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Showing posts with label History & Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History & Culture. Show all posts

Celtic Hauntings: Dalhousie Castle Hotel

Dalhousie Castle Hotel by kim traynor, CC BY-SA 2.0 
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Dalhousie Castle Hotel is located near Edinburgh, Scotland and dates back to 13th century. It has bore witness to a host of history, from royalty to battles and much more. The hotel still in operation today and is Scotland’s oldest inhabited castle.

The castle was originally called Dalwolsey. The land around the castle is believed to have been owned by Simunus de Ramesia. William Ramsay witnessed deeds regarding land in 1280. He was the first known Ramsay de Dalwolsey. His name is on Ragman’s Roll of 1296, showing that he paid homage for the land to Edward I of England. Edward I even spent a night at Dalhousie Castle before going to Falkirk.

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Celtic Proverbs: Recent Grief

“Recent grief is the heaviest” is an Irish Proverb. It talks about how the more recent a grief is, the heavier it is to carry. Anyone who has ever been through any kind of grief knows this to be very true.

Grief is one of the heaviest, if not THE heaviest, emotions to carry. It has been said that grief is just feeling love that has nowhere to go. What a privilege it is to love someone so much, and to have them love you in return, that it is so incredibly painful to live without them. The days following the loss of a loved one are the hardest days we face.

While we learn to carry the grief and can go on to lead fulfilling lives, there are days when the grief will still sneak in. Grief is a cycle, after all. You may think you are healed, and something will remind you of your loved one and bring back feelings of grief all over again. In these moments, it is important to give yourself grace. You are likely doing better than you feel.

As someone who has lost a number of loved ones throughout the years, including my mom, I know firsthand that recent grief is the hardest and heaviest thing to carry. The first birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries are excruciatingly painful. However, as time has gone on, it has become manageable. Obviously, I still feel the grief, and some days are harder than others even years later. However, I have learned to live with the grief so I can live the full life my loved ones would want me to live.  

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Celtic Proverbs: Who Suffers Not

 

“Who suffers not gets no ease” is an Irish Proverb. Those who do not suffer do not get the ease that follows a period of suffering.

There is a similar saying that says that there is no light without darkness. We need the contrast to be able to see the hard times and the ease that comes after we have been suffering. “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor,” as one proverb says. We need the difficult times to help us learn and grow.

Living an easy life seems like it would be a great existence, but no one learns or grows from an easy life. It can be so easy to be jealous of those who seemingly have it so much easier than we do. However, it is important to look to see how much we are growing and experiencing through the difficult times we face. These tough times make us stronger and more interesting. We become more empathetic because we can understand what suffering feels like, so we want to help others in a similar situation.

Even when we suffer, we get the satisfaction of a period of ease and rest afterward. When we have to struggle, this ease feels so much better than if it was a constant thing. We learn to appreciate the easy times so much more after we struggle through something than if ease was our constant.

A life without struggle would be boring, so it is better to have at least some difficulty so we can grow and expand. Otherwise, we never learn anything. Those who have had the most difficult lives are some of the most interesting and empathetic people around. These people have great strength and compassion for sharing their struggles and lessons with the world around them.

Personally, I strive to be someone who learns from difficulty and does not fear it. Many people become cynical, but I aim to use my difficult situations to learn and then help those in similar situations. It is so easy to become hardened by struggles, but it takes strength and courage to learn and then help others.

Related Articles:

-Celtic Proverbs: Plough a Field: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2026/09/celtic-proverbs-plough-field.html 


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Celtic Symbolism: Triskele

© O'Dea at Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

 The triskele (or triskelion) is an ancient Celtic symbol that is well-known around the world. The name comes from the Greek words “Tri” (three) and “Skelos” (legs).

The first use of the symbol was in Malta, possibly c. 3600 BC. This symbol was also seen in Newgrange in Ireland. It is believed that the timeline was 3200 BC, which was near the end of the Neolithic period (c. 4000-3000 BC). 

While there are many interpretations of what the symbol could mean, no one knows for sure. It predates the written word, and the oral tradition surrounding the symbol has been lost. Some believe it was a spiritual symbol that represented Celtic deities or nature. It may even have simply been a symbol that was liked. It is even thought that the spiral triskele represents continuousmovement.

Three is an important number in Celtic mythology and culture. The Celts believed in the triad and that everything happened in threes. They grouped several things into groups of three, from religion and nature to family and elements of the south.

