°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø

		IN THIS ISSUE
~~~ Foreword
~~~ Keep us Free!
~~~ News Snaps from Ireland 
~~~ An Irish Christmas - St. Stephen's 
    to New Year's Eve        by Bridget Haggerty
~~~ Ireland, Sweet Ireland! 	by Debbie Rachal
~~~ A Part of Ireland		by Bequi House
~~~ Quotes of the year
~~~ Monthly free competition result

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


FOREWORD
~~~~~~~~

Well, Christmas is over and another new year 
beckons. Ireland is moving so fast that it is
sometimes difficult to keep up with the pace of 
the change but hopefully, things are changing 
for the better.

This month's issue is just going to make 
it in time so let me take this opportunity to 
wish you all and your families,

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Michael


WE NEED YOUR HELP!

PLEASE - send this newsletter on to your friends 
or relatives who you think are interested in 
Ireland. By doing this you are helping to keep 
us 'free'.

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

If you have an AOL or HOTMAIL account then you 
will get much better results by viewing this 
newsletter online here:
 
https://www.ireland-information.com/dec02.htm

The only way that you could have been 
subscribed to this newsletter is by filling 
out a subscription form at the site whereupon 
a confirmation notice would have been issued.

If you wish to unsubscribe then go here:
 
https://www.ireland-information.com/newsletter.htm

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


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

NATIONAL PAY DEAL TALKS UNDER WAY

The recent economic success that has taken place 
in Ireland has been largely due to the partnership 
programme between employers and workers that have 
kept wage increases at a moderate level but which 
have been boosted by tax cuts.

The negotiations for the next pay deal are already 
under way but are being seen as the most difficult 
in the history of the partnership process. The 
Irish economy is in a serious downturn and 
government spending is being reined in. Already the 
plan to build a national sports stadium has been 
scrapped and cutbacks have occurred in the national 
road building programme. Cutbacks are very much the 
order of the day and there have been some high 
profile job losses too.

Inflation is expected to creep over 5% in 2003 with 
some economists expecting it to top 6% before it 
stabilises.

Employers are looking for a pay increase of 2% or 
3% but the workers unions are unlikely to accept 
any deal that does not deliver an increase that 
is ahead of inflation.

The difference between the two sides is so wide 
that some commentators are forecasting the 
collapse of the partnership process and a return 
to individual union bargaining and the likelihood 
of industrial unrest.

PRESIDENT MCALEESE IN SKIING ACCIDENT

Irish president, Mary McAleese, suffered a broken 
ankle while on a skiing holiday on Christmas eve. 
While attempting to board a ski lift the President 
was struck by the lift at the Austrian holiday 
resort of Bad Hofgastein. She has since returned 
to Ireland and although wheelchair bound is in 
good spirits and optimistic of being able to 
complete her official duties.

AN POST UNDER PRESSURE OVER PRE-EURO STAMPS

The plans by An Post (the national postal service) 
to treat letters with pre-Euro stamps as being 
unstamped are being criticised by some public 
representatives. Most European countries plan to 
allow the use of pre-Euro stamps until 2011 and 
Belgium will allow their use indefinitely.

It remains to be seen if a legal challenge is 
mounted to the decision by An Post.

CRACKDOWN ON LEARNER DRIVERS IS PLANNED.

The Government is planning a crackdown on learner 
drivers. It is estimated that over 600,000 vehicles 
are covered by drivers who only have a provisional 
licence and who have not passed any driving test.

Reports that speeding offences have dramatically 
dropped in recent months are being attributed to 
the introduction of the penalty points system. 2000 
speeding offences were recorded in November while 
over 6000 were recorded in the same month in 2001. 
Ireland is in the middle of the European league 
table of road deaths. Scandinavian countries rank 
as the safest while the Mediterranean countries 
rank as the worst.

Speeding can result in 1 penalty point, depending 
on the extent of the offence. Failure to pay the 
fine will result in 4 points being levied. The 
accumulation of 12 points means the loss of the 
offenders driving licence for 6 months.
 
TOURISM SUFFERS IN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

The latest tourism figures for 2002 show that the 
overall numbers of visitors to Ireland increased by 
2%. This is regarded as a disappointing result 
despite the recent difficulties of the foot and 
mouth disease outbreak and the problems experienced 
by airlines. 

Visitors from the USA decreased by 10% but visitors 
from England increased by 6%.


