Tell me about christmas in Ireland (admin update in post 89)

elaney · 09-11-2012 10:51am

What a lovely post Op. I hope you have a great time while you are here.
You could also visit the christmas market in Galway its not far from Mayo and has a very christmassy atmosphere.

Rasmus · 09-11-2012 11:11am

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Am I the only one who is jealous that her dad bombed into the pool

More impressed! A self made man living the dream : )

ibarelycare · 09-11-2012 11:55am

I've tears in my eyes after reading about your dad's reaction

This is so sweet, I would love to see what he's like when he gets here! Hope you and your family have an amazing Christmas in Ireland. And I hope you get a white Christmas!

Deedsie · 09-11-2012 11:56am

I have to say Christmas Eve mass is a lovely part of my Christmas! I am not a religious person at all, but it is the one night of the year I actually enjoy mass! Its always very cold you can see the air as you breathe, no choice but to dress in your best and warmest clothes, everyone is smiling, you can feel it in the air, there is something different about this special night!

The main lights are turned off in the church, candles and low lights illuminate the altar. Kids excited about Santa are always warned to be in bed early by the priest! It's innocence is lovely! I also love oh holy night, what a powerful hymn that is! Hair pricks up on the back of my neck for the "fall on your knees"... Beautiful!

I hope you and your family have a very Happy Christmas in Ireland!

miss no stars · 09-11-2012 12:07pm

Deedsie wrote: »

I also love oh holy night, what a powerful hymn that is! Hair pricks up on the back of my neck for the "fall on your knees"... Beautiful!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/q5n6X9sUznI

Deedsie · 09-11-2012 12:24pm

miss no stars wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/embed/q5n6X9sUznI

It's a wonderful hymn!

I was trying to think of other things about an Irish Christmas that would be different to a US one, I apologise if these sound condescending....

Just thinking of stuff not mentioned before:

We say Happy Christmas as well as Merry Christmas. I prefer Happy, more traditional!

December 26th is St Stephens Day and not Boxing Day! Some people get very annoyed over this!

Fairytale of New York is the most popular Christmas song in Ireland, not sure how big it is in America?

Father Ted Christmas special is shown every year in Ireland and its great in case you have never seen it!

Lots of places in Ireland have Christmas morning charity swims! Very cold, but nice to do something for charity on Christmas Day!

We don't do Egg nog to my knowledge? I may be corrected on this!

Mulled wine is lovely on a cold December day, it warms you up incredibly well!

ibarelycare · 09-11-2012 12:30pm

Eggnog has been getting more popular over the past few years.

Another thing that's very popular here (probably in the States too tbh!) is cheesy Christmas jumpers. You'll see people wearing them on nights out in December, and on Christmas Eve. You can get them in Penneys, Dunnes Stores, Heatons, lots of places! Online as well http://www.funkychristmasjumpers.com/?gclid=CI-V6KjkwbMCFRFN4QodMWkA2w

Sunnyisland · 09-11-2012 12:37pm

Lovely thread and I hope your father and your family have a fantastic time back in Ireland as I am sure you will.

moceri · 09-11-2012 12:42pm

My father played the melodion
Outside at our gate;
There were stars in the morning east;
And they danced to his music.
Across the wild bogs his melodion called
To Lennons and Callans.
As I pulled on my trousers in a hurry
I knew some strange thing had happened.
Outside in the cow-house my mother
Made the music of milking;
The light of her stable-lamp was a star
And the frost of Bethlehem made it twinkle.
A water-hen screeched in the bog,
Mass-going feet
Crunched the wafer-ice on the pot-holes,
Somebody wistfully twisted the bellows wheel.
My child poet picked out the letters
On the grey stone,
In silver the wonder of a Christmas townland,
The winking glitter of a frosty dawn.
Cassiopeia was over
Cassidy's hanging hill,
I looked and three whin bushes rode across
The horizon - the Three Wise Kings.
An old man passing said:
"Can't he make it talk" -
The melodion, I hid in the doorway
And tightened the belt of my box-pleated coat.
I nicked six nicks on the door-post
With my penknife's big blade -
There was a little one for cutting tobacco.
And I was six Christmases of age.
My father played the melodion,
My mother milked the cows,
And I had a prayer like a white rose pinned
On the Virgin Mary's blouse.

