Oscar Wilde – Irish Author

Posted on: January 8th, 2012 by Sine Treanor No Comments

Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer and poet born on 16th October 1854 and died in 30th November 1900. He was born to parents who were successful Dublin intellectuals. He did several writings in the 1880s and rose to become one of London’s most popular playwrights during the 1980s. Oscar Wilde is remembered for his epigrams, plays and his imprisonment and early death. While young, he became very fluent in French, read Greats at the University in Dublin and Oxford. His rise was in the philosophy of aestheticism where he was led by two of his tutors known as Walter Pater and John Ruskin. He had extensively explored Roman Catholicism and later in his death bed converted to it.

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde - Irish Author & Poet


Oscar Wilde published a book of poems and he was a lecturer on ‘English Renaissance in Art’ in the United Stated and in Canada. He had tried journalism and was busy setting out his aesthetic ideas to longer prose pieces published in literary intellectual journals. Oscar Wilde’s dressing style was flamboyant as compared to other typical Victorian styles during his time. He was profoundly affected by beauty himself. The public highly caricatured him and was targeted as of moral outrage within Europe and in America. This outrage he did with the writing of ‘Darian Gray’, a novel about the vice hidden beneath art, which was highly criticized in society. Some of his writings were controversial and brought much debate since they advocated pacifism, social reform and libertarianism. However, he made much success from many of his plays which were with wit and style. They inspired many other authors and were translated to numerous languages. These plays have also been adapted to stage and screen very many times.

After his graduation from Oxford, Oscar Wilde met Florence Balcombe his childhood sweetheart in Dublin; however she later got married to Bram Stoker. He wrote to her and later decided to return to England for good which he did in 1878. In 1881 in London, he had been introduced to Constance Lloyd a daughter of Horace who was a wealthy Queen’s Counsel. While she was visiting Dublin in 1884 at the age of eighteen, Oscar Wilde was lecturing at the Gaiety Theatre. He proposed to her and they got married on 29th May 1884 at the Anglican St. James Church which is in Paddington London. The Wildes preferred luxurious tastes even though their annual income was £250. They had two sons Cyril in 1885 and Vyvyan in 1886.

In 1895 the Marquess of Queensberry left his calling card at Wilde’s club which was inscribed ‘For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite.’ Queensberry was later arrested since sodomy was a crime. Wilde was cross-examined for the moral content of his work and Queensberry was found not guilty while Wilde was arrested on charges of sodomy and gross indecency. He was imprisoned in Pentonville and then Wandsworth in London. In 19th May 1897 he was released but in poor health and requested for a catholic retreat which was denied. Oscar Wilde developed cerebral meningitis by November 25th, 1900 was injected with morphine; he was baptized by a priest into the Catholic Church and died on 30th November 1900.

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Celtic Jewelry for Christmas

Posted on: December 24th, 2011 by Sine Treanor No Comments

With the approach of Christmas, many people turn to giving jewelry for presents. It’s beautiful, luxurious, and usually seen as a very personal gift. Aside from these reasons, Celtic jewelry adds a sense of mystery and culture.

Many families with an Irish heritage enjoy giving Celtic jewelry because it represents their ancestors and where they came from. Giving Celtic cufflinks to an uncle or grandfather would have deeper meaning than any other, since it represents a very important aspect of life: the past. It is a great way to show off one’s heritage while still dressing for everyday life and it would make a splendid gift.

Celtic jewelry can also be much more romantic than other jewelry, no matter the recipient’s heritage. A necklace with a Celtic pendant would make a great gift for a wife or other loved one. Many Celtic knots are meant to be representations of unending love, while still being aesthetically beautiful. Both Trinity knots and love knots would make great choices. Furthermore, these pieces do not always have to mean romantic love. They can also represent familial love, or the love between two very good friends.

Celtic cufflinks

Celtic Cufflinks - Perfect gift for him!


As another reason to buy it, Celtic jewelry is dripping with symbolism. For the religious friend or relative, Celtic crosses are a fantastic choice. They are usually wonderfully ornamented, which makes them perfect for jewelry. Also, Christmas is seen by many as a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, and giving a gift with so much religious symbolism would be very appreciated by the most devout of Christians.

Even if the person you are buying for is not religious, there are many other pieces of Celtic jewelry that are symbolic of other things. Many Celtic knots are symbols of the elements of the earth, luck, or eternity. Almost any symbol you are looking for could be represented by a piece of Celtic jewelry. There are even animal symbols on some designs, which would be enjoyed by animal lovers and fantasy-enthusiasts alike.

It is quite possible you are not looking for a gift with any sort of symbolism, and simply want a pretty piece of jewelry. Great care is used when making Celtic jewelry. With the many unending knots and ornamentation that characterizes it; a sense of perfectionism is needed for its creation. This incredible sense of care results in a piece of jewelry that is unique and lovely, while still retaining that feeling of mystery surrounding Celtic jewelry.

Whether you are looking for a charming gift for a grandparent, a romantic piece for your beloved, or something handsome for a friend, Celtic jewelry is a perfect choice. There are many reasons to celebrate at Christmastime. Show your loved ones that you want to celebrate the wonderful qualities about them. Buy them a piece of jewelry that represents an entire culture filled with love and wonder. There are pieces for both men and women, and for the oldest of adults and youngest of children. People of any age or gender will love it.