Today, it is seen as a Celtic symbol. Celts still use the symbol frequently as decoration on stonework and metalwork. The symbol is seen on the flag of the Isle of Mann.

Unfortunately, some versions of the triskele, primarily the “three sevens” version, have been associated with hate groups and white supremacy. Other non-hate groups use the triskele as well. As such, it is important to look at the context in which the symbol is being used to ensure its meaning.

The triskele has endured for thousands of years and is still used today. It remains one of the most recognizable Celtic symbols. 

Related Articles:

-Would You Rather: Live In Ireland Vs. Never Visit: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2026/09/live-in-ireland-or-never-visit.html


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Celtic Connections: Paul O'Dwyer

Roger Doherty from Denver, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Paul O’Dwyer was a lawyer and an activist who was a staunch defender of human and civil rights. He was a lawyer and activist who advocated for the rights of the poor, oppressed, and minorities.

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Beyond the Song: “Tone’s Grave”

Domer48, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

"Tone’s Grave” is an Irish song about the revolutionary figure in Irish history, Theobald Wolfe Tone. It is also referred to as “The Ballad of Bodenstown Churchyard.” It is all about Wolfe Tone’s grave as well as about the failures of the United Irishmen.

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Celtic Proverbs: Plough a Field

 

“You’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind” is an Irish proverb. Literally, the proverb means that the plough will not be ploughed just by thinking of it. Sure, it is good to have a strategy for how to approach things, but it is important to actually go out and do the task.

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Celtic Connections: Michael "Red" Quill

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons: 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_J._Quill_1962.jpg

Michael “Red” Quill was an Irish-American who transformed labor relations in the United States. He fought hard for equal opportunities, especially for women and minority workers. His legacy continues today in policies that are in place.

Background

Quill was born on September 18, 1905, in Kilgarvan, County Kerry, into a poor family. He was the second youngest of eight children in a Catholic family. His family spoke the Irish language, and he quickly absorbed his father’s profound sense of justice. When he was a teenager, Quill served in the Irish Republican Army during the War of Independence. He later opposed the treaty that left Ireland partitioned and created the Irish Free State.

Emigration

In 1926, Quill emigrated to New York. He only had a few dollars, but he found work as a night gateman and later as a ticket clerk on the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) system. As he moved from station to station, he found that workers wanted a voice on the job, dignity, and safer working conditions. 

Inspiration

Quill was inspired by James Connolly’s writings, studying them while working nights. Connolly believed that economic power must come before political power, which is a thought that helped shape Quill’s thinking. 

Inspired by Connolly, Quill advocated for better wages, shorter working hours, and better working conditions for IRT workers. He accepted support from the American Communist Party to launch the TWU, treating this alliance as temporary yet practical. 

Advocacy

Quill organized secretly and borrowed tactics from Irish republican networks so he could avoid company informants. TWU survived a hostile work environment by utilizing “small cells, coded messages, and disciplined recruitment.” TWU had branches in many cities, but Quill focused his efforts on the New York City branch. 

By 1934, Quill was leading a movement that fought against six-day work weeks, poverty wages, and 12-hour workdays. He also fought discrimination in hiring and promotions and defended African American workers. He was an early ally of Martin Luther King, Jr.

1966 Transit Strike 

Quill’s largest battle took place during the 1966 New York transit strike. Mayor John Lindsay, who was newly elected at the time, took a firm stance against the TWU. However, Quill faced him with the fierce defiance he held throughout his career. The transportation system shut down, pausing life as usual for NYC residents. The strike ended in a victory for TWU. They were able to secure a 15% wage increase as well as stronger health, welfare, and pension benefits.

Death and Legacy

While in jail for contempt and for leading the strike, Quill suffered a heart attack as he was waiting for a medical examination. He was transferred to Bellevue Hospital for treatment, but it was reported that he did not receive adequate hospital care for his condition.

On January 28, 1966, Quill died at the age of 60. He was given a funeral Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral before he was buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York. His casket was draped in the Irish tricolor.

Quill’s legacy inspired transit workers, showing them that they could challenge their employers and win. His militancy, solidarity, and inclusion remain crucial to the mission of TWU. He continues to be an inspiration for all who seek justice. 

Sources: 


-Neumann, Caryn E. "Mike Quill." The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: The 1960s, edited by William L. O'Neill and Kenneth T. Jackson, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K3436600480/BIC?u=philly_free&sid=bookmark-BIC&xid=5aafe0c0. Accessed 21 Sept. 2026.

