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It's nearly our birthday!

It is hard to believe that another year has passed but
the truth is that The Information about Ireland Site is 
1 year old next month.

Of course we will have a very special freebie for you
in September as well as some great offers to boot,
including the opportunity to become an affiliate of the
site, with the ability to earn up to 35% as well as
hosting fantastic Irish content on your site for free.

To get the ball rolling I can offer you our premium
US$6 value Oscar Wilde Screensaver absolutely free. This
offer is for subscribers to this free newsletter only and
is available at:

NO LONGER AVAILABLE: 

The first 5000 visitors only can get the screensaver free so 
hurry up and get it done!

Got something to say?
Why don't you submit an article for inclusion in the next
edition? Email to:
	
newsletterarticle@ireland-information.com

Want to support us, keep us alive? Well you can and it
won't cost you a penny! Simply visit the link below for
more free information:


https://www.ireland-information.com/list.html

As always, 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 Ireland,

Michael.

This newsletter is available on-line at:

https://www.ireland-information.com/aug99.htm

PLEASE DO: Feel free to forward this newsletter in its
entirety to anyone you think might be interested. Drop me a
line if you have any queries - I love getting feedback.

If you must unsubscribe then go here:

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

......but you'll be missing out!

In this issue:-
~~~~~ New free resources at the site
~~~~~ 'The Irish State was Michael Collins greatest legacy'
~~~~~ 'Our Irish Vacation' by Donna Gramkowski
~~~~~ Padraig Pearse - An Irish Nationalist
~~~~~ The Ireland-Brazil Association by Liam Gallagher
~~~~~ Golden Pages launches online Irish business directory
~~~~~ Monthly free competition result
~~~~~ Recommended

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NEW FREE RESOURCES AT THE SITE


NO LONGER AVAILABLE:

FREE STARTPAGE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had a great response to our free Startpage offer in
last months newsletter. In case you missed it, the
Startpage is the first page that you see when you start
up your Internet Browser. Our free Startpage allows you to:

  * Send an email
    * Chat in your own private chatroom
      * Search the Internet
        * Update reminders to yourself
          * Display your favourite image
            * Connect to great links

....and much more.

Try it out. Its Free!

New Irish Coats of Arms and Family History Gallery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have been busy. Very Busy. View our new Gallery with
completely new and revamped images as well as brief
family histories at:

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

The new Gallery is in testing mode as it is our intention
to allow other sites to host this content for free as part
of our upcoming affiliate program. If you think that you
might have an interest in this the please contact me at:

michael@ireland-information.com

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

SINN FEIN TO BE ALLOWED INTO REVIEW OF NORTHERN PEACE PROCESS: 

Despite attempts by the anti-agreement Unionist lobby
to remove them, Sinn Fein are to be allowed to take
their place in the 'review' of the Good Friday Agreement
next month. The review is critical to the success of the
Northern peace talks that have seriously stalled in recent
weeks and is seen very much as a final means to achieve
a peaceful end.

NEW GRANTS FOR THIRD LEVEL STUDENTS:

Up to 10000 students may benefit from new top-up grants
that will be worth between £500 and £1000 each in a major
new initiative planned by Michael Martin, the Minister
for Education and Science. The grants will be targeted
to those students who are from less well-off families.
This is part of a long term plan to make University
available to everyone. Currently only 14% of those from
unskilled and semi-skilled backgrounds attend college,
compared with 89% from higher professional backgrounds. 

SPORT SNAPS:

Soccer: In a vary good result that boosts Ireland's
prospects of reaching the European Championships in
Belgium and Holland next year, Yugoslavia and Croatia
played out a goal less in Belgrade. Ireland face both
of these teams as well as Malta in the next 4 weeks.

Soccer: Robbie Keane, the Irish soccer sensation from
Tallaght in County Dublin completed his transfer from
Wolves to Coventry for six million pounds. The teenager
duly obliged his new employers by scoring twice on his
debut in the Premiership.

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THE IRISH STATE WAS MICHAEL COLLINS'S GREATEST WORK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following is a report of an oration made by Senator
Maurice Manning at Béal na Bláth in West Cork on the
77th anniversary of the death of Michael Collins:

'History did not begin with us. Our success is not
self-made,' he said. 'It could not happen if the
foundations had not been well laid, if the roots of a
strong civic culture had not been deeply implanted and
the values of a democratic society not deeply embedded.'

He stated that Collins would have seen the fruits of
the current economic boom spread among all of the
citizens of the State. He pointed out that although many
other nations had achieved Independence at about the same
time as Ireland that few had achieved the level of stability
and prosperity that Ireland had and that this was Collins'
greatest achievement.

'Michael Collins would have taken a quiet satisfaction at
the way his comrades went about the unfinished business
of building a new state'.