therealme · 10-11-2012 1:15pm

As somebody who doesnt cry - that has just brought tears in my eyes!! What a lovely post.
Christmas here is a bit like Thanksgiving, everybody wants to be with their families (though after a few days that wears off lol!!), people rush around to get last minute shopping on Christmas Eve & meet relatives, generally a drink at the pub (we have to live up to our tradition) and then Christmas Day is all about family, gifts to each other, and the biggest dinner you will eat in the year.
In Dublin, there are lots of museums, try go to a theater to see a Christmas Show (not Broadway but can be a good laugh), there are some fab restaurants, shopping is good, (avoid O Connell street area after 6pm, has a tendency to have a not-so-nice element at night).
Please let us know how it goes - I think you will never really know just what it will mean to your Dad what you are doing for him.
Have a fantastic time & enjoy it all - when we loose our loved ones, it really helps to have memories to look back on at what can be such a happy or lonely time of year.

mathepac · 10-11-2012 1:50pm

Amy, thanks for the nice post. Your father is lucky to be a member of such a caring family. It sounds like you are a really tight-knit loving group and that is what Christmas anywhere is all about.

I hope the reality of what you find here doesn't disappoint. Remember your father is looking back through the rose-tinted spectacles of 30 years and a lot has changed here, including our Engmerican

darahiggins wrote: »

awesome! ...

Although the country is broke to the ropes, you will still see rabid consumerism in action at Christmas-time and the once wonderful mid-night Mass celebrated at 9:00pm to avoid having too many drunks in the congregation disrupting ceremonies after the pubs close.

If you can, join up with the local wren-boys (pronounced 'ran-boys') on St. Stephen's Day to get to meet neighbours and friends as you go house to house singing, dancing, playing. Your sig-tune / chant is:

"The wren [ran], the wren [ran]
The King of all birds
On Stephen's Day got caught in the furze
Up with the kettle
And down with the pan
And give us a penny
To bury the wren [ran]"

Some of our older [pre-Chistian] winter/Christmas traditions have been replaced by imports from America, UK and Europe, which may not be bad, but it is sad.

Have a great trip "is go mbeirimid beo ag an am seo aris" - transliteration goes something like "that we might be brought alive at this same again"

mathepac · 10-11-2012 2:27pm

I forgot to say that snow is impossible to predict with all the weather systems gone mad. Traditionally the Gulf Stream kept the west coast warm enough to make lasting snow a rarity, but that too has changed in recent times.

Try some traditional Irish Christmas food if you get the chance - roast goose, spiced beef, baked ham, pheasant, hare, rabbit etc. Leave that horrid American bird to the Americans at home.

, but don't spare the spuds, the best (only?) present an Englishman gave to Ireland.

I deliberately answered your OP without looking at the intervening posts and my observations about change and the fast-disappearing traditional Irish Christmas seem sadly accurate.

My colloquialism, "broke to the ropes", is Irish economics-speak for "double-dip recession, heading for a treble"

Slan go foill.

paddy147 · 10-11-2012 3:28pm

mathepac wrote: »

I forgot to say that snow is impossible to predict with all the weather systems gone mad. Traditionally the Gulf Stream kept the west coast warm enough to make lasting snow a rarity, but that too has changed in recent times.

Try some traditional Irish Christmas food if you get the chance - roast goose, spiced beef, baked ham, pheasant, hare, rabbit etc. Leave that horrid American bird to the Americans at home. , but don't spare the spuds, the best (only?) present an Englishman gave to Ireland.

I deliberately answered your OP without looking at the intervening posts and my observations about change and the fast-disappearing traditional Irish Christmas seem sadly accurate.

My colloquialism, "broke to the ropes", is Irish economics-speak for "double-dip recession, heading for a treble"

Slan go foill.

Howya......give us 3 batter burgers,3 curry chips,2 spice burgers and a bottle a coke there bud......;):pac::pac::D

mathepac · 10-11-2012 3:53pm

paddy147 wrote: »

Howya......give us 3 batter burgers,3 curry chips,2 spice burgers and a bottle a coke there bud......;):pac::pac::D

'Z dat you Tay'o, z me, Deco, yaknowworrimeean, righ'?. How's she cuttin'? How's yer belly for spots an' yer bum for wrinkles?

flanzer · 10-11-2012 4:11pm

Subscribed..... This thread has just flicked a switch and got me in the Christmas mood!

