Ireland May your house be filled with laughter And your pockets filled with gold And I wish you all the happiness Your Irish heart can hold.
My mother often quotes the rhyme you see above and there are many similar variations on the sayings.
From the majesty of her mountain ranges to the sweeping beauty of her shores. Shrouded in a veil of historic stories and mystical locations, that will charm your very soul.
No matter where in the world you are, the magic of Ireland will reach your heart, be you born here or simply mystified by its greatness, you cannot help but feel the warmth and kindness of the Irish people.
My mother’s family name is Hogan and she was born in a little place called Rathmines just outside the fair city of Dublin.
HOGAN or Ó hÓgáin comes from the Gaelic word “óg”, meaning ‘young’. The clan is descended from Ógán, an uncle of Brian Ború, who was High King of Ireland in the 11th century.
The Ó hÓgáin were part of the Dál gCais tribal group and they were located near the modern town of Nenagh in County Tipperary. Hogan is a traditional surname. The name Hogan is strongest in counties Clare, Tipperary, Limerick and Cork.
Below I have added a map link so we can look at where these places are.
Dublin is home to much of The cultural heritage. The country's most richly decorated manuscript; "The Book of Kells" which contains the four gospels in Latin, is on view in Trinity College.
The National Museum in Kildare Street has a magnificent display of Bronze Age antiquities and many gold and silver treasures of early Christianity. Also Dublin Castle, and Christ Church cathedral are a delight to see.
Lying safely between the mountains and the sea, the capital city is vibrant and ever changing and home to roughly a third of Ireland’s people. On the top of this page you will see the Celtic Tiger, which is apparently one of Irelands nicknames in the area of economy and trade.
From a Celtic perspective Ireland throughout the ages has been famous for its exquisite Celtic jewellery and Irish gifts have been passed to friends and families throughout the world and held as treasured items to be passed down through their generations.
Even in my own family we hold gifts of Ireland and treat them as our very own piece of the romance that is Ireland.
The time of the Celts entering into Ireland’s history could be as early as the 6th century BC and continued to be added to until the emergence of Christianity.
In Celtic times it was not very unified in its kingdoms, but more by its culture and language. The country was divided into roughly 150 small kingdoms, each of these kingdoms was known as a tuath.
A lower level king ruled over a tuath. He was the subject of a more powerful king who in turn ruled over a group of tuatha. The king of the tuatha was in turn subject to one of the five provincial kings. This period was rather up and down with constant shifts in power among the most senior adversaries.
The celts worked a barter system and therefore, no coins were used and the unit of exchange was livestock. It is said that at this time there were no towns to speak of and the majority of the population lived on farms or homesteads. The people were placed into a class system and were strictly regulated by Brehon law.
Brehon law was an elaborate legal system based largely on the concepts of the tuath as a governing body and the fine, (your extended family). It is true to say that Ireland remains unmistakably Celtic.
There are many tales of saints and missionaries it has fine manuscripts, sculptures and exquisite jewellery, a glorious array of traditional music. It also has one of the richest folklores in the world, in addition (if my mams cooking is anything to go by) a world of culinary delights to die for.
All this washed down with a drop 'o the hard stuff (Irish whiskey) or a long cool pint of Guinness and even if you’re not Irish you’ll be laughing.
