Ireland has always been a land of myth and legend from leprechauns to fairies, but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. In honor of St. Patricks Day here are some of the strangest and weirdest facts about Ireland.
St. Patrick - St Patrick is credited to bringing, or broadening Christianity in Ireland and we celebrate his life for this, the faith he brought has been the reason for a legacy of strife. St. Patrick was not from Ireland but was captured and taken there as a slave.
The shamrock is associated with Ireland because of the legend surround Saint Patrick and how he taught the concept of the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. The people could not understand and so he reached down and pulled out a common plant, the shamrock with one stem. He held it up and said there is only one stem, but three leaves. The four -leaf clover is often confused with the shamrock. While the four-leaf clover is a symbol of good luck, the three-leafed shamrock is mainly an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity and has a different significance.
The Irish Fairy - Catherine Kelly, called the "Irish Fairy," was the smallest Irish woman in history. At a slight height of 34 inches and a weight of 8 pounds, she died in 1785. She was just slightly larger than a newborn infant. In the early 1780s a Miss Catherine Kelly (34 inches tall) went on "Dwarfism tour", where she met, a young man, 'a dealer in Manchester goods' who fell in love with Catherine, and pursued her. Catherine Kelly and her anonymous husband continued on her tour, and when she fell pregnant, their revenues increased. She died at age 29 giving birth to their child, about six hours after her death, delivered of a large and full-grown child, twenty-two inches and a half long and weighing seven pounds. The child lived about two hours after its birth.
If you are a lover of the dark, smooth stout Guinness, it may interest you to know that the original brewery in Dublin signed a 9,000 year lease on its property for $65 annually. No one will be stealing their right to the land in this lifetime, ensuring that the beer beloved by the world will continue to quench thirsts for years to come.
Irish Marriage & Divorce: Although the first divorce ever granted in Ireland was in 1997, up until the 1920’s, couples in Ireland could legally be married on St. Brigid's Day (February 1st) in Teltown, County Meath, by walking towards each other. They could divorce on St. Brigid’s day the following year by walking away from each other at the same spot. Keep in mind though -
Medieval laws in Ireland allowed a man to divorce his wife if she damaged his honor through infidelity, thieving or
“making a mess of everything.”
Erin go braugh is a phonetic version of
"Éirinn go brách," which in Irish (Gaelic) means "Ireland Forever." It was an Irish blessing used to express allegiance to Ireland.
The Blarney Stone in Ireland has been named as the most 'unhygienic' tourist attraction in the world. It is kissed by more than 400,000 people each year and is now said to give you more than 'the gift of the gab' now!
For over 200 years, world statesmen, literary giants, and legends of the silver screen have joined the millions of pilgrims climbing the steps to kiss the Blarney Stone and gain the gift of eloquence. Its powers are unquestioned but its story still creates debate.
Once upon a time, visitors had to be held by the ankles and lowered head first over the battlements. Today, we are rather more cautious of the safety of our visitors. The Stone itself is still set in the wall below the battlements. To kiss it, one has to lean backwards (holding on to an iron railing) from the parapet walk. The prize is a real one as once kissed the stone bestows the gift of eloquence.
Other Fun Facts
If you are searching for the city with the longest name in Ireland, look no further than
Muckanaghederdauhaulia. Located in County Galway, try saying that name five times fast. Muckanaghederdauhaulia means "pig-marsh between two saltwaters."
If you loved the movie "Babe," you will enjoy knowing that back in the olden days, a pig often lived in the house with the family on an old Irish farm. Considered a part of the family, he was often known as "the gentleman who pays the rent." One has to wonder if these little gentlemen were house trained. And if the family avoided cooking and eating bacon in front of them.
Irish Windmills: Windmills around the world always turn in a counter-clockwise direction... except for the windmills in Ireland which turn clockwise
Tallest Irish Twins: The tallest identical twins in recorded history were the Knipe Brothers from Magherafelt in County Derry, Ireland. The Knipe Brothers, born in 1761, were 7' 2" tall.
Irish blood runs thick in American leadership. According to various historians, well over 40% of the United States' past presidents have some Irish ancestry.
Barack Obama is Irish: his great great grandfather came from Moneygall, County Offaly, Ireland.
The Irish consume in average 131.1 liters of beer per year – the 2nd highest per-capita consumption after the Czech Republic.
Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland is where the famous
Titanic ship was built.
An odd
Irish birthday tradition is to
lift the birthday child upside down and give his head a few gentle bumps on the floor for good luck. The number of bumps should allegedly correspond to the child’s age plus one.
According to one rather obscure Irish legend, a ringing in your ears means a deceased friend stuck in Purgatory is ringing a bell to ask for you to pray for him/her.
Baileys Irish Cream which was launched in Ireland in the early seventies, is now the most popular liqueur in the world.
The Irish tricolor flag, created in 1848, was designed to reflect the country's political realities. Orange stands for Irish Protestants, green for Irish Catholics and the white stripe for the hope that peace might eventually be reached between them.
Ireland is the world’s only country with a musical instrument for a national symbol: the harp.
Craic . . . first of all, it is pronounced "Crack". Put simply, having craic is having a good time or a laugh. However, due to an unfortunate similarity in pronunciation with a well-known and illegal narcotic substance, not everyone gets the right idea about it.
Hope you had a "CRAIC" reading this and
May your neighbors respect you, Troubles neglect you, The angels protect you, And Heaven accept you.
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