Monday Musings: All Things Irish

from Why Ireland?

St. Patrick's Day is soon upon us and PBS has been bringing out the Irish wonders left and right. I just finished watching Out of Ireland with Patricia O'Reilly and after watching the news from RTE she showcased PBS' latest documentary the Music of Ireland: Welcome Home. The two part documentary airs this month across the country and centers on the history of contemporary Irish music. It features music and interviews from some of Irelands best and most well-known artists as well as some lesser known artists but just as great, including: The Chieftains, the Clancy Brothers, U2, The Dubliners, Riverdance, Bob Geldof, Ronan Tynan, and Sinead O'Connor.

I am eager to see this documentary as one of my favorite bands, U2, is mentioned and there is even a great interview with Bono! I can't wait! My 2009 Christmas gift to myself was U2's latest album! I am also excited to see more of Ireland's best. I love celtic music and I think it has had a huge influence in contemporary music even beyond Ireland so it should be a great series. If you go to the Music of Ireland homepage there is a tab entitled Broadcast where you can see if and when it will be aired in your area!

U2 photo from billboard.com

I hope to be able to make my traditional Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day this year! If you haven't already, check out the Spotted Dog I made last September, similar to Irish Soda Bread, it is an Irish version of the British Spotted Dick. Check it out in my post The Things I've Made. A few Irish goodies I found on Etsy in preparation for St. Patrick's Day, check them out:

Cute little Irish Boy hat by daisymaehats $12

Gorgeous Lucky Shamrock Scarf by Ayca, $35

Kiss Me I'm Irish Shamrock Cookies from Holiday Candy Lane, $29

I leave you with some beautiful photos of Ireland:

from the dailygreen.com

from grouptraveldiscounts

Glendalough, Ireland

Cheers!