He said that Collins would have been the first to agree
that 'the pioneering work of Cosgrave's government
during the 1920s was the defining work of this century,
but he would have given credit, too, as his successors
did not, to the achievements of Éamon de Valera, and
in particular to the wisdom and durability of his
constitution; he would have applauded the modernising
energy of Seán Lemass, the anger of Noel Browne or
Declan Costello in face of social injustice. He would
have rejoiced in our membership of the European Union
and the opportunities it has given us, and would not
have been surprised that young Irish people today are
as successful as anywhere else in the world, and would
have seen nothing strange in the fact that Ireland's
use of its greatest natural asset - the talent of its
people - lies at the heart of our current success.'

"But he would also have sharp words to say about how
we use that success. He would have been quick and
direct in this time of unprecedented affluence to bring
us back to the point of it all.'

"In a letter to Desmond Fitzgerald on July 12th, 1922,
he wrote: `What we must aim at is the building of a
sound economic life in which great discrepancies cannot
occur. We must not have destitution or poverty at one
end, and at the other an excess of riches in the
possession of a few individuals, beyond what they can
spend with satisfaction and justification. The growing
wealth of Ireland will, we hope, be diffused through
all our people, all sharing in the growing prosperity,
each receiving what each contributes in the making of
that prosperity, so that the wealth of all is ensured.'

"If our leaders today seek guidance as we enter a new
century they need go no further than these words of
Michael Collins; nor look further than the examples of
personal probity and modest frugality, of quiet discipline
and personal integrity of the men on both sides of old
Sinn Féin. 

"They need go no further for inspiration than W.T.
Cosgrave's insistence on honest public institutions
with no purpose other than to serve the public, Dick
Mulcahy's hard-headed enthusiasm for the Irish language
and culture, Seán Lemass's practical patriotism or
James Dillon's insistence on a strong vigilant parliament
as the greatest servant of all in defending the public
interest.

"In other words these elements and many more are the
legacy of Michael Collins. That legacy is a noble and
good one. It stood us well in this century and is as
good a guide as any as we approach the next." 

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Our Irish Vacation		by Donna Gramkowski
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is for all you Americans who keep saying,
'I really want to go to Ireland some day'.

GO NOW! Stop putting it off.  Once you've gone,
you'll want to go again and again.

My 2 daughters (24 & 21) and I just got back.
It was everything we had hoped and more.
We rented a car and stayed at Bed & Breakfasts -
the ONLY way to go.

Everyone was so nice to us, we felt like family
in every B & B.  We paid the extra 5 pounds (punts)
and had our own private bathroom each night.
The rooms were all lovely, as were the homes.
Most had menus for breakfast, all had several choices.
Each morning our hostess would call ahead for us to
reserve a room in the next town where we had
picked to stay.  One hostess even suggested a different
village to stay in because it was so picturesque and
still close to our destination. 

At night they would suggest restaurants or would have
menus to view. They knew the best pubs or the ones with
music. All of the places we visited were well worth it,
from the Waterford tour to the hollowed out Blarney Castle,
with its 127 steps up to the famous Stone. Unfortunately,
this was the end of a longer vacation which included the
UK, and we didn't have near enough time in Ireland.

Fortunately, there's nothing to keep us from going back in
the future. If you go to Blarney, go to The Muskerry Arms
on Tuesday night to hear Finnegans Wake.  I'm listening to
them now - I bought the CD. They're great!

But most important of all - GO!

Donna (Maguire) Gramkowski

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PADRAIG PEARSE - AN IRISH NATIONALIST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patrick Pearse was born in Dublin, on November 10, 1879
to an English father (he was a sculptor) and an Irish
mother.

Pearse became interested in the heritage and history of
Ireland at a very early age and joined the Gaelic League
when 21 years old. The purpose of the league was to
promote Irish tradition and language and it was very much
part of the revival of Gaelic consciousness that took
place at the turn of the century. Ears was an
enthusiastic member and became editor of the leagues
newspaper: An Claidheamh Solais ('The Sword of Light').

Pearse tried to use knowledge and education to defeat the
English and insisted on the use of the native Irish
language and founded St. Enda's College near Dublin in
1908. St Enda's structured its curriculum around Irish
traditions and culture and tutored in  both the Irish and
English languages. 

Pearse was a pioneer of Irish writing and published poems,
stories, articles and essays to further the identification
 of Ireland as a separate culture.

The Gaelic League inevitably attracted militant nationalists
and Pearse soon realised that it would take more than
education and tradition to break the link with England.

In July 1914, Pearse was made a member of the Supreme Council
 of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), a militant group
that believed in using force to throw the British out of
Ireland. 

When England entered the First World War Irish nationalism
split between those who wanted to take advantage of England's
plight and those (including John Redmond) who wanted to
assist England in the war in the hope of getting concessions
when it was over.

