Happy 13th
Today is an official holiday in Northern Ireland. Because it’s July 13th. And it’s Monday. Which means the 12th fell on a Sunday.
Commemorating the Battle of the Boyne, when a bunch of people from all over Europe fought against a bunch of Irish peasants and French footballers, to see who would hold the thrones to the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland before they became a United Kingdom, its history, like all of Irish hstory, is now claimed by one side - one side of the battle that is, not one side of the river.
The valley of the Boyne River is a beautiful valley (and I can heartily recommend cycling it), with the site of the battle being between the town of Drogheda and a place you may have heard of called Newgrange, where the river forms the border between the counties of Meath and Louth in the Republic.
But we’ve talked about The Twelfth before.
If you’re Irish, or claiming to be, you should probably teach yourself about the Battle of the Boyne and find out which side your ancestors fought on - possibly they fought on both sides. Even if you’re just pretending to be Irish - it’s entirely possible that your Dutch, English, Danish, or Scottish ancestors were involved. Either way, today could be a holiday for you.
Other Holidays in Ireland & the US:
• Valentine’s Day
• New Year’s Eve
• Fathers’ Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas Eve
• Easter Sunday
• Halloween
• MLK Day
• Fourth of July
• Columbus Day
• Christmas
• The Twelfth
Eolaí gan Fhéile:
