This Sunday is Remembrance Day, the solemn occasion on which the dead of all wars are honored and, most importantly, remembered. It developed out of Armistice Day, the remembrance of the "Great War", ending on the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month ... in 1918, ninety-one years ago.

Remembrance Day manages to divide and unite (at the same time) communities all over Ireland - due to its British origin and its focus on soldiers fighting for the English crown. While nationalists abhor Remembrance Day, loyalists attach an importance to the day second only to July 12th. And what was conceived as an all-inclusive day of remembrance for the dead of wars past became a blatant advertisement for the madness of the war present in Northern Ireland - in Enniskillen in 1987.

Read up on Remembrance Day and feel free to ignore the ceremonies or to join in. After all, the shadows of grave markers in war cemeteries seem to be the same length, regardless of whichever nation, class, creed or race the living belonged to.

Photo © 2007 Bernd Biege licensed to About.com, Inc.

It must have been a great idea at the time - Kevin (soon to be Saint Kevin) was looking for a place to be home alone, to lose himself in prayer and contemplation. Wandering the wild Wicklow mountains he happened upon a valley. Where two lakes, connected by a stream, provided nourishment and a spectacular view. That was Kevin settled then.

Unfortunately the patient saint, who famously allowed a bird to nest in his outstretched hands, started a trend. Not only monks flocked into the "valley of the two lakes" (or, in Irish, Glendalough). Kevin had built up a secular fan-base as well. Which annoyed the reclusive man quite a bit. So much so that he countered the amorous advances of a woman by pushing her into a patch of nettles.

These days you are more likely to suffer a close encounter with vegetation on holiday weekends, when hordes of tourists flock to Glendalough and provide a mobile, ever-moving obstacle course. If you can, go during the week, maybe even in the off-season. And for a first, peaceful look, have a peek at my image gallery of Gleandalough ...

Photo © 2008 Bernd Biege licensed to About.com, Inc.

Ireland was once known as the "Island of Saints and Scholars". Which in medieval times was one and the same - as a scholar you were a churchperson and required to be at least moderately saintly per se. Unless you followed the path of a sinner and heretic. In which case your scholarly prowess wasn't worth a penny. And your life even less.

Apart from my own "Top Ten" of Irish saints, other About.com guides have tackled this subject:

• Saint Brendan's Cross is found on Alternative Religions,
• Melissa Snell of Medieval History has some information on Saint Brigit,
• Saint Columba makes a surprising appearance on Austin Cline's Atheism site and
• a famous discovery of Irish monks is featured on Stacy Slinkard's Wine site ... mead!

For nearly three hundred years the Dublin Parish of Saint Ann's, one of the Church of Ireland's best known city parishes, has celebrated mass in Saint Ann's Church in Dawson Street. Prominent members of the parish included Irish Presidents Douglas Hyde and Erskine Childers, revolutionary Theobald Wolfe Tone, charity founder Thomas Barnado, art expert Hugh Lane and Bram Stoker of "Dracula" fame.

Saint Ann's Church is, however, best known for an enduring and endearing custom. In 1723 Lord Newton bequeathed money to provide loaves of bread for the needy - and even today you may see fresh loaves in a special larder near the altar!

A bit of "auld Dublin" not every visitor sees ...

Photo © 2007 Bernd Biege licensed to About.com, Inc.

Just around the corner from my home office there is a medieval castle. Renovated and done up quite a bit, you can actually rent a room and stay overnight. Situated romantically on the banks of Lough Sheelin it sounds like a good idea for a romantic getaway.

The locals will smile knowingly at this point ... Ross Castle is not only old, it is also haunted. And it certainly has a romantic past, but "getaway" is an unfortunate choice of words here. Ever since Sabrina Nugent wanted to elope and her lover drowned in Lough Sheelin. Sabrina is reputed to have been buried standing up, looking out over the Lough, forever awaiting her lover. Not only around Hallowe'en ghostly goings-on have plagued the estate. Or helped its reputation - Ross Castle is actually being marketed as a haunted hostelry!

Not the only one in Ireland, I hasten to add. Deceased actor Oliver Reed and executed Rebel Robert Emmet are amongst the more notable persons haunting pubs in Cork and Dublin. And countless "grey shapes" hover in the older bars and hotels. So why not plan a stay at one of the top ten haunted hotels and pubs in Ireland?