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Celtic Throughlines: "Skye Boat Song"

Photo by Nicola Toscan:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/stunning-landscape-of-old-man-of-storr-scotland-38893692/

“Skye Boat Song” is a song that has come up in my life in a variety of ways throughout the years. It has been a source of comfort in my life, even before I knew the history of the song. It has been a key part of my learning and appreciation of Celtic culture.

I first heard the song on a CD of Celtic music that I got when I was in high school. I used to listen to music while on the bus ride to school, and high school was the time when I started to learn about my Irish heritage and Celtic culture as a whole, and my favorite way to do this was through music.

When I was in my senior year of high school, I went to see Celtic Thunder in concert for the first time.  The first act was their “Heritage” show, which was a collection of traditional Celtic music and modern takes on a classical sound. I was excited, but I had no idea what the setlist was going to be. “Skye Boat Song” was one of George Donaldson’s songs. I teared up a bit when the bagpipes began to play. It was a powerful moment in the show.

In 2024, I began watching “Outlander” and was pleasantly surprised when “Skye Boat Song” was the show’s theme song. It is part of what drew me in initially, and being an Outlander fan has been such a cool part of my life (hello, being on stage at New York Comic Con with other Outlander cosplayers).

I was so curious about the history behind the song, so I did a blog post after researching the song’s story and history. I saw ties to the song and the stories within “Outlander” and have grown such an amazing appreciation for the song after knowing its origins and backstory. (This is actually why I decided to do that blog series. I wanted to learn more about songs so I could appreciate them even more deeply.)

Seeing how my appreciation of this song has grown over the years has been so rewarding. I love learning backstories and histories of songs, and this has added so much to this song. 

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Celtic Connections: Margaret Haughery

Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

MargaretHaughery (née Gaffney) is known as the “Mother of the Orphans” in New Orleans. She was a businesswoman and philanthropist who left a legacy of love, especially for orphanages in New Orleans.

Haughery was born on December 25, 1813, in Tully, Co. Leitrim, Ireland. Her parents were William Gaffney and Margaret O’Rourke. The family struggled with economic instability and agricultural failures within Ireland’s agricultural system, so they emigrated to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1818.

Both of Haughery’s parents died during the yellow fever epidemic in 1822. Her care was taken over by a Welsh family who were on the same vessel she came to the States on. The family was too poor to send her to school. She was destitute and illiterate, so she entered domestic service, which was a common trajectory for Irish immigrants of that time.

She married fellow Irish immigrant Charles Haughery in 1835. To help Charles’s failing health, the couple moved to New Orleans. In a short period of time, Haughery’s husband and infant daughter died, leaving her alone at age 23.

Her career that followed defied socio-economic limits that were placed on women at this time. She became a laundress at St. Charles Hotel, which allowed her to save some money, despite her modest earnings.

With these savings, she began a small commercial dairy that evolved into a 40-cow operation. She was responsible for managing milk distribution across New Orleans. Not only was she able to gain financial independence, but she was also able to subsidize the food needs of local orphanages that were run by the Sisters of Charity.

Haughery was able to diversify her ventures in 1858 by purchasing a bakery in need. She renamed it “Margaret’s Bakery,” and under her management, she modernized it. It became the first steam-powered industrial baking facility in the American South.

She used the revenues from both her dairy and bakery ventures to finance social infrastructure, including St. Elizabeth’s Orphan Asylum, St. Vincent’s Infant Asylum, and St. Teresa’s Church. Haughery’s philanthropy was non-sectarian and apolitical.

During the Civil War, she violated military curfews to give provisions to civilians and soldiers on both sides of the war. Throughout her giving, she was guided to aid in people’s need, regardless of a person’s allegiance.

Haughery died of carcinoma on February 9, 1882. Her funeral was attended by crucial civic leaders, including two governors from Louisiana. Her final act of philanthropy was leaving behind an estate of approximately  $500,000 to be given to Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish orphanages.

In 1884, New Orleans dedicated a Carrara marble monument to Haughery in Margaret Place Part. This monument is one of the earliest public statues in the United States that honors a female historical figure. Her birthplace in Tully has been preserved, which serves as a physical link between Ireland and the United States. It shows how the Irish diaspora shaped American civic development. 

Sources:

-"Margaret Gaffney Haughery." Dictionary of American Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/BT2310011684/BIC?u=philly_free&sid=bookmark-BIC&xid=d4b6b2fc. Accessed 14 Sept. 2026.

