The Irish, despite the fact that today they have a reputation for being heavy drinkers, are one of the civilizations on earth with a long history and tradition behind it. Since their Celtic ancestry they have witnessed the passage of time, wars of supremacy and innovation, a stream of changes that have adapted their way of living and understanding the world around them.
Today to pay tribute to the people of Ireland and to our irish pub which will soon be 20 years old , we have prepared a small article of curiosities about them and their most emblematic customs.
Are you ready?
Table of Contents
The tradition of authentic Irish pubs
Our Irish pub Temple Bar, as well as others that you can find in Barcelona, are inspired by the local Irish taverns in the Temple Bar neighborhood. Tourists and one of the most important tourist centers of the city of Dublin.
Beyond the well-known Guinness beers in the pubs of Ireland you can find musicians playing live traditionally, in which very popular instruments such as the bodhrán, the fiddle, the tin whistle and the bagpipes are used. A tradition that has spread around the entire island as an important cultural display.
Like the English but Irish
First, in Ireland, like England, you drive on the left while the measurement system is different in some central and southern areas of the island, since kilometers are used officially instead of miles.
Although the Irish had crossroads with the Romans, the Vikings, the Normans, the Saxons and the English adapted from them various customs that can be observed today in a very obvious way.
Secondly, there are more Irish abroad than in Ireland, this is due to the large emigration caused by the potato disease crisis that occurred in 1845 which forced many of its inhabitants to leave to find a way to earn life better.
Two popular festivals among the Irish
The most well-known Irish holiday par excellence is Saint Patrick’s Day, dedicated to the patron saint of Ireland, which is celebrated every March 17.
Tradition dictates that during that day you have to dress in green and celebrate it with at least a pint of beer in hand. You can find more interesting information about this party in our article “Come celebrate St Patrick’s Day at Temple Bar”.
Another of the most popular traditions, like the English and Americans, is Halloween, although in the case of the Irish this party comes from a Celtic celebration known as “samhain”.
On these dates, it was believed that the veil that united the physical world and the spiritual world was attenuated, favoring the arrival of good and bad spirits.
Behind the famous topic
In Ireland it is very common to socialize in the pubs of the area with friends, neighbors and strangers. It is easy to start conversations at the same table to the beat of the music and the party.
Although the Irish have a reputation for being great and avid drinkers, the truth is that according to official statistics and contrary to popular belief, the most consumed drink in the country is English tea.
The meaning of Irish names
Many of the typical Irish surnames start with Mac and/or O’ . These suffixes according to the linguistic rules indicate the family relationship of the person: for example, Mac indicates “son of” while O’ refers to “descendant of”. Like for example: O’Toole and Mac’Gregor
In the case of women, Nic is usually used to indicate if she is “daughter of” or Ui to indicate “descendant of”. In the case of marriage, the woman can decide if she wishes to adopt her husband’s surname, in which case the root is replaced by Mhic or Uí.
Creatures feared or revered by the Irish
Within Irish folklore we can find two quite interesting mythological creatures:
Leprechaun: This is a mischievous leprechaun who is usually depicted dressed in green next to a pot of gold. It is very typical that during St. Patrick’s Day there are characterized people.
Abhartach: Although it may seem incredible, there were beings worse than Vlad Tepes, according to local legends there is a tyrannical being like Dracula who is known by the name Abhartach. A Celtic tyrant who terrorized many populations and was converted to unlife by means of dark magic when he was assassinated.
On the other hand, in several Irish locations a few scenes of the series “Game of Thrones” were filmed. Currently there are tours and excursions that visit the most important locations of the filming.
The power of Irish creativity
If we talk about the “White House in Washington” you probably know exactly which building we are referring to, because as a curiosity this emblematic monument was designed by an Irishman named James Hoban in 1792.
And not only that… Another Irishman known as Cedric Gibbons was responsible for sculpting the small statuette of the “Oscars” in Hollywood. An emblem of cinema that today is recognized throughout the world.
Curiosities about the language
Although the official language of the country is English, Welsh as a second language. Welsh is a language from a branch of Indo-European Celtic that is not at all like the English that the Irish learn from their childhood as a second school language.
Normally in many Irish towns such as Galway, Donegal or Cork you can find posters and signs in both languages so as not to mislead visitors, since curiously the English language was not introduced until the 12th century and is one of the majority languages in small towns and villages.