John Redmond, a member of Parliament fighting for Home Rule,
took a pro-British stance during the war. This alienated
many Irish citizens and support for the Brotherhood grew.
Shortly before 1915, the Irish Republican Brotherhood had
plans for a full military revolution in Ireland. Pearse was
a believer in a revolution while the British were occupied
fighting a war in Europe. Pearse was opposed to Redmond's
stance and felt that the only way to liberate Ireland was
by insurrection. His famous oration at the funeral of
Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa (an Irish revolutionary) in August
1915 demonstrates this:

'We stand at Rossa's grave not in sadness, but in
exultation of spirit... This is a place of peace sacred to
the dead, where men should speak with all charity and all
restraint; but I hold it a Christian thing... to hate evil,
to hate untruth, to hate oppression, and hating them to
strive to overthrow them... while Ireland holds these
graves, Ireland unfree, shall never be at peace.' 

Pearse was heavily involved with the planning of the 1916
Easter Rising which was the catalyst for the subsequent
War of Independence, Civil War and eventual declaration of
a Republic in 1949.

The Rising failed as Pearse must have known it must. He
was executed on May 3, 1916 with fourteen other rebels. 

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THE BRAZIL-IRELAND ASSOCIATION 		by Liam Gallagher
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
Peter O'Neill of Rio De Janeiro has produced the first
edition of the book:

Links between Brazil & Ireland - 1998/1999 Survey

This is an excellent research into the Brazil-Ireland
links in various sectors of life down through the years.
Research funds for the publication were raised from the
proceeds of a performance by the Aer Lingus Musical
Society at a Saint Patrick's Day celebration in Rio de
Janeiro on March 14, 1998. 
  
The survey is intended to reflect some of the diverse
links that exist between Brazil and Ireland but which
have never found their way into print before. It is
hoped that this pilot publication will be enlarged in
years to come. The book also carries prefaces by H.E.
Armando Sérgio Frazão, the Ambassador of Brazil to
Ireland and H.E. John Campbell, Ambassador of Ireland
to Brazil.
  
Any enquiries in respect of the book, or other matters
concerning the Brazil-Ireland links should be addressed
either to myself or to Mr. Peter O'Neill in Rio de Janeiro.

His e-mail address is: 		kskt@openlink.com.br
Mine is:			liamgall@finasa.com.br
    
Liam Gallagher

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IRELAND’S BUSINESS AND RESIDENTIAL ONLINE DIRECTORY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Golden Pages Ltd. launched Ireland’s first comprehensive
online business and residential directory.  This new
website, which contains full details of business and
residential listings for the Republic of Ireland, is
available free from:
		
http://www.goldenpages.ie

The site was developed in conjunction with Telecom
Internet who acted as project co-ordinators.  

The Business Directory contains the entire contents of
the Golden Pages for Ireland and allows users to search
the database by classification (business type), address
or name.  The new service also allows a combination
approach e.g. What – Florists and Where  - in Carlow.
The search results provide the name, address and
telephone number, as it would appear in the paper
directory product.  Fax, e-mail and web details will
also be available as options. Another benefit is the
ability to search for businesses by street or location
e.g. look for a list of restaurants on O’Connell Street.
An advanced search facility allows the user to use
keywords to look for more specific criteria e.g.
products stocked or specialities.   

The Personal Finder contains the entire Phone Book
directory listings for Ireland. In order to find a
person’s telephone number all that is necessary is
to input either the name, address or combinations of
both. The new service will instantly display the name,
full address and telephone number. Handy tips geared
towards easier searching are also included on the site.
The system will also allow users to look for the names
and telephone numbers of people living on particular
streets or areas.

To coincide with the launch of Golden Pages OnLine, a
special edition of Connect Magazine, Golden Pages’
business magazine has been published.  In this special
edition a series of articles have been scripted to help
firms undertake business on the Internet. The new online
service from Golden Pages contains other specialist
directories to search for fax numbers, email addresses
and Websites.  Links to other sites e.g. Yellow Pages
throughout the world, as well as weekly competitions
are also contained on the site.  

For further information please contact:
Eoin Kennedy, Keating & Associates,
Tel: (01) 6620345, 087 2246987
eoin@keating.ie

Margaret McKeon,  Public Relations Manager,
Golden Pages, Tel: 1 800 625625, 087 2588918

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SUPPORT THE INFORMATION ABOUT IRELAND SITE
HELP US TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FREE RESOURCES BY TAKING
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To avail of these special offers simply visit the link below
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AUGUST COMPETITION RESULT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The winner was: kevin.mcgrath@unistudios.com
who will receive the following:

Our new Irish Authors from the Past Screensaver
AND
Our new Famous Irish Painting  Screensaver
AND
Our 'How to start the search for your Irish roots' Report

Well Done! Remember that all subscribers to this newsletter
are automatically entered into the competition every time. 

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RECOMMENDED
~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are looking for more freebies then I highly
recommend Marc MacDonalds site:
		
http://www.thefreesite.com

If it is free on the Internet then it is in this huge
directory that is great to explore and visit regularly.
Give it a try!

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I hope that you have enjoyed this issue.
Please keep the feedback coming!

Until the next time,

Stay Safe,

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.

https://www.ireland-information.com

michael@ireland-information.com