Painters, History, Email and a Legend.

That is what is in store for you in this issue of our
monthly newsletter which broke through the 5000 Subscribers
mark this month. Thanks for your support, and thanks again
for all of the encouragement that has been received.

It is amazing the effect that a kind word or two will have
on a person when things are not going the way they are
supposed to.
 
A new feature this month is the Noticeboard. This is a
section devoted to the sites of subscribers and supporters
who have made a contribution to the site (an article,
advice, a resource, etc.).

Got something to say? Then lets hear it! Make a
contribution, write an article, offer an idea, and see the
result in the next edition.

If I can be of any assistance to you please send me an
email and I will do my best to help. 

All the very best,
(from an 'its snowing in the middle of April' Dublin),

Michael.

This newsletter is available on-line at:
https://www.ireland-information.com/apr99.htm


PLEASE DO: Feel free to forward this newsletter in its
entirety to anyone you think might be interested. Drop me
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If you must unsubscribe then go here
......but you'll be missing out!


In this issue:-
~~~~~ New free resources at the site
~~~~~ News Snaps from Ireland
~~~~~ A Trio of Irish Painters
~~~~~ A Brief History of Ireland 3000bc-1998ad
~~~~~ Readers Contribution:
      'Cuchulainn - The Hound of Ulster' by Sean O'Broin
~~~~~ Noticeboard
~~~~~ Monthly free competition result


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NEW FREE RESOURCES AT THE SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FREE EMAIL ACCOUNT FROM THE INFORMATION ABOUT IRELAND SITE

Your favourite Ireland Site has teamed up with ZZN to offer
you a free email account. This great service is completely 
free in every respect and is different from your normal home
based email in that you can check your messages from any PC
that is connected to the Internet!

You need never again miss out on communicating with friends
or business contacts because you are away from your work or
home PC as you can now send and receive your communications
from anywhere on the world wide web.

A pretty good deal I am sure you will agree. You can nominate
your own address which will look like this:

	mikey@ireland-information.zzn.com
			or
	meetme@ireland-information.zzn.com
			or
	whateveryoulike@ireland-information.zzn.com

Sign up for free at:

	https://www.ireland-information.com/freeemail.htm



75 IRISH NAMES AND COATS OF ARMS ADDED TO THE GALLERY

The following 75 names have been added to the Gallery this
month and can be viewed at:

https://www.ireland-information.com/heraldichall/gm.htm


A: 	Allen, Alexander, McArdle

B: 	Bailey, Barry, Bates, Bradley, Brennan, O'Brien,

C: 	Callaghan, Campbell, Canavan, Cannon, Carson,
	Cassidy, Cody, Collins, Comerford, Corrigan,
	Coyle, Crowley, Crozier, McCann, McClintock,
	McCullough

D: 	Delaney, Devereaux, Dillon, Doran, Dowling,
	McDonagh, O'Dea, O'Donnell

F: 	Farrell, Faulkner, Feely, Fitzmaurice, Fitzpatrick,
	Fleming, Farrell, O'Flaherty

G: 	Gambell, Garry, Glynn, Griffin, McGarry

H: 	Hayden, Hegarty, O'Hare

K: 	McKay, McKee

L: 	Langan, Leahy, Lenihan, Loftus

M: 	May, Milligan, Mooney, Moore, Morgan, Mullins,
	Murray

N: 	Nagle, Nesbitt, Nolan, McNamara

Q: 	Quigley, Quinlan

R: 	Reed, Reid

S: 	Stapleton, Stokes

T: 	Todd

W: 	Walker

Y: 	Young


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OSBORNE, LAVERY AND LEECH (A TRIO OF FAMOUS IRISH PAINTERS)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walter Osborne was born in 1859. He painted mainly in the
French Brittany region of Quimperlé but moved to England
in 1884. His paintings of rural scenes that dominated his
early years gradually gave way to an 'impressionistic'
interpretation of those subjects that he had great empathy
for, namely women, small children and old people. His
superb images of young girls at play are still cherished
by the National Gallery of Ireland: The Dolls School, The
House Builders.

John Lavery was born in Belfast but was educated in
Glasgow, London and Paris. He originally worked as an
apprentice photographer but harboured ambitions to be
a portrait artist. He became an official war artist and
eventually a chronicler of his times with paintings such
as 'The Ratification of the Irish Treaty in the English
House of Lords, 1921' and 'Blessing of the Colors: A
Revolutionary Soldier Kneeling to the Blessed'. His most
famous work was perhaps that of his wife, Lady Lavery,
'The Red Rose' which was a painting that had a number of
incarnations before it forever bore the face of the woman
who was to adorn the Irish Pound note for half a century.

William John Leech was born in Dublin in 1881 and studied
under Walter Osborne at the Royal Hibernian Academy
Schools. He became increasingly interested in sunlight
and shadow and this perhaps might explain why the famous
painting 'The Goose Girl' was acredited to him. So proud of
this wonderful interpretation of a girl in a bluebell field
was the National Gallery of Ireland that they adopted the
image as their logo, only to finally have to accept that
the painting was in fact completed by the Englishman
Stanley Royle. He can be regarded as one of the great
Irish colorists' as can be seen by his superb image: 'Les
