If you don’t want to buy Irish Cream or can’t find the perfect one, the good news is that it’s quite simple to make. There are two good recipes here, which I selflessly tested on your behalf!
Irish Cream is also an excellent ingredient for making luxurious and indulgent desserts – in fact just pouring it over ice cream makes for a quick and delicious treat.
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The Vikings held sway in Ireland from 795 AD until defeated by Brian Boru at the battle of Clontarf in 1014.
While they are not remembered fondly in Ireland, with good reason, their legacy is not entirely negative, they introduced coinage to Ireland and established many of what are now the most important cities and towns in the country.
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While they may seem indecipherable most Irish place names are relatively easy to understand once you know how they are formed.
Most follow a sort of pattern and knowing a few suffices and prefixes means that just looking at a the name of a place can tell you a surprising amount about its history, geography and the people who live there.
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In 1170 Ireland was again invaded, by the Normans, led by Strongbow, beginning a period of almost 800 years of occupation.
The importance of the Normans in Ireland’s history cannot be overstated – they had an effect on every aspect of life and the legacy of their building is still visible throughout the country. Some of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland are Norman castles.
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Ireland’s population is growing for the first time in over 150 years, which is affecting just about every aspect of life here.
The changes are reflected in stats about births, marriages and deaths and those relating to education, crime and emigration. This is a quick regularly updated snapshot of a changing Ireland.
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Lots of information about how much people in Ireland earn, what they work at, what they produce and how they travel.
This is an area that, given the crisis in the world economy at present, is likely to change radically over the next few months. We’ll keep this post updated.
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Ireland is a Democratic Republic, with an elected president. However the president has few executive roles, and power resides in the Dail, a house of elected representatives led by the Taoiseach, or prime minister.
The method of voting, Proportional Representation, can seem confusing to those unfamiliar with it, but results in exciting elections and elected representation of even relatively small minority groups.
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Although it jealously guards its reputation as a clean, green country, Ireland, in common with other developed countries, faces significant environmental challenges.
While our rivers, lakes and mountains are a beautiful and precious part of our heritage, it’s a constant battle to keep them clean in the face of illegal dumping and a rapidly increasing population.
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The biggest misconception about religion in Ireland is that it is officially a Catholic state. Although Ireland’s population is predominantly Catholic, it is a secular state.
A recent influx of emigrants, especially from Eastern Europe and Africa, has brought a significant rise in Pentecostal and Orthodox churches, especially in Dublin.
Read MoreSome of these names sound strange, sometimes just to non-Irish ears, sometimes to everyone. Others have an unusual story.
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Although long associated with Ireland, Corned beef is not traditional, the Irish are far more likely to serve bacon with their cabbage.
Corned beef is actually an Irish-American dish, though it is now eaten here too. It began when emigrants could not get the cured pork they remembered from home and so used corned beef instead.
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The ingredients are simple, lamb, potato, onion and carrot, but the result is a hearty and warming dish which the Irish have enjoyed for generations.
There are probably as many stew recipes as there are families in Ireland, but this is my version and very tasty it is too!
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