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Saint Brigid

Posted on: December 5th, 2011 by Sine Treanor No Comments

Saint Brigid of Kildare, also known as Mary of the Gael (Our Lady of the Irish) is held almost as high in the esteem of the Irish people as St Patrick. The date of her birth is uncertain, it is believed to have been between 451 and 458. Her mother Brotseach, was of the house of O’Connor and is believed to have been a slave belonging to Dubtach, a decendent of Con who was Brigids father. He sold her mother to a Druid just before Brigids birth. She was born at Faughart and baptized into the Christian faith shortly after.

Saint Brigid is famous for her generosity to the poor folk, she was put in charge of the dairy while she was still a child and one story tells that she gave away all the milk and butter and prayed when she realized there was none left for the family. Her mother visited the dairy and astonished by the amount of milk and butter, praised the dairy maids for their achievements. Brigid loved animals and there are many stories of her kindness to stray, hungry dogs.

Cross of Saint Brigid

The Famous Saint Brigid Cross


Brigid decided to become a nun when she was old enough to marry. It is said that she left her home and traveled with seven other young girls to County Meath to see St Maccaile, who was the bishop. To begin with he was reluctant to accept them into the religious life, they were extremely young and he was doubtful they were truly sure that this was what they wanted. When Brigid and her companions went to the church to pray, there was a large congregation present, who were all astonished to see a column of fire descend from the roof of the church and rest on the top of Brigids head. On hearing of this, St Maccaile had no hesitation in admitting the eight young girls to the religious order.

Brigid founded a religious center at Cil-Dara, now called Kildare, which developed into a cathedral city, she also established a monastery and a convent for women and appointed St Conleth as pastor for them. Her other achievements include founding schools of art, metal work and illumination, these were also presided over by Conleth.

St Brigids miracles were numerous and included several which occurred on Easter Sunday. On one occasion a leper came to Brigid and asked her for a cow, she said she would help him later, as she needed to rest, but he didn’t want to wait and said he would go elsewhere. When Brigid offered to heal him instead, the man said that as a leper he would acquire more than if he was healthy! Brigid convinced him this was not the case and had the man washed in blessed water. The man was completely cured and remained in Brigids service.

Brigid died in 525 at the remarkable age for those days, of seventy five and was buried in front of the High Altar of her abbey. Much later her remains were exhumed and transferred to Downpatrick along with St Patrick and St Columcille. St Brigid is the female patron saint of Ireland and her special feast day is the 1st of February, this is the first day of spring in Ireland.

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History of Trim Castle

Posted on: November 27th, 2011 by Sine Treanor No Comments

Considered to be the first stone built castle in Ireland, Trim Castle is situated about twenty eight miles northwest of Dublin on the banks of the River Boyne, County Meath. Reputed to be the king of Irish castles, it dates back, in it’s present form to 1175, when reconstruction work was undertaken by Hugh de Lacy. Unfortunately, Hugh did not live to see his project completed, as he died in 1186.

The work was completed by his son Walter and the great castle was finished in 1204. Previously, Trim began as a ring work castle and there is evidence of a large trench, post holes and bracing posts of the original wooden structure and it is probable this was also Hugh de Lacys work constructed in 1173 and burnt down the same year by Roderic O’Connor.

De Lacy was a very important man in those days, the king of England was concerned that he would refuse allegiance with him and declare himself king of Ireland. Trim Castle was built partly to demonstrate de Lacys power and intimidate the Irish people.

Trim Castle

Trim Castle - County Meath


The next phase in Trim Castles history was the second stage of construction undertaken in the latter part of the thirteenth century by Geoffrey de Geneville. It is believed he added wooden towers, improved the fosse, the drawbridge, the North Tower and built the great hall. Later Joanna de Geneville married Roger Mortimer and the castle passed into the ownership of the Mortimer family until the last of them died in 1425.

At this point, Trim was abandoned until king Richard II of England let two of his wards to live there, one of whom was to become Henry V. After repairs were carried out, parliaments were held there seven times in the fifteenth century. It was abandoned again in the sixteenth century until Cromwells army occupied it in 1649. in recent times it was used for the filming of the movie “Braveheart“.

The site of Trim Castle covers more than twenty three acres above the River Boyne. Somewhat isolated from the rest of the buildings, the main keep is eighty two feet high, (around twenty five metres) and has walls which are a massive eleven feet thick! By contrast, the four towers around it have thin walls, they were probably for the sake of appearance, or to provide extra rooms.

It was designed to withstand a long siege, having three levels with multiple rooms, including a chapel, quarters for a garrison, a public hall and huge cellars for food storage. it was probably surrounded by a stone enclosure with stabling and store areas. There were three towers built around this area for defense.

When extensive excavations were carried out from 1971 to 1974, as well as the arrowheads, silver coins, Bristol pottery and French wine jugs recovered, the bodies of ten headless men were discovered! They were probably thieves who had been made examples of under King Edwards 1465 order. Tom O’Neill has now made a complete study of the whole outline of the castle and its surroundings. Trim Castle is under the management and care of Duchas, The Heritage Service of Ireland.

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