Soeurs du Saint-Esprit, Concarneau, c. 1910-1912' which
has to be one of the finest Irish paintings ever.

View the paintings of these artists at the Site at:
https://www.ireland-information.com/picturesofireland/picturesofireland.htm


Get the 'Famous Irish Painters' Screensaver at:
https://www.ireland-information.com/order.htm


 
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NEWS SNAPS FROM IRELAND
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TOO MANY LEARNER DRIVERS ON IRISH ROADS: The National Safety
Council has severely criticized the number of 'learner'
drivers that are on Irish roads. Chariman Cartan Finegan
firmly stated that the total of 461 people killed on Irish
roads in 1998 could be greatly reduced if the long period for
a driving test was shortened. At present it can take up
to a year to get a driving test. Worse still is that
inexperienced drivers of motorcycles can take to the road on
their vehicles at the age of sixteen without having ANY
instruction whatsoever. The number of deaths on the reoads
is threatening to return to the atrocious levels of the 1970s
when over 600 people per year were being killed.

NORTHERN PEACE TALKS STALL: Sinn Fein and the PUP have both
rejected the Hillsborough Declaration which was an attempt
to break the impass over the decommissioning of weapons by
the IRA. Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein has declared the agreement
as 'dead in the water' if the Unionist position on
decommissioning is maintained.

Further meetings at Stormont are expected to try to come up
with a formula which will allow for the creation of a new
form of Government in the Northern Province arising on foot
of the Good Friday agreement of 1998.

SCHOOL AT HOME CASE CONTINUES: The parents of a 13 year old
Leitrim boy who has not attended school for 4 years have
vowed to continue their fight to educate him at home,
despite the threat of prosecution under the Child Care Act
of 1991, and the possibility of the boy being taken into
care.

The Duffy family have consistently argued that they have the
Constitutional right to educate their child at home and have
been to court on no less than 15 occasions. Thier son, Rory,
had attended a number of schools previously and had been
very unhappy. The State is actively pursuing the case,
especially as their is another similar instance on the books
arising from an action by a County Kerry family.

INFLATION: The annual rate of inflation in Ireland has
fallen to 1.4%, the lowest rate since August 1997.

IRISH YOUTHS SOCCER FAIL: The Irish Youths team crashed
out of the World Championships in Nigeria. Despite a couple
of terrific performances to qualify for the last 16
(including a 4-0 demlition of Australia) the Irish youths,
managed by Brian Kerr, were defeated on penalties after
their match against host Nigeria was drawn 1-1.

IRISH THATCH INDUSTRY UNDER THREAT: A lack of native Irish
Reed is causing Irish Thatchers to import reedds from as far
away as Turkey and the Balkans. A new 35 bedroom hotel in
County Kerry is experiencing dificulties in completing the
building project because of the lack of the natural
resource.

Irish Thatchers are said to be be up in arms over the matter
and are likley to lobby Government. If the events of
recent years are anything to go by the the current
government had better watch out that that the issue does
not cause their demise. One of the 'independent' supporters
of the coalition government is from the Kerry region!

Quite what Bertie Ahearn is expected to do about this grave
lack of this vital natural resource is, as yet, unclear.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF IRELAND
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3000BC 	The Megalithic tombs are constructed,(Newgrange).
 700BC	The Celts arrive from parts of Gaul and Britain.
 350AD  Christianity reaches Ireland.
 432    St. Patrick arrives in Ireland and confronts King
	Laoghaire who allows him to spread the word of
	Christianity in Ireland.
700-800 Monastic culture is at its height.
795 	Invasion by the Vikings.
1014   	Brian Boru defeats the Vikings at Clontarf.
1169    Dermot MacMurrough, the exiled king of Leinster,
	seeks help from 'Strongbow'.
1172    King Henry II of England is declared Feudal Lord
	of Ireland by the Pope.
1366    Statues of Kilkenny belatedly forbid intermarriage
	of English and Irish. Gaelic culture unsuccessfully
	suppressed.
1534-40 Insurrection by Lord Offaly fails.
1541    Henry VIII proclaimed King of Ireland.
1558-03 Plantation of Ireland commences under the reign of
	Elizabeth I.
1595-03 Failed uprising of Hugh O'Neil.
1607   	Flight of the Earls and leading Ulster families go
	into exile.
1641  	King Charles I's policies cause insurrection in
	Ulster and Civil War in England.
1649  	Cromwell invades Ireland.
1653  	Cromwell's opponents stripped of land under the Act
	of Settlement. 
1689-90	Deposed James II flees to Ireland and is defeated at
	the Battle of the Boyne.
1704  	The Penal Laws enacted: Catholics are barred from
	voting, education and the military.
1775  	American War of Independence instigates Irish unrest.
1782  	Grattan's Parliament persuades English to declare
	Irish independence, butin name only.
1795    The Organge Order is founded.
1798    Uprising by Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen is