Voice your opinion on these news issues here:

 https://www.ireland-information.com/cgi-bin/newsletterboardindex.cgi

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø

Keep us alive! - visit https://www.irishnation.com

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø

AN IRISH CHRISTMAS - ST. STEPHEN'S TO 
NEW YEAR'S EVE		BY BRIDGET HAGGERTY

When I was a little girl, the day after Christmas 
was almost as much fun as the day itself. It was, 
and still is, a national holiday in Great Britain 
and Ireland, which makes a great deal of sense to 
me; adults get a day off to relax (or recuperate!), 
kids can look forward to going to the pantomime, 
and best of all, there's still that magical 
feeling of good cheer in the air.

Here, in the U.S., I can't get used to the abrupt 
end to a season that should have only just begun. 
Most people are back at work; there are no more 
carols on the radio, and even a few trees, some 
with branches still tinseled, can be seen cast 
out on the sidewalk. True, there's New Year's Eve 
to look forward to - but it's not the same as 
Christmas. New Year's just happens to fall in the 
middle of the season; sadly, in this hurry up, 
hustle and bustle world, we seem to have forgotten 
that. Wistfully, I recall it wasn't always so.

Imagine nearly two weeks, when all but the basic, 
most necessary chores were set aside; when family 
was reunited; when the hospitality of the house 
was open to all; and when friends and neighbors 
gathered around your fireside for long evenings of 
story telling, music and reminiscing. If you were 
in Ireland, long ago, that's what you could expect 
during the 12 days of Christmas, from the Nativity 
to Epiphany. Back then, Christmas Day was a family 
celebration and it was seldom that friends and 
neighbors would intrude. But, the next day was 
very different.

In the north of Ireland, December 26th was 
celebrated as Boxing Day, which originated from 
the time when it was traditional for the lord of 
the manor to give gifts to servants, tradespeople 
and tenants. In the Republic, the day was 
altogether something else!

There, it was the feast of St. Stephen or Wren Day. 
At one time, groups of small boys would hunt for a 
wren, and then chase the poor bird until they 
either caught it or it died from exhaustion. It 
was then tied to the top of a pole or holly bush, 
which was decorated with ribbons or colored paper. 
Early in the morning on St. Stephen's, the wren was 
carried from house to house by the boys, who wore 
straw masks or blackened their faces with burnt 
cork, and dressed in old clothes. At each house, 
the boys sang the Wren Boys' song. There are many 
versions and variations, including the following:

The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
On St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,
Although he is little, his family is great,
I pray you, good lady, give us a treat.
My box would speak, if it had but a tongue,
And two or three shillings, would do it no wrong,
Sing holly, sing ivy - sing ivy, sing holly,
A drop just to drink, it would drown melancholy.
And if you draw it of the best,
I hope in heaven your soul will rest;
But if you draw it of the small,
It won't agree with these wren boys at all.

Often, those who gave money were given a feather 
from the wren for good luck and then the money 
that had been collected was used to hold a dance 
for the entire village.

There are different legends about the origin of 
this custom. One is that St. Stephen, hiding from 
his enemies in a bush, was betrayed by a chattering 
wren. From that point on, the wren, like St. 
Stephen, should be hunted down and stoned to death. 
The pursuit and capture of the wren is also related 
to the pagan custom of sacrificing a sacred symbol 
at year's end. In contrast to the legends of the 
wren as betrayer, the wren was also revered in 
Ireland as the "king of all birds." An Irish folk 
tale tells of a contest held among birds to see 
which could fly the highest and should be given the 
title. The eagle soared higher than any other bird, 
but lost the contest when a clever wren hid on the 
back of the eagle, then flew off and soared higher 
in the sky.

Wren Day fell into disfavor around the turn of the 
century and died out completely in most parts of 
Ireland. However, just recently it has seen a 
widespread revival, but with some marked 
differences. Mercifully, wrens are no longer 
hunted and killed - today, an artificial one is 
used; the "Wren Boys" now include girls, and adults 
often accompany the young people. Folk costumes and 
traditional music and dancing are often part of the 
festivities, and the money collected is sometimes 
used for community or school projects.

As a child, I never knew about Wren Day. My parents 
never mentioned it, and it's probably because the 
custom had already disappeared when they were 
growing up. Because we were in London, we 
celebrated Boxing Day! For breakfast, we always had 
a traditional Irish fry-up, including my dad's 
feather-light potato pancakes - if he felt up to it! 
Then, for a few hours, while our parents read the 
newspaper, we played with our new toys and games. I 
can remember Snakes & Ladders, Snap, and a Mechano 
set one of my brothers got which allowed us to 
build the strangest contraptions! Then, after a 
light lunch, it was time for the panto! We'd get 
all dressed up again in our new Christmas outfits 
and head off with mum to the Wimbledon Theatre and 
several hours of child heaven. Dad had his heaven 
too - meeting his mates at the local, and then 
making the rounds until tea-time.