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Celtic Connections: The Irish Of 9/11

Deirdre 13:21, 25 January 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
September 11, 2026, marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York, New York, and other areas. The attack killed 2,977 people. It is estimated that one-sixth of these deaths were Irish people or people of Irish descent.

Ireland says at least 12 Irish natives were killed in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania during the September 11 attacks. Even more people with Irish connections, including Irish last names, were killed.

A website called “IrishTribute.com,” which no longer exists, was created to pay tribute to the lives lost who had Irish connections. In 2003, a 9/11 memorial was created in Donadea Forest Park, Co Kildare, to honor Sean Tallon, an Irish American firefighter who served during the 9/11 attacks.

There is a 9/11 memorial located at Bishop’s Place on the Mall in Waterford. It is adjacent to the iconic Waterford Crystal factory, and it was erected in September 2018 to mark the 17th anniversary of the attacks.

O’Hara’s Bar and Restaurant, an Irish pub located on Cedar Street in New York City, became a hub for first responders during the aftermath of the attacks. The pub closed after the attacks, but it reopened after eight months. The pub remains a busy spot today, especially with people visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The pub continues to hold records of what happened during the attacks, from memorabilia to a scrapbook with information.

Below are a few of the Irish people who died on 9/11:

-Kieran Gorman: Co Sligo

-Joanne Mary Cregan: Dublin

-Ruth Magdaline McCourt and her daughter Juliana Valentina McCourt: Cork

-Patrick Joseph Currivan: Dublin

-Martin John Coughlan: Cappawhite, County Tipperary

- Jeremy Carrington: Downpatrick, County Down

On this 25th anniversary, and always, let us remember every one of those people who lost their lives during a terrible day in history. May we never forget all of those who served as first responders, bravely helping those in their greatest time of need. 

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Beyond the Song: "Memory of the Dead"

Poleary91, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

“The Memory of the Dead” is an Irish rebel song. It was written by John Kells Ingram and was first published anonymously in April of 1843 in the “Nation” poetry anthology. The song is sometimes called ''Who Fears to Speak of '98.”

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Celtic Inventions: Stethoscope

Photo by    https://kaboompics.com/: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-doctor-with-stethoscope-in-hospital-4021779/

When people go to the doctor, they often have their lungs and hearts looked at using a stethoscope. It is easy to overlook this as a common doctor’s tool, but it has Celtic roots. Before the invention of the stethoscope, doctors put their ears to their patients’ chests, but that was not effective for some patients.

The original stethoscope was invented by Rene Leannec. Leannec was born in Quimper, Brittany, on February 17, 1781. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was six, and his father sent him to live with his granduncle. When he was 12, he visited Nantes, where his uncle was a physician and a professor.

This inspired Leannec to go to Paris to obtain an education in medicine at the age of 19. During his time at the Hôpital de la Charité, he studied under several well-known physicians. As a student, he gave one of the world’s first lectures on melanoma, and the lecture was published later that year.

Leannec became a physician in 1804 and a musician who carved his own flutes. He realized, with one of his patients, that the typical method of putting an ear to his patient’s chest to hear their heartbeat and lungs was ineffective. It was hard to hear the heart and lungs of those who carried excess weight, and it was awkward (or even impermissible) to place his ear on the chest of women. He thought about playing with a hollow tube as a child and how this amplified sound.

In 1816, in order to simulate the tube, he rolled up a stack of paper and was shocked that this method was effective in amplifying the sound of the patient’s lungs and heart. As time went on, he fine-tuned his method by incorporating brass and wood, which became the first stethoscope.

Throughout the years, the stethoscope has slowly evolved into the model doctors use today. In 1851, NB Marsh created a stethoscope that had two earpieces, which helped block out background noise so patients’ hearts and lungs can be heard more easily. In 1960, Dr. David Littmann designed and patented a new model that was bought by 3M. This model is the closest to what we use today. In 1999, a stethoscope was created that could replay heart and chest sounds. 

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Beyond the Song: "Green Fields of France"

Rdl, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons

 “No Man’s Land,” known more commonly as “Green Fields of France,” was written by Scottish-born Australian singer-songwriter Eric Bogle in 1975 or 1976. The song is sometimes referred to as “Willie McBride.” It has been covered by a variety of musicians, including Celtic Thunder and the Fureys.
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Celtic Proverbs: Pup Until He Hunts

“Every hound is a pup until he hunts.” Irish Proverb
“Every hound is a pup until he hunts.” Irish Proverb

“Every hound is a pup until he hunts” is an Irish proverb. On a literal level, this proverb means that a pup becomes a hound when he goes on a hunt. Until then, he is still just a pup. This has a deeper interpretation behind this proverb as well that has to do with the things we experience throughout life.

