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Blarney stone

The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney).

The castle was built in 1446 by Cormac Laidhiv McCarthy (Lord of Muskerry) -- its walls are 18 feet thick (necessary to thwart attacks by Cromwellians & William III's troops).

The origins of the Blarney Stone's magical properties aren't clear, one legend says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning.

Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly & convincingly. It's tough to reach the stone -- it's between the main castle wall & the parapet. Kissers have to lie on their back & bend backward, holding iron bars for support.

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Celtic Cross

The meaning of the Celtic Cross is told in legend of Ireland's St. Patrick. He was shown a sacred standing stone that was marked with a circle. St. Patrick took this opportunity to show the union of old and new ways. He marked a cross through the circle and blessed the stone.

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Claddagh Ring

For love we wear the heart
In freindship we wear the hands
And in loyalty and lasting fidelity, we wear the crown

The symbol of the Claddagh Ring dates back to a fishing village in Galway known as Claddagh village. It represents the fishing Kings of Claddagh, whose motto was "in love and friendship let us reign." Later in the 17th century the symbol was made into a ring which became a popular gift throughout Galway. Tradition says that the heart is worn outward to show that the wearer is "heart whole and fancy free." Many Claddagh Rings have become family heirlooms and are a gift to be passed down from the mother and worn by a daughter on her wedding day.

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The Hound of Cuchulainn

Cuchulainn was a great hero in Ireland and a guardian of the land. His hound had the task to defend the people and their territory.
The hound therefore represents steadfastness to goals.

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The Irish Harp

The harp has long been a symbol of Ireland. Perhaps the legends of its magical powers come from the time when the bards would sing and tell stories of famous events to the Irish kings and chiefs.

During the early 1500s, under the rule of Henry VIII, the harp was first depicted on Irish coins. That tradition is carried on today and the harp is also used for other official duties such as the Irish state seal, official documents and uniforms.

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Peacock

The colourful tail of the peacock stands for the rays of the sun. But the peacock itself stands for immortality.

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Shamrock

In ancient Ireland the Shamrock was thought to have magical powers and the number 3 was considered a powerful number. Legends say the leaves will stand upright when a storm approaches and that no snake will be found among them.

When St. Patrick came to Ireland he used the Shamrock to symbolize the meaning of the church's teaching on the Trinity. As the story goes, Patrick, now a priest returned to Ireland to preach Christianity and convert the pagans to the following of Jesus Christ.

He was having some difficulty getting the Irish to understand, especially on the subject of the Holy Trinity. As St Patrick was thinking about how to explain this idea to the pagans, he passed through a field of shamrocks. Looking at the shamrocks he saw three leaves, but one plant… Three parts, one God. In this way St Patrick went all over Ireland with his shamrock, preaching and converting.

The word Shamrock comes from the old Irish word "seamrog" which means "summer plant."

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Tricolour Flag

Thomas Francis Meagher introduced the tricolour flag of Ireland in 1848. The colour of the green represents the Irish people, the orange represents the English supporters of "William of Orange" and the white colour represents peace.


Thomas Meagher on the meaning of the Irish flag said, "The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between the Orange and the Green; and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of the Irish Protestant and the Irish Catholic may be clasped in heroic brotherhood."

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Anthems

A Soldiers Song

We'll sing a song, a soldier's song
With cheering, rousing chorus
As round our blazing fires we thong,
The starry heavens o'er us;
Impatient for the coming fight,
And as we wait the mornings light
here in the silence of the night
We'll sing a soldier's song.

Chorus:
Soldiers are we,
whose lives are pledged to Ireland
Some have come from a land beyond the wave,
Sworn to be free,
no more our ancient sireland
Shall shelter the despot or the slave;
tonight we man the gap of danger
In Erin's cause.
come woe or weal;
'Mid cannon's roar and rifle's peal
We'll sing a soldier's song.

In valley green or towering crag
Our fathers fought before us,
And conquered 'neath the same old flag
That's floating o'er us,
We're children of a fighting race
That never yet has known disgrace,
And as we march the foe to face,
We'll sing a soldier's song.

Chorus

Sons of the Gael! Men of the Pale!
The Long watched day is breaking;
The serried ranks of Innisfail
Shall set the tyrant quaking.
Our camp fires now are burning low;
See in the east a silvery glow,
Out yonder waits the saxon foe,
So sing a soldier's song.

Fields of Athenry

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a sweet voice calling,
"Danny, they have taken you away.
For you stole Travelian's corn,
That your babes might see the morn,
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay."

Chorus:
Fair lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small freebirds fly.
Our love grew with the spring,
We had dreams and songs to sing
As we wandered through the fields of Athenry.

By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
"Nothing matters, Jenny, when you're free
Against the famine and the crown,
I rebelled, they ran me down,
Now you must raise our children without me."

Chorus

On the windswept harbour wall,
She watched the last star rising
As the prison ship sailed out across the sky
But she'll watch and hope and pray,
For her love in Botany Bay
Whilst she is lonely in the fields of Athenry.
Whilst she is lonely in the fields of Athenry.

Ireland

Come the day and come the hour,
Come the power and the glory,
We have come to answer our country's call,
From the four Provinces of Ireland

Ireland, Ireland,
Together standing tall,
Shoulder to shoulder,
We'll answer Ireland's call.

Ireland, Ireland,
Together standing tall,
Shoulder to shoulder,
We'll answer Ireland's call

 

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