Christmas in Ireland is celebrated with gusto, with schools and many business closed until the New Year making plenty of time to spend with friends and family. For visitors the downside is that many hotels, B&Bs and attractions will be closed, so it really isn’t a good time to visit if you want to see a lot of Ireland.
If you are not too concerned with sight seeing and just want to enjoy a typical Irish Christmas, search out a nice holiday let and do as the locals – enjoy seasonal events, sing carols, wrap up well and go for leisurely walks in the crisp air (you can thaw out afterwards in the local pub!) or just settle in by a roaring fire with good company, too much food and a warming glass or two.
Christmas is a major event in Ireland, both as a holiday and as an occasion for frenzied shopping and overindulgence – much as it is everywhere else!
However many old traditions are still observed, and it’s very much a family occasion still.
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With its rich fruit and the plentiful addition of whiskey, this pudding has an important place at the table in any traditional Irish Christmas
It’s often called Plum Pudding, but it doesn’t actually contain any plums. Many pudding recipes use suet but I prefer this lighter butter-based version.
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Step through the wardrobe and travel the Narnia Trail to visit Green Santa in what is probably Ireland’s most magical Christmas adventure.
No tacky plastic toys either – kids go home with a tiny tree that Santa helped them to plant and a magic seed shaker that will attract fairies (or butterflies at least) to their garden.
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Farmleigh, an estate within Dublin’s Phoenix Park, is the venue for this annual programme of Christmas events aimed at all ages, but with a specially good range of events for kids.
There are food markets and carol singers, horse & carriage rides and puppet shows, art exhibitions and concerts, most free to enter and all with a Christmassy theme.
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What life is like at Christmas in Ireland, from the days and weeks of preparation, to Christmas day and the lead in to a New Year.
From office parties to pantomime, last minute shopping to the races – it’s a family occasion and one to enjoy with friends.
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A look at some of the traditions of an Irish Christmas, from a lit candle in the window on Christmas Eve – and why it has been revived as a tradition – to the sometimes odd finding of religious symbols in the middle of shopping malls and the visit from the Wren Boys on St Stephen’s day.
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For many people Christmas is not Christmas without a day or two at Leopardstown races. It’s a very festive event, with families very much in evidence.
For those serious about the racing, rather than just the major social event that it is, the cream of Irish and British National Hunt horses will compete for serious prize money.
Read MoreBecause Ireland kind of stops dead over the Christmas period, it may not be the best time to travel. Most tourist attractions are closed, as are most Bed and Breakfasts and Guest Houses.
However there are special Christmas programs in many hotels and if it’s a quiet get away break you want, it may be just the place to come.
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Of course the Irish eat too much at Christmas – that’s the point, isn’t it?
A feast of rich fruit cake, moist plum pudding and mince pies accompany the traditional roast turkey and in some parts of the country spiced beef, flavoured with juniper berries, is a favourite Christmas delicacy.
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Made with plenty of fruit, nuts and Irish Whiskey and topped with marzipan and white frosting, the Christmas cake is a central part of Christmas in Ireland.
This recipe is a tried and trusted one which I have made for many years and which is packed with fruit and booze.
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