Best of the Irish toasts for this special time of year

Slainte!
'Tis the time of year when toasts and salutations are spread across the world. Here is the best of the Irish toasts for this special time of year.
1. May your giving hand never fail you.
2. May we all be alive at this same time next year.
3. May the Lord keep you in the palm of His hand, and never close his fist too tight!
4. May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live!

Lord of the Dance uses his feet to create a different kind of art. Dancer Michael Flatley created his painting by putting paint on his shoes and dancing on the canvas. Irish dancer Michael Flatley sold his first painting at auction on Friday for €5,600.
He told the Irish Times that he was "very encouraged and a little bit stunned" at the sale. Flately created the colorful painting, entitled 'I,' by applying paint to the soles of his shoes and then tap-dancing on a canvas. For the painting, he danced the Al Capone solo from his show 'Celtic Tiger.'The painting was donated to a sale of arts and antiques held to raise funds for the restoration of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. The painting, which was estimated at between €3,000 and €5,000, was auctioned at Sheppard's saleroom in Durrow, Co Laois.

Tuesday, 15th November 2011 Tags: National Dance Archive of Ireland, Mr Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance,

The official opening of the National Dance Archive of Ireland (Cartlann Náisiúnta Damhsa na hÉireann) by Mr Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, took place yesterday at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, UL. The Archive is the first of its kind in Ireland and is the most comprehensive in the country. It holds a number of old photographs, letters, newspapers cuttings and programmes from private collections, which would not have been accessible to the public before now. 

The producer of RIVERDANCE, Moya Doherty, has announced that the United States touring production will play its final performance on Sunday, June 17, 2012 at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Vienna, VA.
“When we opened RIVERDANCE in New York in March 1996, we never thought for one minute that our show would still be running 15 years later,” said Moya Doherty.
“Three years ago we embarked on our farewell tour, saying good-bye to every city in North America we have ever played in over the years, and next June 17th in our 16th year this current production of RIVERDANCE will end and we will say our final good-bye. It has been a source of immense pride for me as Producer that America took RIVERDANCE to its heart to such an amazing extent and I would like to pay tribute to every dancer, musician, singer and all the crew and staff who served RIVERDANCE so well over the years."

The National Dance Archive of Ireland (Cartlann Náisiúnta Damhsa na hÉireann) will be officially opened by Mr Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, at 17.30, Monday, 14th November, 2011, at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick. It will be preceded by a seminar on Dance Archives with speakers including Dr Laszlo Felfoldi, Director of the Folk Dance Department of theHungarianAcademy of Sciences Institute for Musicology,Budapest; Sharon Maxwell, National Resource Centre for Dance,Surry University,England; and Dr Catherine Foley, the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance,University ofLimerick. The event will conclude with short dance performances from Catherine Foley, Mary Nunan, Piedra-Alba Perez-Alcantara, Patricia Crosbie and Hannah Windows.

Dunne Family - photo Maurice Gunning

The Irish are known for their wit, wisdom and storytelling ability, many of which has manifested in the form of Irish proverbs.
IrishCentral has comprised a rundown of some of the best (and some of the worst) of these classic nuggets of advice. So grab a cuppa tea, perhaps a wayward friend in need of some guidance and settle down with these Irish words of wisdom.

Secrets of Ireland’s ancient history discovered and preserved.

Ireland has a rich history of stunning archaeological finds. From jewelry, to people, to ancient sites, here are some of the more recent artifacts discovered in and around Ireland.

1. Clonycavan Man
Clonycavan Man was discovered in Meath in February of 2003 after its remains dropped off of a peat cutting machine, reports the BBC. Most interesting about him is that his hair appeared to have a sort of hair gel in it, which slicked his hair up into a mohawk. The ingredients of the “gel” were traced back to either France or Spain. Judging by the deep wounds in his skull, Clonycavan Man appeared to have been brutally murdered, supposedly by an axe approximately 2300 years ago. Clonycavan Man has found a new home and is on display at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.

The Clonycavan Man

Irish coffee was invented by Limerick chef Joseph Sheridan in 1942 to welcome Americans visiting Ireland. The travelers arrived in the west of Ireland on a cold winter night, so Sheridan added whiskey to their coffee to warm them up, telling the Americans they were being served Irish coffee.
A San Francisco Chronicle travel writer, Stanton Delaplane, brought the recipe back to the U.S. after drinking Irish coffee at Shannon Airport. It was first served at the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco on November 10, 1952.
 

Arguably the most challenging Irish dance work ever seen on a New York stage.

Irish dance director and choreographer Breandan de Gallai has created arguably the most challenging Irish dance work ever seen on a New York stage. Noctu, which means stripped or laid bare in Irish, sweeps away everything before it in a work that breaks all the rules. CAHIR O’DOHERTY reviews the show, talks to its choreographer, and has one piece of advice for you -- kill for a ticket.

Who knew Leonard Cohen and Bjork were writing reels and jigs? They probably didn’t and -- to be honest -- until I watched Noctu at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York I would never have imagined how effortlessly their music could lend itself to the rhythms and steps of Irish dancing.

Moved by movement - Irish Rep’s ‘Noctu’ is mesmerizing 

I just saw the most incredible performance -- the kind of thing that completely takes you out of your head.

I rarely used the overused word but here it is, "mesmerizing." It was so unexpected because I didn't know what to expect. Noctú, an Irish word that you are going to have to look up, is an Irish dance group in New York as part of the Imagine Ireland series. They had their opening last night at the Irish Repertory Theater.

Ceoil, craic, history and a bustling festive atmosphere the ideal vacation location

Galway city may not be the biggest city in Ireland but it definitely has the biggest heart. From narrow streets a buzz with activity and Irish culture to amazing landscapes and seascapes - Galway has it all.

You won’t want anyone to say this about you.

The Irish are famous for flattery, but also for the bitter word when it suits. This is what happens when they combine the two.

“His brother was worse”
When the priest at a Kerry funeral asked someone to say anything nice about the unpopular deceased and this was the only response.

Over the past 2 years thousands of Irish dancers have applied for An Jig Gig in their quest to be crowned TG4’s Best Traditional Irish Dance Act.

The dance acts have come in all shapes and sizes, from solo dancers to large dance troupes, and it is the first Irish dance competition that sees dancers of different ages, styles and organisations battling it out head to head on the same stage.
Now it’s time to begin the search for An Jig Gig Champion 2011!
All forms of Irish dancing are eligible for the series, from step dancing to brush dancing, from Sean-nós dancing to set dancers. This is the ultimate free-for-all Irish dance competition and a celebration of all the Irish dancing traditions.
But only one act can be crowned champion and will claim the title of TG4’s Best Traditional Irish Dance Act 2011.
Hosted by Róisín Ní Thomáin, the show will again see hundreds of dancers take to the stage.

An emotional Micheal Flatley shed tears yesterday as he was inducted into the Irish American Hall of Fame in County Wexford as 400 invited guests looked on, including Ireland’s tourism minister Leo Varadakar.
The heritage museum and emigrant heritage center is located near New Ross and is the same place where John F. Kennedy’s ancestors emigrated to America, reports the Irish Times.
The newly built center is on the quayside beside the replica famine ship 'The Dunbrody.’ The center was built at a cost of $4 million.