Mar 17

St. Patrick's Day

From the official register:

The designer of this tartan was inspired by Ireland’s national flag. The colours chosen had personal significance and were deemed to represent Celtic colours, Ireland’s history and its lush green countryside and rolling hills.

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The vast majority of placenames in Ireland are anglicisations of Irish language names.  However, some names come directly from the English language, and a handful come from Old Norse and Scots.  The name of Ireland itself comes from the Irish name Éire, added to the Germanic word land. In mythology, Éire was an Irish goddess of the land and of sovereignty.

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The Lowland Scots who settled during the Plantation of Ulster also contributed to descriptive place-names in the north of Ireland, particularly in the Ulster Scots areas. The Scots influence can be seen in places such as Burnside (stream), Calheme from 'Cauldhame' (coldhome), Corby Knowe (raven knoll) Glarryford from 'glaurie' (muddy), Gowks Hill (cuckoo) and Loanends (where the lanes end) in County Antrim, Crawtree (crow), Whaup Island (curlew sandpiper) and Whinny Hill from 'whin' (gorse) in County Down.

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For a list of some of the most beautiful and historic villages in Ireland, click the photo of Baltinglass Abbey, in Country Wicklow.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!