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		IN THIS ISSUE
=== Foreword
=== News Snaps from Ireland 
=== New free resources at the site
=== Adventures of Saint Kevin 	by J.I. McGovern
=== An Irish-Argentinian	by Henry Ennis
=== Dreaming of Green   	by Kate McCrea
=== Mary O'Mooney's Kitchen 	by Dena Mooney
=== Gaelic Phrases of the Month
=== Monthly free competition result

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FOREWORD
========

Hello again from Ireland where the talk is of our 
poor performance in the Olympic Games despite the 
best efforts of a Kildare show-jumper - see the 
news snaps below.

Many thanks to our contributors who have again 
sent us in their stories, poems and reports.

Why don't YOU submit an article, story or poem 
for the next edition?

Until next month,

STAY OUT OF THE RAIN!!!!

Michael


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NEWS SNAPS FROM IRELAND
=======================

NEW EURO COINS MAY BE SCRAPPED

Belgium, Finland and The Netherlands have called 
for the EURO 1 cent and 2 cent coins to be 
scrapped. The tiny coins have long been criticized 
as being too costly to handle. The opposing 
countries are already operating a price-rounding 
system in an effort to drive the coins out of 
circulation. Irish opponents of the idea have 
pointed out that the removal of the coins would 
see all prices rounded up and would thus cause 
unnecessary price inflation. Ireland has EURO 15 
Million of the small coins in circulation 
according to the Central Bank of Ireland, making 
Ireland the heaviest user of the 1 and 2 cent 
coins.

AER LINGUS TO BECOME 'LOW FARE AIRLINE'

The drive by Aer Lingus to compete with Ryanair 
and other low-cast airlines has intensified with 
the announcement that 'business class' is to be 
abolished and the airline is to withdraw from the 
'One World' alliance with BA, American Airlines, 
Qantas and others. The transport of air cargo 
is being discontinued also. Over 1300 staff are 
to be made redundant following the announcement 
of the plans which are sure to be opposed by 
trade unions.

SMOKING BAN FOCUSES ATTENTION ON DRINK PRICES

Repeated claims by publicans and hoteliers that 
the ban on smoking in the workplace is severely 
effecting their business has highlighted the issue 
of the cost of drink. Several pubs are planning to 
introduce imported brands of lager and beer at an 
expected selling price of 3 Euro. Brands of drink 
supplied by the country's largest supplier Diageo 
include Guinness and Carlsberg which sell for on 
average of EURO 3.90 and EURO 4.50 respectively. 
Some city centre pubs charge over EURO 5 for any 
sort of beer. Other brands of drink such as 
Beamish stout and Miller lager are expected to 
profit from the dispute between Diageo and the 
Publicans.

DUBLIN METRO MAY BE PROVIDED BY CIE

Plans to introduce to an underground link between 
Amiens St., St. Stephen's Green, Heuston Station 
with an above-ground link to Dublin Airport are 
well advanced and look likely to get the go-ahead. 
The company that operates the Irish bus and rail 
system, CIE, has provided the Government with a 
proposal to install the new system for EURO 700 
million less than the Government estimate of 
EURO 2.4 billion.

ECONOMY TO SURGE IN 2006 WHEN SAVINGS ARE RELEASED

The special savings scheme (SSIA) which is half-way 
through its 5 year life will see Euro 14 Billion 
released into the Irish economy during 2006 and 
2007. The scheme was introduced to try to curb 
inflation which was over 6% when the scheme was 
launched. Some economists fear that the sudden 
release of such a large amount of cash could cause 
price inflation and have called for the Government 
to provide a means for the savings to be diverted 
into pension funds. The economy is expected to 
reach 6% growth during 2006 and 2007. Over 1.2 
Million SSIAs were opened and the average payout 
will top EURO 14,000 per account.

2004 IS RECORD YEAR FOR HOUSE BUILDING 

The first half of 2004 saw 36,000 new housing 
units completed, a 21.4$ increase on 2003. 
Ireland currently has the highest rate of 
house-building in the world.

IRISH SHOW-JUMPER CLAIMS OLYMPIC GOLD

Ireland claimed a solitary gold medal at the 
Athens Olympics where 24 year-old Cian O'Connor 
won the individual show-jumping prize. Kildare 
born O'Connor successfully steered his horse, 
'Waterford Crystal', around the testing 
circuit twice, only amassing 4 faults (a single 
fence down) on the way.

