Irish Faerie Folklore...Because faeries are my fav ; )

I love faeries, have faery artwork all over my home and have 8 faery tattoos. Faery jewelry and faery sculptures and nic nacs are everywhere at home. I am even making a faery portal for my garden..dont ask..it's just me ; )

So I am including some Irish History on Faeries!

Irish Sidhe (pronounced shee)


In Ireland two distinct fairy types exist---the trooping fairies and the solitary fairies. The trooping fairies can be found in merry bans about the hawthorn tree or at feasts in gilded fairy palaces. They delight in company, while the solitary fairies avoid large gatherings, preferring to be left by themselves and separate from one another.

The trooping faeries are the major and presiding residents of fairyland; but the solitary ones (leprechauns, selkies, banshees, merrows, etc...) have greater interest in mortal affairs and therefore are generally more familiar to us.

Fairies exist all over the world. In Ireland they are the 'sidhe' (pronounced shee), a name they have retained from the ancient days.

The trooping faeries are found living in the bushes and circles of stones that crop up all over Ireland--the fairy raths. The fairy raths crop up in pastures all over Ireland, and the farmers never plow them up for fear of disturbing the faires who live there and bringing down some bad luck upon themselves.

The fairies are said to be very beautiful, with long yellow hair and perfect delicate forms. They love milk and honey and drink flower nectar as their fairy wine. The fairies can assume any form and can make horses out of straw. They have the power to affect human life, especially unbaptized children. The fairies also love music, often luring mortals into an eternal dance with their piping and singing.


Leprechauns (links included to go to the site, www.irelandseye.com )

Left 1
Standing Stones
The Leprechaun Watch

The Leprechaun Watch

Not far from the town of Thurles, in a picturesque part of Tipperary, is nestled the enchanting Glen of Cloongallon. To the north rise the Silvermine Mountains, and on a clear day it is possible to see the fabled seat of the kings of Munster. The mighty Rock of Cashel dominates the surrounding the plain.

A fairy ring lies in the heart of the Glen. (.view the location..) This prehistoric earthwork, some 500 ft (170m) in diameter and averaging 10 ft (3m) in height, encloses an neolithic dolmen. It is here, following mysterious events on a nearby farm, that irelandseye.com has been invited to establish a live cam Leprechaun Watch. We have set up a video camera connected via a satellite phone to the Internet. The apparatus is located in a 'hide' on the edge of the ring. The area has a reputation as a haunt for supernatural beings of various types. These include leprechauns, sheeries and pookas. They are regarded as being particularly active in the spring.

The Glen of Cloongallon is in the townland of Ballyseanrath. In a slight hollow lies the fairy ring itself. It is not obvious to passers-by as it is surrounded by hedges of hawthorn, ash, blackthorn hedges and early flowering gorse. There are trees ranged around the perimeter, mainly chestnut, with one magnificent specimen of oak. The oak is believed to be over 600 years old. Its magical reputation may stem from its providing leprechauns with acorns for their pipes. The tree is thought to be protected by a skeaghshee or tree spirit. Thus it may well have been spared the axe in Tudor times. Many of its species were felled to build Men O'War for Henry VIII's navy. It has been pressed into modern day service as a 'hide'. The camera is concealed in a cavity in its trunk, and a branch supports an antenna!

Kissing the Blarney Stone..A bit of History

Many have heard of the Blarney Stone, but not quite as many actually know what it is...the above picture and the following story were borrowed from
https://urbanlegends.about.com in order to shed a bit of light on this Sacred site for the Irish...

Five miles north west of the small city of Cork is the village of Blarney. Near the village, standing almost 90 feet in height is the castle of Blarney with its world-famous Blarney Stone. More than 300,000 people come to kiss the Blarney Stone each year, in the hopes of gaining more eloquent speech.


While the Blarney Castle that visitors see today was constructed in 1446, the history of the place goes back two centuries before that time. The story begins with a magical stone, its origins shrouded in mystery. One legend says it was the rock that Moses struck with his staff to produce water for the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. Another legend relates that it had once been Jacob’s Pillow and that the prophet Jeremiah had brought it to Ireland. According to this telling it became the Lia Fail, or ‘Fatal Stone’ and was used as an oracular throne of the Irish kings.