OP, You're a credit to your parents. You'll have a great time whatever you do. This little country of ours has a reputation for do things arseways and getting things wrong, but we do do Christmas well

paddy147 · 10-11-2012 8:12pm

mathepac wrote: »

'Z dat you Tay'o, z me, Deco, yaknowworrimeean, righ'?. How's she cuttin'? How's yer belly for spots an' yer bum for wrinkles?

You might want to listen to this then.

98fm and their take on how to speak Dublin-eese.:pac::D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8c8aBWCbtc

Or Tommy Tiernan talking in a "Cork" accent..:pac::D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRm9Q2KfzBA&feature=related

fishy fishy · 12-11-2012 3:09pm

okay, here is my take on Christmas (West of Ireland).

toy Show - 30 Nov - you will be here for it. It was a must for every child to get to stay up late and see this - however, since "technology" came in and regular toys put aside, it has become a little boring. Your dad will prob sit to watch it, but won't sit there all night - also ask him about the billy barry kids on the show - as a fellow west of Ireland person, he is not allowed to have any "time" for the billy barry kids, who were mostly made up of rich kids from Dublin.

December 8 - this was always a traditional day for people from the country to come into the cities to shop for christmas. For instance, people from Connemra would come into Galway, people from the West of Ireland would head to Cork or Dublin. A traditional shopping day for the "country folk". I'm sure this is what your dad means bout heading to Dublin from the West of Ireland. Ask him about December 8.

Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve night - lots of people attend his. In the 80's you would also have the lads coming home from the Christmas Eve lock-in in the pub, and they the mass in at midnight before they went home. Back of the church, full of drunk people, laughing, singing, sniggering. Was worth going to mass just for the entertainment. Not sure if this still goes on as I "found the light" in the 80's and realized that god is just about as "real" as Santa.

Chrismtas Eve (daytime). Everybody meets up in town, friends, family, a great atmosphere especially early morning. Last minute shopping, going home to the "smells" of Christmas at the house. Usually the ham is build and baked on Christmas Eve ready for Christmas dinner the next day. Meet up for a Christmas drink in late afternoon/early evening with friends and family. Head home and most people rob slices of the freshly cooked ham and have a "hang sanger" for a Christmas eve snack. Christmas eve is the best day of the christmas season. Savour it.

Christmas Day is a very boring day, long and boring. The only plus is the dinner of turkey and ham. Usually everyone falls asleep after dessert, and wakes up again in time for turkey sandwiches. The more adventures go for a long walk to soak up the calories.. Also, the TV has all the extended versions of "soaps". The soaps in Ireland are miles ahead of the US soaps (all my children, etc). And if there are females in the house they will be glued to the "soaps" for approx 4 - 5 hours on Christmas day/night. Guaranteed!

ST Stephens Day (day after Christms). A lovely day - usually people head out, go for walks, head into town, meet up with friends that night. Very relaxed laid back day when all the work has been done and you can now savor your christmas holidays.

The days after Christmas are very relaxing and fun.

New Years Eve - every lunatic in Ireland will be out drinking on this night - its a messy situation. You may be better off going to a house party of one of your family. It is NOT a nice night to go out to pubs (a bit like Paddy's Night, Valentines Night, Arthurs Night or any other night that you are "supposed" to go out).

Differences:

Ireland tends to have christmas as holiday time - i.e. people get lots of time off, they at least get Christmas and the Day After (people working in shops). IN the USA once christmas day is over its back to work next day - horrible.

USA has a massive build up to Christmas and it ends up being a let down whereas in Ireland people revel in the christmas season - we don't have the same one track mind about getting back to work next day. People work hard, and enjoy hard on their time off.

We don't have salvation army ringing bells here, but make sure when you give money to those more unfortunate you are giving to a proper charity - your family here will help you weed out the true charities from the bogus.

Weather - we hardly ever get snow, but it could be damp, or it could be lovely and clear and crispy. We take what we are given.

amyfitz91 · 14-11-2012 5:54pm

Wow these replies are all so lovely and educating!! It's so close now. I can hardly wait. I was leaving class the other day and got a text from my Dad. "Mammy just called, she has begun making puddings and mince pies" Because I was a running late for another class I didn't get to text back but after class I got a call from him asking if I had gotten his message. My Mom told me he was practically crying with happiness in anticipation of his mom's dinner. It's hilarious because he's called his Mom Mom for the last number of years because people over here don't know who he's referring to when he says Mammy but over the last few days she's Mammy again. Oh and yes, it is Dec 8th that he plans to go to Dublin. He wants to bring us all to Brown Tomas? and pick out gifts because apparently its amazing during the holidays and it was his ambition when he was younger to buy something there for his family for the holidays if he had the money. He also wants to go to Henry Street? because he said the atmosphere there is truly original at Christmas.
Again thank you all. The respond I have gotten from all the way across the Atlantic is wonderful and shows the spirit of this time of year.

