“BALTINGLASS” Best place to live in Ireland- Irishtimes.com competition- Baltinglass Town- Small in Size but Big in Heart!

MY ARTICLE PUBLISHED FOR IRISHTIMES.COM COMPETITION THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN IRELAND ON 30 MAY 2012.

This is why I feel Balto is the best place to live in Ireland. 

Church, Baltinglass, Ireland.

Baltinglass Town- Small in Size but Big in Heart!

Well, Beautiful Baltinglass is the name of a small town in Co. Wicklow, the Garden of Ireland. Small in size but big in heart! This picturesque, peaceful and prosperous landscaped beauty is nearby some of the world’s most glamorous greeneries like Glendalough and Powerscourt. Baltinglass is popularly called The Right-hand Man of Glorious Glendalough!

Slaney Park, Baltinglass, Ireland.

If River Slaney adds gleams and sparkles to the greenery, then it is the Baltinglass residents who add oil to the forever-burning fire of hope, aspirations and life of the town’s inner beauty- the people themselves! While Ireland feels a little shaky in present times, it is no doubt she will arise once again because of the determination, strength and courage of people like those of Baltinglass residents! The feet of every nation’s citizen can touch this soil and be witness to the world’s most welcoming smile, warmth and love they have ever experienced. A world of friendship and humour awaits them all!

Moreover, these people gems can be found in Baltinglass’ Community parks, Library, Churches, Schools, Clubs, Associations, Recreational Centres, Cultural Organisations, Local Stores, Pubs and Supermarkets.

New Houses, Parkmore, Baltinglass, Ireland.

A variety of multi-cultural delicious Hotels and Take-aways cater to the tastes of both locals and foreigners who love to dine out with their families! Along with a Garda Station, Post Office, District Hospital, Butchers, Studios, Key makers, Florists, Clinics, Pharmacies, Hair Dressers, Garages, Solicitors, Real Estates, Petrol Stations and Banks, employment is steady and so is the revenue.

Dedicated Volunteers, Organisers, Participants and Sponsors ensure events and festivals like St’ Patricks Day, Pig Derby, Auto Shows and Street Festivals are never missed out.

Abbey, Baltinglass, Ireland.

The transport system of various bus and taxi services to other Towns/Counties/Airports have encouraged Tourists to not only experience and enjoy these festivals but also visit local historical sites like The Hill Fort and The Courthouse.

Whether Politics, Sports or Arts, Baltinglass is home to historical personalities like Sam McAllister, Richard Crosbie, Jennie Wyse Power and John Thomond O’Brien. Baltinglass residents have participated in many national and international competitions and tournaments and brought home numerous awards and global recognition including Guinness World Records by school students.

Community Park, Baltinglass, Ireland.

Baltinglass, a great frame for photography lovers, was also chronicled as the backdrop for many documentaries, soaps and feature films.

And thus, like I stated in the beginning, Baltinglass, the small town, may be small in size but it definitely is big in heart because of the people who have made this town what it is today. This makes it the best place to live in Ireland.

As passed on by the elders, the children of Baltinglass will surely carry the torch for a more happier, stronger and prosperous tomorrow.

However, for the moment and for the future, this is the place I want to live in and these are the people I want to live with because this is Baltinglass and I am in love with her, my Beautiful Baltinglass!!!

MY ARTICLE PUBLISHED FOR IRISHTIMES.COM COMPETITION THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN IRELAND ON 30 MAY 2012.

http://t.co/TPDkE0lcW8  PROTEST AGAINST BALTINGLASS PYLONS! http://t.co/KZDauZDRMz  1ST DEADLINE 26TH NOVEMBER 2013! pic.twitter.com/zZNd9PsEy0
— Sumod (@Sumod_Sunny) November 18, 2013

Dublin Festival St Patricks Day Parade 2010- Special Coverage Part 2

Dublin Festival St Patricks Day Parade 2010- Special Coverage Part 2

Here is Part 2 of the Special Coverage Video of the BIGGEST AND BEST CELEBRATION OF ST PATRICKS DAY IN THE WORLD!!!

It is also called St Paddys Day, Patricks Day and Paddys Day. Named after Saint Patrick (AD 387- 461), Patricks Day is celebrated every year on 17th March and is a public holiday. Families go out together, visit heritage and art centres, attend masses, participate in sports events and attend the St Patricks Parade and engage in other festival activities and competitions like the Treasure Hunt. It is also one of the most busiest and profitable days for pubs and hotels as celebrations include mass alcohol consumption with singing and dancing.