Some, however, believe it was the Stone of Ezel, which David hid behind on Jonathan's advice, while fleeing from King Saul, and that it was brought to Ireland during the Crusades. Yet it may have once been the Coronation Stone of Scottish monarchs and later used by St. Columba as a traveling altar during his missionary activities throughout Scotland. After Columba’s death it had been brought to Ireland where it served as the Stone of Destiny, the prophetic power of royal succession.


Did Moses, Jacob, the Scottish Kings or St. Columba first use the stone? Probably this will never be known. The most commonly accepted story of the stone is that, in gratitude for Irish support at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314 (a Scottish defeat of the English), Robert the Bruce gave a portion of the stone to Cormac McCarthy, King of Munster. Installed at Cormac McCarthy’s stronghold, Blarney Castle, it became known as the Blarney Stone. A century later, in 1446, King Dermot McCarthy then installed the stone in an enlarged castle he constructed.


The building of the Blarney Castle was a prodigious affair, requiring many hands and several years. The castle would have been used not only by the McCarthy clan but also by their retinue of knights and retainers. A powerful stronghold, it was designed to provide safety in times of attack, one of which happened in 1646 when Oliver Cromwell attacked Ireland and had a devastating effect on the castle.


Yet the McCarthy’s were not only powerful leaders and warriors, they were also patrons of Irish culture, music and art. They established a Bardic School at Blarney, which attracted scholars from throughout Ireland. By the 1600’s Blarney had become well known as a Court of Poetry where poets gathered to read their compositions, many of which have survived in the original Irish form.


Kissing the Blarney Stone is for some people a difficult physical feat. In past times, to kiss the Stone people were hung by their heels over the edge of the parapet. One day a pilgrim broke from the grasp of his friends and went hurtling downward to certain death. Since that time the stone has been kissed by another method. First, you sit with your back towards the stone and then someone sits upon your legs or firmly holds your feet. Next, leaning far back and downward into the abyss while grasping the iron rails, you lower yourself until your head is even with the stone to be kissed.

Just how long this custom has been practiced or how it originated is not known. One local legend claims that an old women, saved from drowning by a king of Munster, rewarded him with a spell, that if he would kiss a stone on the castle's top, he would gain a speech that would win all to him.


It is known, however, when and how the word Blarney entered the English language and the dictionary. During the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Dermot McCarthy, the ruler of the castle, was required to surrender his fortress to the Queen as proof of his loyalty. He said he would be delighted to do so, but something always happened at the last moment to prevent his surrender. His excuses became so frequent and indeed so plausible that the official who had been demanding the castle in the name of the Queen became a joke at the Court. Once, when the eloquent excuses of McCarthy were repeated to the Queen, she said "Odds bodikins, more Blarney talk!" The term Blarney has thus come to mean 'the ability to influence and coax with fair words and soft speech without giving offense'.

Echoing the power of the stone, Francis Sylvester Mahony, an Irish bard of the early nineteenth century, wrote:

There is a stone there, that whoever kisses,

Oh! He never misses to grow eloquent:

'Tis he may clamber to a lady's chamber,

Or become a member of Parliament.

Irish Whiskey Cake.......Very Potent

Ingredients:


This cake is pretty potent and I do not recommend this one for the younger crowd, however I do guarentee it will be the hit of any party!

For cake:

* 1 pkg yellow cake mix
* 1 pkg instant vanilla pudding (If the cake mix you buy doesn’t already include the pudding!)
* 1 cup water
* 4 eggs
* 1/2 cup Crisco Oil
* 1 cup chopped nuts (I always use walnuts)
* 1 cup shredded coconut (I prefer sweetened)

For glaze:

* 1 stick butter
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup whiskey, (I use Jameson's Irish Whiskey, Do Not use scotch)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first five ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in the nuts and coconut and pour into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for one hour.

With 5 minutes to go in baking time, melt the stick of butter with 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat, careful not to burn the butter. When the mixture has become smooth, remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of whiskey. This is a very strong smell lol

Once the cake has browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, remove it from the oven. Pour the hot glaze slowly over the hot cake. It will get soggy. Allow glaze to soak in and then repeat this process. Repeat three to four times, allowing glaze to soak in after each addition.

Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Serve with whipped cream or cool whip. Remember this cake contains alcohol that is not cooked out!!!

Quick and Easy Skillet Shepherds Pie

Not one of Nana's recipes thats for sure, but it a quick alternative to the original Irish Shepherds Pie recipe I have. This is ready in 20 minutes and therefore makes a great meal for any day! I like to post some recipes that are not all time consuming since so many of us are working, doing homework with the kiddies, acting like chauffers and being "soccer mom's". Sometimes there is just not enough time to spend hours in the kitchen.

I will definitely be posting Nana's recipes, (not the top secret ones tho..hehe) but for now, here's one for the busy busy mom's! Again the original recipe (found in a Woman's Day Article about three years back) is posted, along with any changes I make in "".


Ingredients:

o 1 lb lean ground beef
o 1 medium onion, chopped
o 2 cloves garlic, minced
o 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
o 1⁄4 tsp pepper
o 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I use previously steamed in bag or steamed fresh veggies)
o 1 can (14 1⁄2 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
o 1 jar (12 oz) Bistro Au Jus gravy (Heinz)
o 1 container (2 lb) refrigerated mashed potatoes (I prefer using homemade)
o 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan

Recipe Preparation

1. Heat broiler. Heat ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, onion, garlic, thyme and pepper; cook, breaking up meat, 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in vegetables, tomatoes and gravy; simmer, covered, 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat potatoes in microwave as package directs. Drop spoonfuls of potatoes on top of beef mixture; sprinkle with Parmesan. Place under broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until topping is browned.

I'm Irish...That's why...

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner I thought I should probably post some of my favorite recipes from my Nana Devine. She was the one person who influenced me the most in life! She gave me my love for cooking and baking...how could I not have come to love both, when her house was always smelling so delicious with savory meats and sooo many sweet treats!

However before I post the recipes I think a bit of some Irish/St. Patty's Day info would be appropriate. We know we wear green, drink green beer, eat corned beef and cabbage, look for leprechauns and shamrocks and go to parades, but do you know why?? And who was Saint Patrick anyway?



Shamrocks

According to Christian legend, St. Patrick used the three-leafed clover to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity to his pagan audience in Ireland. However, this story did not appear until more than 1000 years after St. Patrick's death.

In ancient Ireland, the Celtic people revered the shamrock as a sacred plant because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the 17 th century, when the English began to seize Irish land and suppress Irish language and religion, the shamrock became a symbol of Irish nationalism.

Leprechauns

The diminutive creatures we know as leprechauns were known in ancient Irish as "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow." Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny creatures who could use their magical powers for good or evil. In Celtic folklore, the lobaircin were cranky fairies who mended the shoes of the other fairies. They were also mischievous and delighted in trickery, which they used to guard their fabled treasure.

The cheerful friendly version of the leprechaun known to us today is based in large part on Walt Disney's 1959 film Darby O'Gill and the Little People. It quickly evolved into a symbol of St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef and cabbage is the traditional meal enjoyed by many on St. Patrick's Day, but only half of it is truly Irish. Cabbage has long been a staple of the Irish diet, but it was traditionally served with Irish bacon, not corned beef. The corned beef was substituted for bacon by Irish immigrants to the Americas around the turn of the century who could not afford the real thing. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.


One of the most widespread of today's St. Patrick's Day celebrations, the St. Patrick's Day parade, began not in Ireland but in America. It consisted of Irish soldiers serving in the English army and took place in New York City on March 17, 1762. The parade helped the soldiers connect with their Irish roots and their fellow Irishmen.


St. Patrick was a fifth-century English (or perhaps Scottish) missionary to Ireland. Scholars agree he is a historical figure and that he converted many of the pagans on the island to Christianity, but dismiss most of the legend that has developed about him over the centuries.

The feast day of St. Patrick has been observed in Ireland on March 17 (the day Saint Patrick died) for hundreds of years. The date falls during the fasting season of Lent, but on St. Patrick's Day the prohibitions against eating meat were lifted, and the Irish would celebrate their patron saint with dancing, drinking, and feasting on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.


All of the above info was obtained from http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/holidays/st_patricks_day.htm


From now until Saint Patrick's day I will be including Irish trivia, facts and recipes in the blog....

ERIN GO BRAGH