Christmas Ireland

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Did you know that Ireland’s largest mammal is the blue whale – the largest animal ever to have lived on earth. This oceanic leviathan weighs in at over 100 tonnes (or about the same as 33 African elephants, if you’re counting) and can be up to a staggering 33.5 meters long. That’s bigger than the largest of the dinosaurs. Although extremely rare today, some 30-50 blue whales are thought to pass through Irish waters each year.

Our smallest mammal, by contrast, is the pygmy shrew. No bigger than your thumb it’s found all over Ireland, is active all year round, and it’s weight can drop to a tiny 3g in the winter. At birth these marvels of miniaturization weigh just 0.25g.

Unearthing facts like these about Irish mammals used to mean wading through dry academic reports, trying to extrapolate from out-dated information in obsolete text books or making educated assumptions based on information from other countries. Now all you have to do is get your hands on a copy of “Ireland’s Mammals” by Kildare based author Juanita Browne.

The first thing you notice about “Ireland’s Mammals” is its good looks. Striking black livery is punctuated by simple white text and a grid of nine striking photographs that leap off the dust-jacket and entice you to take a look inside. As soon as you do, you realize that this is no stuffy text-book or academic reference – this book has soul.

You can’t help but get swept up in the energy and enthusiasm that Juanita Browne injects into her prose, and before you know it you’ve finished the five page introduction. Already you’ve covered what a mammal is, where mammals live and the special adaptations that have allowed them to colonize practically every environment on earth.

Now you get to the heart of the book – the species profiles. There are 39 in all, covering familiar and not-so-familiar characters that share our countryside, our towns, our cities and our oceans. One by one Juanita introduces us to Ireland’s most secretive and elusive group of animals. Each species has an in-depth description that tells you what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats and when it breeds.

The text is comprehensive, authoritative, and above all compelling. While it undoubtedly informs, this book also entertains. The text is complimented throughout by some of the most stunning images of Irish wildlife that you’re ever likely to see. There are also helpful illustrations that show each animal’s size relative to a human, and to help clarify concepts explained in the text. As a package it’s hard to beat!

But wait… there’s more!

The book has an Irish language section, with a brief overview of each species “as Gaeilge”, there’s a section on Ireland’s National Parks and Wildlife Service, a comprehensive list of wildlife and conservation contacts, a short profile for each photographer, a suggested list of further reading and a glossary of terms. You couldn’t ask for a more thorough treatment of the subject matter.

Although this is Juanita Browne’s first book, “Ireland’s Mammals” has already been lauded as a universal success by such Irish wildlife luminaries as wildlife artist and broadcaster Don Conroy, wildlife journalist Michael Viney and wildlife expert, author and broadcaster Éanna Ní Lamhna.

Juanita caught the nature bug from her father as a young girl, and it’s been with her ever since. It was a fascination that ultimately led her to study zoology at Trinity College, and her desire to tell the story of Ireland’s wildlife to the masses led her to pursue a masters degree in media studies.

After working for RTE and various newspapers Juanita went on to edit the popular wildlife magazine “Wild Ireland”, which was named Consumer Specialist Magazine of the Year in 2002 under her editorship. She currently edits “Heritage Outlook”, the magazine of the Heritage Council, and works as a freelance editor and graphic designer.

In “Ireland’s Mammals” Juanita Browne set out to bring the story of Ireland’s mammals up to date and to deliver it to a wider audience. Achieving the first of those goals required dedication – the second required talent. Reading the book it’s obvious that Juanita Browne is lacking neither. “Ireland’s Mammals” is an ideal reference book for schools, libraries and homes… but it’s also much more than that. It’s a riveting read that will help foster an abiding appreciation of our natural heritage in anyone who opens it… and that’s an outstanding achievement!

Calvin Jones is a freelance copywriter whose been harnessing the power of words for his business clients since 2001. He also writes regular columns and feature articles on a diverse array of topics for publications around the globe.

cjwriting.com putting words to work for you!

Visit Calvin’s blog, Writing for Life

“Ireland’s Mammals” is available from Easons and other bookshops or you can order it direct from:

Browne Books, Calverstown, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare

Tel.: 086 3442140 e-mail: info@irishwildlife.ie web:
www.irishwildlife.ie

christmas in Ireland?

can somebody tell me how the people in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland celebrate Christmas?

