If you are born on 29 February, you can consider yourself very special… or very unlucky! The chances of being born on a leap day (the extra day we have every four years in leap years) are 1 in 1461. So, people born on that day are rare. But they also only have one “real” … Continue reading “Happy Leap Day!”
Ireland has a new bank holiday: St Brigid’s Day, the first to be in honour of a woman. From 2023, it is marked on the first Monday in February. St Brigid is one of Ireland’s three patron saints, alongside St Colmcille and St Patrick. Like so many Irish celebrations, the Catholic saint’s day on 1 … Continue reading “Ireland Has a New Holiday”
The electoral process for a U.S. President is long, with many candidates declaring their campaigns six or even 12 months before primary season opens in January. But this year, the primaries could lack suspense, with one incumbent candidate, President Joe Biden for the Democrats, and one Republican, Donald Trump dominating that party’s primary process despite … Continue reading “On the Election Road: U.S.A. 2024”
Traditionally, the U.S. presidential election primary season starts off not with a primary but with a caucus. What’s the difference? Both primaries and caucuses are a way to choose candidates for a party’s election campaign. Not only party members vote – all voters can choose to register as Democrat or Republican when they sign up … Continue reading “Caucus vs Primary”
This three-minute film with no dialogue is a great basis of a discussion about Christmas with your classes. It also fits with the theme of being different, and starts in a boarding school. The premise is that Santa Claus started out at a school for extraordinary children, where as a child he slowly grew his … Continue reading “Short Christmas Film”
All through Elizabeth II’s long reign, the Queen’s Speech was shorthand for the UK’s State Opening of Parliament, which takes place annually at the beginning of each parliamentary session. The monarch reads out a speech to the assembled Houses of Lords and Commons detailing the government’s programme of legislation for the upcoming year. On 7 … Continue reading “What is the King’s Speech?”
The British monarch has two birthdays every year: the real one on 14 November (he was 74) and an official one on the second Saturday in June. That is marked by one of the great moments of British pageantry: the Trooping the Colour ceremony, on 17 June this year. Since 1748, the monarch’s official birthday … Continue reading “King Charles Trooping the Colour”
Ireland is celebrating 100 years of independence in 2023. This St Patrick’s Day video from the Irish government looks back at a hundred years of peacebuilding milestones to the background of the beautiful traditional song “Danny Boy” sung by Tolü Makay. The video covers Irish membership of the League of Nations and then the United … Continue reading “Peacebuilding for St Patrick’s”
St Patrick’s Day, 17 March, is the Irish national day. But there are many communities of Irish origin around the world and on St Paddy’s Day, everyone is Irish! There is a large Irish community in the U.S. and the parades in Chicago and New York are famous. The Chicago River, and the Liffey in … Continue reading “Happy St Patrick’s!”
Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year, marking 70 years on the throne, a milestone no other British monarch has reached. The Queen marked the anniversary of her accession on 6 February with a quiet ceremony. It is always a sad occasion for her as it was the day her beloved father … Continue reading “A Historic Milestone”