Irish Roots Weekly

Dear Reader,

Every Sunday we pause and look at a few pieces of Ireland’s story. Some bring a smile or spark a memory. Others open a small window into the lives and places that shaped us. Taken together, they remind us how much history sits quietly in the world around us.

Thank you for reading and for being part of this community each week.

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🇮🇪 A welcome you can feel on the road

There are roads in Ireland where everything slows to its natural pace. The hedgerows rise high, the fields open wide, and the day settles into its own rhythm. On routes through Connemara, the Inishowen peninsula, or the quiet roads of Kerry, it is common to meet sheep wandering across the lane or a tractor easing along without hurry.

These small moments carry a welcome that does not need words. It appears in the bend of a boreen or in the sight of hills rolling into the distance. Even the narrowest roads can lead to somewhere warm and familiar. They remind us that Ireland’s gentlest greetings often come from the land itself, offering a sense of home before we even arrive.

🏰 Kilkenny - Ireland’s Walled City of Stone and Story

Kilkenny is one of Ireland’s most complete medieval cities. Its distinctive black limestone, often called Kilkenny marble, helps define its character and reflects centuries of craft and trade. From the 1200s onward, Kilkenny grew as a centre of commerce, religion and civic life.

Parts of the city’s medieval walls still stand today. Inside those walls once stood merchants’ houses, guild halls and narrow lanes full of daily movement. Food and supplies entered from the surrounding countryside, showing how closely the town relied on the land around it.

Walking the Medieval Mile brings this layered history to life. Alongside Kilkenny Castle and St. Canice’s Cathedral are landmarks such as Rothe House, a merchant townhouse built between 1594 and 1610, and Shee Alms House, founded in 1582 to support the poor of the city. These places add depth to Kilkenny’s story beyond its most famous sites.

What makes Kilkenny special is how the old and new sit comfortably together. Shops and cafés now fill spaces that once housed craftsmen and traders. The medieval fabric remains, but the town continues to grow and adapt. Kilkenny carries its history with ease, allowing visitors to experience the past without stepping away from the present.

⚓Dunmore East Harbour - A Glimpse Back in Time

In the 1890s, Dunmore East Harbour in County Waterford was shaped by effort, timing and the tides. Before modern machinery, every crate and barrel was moved by hand. Men worked in teams, relying on strength, balance and long experience with the sea. The pace of the day rose and fell with the weather and the water.

Photographs from the era, especially when colour is restored, show a harbour full of activity. Boats lined the quayside, and workers moved goods with steady rhythm. The harbour had originally been built in the early 1800s as a packet station for the mail and passenger service between Ireland and England. When that service later moved upriver to Waterford, Dunmore East grew into a busy fishing and trading port.

For local families, the harbour was more than a workplace. It was the centre of village life. People gathered to share news, mend nets or watch the boats come in. Children grew up with the sounds of gulls and the smell of salt and rope as part of daily life.

Today, Dunmore East still reflects that heritage. The fishing tradition remains strong, and the harbour continues to shape the identity of the village. Looking back at the 1890s offers a clear reminder of the hands and hard work that built Ireland’s coastal communities.

🐧The Puffin - The Clown of the Sea

Along Ireland’s coast, the return of puffins each spring is one of the great natural sights of the year. Their bright beaks and expressive faces bring colour to cliffs on the Saltee Islands, Rathlin Island and Skellig Michael.

Behind their charm lies a life shaped by endurance and skill. Puffins nest in burrows dug into soft ground along cliffs. They raise their chicks, known as pufflings, in these underground homes before returning to the open sea for most of the year. In the water they are remarkable divers, using their wings like flippers as they chase small fish.

Their future, however, shows clear signs of strain. Studies by BirdWatch Ireland and the RSPB warn that puffin populations in Britain and Ireland could fall sharply by 2050 due to warming seas and declining stocks of fish such as sand eels. Conservation work is now crucial to monitor colonies, protect nesting sites and support the ecosystems puffins depend on.

Seeing a puffin on a cliff is always a small joy. Protecting them ensures that joy continues for generations to come.

🌍 Ireland at USA 94 - A Summer to Remember

With the next World Cup set for Canada, the United States and Mexico in 2026, many Irish supporters are looking back to the last time the tournament came to North America. The summer of USA 94 remains one of the brightest chapters in Irish football. Ireland remain in contention to reach the 2026 event through the playoff route, which makes the memories feel close again.

Jack Charlton’s Ireland arrived in America with belief and determination. Their opening match delivered a moment that became part of Irish sporting folklore. Before more than 75,000 fans at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Ray Houghton lifted a looping left footed shot over Gianluca Pagliuca. Ireland had beaten Italy by 1 to 0, and the celebrations reached far beyond the stadium.

Irish supporters made their mark throughout the tournament. Stadiums became seas of green, and songs echoed through cities on both sides of the Atlantic. Their passion became one of the defining sights of USA 94.

Ireland fought through a challenging group, drawing with Norway and losing narrowly to Mexico. Their journey ended in the Round of 16 after defeat to the Netherlands. Yet the legacy of that summer stretches beyond results. Paul McGrath delivered some of the finest defending ever seen in an Irish shirt. The squad carried a nation with them. And the world saw an Irish identity shaped by pride, resilience and unity.

As the next World Cup approaches, USA 94 stands as both a memory and a reminder of what Irish football can achieve.

Wherever the week takes you, may something small remind you of home.
A quiet road, a familiar story or the sight of nature returning to its place.

Until next Sunday, mind yourself and enjoy the days ahead.

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