	crushed.
1801    Ireland becomes part of Britain under the Act of
	Union.
1829    Catholic Emancipation Act passed after Daniel
	O'Connell elected as MP.
1845-49 The Great Famine claims over 1 million lives
	through starvation and disease. Emigration over
	the next 10 years results in departure of a
	further 1 million people.
1879-82 The Land War is instigated by Parnell who encourages
	the boycott of repressive landlords. The 3 'F's are
	gained for the peasantry: Fixity of Tenure, Fair
	Rent, Freedom to sell their holding.
1914   	The Implementation of Home Rule is postponed because
	of the outbreak of World War I.
1916    The Easter Rising is led by Pearse, Connolly and
	others. The 7 leaders are executed which shifts
	public opinion in favour of the rebels.
1920-21 Michael Collins masterminds the War of Independence
	between Britain and Ireland. The Irish Free State
	is created (excluding the 6 Northern Counties).
1922-23 Civil war breaks out between the Free State Army and
	the Irregulars (the IRA).
1926	Fianna Fail party formed and led by DeVelera.
1932    De Valera elected Taoiseach of Ireland.
1939-45 Ireland remains neutral during WW2 despite the offer
	of a United Ireland having been made to DeVelera if
	Ireland enters the war on behalf of the Allies.
1948	Ireland declared a Republic by Costello.
	Northern Ireland is declared a separate entity.
1969    Rioting between Catholics and Protestants. Civil
	Rights marches. British troops called in to keep
	order.
1971    Provisional IRA begins campaign to oust British
	troops from Ireland.
1972    Republic of Ireland joins the European Community.
1985    Anglo-Irish Agreement signed.
1994    Peace Declaration and IRA ceasefire.
1998	'Good Friday' agreement reached promising the
	creation of a Northern Assembly.


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CUCHULAINN - THE HOUND OF ULSTER	by Sean O'Broin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a time in Irelands history when chivalry and
chieftainry ruled the land. When the country was occupied
by bands of warriors who spoke only their native tongue
and who cherished their heritage and civilisation. This
was the time of Conor McNessa and the High Kings of
Ireland, of the Gamanraide and the Red Branch Knights of
the Emania. It was the time of Cuchullain.

All of the warrior bands had their own Seanachie, a
person responsible for recounting the deeds of times past,
a chronicler of the ages. Cuchullain was their most famous
subject and hundreds of tales of his heroic deeds, both
real and imagined, have survived to this day.

Cuchullain was the nephew and foster son of King Conor of
Emania, and was originaly named Setanta. He arrived at the
Court to find the youths playing Camán (hurling) and,
having with him his red bronze hurley he so outplayed the
other youths that his future greatness could be seen by
all of the Court. The warriors of the Red Branch
acknowledged him as a blood relative of the King and heard
him proclaim before the Druids in the Hall of Heroes:

	"I care not whether I die tomorrow or next year,
	 if only my deeds live after me".

Cuchulainns greatest deed was perhaps when he alone held
back the forces of Connaught and had to fight his friend,
Ferdiad, who was the champion and chief of the Connaught
Knights of the Sword. Ferdiad and Cuchullain had trained
together in arms in their youth and it was displeasing to
Cuchullain to have to fight his friend of old. He tried to
dissuade Ferdiad against fighting by reminding him of their
days in training, when they were both subjects of the great
female champion, Scathach, in Alba.

"We were heart companions, We were companions in the woods,
We were fellows of the same bed, where we used to sleep the
balmy sleep. After mortal battles abroad, In countries many
and far distant, together we used to practice, and go
through each forest, learning with Scathach". 

Ferdiad would not be swayed. Lest he weaken under
Cuchullains pleas he responded only with taunts against
his friend, now foe.

So they fought. They fought for four days and eventually,
after a tremendous effort, Cuchullain laid Ferdiad down and
then fell into a trance of sorrow and weakness after the
epic duel.

As is the way with such heroes, Cuchulainn died on the
battlefield. He was propped against a large rock whilst
dead, with a spear in his hand and a buckler on his arm,
and with such a defiant attitude was able to strike fear
into his enemies even after death.

Sean O'Broin

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SUPPORT THE INFORMATION ABOUT IRELAND SITE
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APRIL COMPETITION RESULT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The winner is: Sboland@ix.netcom.com
who will receive our new Screensaver '6-pack':

Famous Irish Painters Screensaver
Irish Postage Stamps Screensaver
Irish Authors from the Past Screensaver
Irish Pubs Screensaver
Irish Whiskey Labels Screensaver
Oscar Wilde Screensaver

Well Done! Remember that all subscribers to this newsletter
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I hope that you have enjoyed this issue.
Please keep the feedback coming!

Until the next time,

Best Regards,

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.


https://www.ireland-information.com

mailto:michael@ireland-information.com