Ireland
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f you have ever stood on the terraces of Croke Park on a blistering August afternoon, you know that hurling is not just a sport; it is an opera of speed, leather, and ash. Dubbed the fastest field sport on earth, its ancient origins stretch back three millennia, woven tightly into the fabric of Irish…
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When I was a young boy, Count Dracula scared the crap out of me. Having an older brother pretending to be the blood sucking Count didn’t help either. The fear was so real that to this day I still have a phobia for Bats. Little did I know then I would end up living in…
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I had a chat a few days ago with a friend. We were talking about the Holocaust, and we both agreed that the Germans, specifically the German Nazis, were the main instigators and culprits of the world’s biggest crime. Without them, there may not have been a Holocaust or at least not on the scale.…
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It may sound like a 19th century Gothic novel or the name of an Irish folk singer but neither apply, Penny Black is in fact the name of the first adhesive postage stamp. It was first issued in Great Britain om May 1 ,1840 but was not valid for use until 6 May it showed…
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Margaret Connolly, the sister of Ireland’s president Catherine Connolly, told RTÉ Six One News, yesterday: “My heart lies with the Palestinian people. We’ve had 800 years of colonisation by England. Why wouldn’t we come on the flotilla?” If she knew anything about her own country’s history, she’d know that technically she is incorrect. The English…
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Although the Republic of Ireland was neutral and was left largely unscathed during the war, Northern Ireland as part of the UK was not that lucky. Belfast being the biggest city of Northern Ireland was hit by German bombers 4 times, between the 7th of April and 6th of May 1941. Northern Ireland was ill…
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A while ago, I discovered a Jewish Cemetery in Limerick. It was across from a landmark pub in the city called the The Hurlers Pub. There was a small laneway across from Hurlers leading to the small cemetery. One of the graves was of Simon Gewurz. He was originally from Bratislava in Slovakia and moved…
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At the turn of the twentieth century, Ireland was still under British rule, and Irish political life was dominated by questions of nationalism, land reform, and identity. The Jewish population in Ireland was small—numbering only a few thousand nationwide—and largely composed of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Eastern Europe, particularly the Russian Empire. Many…
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Saint Patrick’s Day, a public holiday in Ireland, Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, is widely celebrated in the English-speaking world and to a lesser degree in other parts of the world. But who exactly was he? Early in the 5th Century, an Irish ship beat against the waves along the western…
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I moved to Ireland in 1997 and have not regretted it one day. I love the place and the people. Does that mean it is a perfect place? Of course not. I would be lying if I said there is no antisemitism in Ireland, because there is. But compared to most other European countries, it…
History of Sorts 