Amy

Rasmus · 14-11-2012 6:04pm

Wow, this is like a contemporary Irish Christmas movie!! Forget Love/Hate - this is the cracker of 2012!!

ibarelycare · 14-11-2012 6:11pm

amyfitz91 wrote: »

Wow these replies are all so lovely and educating!! It's so close now. I can hardly wait. I was leaving class the other day and got a text from my Dad. "Mammy just called, she has begun making puddings and mince pies" Because I was a running late for another class I didn't get to text back but after class I got a call from him asking if I had gotten his message. My Mom told me he was practically crying with happiness in anticipation of his mom's dinner. It's hilarious because he's called his Mom Mom for the last number of years because people over here don't know who he's referring to when he says Mammy but over the last few days she's Mammy again. Oh and yes, it is Dec 8th that he plans to go to Dublin. He wants to bring us all to Brown Tomas? and pick out gifts because apparently its amazing during the holidays and it was his ambition when he was younger to buy something there for his family for the holidays if he had the money. He also wants to go to Henry Street? because he said the atmosphere there is truly original at Christmas.
Again thank you all. The respond I have gotten from all the way across the Atlantic is wonderful and shows the spirit of this time of year.

Amy

Grafton Street and Henry Street would be the two main shopping streets in Dublin (both pedestrianised streets) . They're both on either side of the River Liffey. Grafton Street is on the south side, and Henry Street on the north side. In Dublin, the south side is considered more affluent and upper class, whereas the north side would be more working class. Grafton Street is beautiful, that's where Brown Thomas is. It's a very expensive store, full of designer clothes, makeup, handbags, etc. It's really lovely around Christmas though, and the lights on Grafton Street will be gorgeous. No doubt everything will be on a much smaller scale than in America though!

Henry Street certainly has character. It will also be lit up beautifully for Christmas. I personally prefer Henry Street for shopping. It has a large department store (Debenhams) as well as a shopping centre (Jervis). I'd say your dad is looking forward to all of the "salt of the earth", inner-city Dublin women who have market stalls (legal and otherwise!) in and around Henry Street. Some of them don't even have stalls, just boxes where they sell their wares from. They'll be selling everything from selection boxes (do you have those in America?), cigarette lighters, wrapping paper (anyone who shops in Dublin will be familiar with them shouting "wrapping paper five for fifty!" in their thick Dublin accents

), decorations, fruit, clothes...etc.

Nopeare · 14-11-2012 6:30pm

Just after reading through the thread, AmyFitz91 it is such a nice thing your family have done for your father.

ibarelycare has summed up the 2 streets perfectly imo, I love Grafton street for Christmas myself the minute the lights go on just love being around that area at night there is all ways such a nice atmosphere. Henry street as explained is a must as well.

I wish your family a happy Christmas hope it is a magical one

Heroditas · 14-11-2012 7:13pm

fishy fishy wrote: »

Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve night - lots of people attend his. In the 80's you would also have the lads coming home from the Christmas Eve lock-in in the pub, and they the mass in at midnight before they went home. Back of the church, full of drunk people, laughing, singing, sniggering. Was worth going to mass just for the entertainment. Not sure if this still goes on as I "found the light" in the 80's and realized that god is just about as "real" as Santa

Most churches moved their "midnight mass" back to earlier in the evening to times like 8.30 or 9pm to specifically reduce the number of people arriving at mass from the pub. It was becoming a joke by the mid 90s with the number of people staggering from the pub to go to mass "for the craic".
I'm not in any way religious but I can see how many people would be royally peed off with people staggering in the door for the only time of the year for their "bit of tradition" and then disrupt what is, for a lot of people, an important religious ceremony for them.
Each to their own I suppose.

mathepac · 14-11-2012 7:34pm

Rasmus wrote: »

... Forget Love/Hate - this is the cracker of 2012!!

It's the way you tell them!

