#plain-people-of-ireland

#plain-people-of-ireland

The Old Cross National School, first registered as a national school in 1893, was originally a hedge school that provided informal education before the national system was established.

Carina Hedlund has visited Ireland over 30 times since 2011, capturing the warmth of the people she meets in the capital's pubs with her camera.

Bryan Dobson stated, 'After nearly four decades at RTÉ, I found retirement to be a new chapter, filled with family time and personal projects.'

John Connors has called on members of the Travelling community involved in feuding to step back from violence and 'return to God'.

Amano De Londra Miura showcased her stunning sean nós talents live on TV, putting the Irish language back on the map and highlighting its cultural importance.

Fionnuala May has lived on Mountjoy Square in Dublin's north inner city for 43 years. That puts her out of step with most Irish people. As a nation, wedded to our cars, we've fallen out of the habit of living in towns, says the president of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) and county architect for Fingal.

Irish desserts are, in one word, resourceful. They have to be; in a nation that grappled for centuries with conflict, famine, and outright war, luxurious ingredients were not accessible to most people. Instead, the Irish turned to local ingredients like sea moss, apples, and an impressive array of dairy products to satisfy their cravings for something sweet.

Irish pubs have roots that go back to 10th-century Viking halls. And although we're talking about going so far back in time that precise dates and details can get a little sketchy, we do know there are a few pubs that opened not too long after that and are still in operation.

One of Caroline Alwright's earliest memories is sitting in a box of bananas, watching and listening to her granny and mother selling fresh fruit and vegetables on Moore Street. Alwright, who is 68, is the fourth generation of women in her family to work on the busy market street.

The Irish government will give 2,000 artists unrestricted weekly stipends in a program officials described as a "recognition, at government level, of the important role of the arts in Irish society." After a successful three-year pilot, the Irish government made its basic income program for artists permanent. Similar pilots have been launched here in the United States, but they're supported primarily by the nonprofit sector.

The 24/7 grind of a politician is not for the faint-hearted as the likes of Simon Coveney and Catherine Martin will tell you. Former TDs who stood down or lost their Dáil seat at the last general election say why they haven't looked back.

I just couldn't live in one of those bland houses, but I didn't have a plan for the interior design here. I simply love colour and I wanted to make the house feel warm and vibrant. The trend for grey and black, or beige and white interiors, has led to a plethora of samey-themed rooms that can look dreary, lack personality, and are unlikely to age well.

Letting our dogs lick the dishes before we put them in the dishwasher!

I'm passing through Kilrush on the first bright, blue-skied day after weeks of non-stop rain and it's warm enough to leave the coat in the car and think perhaps there may be a sniff of spring in the air. I hope I'm not being previous. I'm here to check out two places I've been following on Instagram for a while, having never been to this part of west Clare before.

The right-wing dating site Whitedate.net, dubbed 'Nazi Tinder', has dozens of members from across Ireland. Only one of those on the site mention love as a motivation, but many mentioned the need to "breed" for the "white race". The site's thousands of profiles were leaked online after a hack, Whitedate's owner says, "there will be repercussions". Some of its 48 users on the island of Ireland, including a 56-year-old woman from Moy and multiple men from Belfast, Derry, and Bangor.

I have been in a prayer group for a few years now. I enjoy praying and discussing all the ins and outs of the Bible. However, even though spiritually it's enriching, the people are a bit 'meh' - they are a bit of a letdown.

Several photographers, entrepreneurs, sportspeople and musicians lived in the area Eric Clapton's house was just around the corner. Although I never quite got over answering the phone to someone asking for Mick and I made the mistake of asking Mick who? The champagne lock-ins were legendary but not limited to the rich and famous. Plumbers and painters and the local bobby shared the bar with industrialists and faces.

I've never had a sense of direction. In a family where everyone knows where they're going, I'm the one who gets lost. When my son Charlie was small, he would listen as I outlined the day's itinerary-grocery store, library, post office-then interrupt. "Mama," he'd say, "I have a better way." And he did. He was five, and already knew where he was going.