Top Ten Most Amazing True Facts About Ireland & the Irish

The Emerald Isle has always been a land of mystery, myth and legend from Irish leprechauns to Celtic Druids. In the land known for fairies and the Blarney Stone, is it any wonder that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction? In honor of the patron saint of Ireland and St. Patrick's day, here are some of the strangest and weirdest true facts about Ireland and the Irish.

1. Irish Discovery of America: According to Irish legend, Ireland's St. Brendan discovered America 1,000 years before Christopher Columbus.

2. Barry O'Bama? Barack Obama is Irish: Barack Obama's great great grandfather came from Moneygall, County Offaly, Ireland.

3. St. Patrick - Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was not Irish but was captured and taken to Ireland as a slave. More at: Who Was the Man Known as St. Patrick?

4. Irish Witch: Dame Alice Kytler was allegedly the last witch in Ireland. She was born in Kilkenny in 1280 and married four times. All of her husbands died, and Dame Alice was accused of poisoning them. Today her home in Kilkenny is called Kytler's Inn and operates a restaurant.

5. Irish Ghosts: Ballygally Castle in County Antrim, Ireland, is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the country. As the story goes, Lady Isobel Shaw, whose husband built the castle in 1625, was locked in her room by her husband and starved, until she finally jumped from a window to her death. Now she is said to wander the halls of Ballygally Castle, knocking on doors at night. Today Ballygally Castle is a hotel owned by a major chain, so you can stay there and check out Lady Shaw's ghost... if you dare!

6. Irish Queen of the Pirates: The "Queen of the Pirates" was Irish. During the 1500's, Grace O'Malley commanded a crew of over 200 men off the west coast of Ireland on her pirate ship.

7. Smallest Irish Woman: The smallest Irish woman who ever lived is said to be Catherine Kelly who was 34 inches tall and weighed 8 pounds. Kelly, who died in 1785, was known as "The Irish Fairy."

8.Tallest Irish Twins: The tallest identical twins in recorded history were the Knipe Brothers from Magherafelt in County Derry, Ireland. The Knipe Brothers, born in 1761, were 7' 2" tall.

9. Irish Windmills: Windmills around the world always turn in a counter-clockwise direction... except for the windmills in Ireland which turn clockwise.

10. Irish Marriage & Divorce: Although the first divorce ever granted in Ireland was in 1997, up until the 1920's, couples in Ireland could legally be married on St. Brigid's Day (February 1st) in Teltown, County Meath, by walking towards each other. They could divorce on St. Brigid's day the following year by walking away from each other at the same spot.

Related:

Who was the Man Known as Saint Patrick?
St. Patrick Acrostic - a Poem for Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick the Shepherd - a Poem
Ireland Acrostic: An Acrostic Poem About the Emerald Isle
Saint Patrick's Shamrock - a Haiku for St. Patrick's Day
Top 3 faith-based songs for St. Patrick's Day: Saint Patrick's Day music
Seven Lucky Songs for St. Patrick's Day
Irish Quotes for St. Patrick's Day

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