14-11-2012 7:53pm

What a wonderful present for your Dad! I'm just back from a holiday in Florida and my husband is trying to tempt me into going back over from Mayo next year! Christmas in Mayo is wonderful - and cold. There is a Christmas market in Galway for the month of December, also there is usually one in Westport on one of the weekends running up to Christmas. There is an early evening Mass in Knock Shrine if you re near to there, think its 7.30 and again at Midnight. They have a beautiful choir and the Church is lit by candles. The toy show is on tv on November 30th, so your Dad can write his letter after that!! We had some snow in 09 for Christmas in my part and a LOT of it for Christmas 2010. Just trying to think of things off the top of my head....happy planning!

Rachineire · 15-11-2012 1:47am

No selection boxes in America! Make sure you have plenty of tins of roses and quality street- I love that about Christmas in Ireland. And looking over the RTE Christmas guide with my husband planning what movies to watch Christmas eve and Stephens day and etc. I'm from the states and while I miss my Christmas's with my family I find I like the actual celebration here more. Less stress, more.focus on good cheer!

fishy fishy · 15-11-2012 10:16am

Heroditas wrote: »

Most churches moved their "midnight mass" back to earlier in the evening to times like 8.30 or 9pm to specifically reduce the number of people arriving at mass from the pub. It was becoming a joke by the mid 90s with the number of people staggering from the pub to go to mass "for the craic".
I'm not in any way religious but I can see how many people would be royally peed off with people staggering in the door for the only time of the year for their "bit of tradition" and then disrupt what is, for a lot of people, an important religious ceremony for them.
Each to their own I suppose.

as a kid being allowed to midnight mass and giggling at the "craig" was one of the highlights of christmas. Couldn't beat it for entertainment

mathepac · 15-11-2012 7:14pm

Rachineire wrote: »

... I'm from the states ...

And you're only here a week!! Well done Rachel, (? from rach-in-eire) you got most of that right, even Shtephense's day except

Rachineire wrote: »

... what movies to watch Christmas eve and Stephens day and etc. ...

fillums pet, fillums; they were called fillums until Uncle Gaybo of the Geansais renamed them "films" and all them fecken Americans landed here and they became movies overnight ... oops, sorry, Fr. Jack started early

fishy fishy · 16-11-2012 10:14am

Mayo Gurl wrote: »

What a wonderful present for your Dad! I'm just back from a holiday in Florida and my husband is trying to tempt me into going back over from Mayo next year! Christmas in Mayo is wonderful - and cold. There is a Christmas market in Galway for the month of December, also there is usually one in Westport on one of the weekends running up to Christmas. There is an early evening Mass in Knock Shrine if you re near to there, think its 7.30 and again at Midnight. They have a beautiful choir and the Church is lit by candles. The toy show is on tv on November 30th, so your Dad can write his letter after that!! We had some snow in 09 for Christmas in my part and a LOT of it for Christmas 2010. Just trying to think of things off the top of my head....happy planning!

the "new" Christmas market in Galway (only two years old, three this year) is crap compared to the authentic market which is held every Saturday and Sunday in Galway. The authentic market also opens during December on most days.

the "christmas" market contains a lot of "tack" that people in their right mind would never buy - there are maybe 5 "local" stalls there that sell Irish goods. The rest is overpriced rubbish and overpriced food. Stick to the local market if you want to purchase something nice and different and not overpriced - I'll probably get slated for this post but thats my opinion and I am sticking to it. I did visit the "christmas" market for the past two years and couldn't wait to get out of it. Keep your hands on your handbags as well.

msbusterpuss · 16-11-2012 10:50am

fishy fishy wrote: »

the "new" Christmas market in Galway (only two years old, three this year) is crap compared to the authentic market which is held every Saturday and Sunday in Galway. The authentic market also opens during December on most days.

the "christmas" market contains a lot of "tack" that people in their right mind would never buy - there are maybe 5 "local" stalls there that sell Irish goods. The rest is overpriced rubbish and overpriced food. Stick to the local market if you want to purchase something nice and different and not overpriced - I'll probably get slated for this post but thats my opinion and I am sticking to it. I did visit the "christmas" market for the past two years and couldn't wait to get out of it. Keep your hands on your handbags as well.

Im going down there on the 1st December specifically for the Christmas markets - where is the authentic market so I can hit there also?

Alicat · 16-11-2012 11:38am

msbusterpuss wrote: »

Im going down there on the 1st December specifically for the Christmas markets - where is the authentic market so I can hit there also?

I'm sure it'll still be fun, sometimes a bit of 'tack' is great

Tell me about christmas in Ireland (admin update in post 89)

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