The festival showcases Ireland art, heritage and culture. The city was filled with people and I managed to capture the parade for a short time. A big APPRECIATION to all the Garda, ambulance, volunteers and other authorities who did a great job in efficiently and effectively managing the people and parade.

Special Coverage Video Part 2:

HALLOWEEN IS THE FESTIVAL OF THE DEAD!!!

HALLOWEEN IS THE FESTIVAL OF THE DEAD!!!

Halloween, though openly associated with evil, is celebrated by most of the Western countries and falls on 31st October. It is also called ‘All Saints Eve’ , ‘All Hallows’ Eve’ and ‘Festival of the Dead!’ (The name says it all...). The festival begins at sunset and ends at midnight every 31st October. As it is celebrated in the night time, the festival is common for the colors Orange and Black, which resembles the darkness of sunset and night. It also symbolises the colour of the fire which comes from the pumpkins called Jack O Lanterns. This is why many Halloween decoration items and costumes are mostly coloured in Black and Orange. The most common Halloween treats are candy or toffe apples, caramel or taffu apples as Halloween holiday falls during the start of the annual Apple Harvest.

Celtic and Christian Cultures- the Halloween Background Traditions

The Halloween festival has a background of mixed cultures with the Celtic Festival of Samhain in Europe and the Christian taditional holy day of All Saints. While ‘All Saints’ is celebrated on 1st November where all the Saints are said to be gathering and remembered, it’s eve, 31st October is celebrated as the night before the Saints arrive where spirits of dead people, good or bad, come back to visit their families. It is from here that the concept of dressing in scary costumes was evolved in order to scare off the bad spirits. Thus the festival is secular with roots from both Celtic and Christian traditions mainly from Ireland and Scotland. It is the main factor how Halloween found it’s entry into America with the entry of Irish immigrants in the 18th century with reminders of the Great Irish Famine Period.

Halloween Celebrations

Halloween os celebrated with Trick or Treats, scary costumes, haunted locations, halloween parties, scary stories, fireworks, bonfires, horror films, carving pumpkins, eating ghost shaped sweets, etc:- Traditionally, the lanterns were a symbol of harvest time. As years passed, these lanterns were introduced to Halloween and were carved from turnips with designs of scary and funny faces. Now everyone carves Pumpkins as they are more bigger and spacier making it easy to carve.These lanterns are then lighted and kept in from of the house after sunset. People decorate their houses with ghostly characters like ghosts, monsters, witches, goblins, skeletons and vampires. Animal characters of wolves, bats, crows and spiders are also used.

TRICK OR TREAT!!!

Children celebrate Trick or treat on Halloween. They visit houses dressed in ghostly costumes shouting "Trick or treat?" With Treat, they mean to ask for sweets or even money. And with Trick, they mean to say that they will do some kind of a prank or mischief to the household if they dont get any treats. As a tradition in Ireland and Scotland, children must earn their treats by telling scary stories, dancing or singing songs. Food treats include Colcannon and Barmbrack from Ireland, Bonfire Toffee from Britian, Candy Corn from North America and other common treats like Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bread, Candy Apples, Caramel Apples, Soul Cakes, Caramel Corn, Roasted Sweet Corn, etc:-

Some types of Traditional Halloween Games

1. Apple Bobbing or Dunking- The participant must take out an apple from the tub of bucket of water using only his teeth.

2. Fork Dunking- The participant must kneel on a chair with a fork between his teeth which he must drop into the apple.

3. Scone eating contest- Here, participants should try to jump and eat scones, coated with syrup and tied onto strings at a high level, while having their hands tied behind their backs.


RELIGION ON HALLOWEEN- FESTIVAL WHICH GLORIFIES EVIL

Though Halloween is widely a secular celebration, there are some sections of the people who have expressed strong religious statements about it. In the West, many Christians take Halloween as just another festival which is not satanic nor unspiritual for their children. In fact, they see it as a time to value the cultural heritage of their Celtic ancestors. However, there are other Christians who avoid Halloween celebrations as they believe that it practises evil and sorcery making it an accepted public glorification of the devil and other dark powers of hell. Some perceive Halloween as an insult to the Christian faith it originated as a pagan "Festival of the Dead." While many contemporary Protestant churches celebrate Halloween as a fun event for children and hold costume events in their churches with games and candy, few other Churches abstain from celebrating Halloween for they believe that a True Christian should never celbrate a festival orignating from the pagans especially a Festival of the Dead!