Other Irish competitors did not fare as well 
and never really threatened to claim a medal. A 
review of the performance of the Irish team in 
Athens is expected to make several recommendations 
to try to ensure that there is no repeat of the 
dismal showing by the Irish competitors.

Voice your opinion on these news issues here:

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NEW FREE RESOURCES AT THE SITE
==============================

NEW COATS OF ARMS ADDED TO THE GALLERY:

The following 6 coats of arms images and family
history details have been added to the Gallery:

C: Curl, Critchley
G: Gilligan
L: Lowe
N: Nunn
T: Tuohy

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Screensaver, Watch, T-Shirt Transfer or Clock for
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THE ADVENTURES OF SAINT KEVIN    by J.I. McGovern
=============================

Saint Kevin was the founder of the Abbey of 
Glendalough in County Wicklow. There are all sorts 
of attractive stories about his relationship with 
animals that represent an aspect of that real 
closeness to nature which was such an appealing 
feature of 'Celtic Christianity'. He died on 3rd 
June in the year 618.

Saint Kevin and the Cow

Saint Kevin did not like people, but he was very 
kind to animals! He lived in a tree in Glendalough 
in County Wicklow. The tree was near a farm. One 
day, the farmer saw that one of his cows gave as 
much milk as fifty cows. He was amazed and decided 
to follow the cow. The next day he followed the 
cow to the tree near the farm. He found the cow 
licking the feet of Saint Kevin. The farmer asked 
Saint Kevin if he would live in his house. Saint 
Kevin did not like the idea because Saint Kevin 
did not like people, but, he said to the farmer 
that he could send his cows to him and after this 
the farmer had the best farm in all of Ireland.

Saint Kevin and the Blackbird

One day Saint Kevin was standing in a lake where
the water was deep and very cold. He was praying 
with his arms outstretched and his palms upwards 
when a blackbird flew down and put a twig in Saint 
Kevin's hand. He repeated the process until she 
had built a nest. Saint Kevin loved animals so 
much he stood there until the eggs were hatched 
and the birds flew away.

Saint Kevin and the Monster

One time in Glendalough people from all over 
Ireland came to see Saint Kevin. There was a 
monster living in the Upper Lake that ate people. 
The people wanted to kill the monster but Saint 
Kevin loved all animals and asked the monster to 
move to the Lower Lake. The Lower Lake is now 
named 'Lake Peist' ­ The Lake of the Monster.

Saint Kevin and the Woman

Saint Kevin did not like people, but he especially 
disliked women. While in Glendalough he was living 
in a cave high above the lake. There was a woman 
in Glendalough who was in love with him. One day 
Saint Kevin came home and the woman was cleaning 
his cave and cooking dinner. He became very angry 
and threw the woman out from the cave. She hit the 
lake and drowned. But, he was very kind to animals.

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AN IRISH-ARGENTINIAN		by Henry Ennis
====================

I'm writing to you from Buenos Aires city, 
Argentina, South America.

I'm an Irish citizen, born in the Pampas and very 
proud of having the Irish citizenship. I'd like 
to tell you about my family history. My 
grandparents and great-grandparents left Ireland 
for USA in 1864. On account of the great violence 
at that time they went back to Ireland. A short 
time later they sold out their property and 
decided to travel to the Rio de La Plata area 
where their future promised to be better, but 
they had to put up with the different language 
and customs. 

As usually occurs with immigrants in the whole 
world they were cheated but they managed to 
overcome difficulties working hard and making 
great sacrifices. They joined other people from 
Eire and they settled down starting new cities 
and towns. In Buenos Aires province you can find 
many cities that have Irish names and you can 
also find many ranches - 'estancias', whose 
names are closely connected to the green emerald 
isle.

They lived isolated from the other inhabitants 
trying to maintain their language and customs in 
a very desolate surrounding. Something quite 
noteworthy is that the English spoken here has 
a great number of obsolete expressions used 130 
years ago, and many times the English language 
spoken is a literate translation from Gaelic. 
On account of this immigration about 5000 Irish 
people landed on these shores, that's why 
Argentina has the biggest number of people from 
Irish origin, of course not counting the English 
speaking countries. The Irish have contributed a 
lot to farming and animal husbandry and to the 
country's prestige. It has been so important that 
the high classes have accepted the Irish names 
and so they have intertwined. There's more to 
this, thanks to my uncle Dr Hubert Ennis, who at 
the time was the legal advisor to the government, 
his partner Dr J. Richards, my father and some 
of their friends managed to make Argentina the 
first nation in the world to recognize the 
Republic of Ireland! 

