is 1st February. Even if there is frost on the snowdrops, this is the official start to the Celtic Spring. We are six weeks between Christmas and the Spring Equinox. Celebrate brighter days and the earth getting ready to sprout seedlings with my Seed Cake recipe.

St. Patrick may get all the publicity but Ireland has two home grown patron saints. Here we meet Columcille, aka Columba, who was born in Donegal.

Natural historians will tell you Ireland never has had any native snakes. So what is the basis of the folk tale of St. Patrick banishing the snakes from Ireland?

St. Patrick's Day is a welcome break in Lenten abstinence. This national holiday is also a Roman Catholic holy day of obligation. So before the merry making there is prayer.

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.