It now looks as if the legal limit for driving under the influence of alcohol will go down. Currently Irish law allows a driver to have 0.08% of alcohol in his blood, this will be slashed nearly in half, down to 0.05%. Legislation is being prepared.

While this sounds very academic, the likelihood is that just one pint will put you over the legal limit. Add increased controls on Irish roads and you have a surefire way to losing your license.

While I expect the usual whining from pub owners I personally think this is a positive move towards less fatalities. Visitors should, however, take note that the traditional pint of Guinness with a pub lunch might now better be a thing of the past. You might also like to read up on other laws regarding alcohol in Ireland.

The introduction of lower alcohol limits has already been deferred several times, a reform of the licensing system for drivers took first priority. This was extremely necessary - Irish law allowed drivers who actually failed the driving test to carry on driving unaccopanied. Don't ask ...

Photo © 2007 Bernd Biege licensed to About.com, Inc.

When the sun goes down on Halloween, it may be best to stay away from graveyards. And your front door if you haven't got treats to give away. On the other hand ... why not celebrate Halloween in the original Irish style? With traditions carried over from the pagan samhain feast. You might even scare the most hardened trick-or-treaters witless ...

An all-time-favorite was the old graveyard trick: You place some money in a bible or hymnal, then leave same on the cemetery and tell everybody that whoever brings the book back during the night may keep the money. Easy enough?

Easier said than done ... many a practical joker played a dirty hand, donning funerary clothing, watching over the money. And, once a prospective claimant stumbled through the graveyard, raising an almighty shriek ... in the process making Usain Bolt look like a snail in comparison.

Photo © 2009 Bernd Biege licensed to About.com, Inc.

What did the Irish eat at samhain? Lots - fresh meat and black pudding were plentiful. Black pudding, you see, is made from the blood of slaughtered animals. Just in case you did not know it ...

But this all changed when samhain became All Hallows' Eve. Not only did soothsaying druids become unpopular. As All Hallows' was a day of fasting, meat and meat products were suddenly off limits. So a traditional Halloween treat would have been vegetarian. Like pancakes and dumplings, sweet or spicy, apple fritters, cakes, bread and cheese.

Hungry? Having a gargoyle growling in your stomach?

Here are some ideas on what to cook for an Irish Halloween celebration: Colcannon, boxty, soul cakes and the popular bairin breac - the amateur's Halloween oracle of choice.

Photo © 2009 Bernd Biege licensed to About.com, Inc.

As Halloween, or rather samhain, was the Celtic new year ... one question was always in everybody's mind: What will the new year bring? Will the cow have a calf? Will the weather be good enough for a decent harvest? Will the sheep continue to look as scary at night as in the picture left? Will the youngest daughter finally get married and move out? Will we see another Halloween at all?

Divining the future on samhain was important in this night of open channels to the otherworlds. And while it was a deadly serious business for the Celts, it stayed on as a parlour game for the Irish long after the whiff of paganism was gone.

One of the more pleasant customs is the eating of the bairin breac. The "Halloween Cake" these days is a sweet bread with a ring baked into it. You get it in nearly every shop, take it home and share with the whole family. Whoever finds the ring while munching his or her portion will be lucky for a year. Or visit a dentist to repair a broken tooth.

Photo © 2009 Bernd Biege licensed to About.com, Inc.

We all have to make sacrifices - that was one of the recurrent themes of Halloween before it was Halloween. You see, the feast of "All Hallows Eve" (that's Halloween to me and you) used to be known as samhain. The "end of summer". And for some it was more than the end of just summer:

Take the fire ritual of the "wicker men". Basically a cage made from wickerwork in a rough resemblance of the human form, then stuffed with (living) sacrificial offerings. Like animals, prisoners of war or unpopular neighbors. Which were then burned to death inside the "wicker man". Other rituals involved drowning ... Happy New Celtic Year!

New year? Yes ... in Celtic tradition (at least as we understand it now) the day started with the night and the year started with winter. Get the bad part behind you first. So when we are celebrating Halloween, we are also remembering the turn of the year for the Celts. Makes you think? Then learn more about the Celtic roots of Halloween in a short article on this site.

Photo © 2009 Bernd Biege licensed to About.com, Inc.