But this pride ends here. Because of bureaucratic 
matters introduced by politicians I can't 
transmit my citizenship to my wife or children. 
I became a citizen after getting married and 
having children. That's why my pride ends in 
myself. Nevertheless my children have been brought 
up following the Irish tradition, and to my 
personal satisfaction they can play Irish music 
and even step dance.

There is an embassy in Argentina, very few in the 
staff and so very poor performance. I never get 
any information about events nor promotions. My 
personal impression is as if there were no 
diplomatic representation. There is one Irish 
Senator whom I've never met and I don't know what 
party he belongs to, whose name is Joe O'Toole, 
he gets in touch with me every now and then. 
Thanks Senator O'Toole for regarding me as a 
citizen.

Henry Ennis
Argentina

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DREAMING OF GREEN   		by Kate McCrea
=================

I want to go to Ireland
So far across the sea.
And answer to the ancients
Who are calling out to me.

I want to see the places
Where my ancestors dwelled.
And look upon the mystic land
Where lived the ancient Celts.

I want to kiss the Blarney Stone
And run in hills of green.
And look down from the Cliffs of Moher
Into the thrashing sea.

I feel it deep within me
The urge to see this land.
To see the places I've never known
And place upon its earth, my hand.

I want the song of Ireland
To live within my heart.
As dreams of Eire have lived there
Right from the very start.

Kate McCrea

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MARY O'MOONEY'S KITCHEN 	by Dena Mooney
=======================

Dia' dhuit ar maidin  ­ Good Morning! 
said Micheal O'Conner to the approaching lone 
figure as they passed on this solitary Irish 
country road. 

'Aye and hello to you young Micheal O'Conner, 
and where might ye be headin this fine Eir'Ann 
morn?' replied Thomas Malone. 

'Why 'tis to me beautiful Mary O'Mooney's I 
be heading. For 'tis this growl in the depths 
of me stomach that needs quietin and her Dublin 
coddle with colcannon is what I aim on having' 
says young Micheal to the older man, in a rapid 
fashion as his hunger is ever increasing as the 
minutes go by and he can smell the aromas coming 
from Miss Mary's as it's only yards away.

'And wouldn't ye be headin there in an awful 
hurry? For 'tis true, her Dublin coddle is the 
best in all of Ireland ' exclaimed Thomas. 'I've 
just come from there and eaten it meself and I 
want to tell you that the finest bacon, sweetest 
onions, the most perfect potatoes with Ireland's 
finest sausages are used in this mouth watering 
dish and not cooked too long either. The colcannon 
is to die for, me boyo? Such creamy potato, tender 
cabbage and the cream and butter comes from her 
own cow. Miss Mary gets up every morn to milk her 
fine animal and churn the butter. Aye, done in 
such fine Irish tradition. I've watched her me 
lad, as she gave me the privilege when I made fine 
cleaning of the dirty dishes on a day when I found 
meself low on funds.'

Micheal was now so hungry all he wanted to do was 
get over to his beautiful Miss Mary's, for the 
delectable smells were making his already growling 
stomach growl even harder and he could taste her 
amazing food on his searching taste buds. 

But in Ireland it would be inexcusably rude to 
just leave this conversation. Surely Thomas must 
know of his hunger. After all, Micheal has no 
doubt that Thomas must have been just as hungry 
as he is now when he arrived at Miss Mary 
O'Mooney's. Why, in all of Eire's good name, won't 
he let him pass without endless conversation?

'Young Micheal!' said Thomas, 'Surely herself will 
have baked the bread, tender in the middle with a 
crisp crust on the outside. For to feast on the 
coddle and bread, is to dine with Feil Padrig'. 
You see Irish soda bread is served with every meal. 
Like Americans serve bread or biscuits or the 
Hispanic serve tortillas. And to eat with St. 
Patrick would be divine intervention as it's best. 