People often want to be good at things before they do them. They expect to be able to be experts right away without any learning or practice, and then are upset when they are not as good as those who have put in the time and effort. You do not become an expert in something automatically. It takes a lot of work, practice, and experience to learn.

There are also people who want to grow and be mature, but they do not want to experience any hardship or difficulties. In order to become wise, we have to go through difficult experiences and learn from mistakes and hardship. These things are not always comfortable, but they teach us about ourselves and our world. As such, we grow in wisdom and gain valuable experience that we can pass on to others to help them in their journeys.

These things are not to say that people are behind in life because of things they have or have not experienced. We all have different lifestyles and upbringings. As such, we have different perspectives on things. These are all valid experiences and pearls of wisdom. Other people may look at us and feel the same comparison that we feel about them. It is important to look back and see how far we ourselves have grown and matured over the years.

It can be easy to compare ourselves to others. We may feel less experienced and compare ourselves to others because of this. However, it is important to take note of what the other person does and take action to do the same. This way, you are taking steps to become the people you wish to be like. Doing so is more productive than sitting around, comparing yourself to others, and feeling bad about yourself. 

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Petition Circulates To Oppose UK's Amendment NC107 Representation of the People Bill

Darren J. Prior, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Marcas Mac an Tuairneir has created a petition to give BSL, Cornish, Irish, Scots, Gaelic & Welsh UK-wide official language protections. These languages currently have some protections, but they are not yet on a wide scale.

Amendment NC107 Representation of the People Bill, which is the bill being debated and discussed, would make it illegal for political literature to be issued in a language other than English and Welsh. SNP publications in Scots or Gaelic would be deemed illegal, as would any Irish language publications by SDLP, Sinn Féin or Áontú.

Currently, the Irish language has recognition and protections under Northern Ireland’s Identity and Language Act of 2022, which was the first official legal recognition of the language. The Justice (Language) Act 1737, which banned the use of any language other than English in court proceedings, was repealed.

Expanded protections would expand language rights across the UK, upgrade the status of languages from om a regional language to a legally recognized national minority language, and replace a patchwork of local rules with a single UK wide protection for speakers irrespective of where they lived. For instance, an Irish person living in Liverpool could apply for their marriage license in the Irish language.

There are concerns that Amendment NC107 to the Representation of the People Bill will criminalize election leaflets in Cornish, Irish, Gaelic, Scots and BSL. This would impact bilingual constituencies, including Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Irish-speaking areas of NI, and BSL users across the nation. There is a possibility that it would outlaw party names written in these languages.

Devolved governments have put protection on these languages, but there are concerns that issues would arise in general elections

Opponents of the bill say that multilingualism within a country is normal. English is not the only indigenous language in the UK. While it may be the current viewpoint that English is the natural language, the marginalization of other languages is a forced process.

Currently, there is a petition being circulated that British citizens or UK residents can sign. (Petition link: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/777127#main-content .) If the petition gets 10,000 signatures, the government will respond to it. Parliament will debate the petition if it gets 100,000 signatures. The petition closes on February 12, 2027. People can also contact their MP and encourage them to oppose the bill and encourage them to support UK-wide recognition of minority national languages.

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Beyond the Song: "Rising of the Moon"

lhourahane, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

 “The Rising of the Moon” is one of the most popular traditional Irish songs. It has been recorded by a variety of artists, from The Dubliners and Shane MacGowan to the High Kings, and even Peter, Paul, and Mary. The song was written by John Keegan Casey while he was in prison as a Fenian.

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Celtic Proverbs: Sharpest Thorn


“The youngest thorn is the sharpest” is an Irish proverb. On a literal level, thorns are sharpest when they are younger and newer. Over time, as they age, they grow duller and lose their effect and sharpness. However, this proverb has deeper meanings as well.

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Celtic Proverbs: Blows Break the Stone


“Frequent blows will break the stone” is a Welsh proverb. On a literal level, if you keep hitting a stone, it will eventually weaken and break. The proverb talks about diligence and the benefits of sticking with things.

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Celtic Connections: Charles O'Malley

 


Charles O’Malley, an Irish immigrant, was a fur trader and politician during the 1800s. He is credited with naming several of Michigan’s counties. His life changed course several times, but his influence can still be seen in Michigan today, from buildings to placenames throughout the state.  

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