Did you know…..?

May is the month of growth and or regeneration and probably comes from the name that the Romans gave to one of their goddesses. Her name was Maia. She embodied the concept of growth and of business.

Many countries in Europe and North America celebrate May Day on May 1 with dances around a maypole, a high wooden pole adorned with colours and flowers.

May 4 is Star Wars Day because the date, stated as “May the fourth” sounds like the well-known phrase from Star Wars, “May the force be with you.” The sentence first appears in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977). The characters say it to wish each other good luck. Two years after the movie was released, the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom congratulated their candidate, Margaret Thatcher, for being elected Prime Minister. On May 4, 1979, they published an ad in a newspaper saying, “May The Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations.” This might have been the beginning of May 4 as Star Wars Day.

May 5 in the world! Cinco de Mayo means “the fifth of May” in Spanish. The day is observed in Mexico and in parts of the United States on May 5 and celebrates the defeat of the French army during the Batalla de Puebla (Battle of Puebla) in Mexico on May 5, 1862. In the US, Cinco de Mayo is seen as a day to celebrate the culture, achievements, and experiences of people with a Mexican background. Businesses promote Mexican food, drinks, and music, and traditional symbols of Mexican life are celebrated.

May is often one of the best times of the year to visit Ireland. The days are getting longer, the weather forecast tends to be more settled than earlier in spring, average temperatures increase, average rainfall amounts are not too high and there are so many things to do!

There is also plenty of colour in the landscape of the Emerald Isle too as nature really flourishes over the course of this month. (If you are visiting the west coast, it is a great time to visit the Burren in County Clare if you want to catch some amazing flower species!)

Sarah, Melissa, Michelle, Maebh and Manlio