Weekly Dose of Irish – Christmas Day Edition 🎄🍀
Dec 25, 2024 10:01 am
Here's your weekly dose of Irish for December 25th 2024...
It's Christmas Day, and wherever you are in the world, I hope you're full of joy, good cheer, and a bit of Irish craic! Here's your festive weekly dose, packed with all the magic of an Irish Christmas. 🎅✨
Looking for a laugh this Christmas? Watch my YouTube clip from a few years ago of me reading an Irish joke. Be sure to give it a thumbs up and share if you can.
St. Anne's Church, Shandon, during a snowstorm, Cork, Ireland, unknown date
📜 Did You Know? – Irish Christmas Facts
Irish Christmas During the Great Famine
Christmas during the Great Irish Famine (1845–1852) was a sombre time. Families who had been displaced from their homes or suffered devastating losses held on to traditions in whatever way they could.
For those who emigrated to America or Australia, Christmas became a poignant time for letters home. The tradition of sending Christmas cards gained popularity among Irish immigrants as a way to stay connected with family across the seas.
Even today, Christmas remains a time for many Irish families to remember their roots and reconnect with loved ones abroad.
The Candle in the Window
A beautiful Irish tradition is placing a lit candle in the window on Christmas Eve. This custom has deep historical roots, symbolizing warmth and hospitality. During times of English oppression, when Catholic priests were banned, the candle in the window was also a secret signal that a family was willing to offer shelter to a priest.
Nowadays, it’s a more symbolic gesture—welcoming Mary, Joseph, and the Christ Child or any travellers passing by during the festive season. Many Irish families still keep this tradition alive.
A 1914 Irish Christmas Truce
During World War I, Irish soldiers fighting in the trenches experienced the famous Christmas Truce of 1914, where soldiers on both sides of the conflict paused fighting to exchange gifts, sing carols, and even play football. Many Irishmen who served in British regiments wrote home about this extraordinary event, which highlighted the shared humanity even in the darkest of times.
At the time of World War I (1914–1918), Ireland was still under British rule. The island had not yet gained independence, as the Irish War of Independence didn’t begin until 1919. Therefore, Irish men were subject to British military recruitment, and many volunteered to serve in British regiments.
Wren Boys Day 🐦
On St. Stephen’s Day (December 26th), Irish lads used to dress up in costumes and go door-to-door singing and performing. The tradition stems from the legend of a wren betraying St. Stephen by alerting soldiers to his hiding place. Thankfully, the wrens are safe nowadays—it’s all just fun and games!
Midnight Mass Craic ⛪
Many families head to midnight mass on Christmas Eve for the service and the chance to catch up with neighbours and friends. It’s as much about the socializing as the praying.
🍀 Festive Irish Fact
The Irish word for Christmas is Nollaig. But did you know that "Happy Christmas" in Irish is actually "Nollaig Shona Duit" for one person and "Nollaig Shona Daoibh" for more than one?
So, if you're greeting your family, now’s your chance to show off your cúpla focal!
🎶 An Irish Song to Warm the Heart
"Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl is the Irish Christmas anthem. Is it even Christmas if you haven’t belted out "You’re a bum, you’re a punk" at least once?
🎄 Quick Irish Christmas Quiz
- What is the Irish name for St. Stephen’s Day?
- What dessert is traditionally eaten in Ireland at Christmas?
- Name an Irish city that has a “Christmas Market” tradition.
Answers are at the bottom, but no cheating!
☘️ An Irish Quote for the Season
"May your troubles be less and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door."
Carry that one with you into the new year! 💚
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So, what is this week's top Irish poem?
"The Kerry Christmas Carol"
By Sigerson Clifford
Brush the floor and clean the hearth,
And set the fire to keep,
For they might visit us tonight
When all the world's asleep!
Don't blow the tall white candle out
But leave it burning bright,
So that they'll know they're welcome here
This holy Christmas night!
Leave out the bread and meat for them,
And sweet milk for the Child,
And they will bless the fire, that baked
And too, the hands that toiled.
For Joseph will be travel-tired,
And Mary pale and wan,
And they can sleep a little while
Before they journey on.
They will be weary of the roads,
And rest will comfort them,
For it must be many a lonely mile
From here to Bethlehem.
O long the road they have to go,
The bad mile with the good,
Till finally they reach the town
Beyond the hill of wood.
Our quiet hearth, our open door,
Our loving welcome free,
May shield them from the spiteful wind,
And the lash of the angry sea.
This poem is a poignant reflection of the Irish tradition of hospitality, particularly the custom of leaving a candle in the window at Christmastime. It captures the humility and generosity of the Irish people, even in times of hardship.
🎅 Answers to the Quiz
- Lá Fhéile Stiofáin or Lá an Dreoilín (Day of the Wren)
- Christmas pudding or mince pies
- Galway, Cork, or Dublin
Have a wonderful Christmas Day filled with laughter, love, and maybe a cheeky bit of Baileys in your coffee. Here’s to you! Sláinte agus Nollaig Shona Daoibh! 🎄🍀
With love,
Stephen
About the founder of Irish Around The World:
Okay, some of you might be wondering.
Just who runs this Irish Around The World website??
Or maybe you don't care, haha.
My name is Stephen Palmer from Co. Cork, and I have been involved in many Irish-related projects over the years.
While it may seem this website is run by a whole team of highly skilled Irishmen, it is just run by myself.
So, I want to thank you again for taking the time to subscribe and participate in the community.
So, how did you start a website about Irish people around the world, Stephen?
Where it all began:
I created a website in 2013 to help Irish people who are moving to Australia, and recently, a new group to help Irish ex-pats who are returning to Ireland.
I have always enjoyed reading about Irish heritage and how connected Irish people are around the world.
However, I felt that the websites did not connect the people to the information. Instead, they just published daily articles regardless of whether people cared about them or not.
So, I decided to change it and create my own Facebook community called Irish Around The World.
It expanded to an Irish Around The World group, now with over 70k members!
Many of you have probably seen me popping in and out of our Facebook group. It has been amazing to see the interaction with each member.
There have been many ups and downs in the groups. Laughs and tears but every day, it continues to move forward. Thanks for being a part of it.
Sign up here if you haven't joined yet and don't know what you are missing.
Thank you again for being a part of Irish Around The World.
Have a great day!
All the best,
Stephen Palmer
P.S Invite your friends or family to this weekly newsletter. Just share this link with them: Irisharoundtheworld.com/join.
