All Things Irish: Day 3....

Today on All Things Irish we shall talk about a few good Irish men. For the record, I loved researching this article....

Liam Neeson

If my husband and I have another boy, he may or may not be named Liam. Just sayin'. Though actor Liam Neeson has been a U.S. Citizen for several years, he was born in Northern Ireland. Above all others, Liam is my favorite Irish actor. He has played many historical roles such as Michael Collins and Oscar Schindler but is a great action star as well, such as in the thriller Taken. Here’s a SNL parody of Taken starring Liam Neeson, his tough-guy voice and his leather jacket. YES! 

Watch on YouTube here.

Jamie Dornan

I haven’t read 50 Shades of Grey and I have no idea if I’ll watch the movie next year. And although I think Charlie Hunnam is one sexy beast, I approve of his casting replacement for the lead role of Christian Grey: Jamie Dornan. Another actor born in Northern Ireland, Jamie first gained attention for his role as the huntsman/sheriff in the television show Once Upon a Time. In addition to landing the role of man-hunk Christian Grey, Jamie recently became a first-time daddy. Aww. In this scene from OUAT, he’s looking all scruffy and sounding very Irish…had to share!

Watch on YouTube here.

 

Colin O’Donoghue

Sorry. Another Once Upon a Time reference. But, c’mon – the men of the Enchanted Forest, y’all! They’re just too hot to handle. I was interested to see who would play the role of Captain Hook in the second season. The casting could not be more perfect. Colin O’Donoghue plays Hook to perfection. Despite his successes in the United States and his work in Los Angeles, he lives with his wife and young son in the place where he was born and raised, Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. He is also a musician and until recently was a member of the five-piece Irish band, The Enemies. Couldn’t resist this clip of Colin strumming his guitar and wearing flannel. Le sigh.

Watch on YouTube here.

 

Jonathan Rhys Meyers

So it appears I might have a thing for Irish musicians. Though he played the very English King Henry VIII in The Tudors for many years, Jonathan Rhys Meyers was born in none other than County Dublin. In addition to Henry, he has played the roles of Dracula and Elvis as well as an Irish band member in the movie August Rush (my personal favorite). Jonathan may not actually be a musician, but I loved this soulful portrayal. This scene makes my heart melt. Anyone who has seen the movie will know the sweet significance behind it. Chills. Every time.

Watch on YouTube here.

 

There are many other wonderfully sexy and talented Irish men! Daniel Day Lewis, anybody? Cillian Murphy – can I say YUM? Pierce Brosnan. Bad boy Collin Farrell. Stuart Townsend. Kenneth Branagh. Feel free to add to the list or shout out your favorite Irish actor!

Until tomorrow, Cozies…check back in for more All Things Irish as we continue our countdown to St. Paddy's Day!

All Things Irish: Day 2....

What do you put in your stomach on St. Patrick’s Day besides green beer? Well, you might start out with a traditional Irish breakfast if you object to drinking in the morning. Or you might make up some “poundies” to go with dinner – mashed potatoes. For the main course you could make a soup or broth, a shepherd’s pie, or some corn beef and cabbage. If you’d like to have yourself a proper Irish meal on March 17th, here are a few suggestions.

 

A Proper Irish Breakfast….

When I was young, sometimes breakfast wouldn’t just come in the morning. Once every few weeks, my mother would make breakfast for dinner. The best thing about the Irish Breakfast is that every family gives it its own flair. But it all starts with the “fry up.” If you’re in the habit of simply grabbing a quick bite in the mornings before work, you’re in for a treat with this Irish tradition. It’s a full, hearty meal. If you eat it in the morning, it’s sure to keep your belly happy through most of the day. It starts with when in a shallow pan you “fry up” eggs, bread, vegetables, meat, and pudding. And don’t forget the toast, orange juice, and hot tea.

Ingredients you would likely include in a traditional Irish breakfast are bacon, sausages, black and white pudding, fried or scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, and potato bread or wheaten bread.

 

Corn Beef & Cabbage….

This has become my family’s traditional St. Patrick’s Day feast. It’s easy, extremely Irish, and there aren’t too many ingredients you have to worry about picking up over the weekend. You can put it in the crockpot and leave it to simmer all day. Then you can come home to the smells of cooked brisket. Yum. Instead of fooling with the poundies, you could throw some small potatoes in the crockpot to simmer, too.  We're potato people so we usually add more potatoes than the recipe calls for. Also, being Southern in addition to Irish, I usually serve it with cornbread. Here’s a recipe very similar to the one I used last year:

Ingredients you’ll need: 2 stalks halved celery, 4 carrots, 1 medium onion cut into 4 wedges, 4 to 6 red potatoes quartered, 1 4-pound corned beef brisket, 12-ounce bottle stout or dark ale, 1 tablespoon corned beef spices or pickling spices (or spices that come with the brisket), 1 medium head cabbage cut into 6 wedges.

Directions: Place celery, carrots, onion and potatoes in the bottom of a large slow-cooker or crock pot. Rinse the corned beef brisket and place over vegetables. Add the bottle of stout, spices and enough water to just cover the meat. Cover and cook on LOW for eight to nine hours. Remove the meat and vegetables from the pot and cover with foil to keep warm. Increase heat to high and cook cabbage until softened but still crispy, 20 to 30 minutes. Slice brisket across the grain, serve with vegetables, mustard and horseradish sauce. Pass extra cooking liquid at the table.

 

Soda Bread….

I’ve read many books set in Ireland and something I’ve noticed that is mentioned quite often besides the pub music and peat fires is the bread. If you love bread or are a bread maker (unlike me), here’s a recipe to get you going:

Ingredients you’ll need: 2-lb of plain flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, and 1 pint of buttermilk.

Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Mix ingredients into a bowl adding enough buttermilk to soften the dough. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured cutting board, knead lightly and shape into a round loaf. Lightly butter a baking tray and place the shaped dough onto the tray careful using a knife to create a cross shape on top. Bake the soda bread between 20-30 minutes and serve warm by cutting the bread into slices. As suggested serve Soda Bread as part of an Irish traditional breakfast but can also be used as part of any morning breakfast. There are variations of the Irish soda bread recipe with some including adding rolled oats or using a beaten egg to glaze the top of the soda bread.

 

Traditional Irish Stew….

The great thing about the Irish stew is that it’s a very hearty meal but, in terms of money, it won’t set you back much. Like the traditional Irish breakfast, an Irish stew varies from home to home but is always very simple. If you don’t have your own stew recipe for St. Patrick’s Day, here’s one for you:

Ingredients you’ll need: 2 large onions, 4 large Carrots, ½ stewing steak / mince or lamb, 8 large potatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: Wash and cut onions into moderate size chunks and add to the pot. Wash carrots and cut into chunks. Wash and peel the potatoes (spuds) then cut each one in half. Slice the meat into smaller pieces. If using stewing mince roll into meatballs. Get a large pot and fill it with water. Add the potatoes and meat. Heat pot until water boils then add carrots and onions. Keep on a low boil and stir every now and then until vegetables are cooked. Serve it hot. Cooking time for the Irish stew should be approximately 60 minutes or when the meat is fully cooked and the potatoes are soft inside (check using a fork).

 

For more details on how to make these Irish recipes or for more ideas for your St. Patrick’s Day feast, visit this traditional Irish website!

Tune in tomorrow for the exciting Day 3 of All Things Irish here at the ol’ blog! There might be some hot Irish men hanging about…. ;)

All Things Irish: Day 1....



Throwback Thursday; March 17, 2013
Somebody partied a little hard on his first St. Patty's Day, lol

You may have noticed that St. Patrick’s Day is coming up. I look forward to March 17th every year. Yes, I was the schoolgirl who handed out paper clovers and gold coins every year. I’m also the mom who doesn’t let anyone come or go from her home without some stitch of green. (I’m allowed to cheat, by the way – my eyes are green. Hee, hee.) When I leave the house on St. Paddy’s Day, I’m in full Irish dress – green from top to toe, and I may be wearing a shamrock headband. Even before I found out at least one branch of my family tree has strong Irish ties, I felt the call to the Emerald Isle. The culture, the heritage, the music, the history…it all appeals to me. One of my life goals is to learn more than a little Irish Gaelic – in addition, of course, to standing on Irish soil.

 

If you ever meet anyone by the name Whiteside in or around Antrim County in Northern Ireland, chances are they’re a distant cousin of mine. I also may or may not have some mighty McClure cousins in Ireland as well…. Bearing this in mind, last year my family and I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a traditional Irish feast – cornbeef, cabbage, cornbread, and, of course, some green beer. It was such a hit, I plan on doing it again this year. Last year also marked my son’s first St. Patrick’s Day, another reason to celebrate. I’m looking forward to teaching him about his Irish heritage (along with his strong German, Scottish, Native American, and Bohemian heritage as well).

Every day for the next five days leading up to Monday’s celebration, I’ll be posting about All Things Irish here at the ol’ blog. For the next five days, be sure to stop in for everything Irish – long-standing Irish traditions, toe-tapping Irish music, great Irish literature, sexy Irish men, yummy Irish foods, and more!

Here’s today’s Irish starter kit for you….
 

Since words are some of my favorite things, here’s a fun little lesson in Irish language: There are two types of Gaelic – Irish and Scottish. The Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) is known simply as “Irish.” While it does share similarities to Scottish Gaelic (Gaidhlig), an Irish Gaelic speaker would probably only recognize a few words from Scottish Gaelic and vice versa. The Gaelic language is descended from Primitive Irish through Old Irish. Though most of the population in Ireland and Northern Ireland is English-speaking nowadays, it is estimated that 1,656,790 people can speak competently in Irish and 538,574 even use it on a daily basis. So it’s safe to say that Irish Gaelic isn’t fading out completely despite the changing of the times.

Some of my favorite Irish Gaelic phrases/sayings, some of which might be quite useful as you go about your business on St. Patrick's Day....

Eist moran agus can beagan.

Hear much and say little.

Is minic a gheibhean beal oscailt diog dunta!

An open mouth often catches a closed fist

De reir a cheile a thogtar na caisleain.

It takes time to build castles.

Slainte!

Health/Cheers!

O m'anam.

From my heart.

Saol fada chugat.

Long life to you.

Cuimhnigh i gconai.

Always remember.

Is fearr Gaeilge briste, na Bearla cliste.

Broken Irish is better than clever English.

Ta suil agam go bhfuil tu i mbarr na slainte.

I hope you are in the best of health.

Mo anam cara.

My soulmate.

Beannachtai na Feile Padraig!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Tá grá agam duit! 

I love you!

Cá bhfuil an teach pobail?

Where is the Pub?

A chuisle mo chroí.

My dear darling/treasure.

A ghrá mo chroí.

Love of my heart.

Dia dhuit.

God be with you. (This phrase is the equivalent of 'Hello'.)

Go n-éirí on bóthar leat

May the road rise with you.

 

I love to hear the Irish speak even in English. The Irish brogue is very distinctive. Here's a lesson in how to speak with an Irish accent....

I hope you enjoyed Day 1 of All Things Irish! Check back in tomorrow for more….