Poor Micheal had no idea how to remove himself 
from this conversation with Thomas, and Thomas 
certainly seemed as though he wasn't going to end 
this conversation any too soon. Thomas wanted to 
drag it out and stall Young Micheal for as long 
as possible for he knew Young Micheal was sweet on 
Miss Mary and in the past he had seen her respond 
to Micheal's overtures. Terribly afraid was he 
that Miss Mary would soon turn all of her 
attentions to the handsome young man and the 
wonderful food she so lovingly prepared would all 
go to the affections of her heart and no longer 
would he be able to partake of these culinary 
wonders. So, in a fathers determined way, he 
stalled Micheal in hopes that his daughter would 
clear the meal away in anger and shoo Micheal 
away upon his arrival.

'Thomas,' Young Micheal began, 'It's not rudeness 
I'm meaning to offend you with, but I am very 
hungry and would ask that you kindly excuse me 
from this conversation, for I may be faint from 
that hunger. 

'Well,' said Thomas, 'Is maith as t-anlann an 
t-ocras - Hunger is a good sauce, Young Micheal 
O'Conner!' 'Aye, Thomas Malone, Go dtachta an 
diabhal tu — May the devil choke you,' Young 
Micheal replied in a tone half laughing but half 
serious, 'For I am now begging your leave, an be 
gone with ye. Miss Mary will be awfully angry if 
I am not there promptly and I know why you are 
keeping me here. Would it not that yourself is 
fearful of losing the young lass's attention at 
the meal hour? Let me assure you, Thomas Malone, 
that will never be for you may always join us for 
the meal as I'm sure Miss Mary would have it no 
other way for you are her Da. An her knowing how 
much you would miss the fine meals. Meals her Ma 
served. And her learnin the ways of her Ma is a 
great joy to you. For, I too, remember as a young 
boyo, in the times that I dined with you, the 
delectable barmbrack with it's strong tay for 
flavor and the currants and raisins, oh so plump. 
With the tantalizing smells of cinnamon and 
spice wafting out the windows on warm summer days.
With rainbows of all colors in the azure blue sky 
making it all so unearthly. As though St Patrick 
himself was comin to call. Alas, do I not 
remember as though it was yesterday the Slieve na 
mBan - the mountain of women in Eir'ann rising 
above the milk-white mist that forms there to give 
the name to the cream-wreathed carrot dish that 
she so lovingly prepared. 

'Aye, Thomas added, 'But would I never do anything 
to compromise young, sweet, beautiful Mary's 
confections? Nay, Thomas do not concern yourself 
with such gibberish for let's go there, now, 
together, and see that I mean well'.
 
'Micheal O'Conner, but just aren't you the good 
lad?' replies Thomas, 'For ye has lessened the 
bothersome I've had on me shoulders since I 
noticed the attentions me young daughter Mary has 
solicited upon ye. Now I rest in good peace. And, 
you, Young Micheal O' Conner shall need to hurry 
for you are quite right, me redheaded daughter 
Mary has quite a disposition when a man is late 
for her ministrations. Just like her Ma, she is. 

I'd be urging you to run lad. Slan agus beannacht 
leat  ­ Good bye and blessings on you, for I 
shall leave the two of you to be. The  pint is 
callin me name and I can hear it down at O' Dhouls'
 
'I'd be thankin ye, Thomas Malone', says Young 
Micheal O'Conner, 'For ye must be the kindest man 
in all of Ireland.  Siochan leat  ­ Peace be with you 
and Sl'ainte - Good Health!'

by Dena Mooney

===

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GAELIC PHRASES OF THE MONTH
===========================
 
PHRASE: 		Beagan agus a ra go maith
PRONOUNCED:	byug/onn ogg/iss a raw guh mot
MEANING:		Say little but say it well

PHRASE: 		Mol an oige agus tiocfaidh siad
PRONOUNCED:	moll on ogue/ihh og/iss chuck/igg sheed
MEANING:		Praise the young and they will flourish

PHRASE: 		Ceoil agus Craic
PRONOUNCED:	ceo/ill ogg/iss crack
MEANING:		Singing and fun

View the archive of phrases here:

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AUGUST COMPETITION RESULT
========================

The winner was: darbydan@irishnation.com
who will receive the following: 

A Single Family Crest Print (decorative) 
(US$19.99 value)

Send us an email to claim your prize, and well 
done! Remember that all subscribers to this 
newsletter are automatically entered into the 
competition every time. 

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I hope that you have enjoyed this issue.

Until next time,

Have a great Summer!

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.


https://www.ireland-information.com

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