Advent calendars, Christmas trees, decoration of all kinds – all this is nothing unusual for the Irish as well. But on Boxing Day, the day of St Stephanus, the inhabitants of the Green Island are completely going wild. In traditional performances (mainly fairy-tales) boys play being girls, men being women and the other way round – a big fun for everybody.

Christmas in Ireland already foreshadows in October. Until December there is a lot of singing in Ireland – not just for fun but also for charity. The singers and choires collect money for those in need.

On Christmas Eve the children fasten a sock at their bed hoping it will be filled with presents overnight. In most cases they find something the next morning: in fact it is an apple in the space where usually the toes are and a tangerine where the heels are. The gap between toes and heels is often filled with chocolate and sweets.

For Christmas dinner salmon or prawn cocktail is often served as the first course. The main course is turkey and for dessert there is mint cake or custard with brandy or rum.

Another great place to shop for Christmas Ireland products is Amazon. They have more than just books!

Ateco 1112 12-Color Food Coloring Kit $12.15 For coloring cakes, frostings and piping for your desserts, this set of Food Colors offers every color imaginable. Twelve colors are included — black, blue, yellow, green, pink, red, teal, orange, fuchsia, violet, sky blue and brown. The dyes used in making these particular colors are more intense than most others, providing rich icings that will not fade even if they’re exposed to heavy sunlight…

Kids White Chef Apron and Hat Set Child Size $5.00 The kids apron and hat cooking party favor or kids dress-up set includes white cotton fabric children’s aprons and chef hats. The kids chef hat is adjustable with velcro. The kids apron is one size fits all for ages 2-11 years old. The hats are adjustable with velcro, up to 25″ circumference. The aprons are adjustable at the waist and neck, up to 37″ in length and up to 40″ at the waist. Your kids…

Waterford Lismore Toasting Flutes, Set of 2 $94.05 So treasured and so timeless, the beauty of this pair of Lismore toasting flutes grows with love. Between the intricate diamond and wedge cuts and the perfect fit in your hands, you will enjoy using or giving them to celebrate special occasions….

Perry Como’s Christmas Concert [VHS] $0.01 …

The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold [VHS] $9.98 The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold Sent in search of a Christmas tree, cabin boy Dinty Doyl lands on a mysterious, uncharted Irish island where he accidentally releases a bad-tempered banshee from her pinetree prison. Leprechaun Blarney Kilakilarney knows that in order to survive, the banshee will try to swipe his clan’s pot of Christmas gold. With some magical assistance from Lord Patrick, the kin…

Streetshow: Seasonal Customs from the English Countryside [VHS] Throughout the year, English villagers awake to the sights and sounds of traditional dance and drama. Some of these folk customs include Mayday Floral Dances and the Hobby Horse that usher in the summer, and Horn Dances in September. Around Christmas and the Winter Solstice season, there are the guisers (disguisers) and the mummers (mimmers) acting out their ancient rituals. This videotape include…

Irish Shamrock Light String Set $8.95 Perfect for any event where you want to show your true colors…. Plastic Shamrock Lights. Each with ten 2 1/4″ lights. (PBH) 8 ft. Light sets interconnect with plug on the back of the plug but they do not connect end to end. Indoor use only. Includes the ability to make them flash by changing the first bulb to a flasher bulb….

TeamLights Green and White Decorative Light String in Sports Package TeamLights School and Team Lights are the perfect way to show off your School Spirit everywhere! They are available in your School Colors. Hang them wherever you want to show off your School and Team Pride. Great ALL year round! Decorate the house,the school grounds, the front yard, windows,your business,dorm,RV,the stands…the Whole Town! Great for Tailgating and Pep Rallies! Let your School and…

Flag of Ireland Fun Party String Lights (SJ) For the luck of the Irish or St. Patrick’s Day all year long! Great as a room accent, on the patio, or on your Christmas tree. Each 12 foot string of party lights has 10 plastic covers as shown in the photo. String lights can be used indoors or outdoors, and have end-to-end connectors so up to two additional sets of string lights can be added. Plastic covers (1.75″ x 2.65″) snap easily onto e…

Celtic Thunder: The Show $15.69 Studio: Uni Dist Corp (music) Release Date: 03/18/2008…