My own children have never seen a panto and I 
daresay if you asked an American child what it is, 
they wouldn't have the foggiest idea. And that's a 
shame. Today, kids all over Great Britain, and also 
in the Republic of Ireland, look forward to this 
annual treat on the second day of Christmas. Far 
from being a silent show as the name might imply, 
in my memory, it was a rollicking, slapstick 
performance loosely based on classic fairy tales 
such as Babes in the Woods, Cinderella or Puss 'n 
Boots. With very few exceptions, men played women's 
parts and vice versa and there was always great 
interaction with the audience. Usually, one of the 
performers adopted the role of cheerleader and 
would alert us when the villain was about to come 
on stage. With screams, hisses and boohs, we 
greeted his or her arrival. By contrast, when the 
hero and heroine appeared, we almost lifted the roof 
with cheers and applause. When it was over, we'd 
hurry home, exhausted but happy; mum would make tea, 
and Dad never failed to show up - a little tipsy 
maybe, but always in a cheerful mood. So cheerful 
that he didn't mind us competing with one another 
to tell him all about our afternoon. What a 
wonderful time it was.

The third day of Christmas - the Feast of St. John 
the Apostle - my mother would have attended Mass; 
but what was so unusual about that? As devout as 
she was, she went to Mass every day. What was 
unusual about it, was that she'd come home and 
begin a marathon cleaning and stocking up for New 
Year's Eve. To this day, I follow her routine, 
because according to her, the condition of your 
house and home on the last day of the year was how 
it would be for the following 12 months. Beds were 
stripped, brass was polished, drawers and closets 
were cleaned out, and the larder was restocked. My 
dad would be totally relieved that he had to go 
back to work!

My parents were both Irish, but I don't remember 
them telling us anything about St. John or special 
customs associated with his feast day. Since then, 
I've learned of a delightful tradition, but I'm not 
sure to which culture it belongs. St. John is 
remembered for the miracle of drinking a cup of 
poisoned wine without harm. On his feast day, wine 
is blessed with holy water and the sign of the 
cross, then sugar and water is added to make a 
punch. This is poured into the best wine goblets. 
At the supper table, the father begins the toast, 
touching his goblet to the mother's, saying 'I 
drink you the love of St. John'. In turn, she 
touches the goblets of each of the children and 
they follow suit all around the table.

December 28th - Holy Innocents Day; this day is 
regarded as very ill-omened because it commemorates 
the slaughter of the baby boys by King Herod. Known 
as La Crosta na Bliana 'the cross day of the year', 
Irish superstition says that it is very unlucky to 
plan or begin any new work or enterprise. If work 
needed to be started, bad luck could be avoided if 
it was begun before midnight on the 27th - the reason 
I'm convinced my mother commenced her New Year's 
preparations on St. Johns! Also known as Childermas, 
it was widely believed that whatever day of the week 
on which it fell, that day would also be unlucky in 
the following year.

New Year's Eve - and the house is spotless. Fresh 
linens are on each bed. And, even in lean years, my 
mother has managed to make certain there's food in 
the larder and coal in the cellar. This afternoon, 
we will skip tea, because a large supper is planned 
for tonight - this was to ensure plenty for the 
coming year. Best of all, we will be allowed to 
stay up until the stroke of midnight. Dad will pour 
us all a little drop of port in readiness for the 
toast. As the radio alerts us to the chimes of Big 
Ben on the radio, my brother, who is tall for his 
age and has black hair, is given a lump of coal and 
sent out the back door. He goes around to the front 
and we let him in - our lucky 'first foot!' With 
that, Dad draws from his Galway roots and proposes 
the following:

May your nets always be full,
Your pockets never empty,
Your horse not cast a shoe,
Nor the devil look at you
In the coming year.

We clink glasses, hug, kiss, and wish each other 
all the best.

Bridget Haggerty

For more wonderful tales visit Bridget's website 
at:     http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


IRELAND, SWEET IRELAND! 	BY DEBBIE RACHAL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ireland, sweet Ireland!
I hear you call my name -
in the whispers of the wind
and the gentle falling rain.
The ancient drums are beating
in the corners of my soul.
As my heart beats with the rhythm,
the thunder starts to roll.

Ireland, sweet Ireland!
I heed thy mortal call.
The winds of change are blowing strong,
I hear them as they sqawl.
Though ravaged by my heart that aches,
I know I must be strong.
For only you can soothe my soul
and woo me with your song.

Ireland, sweet Ireland!
No peace can 'ere be found -
until the day I walk upon
thy hallowed, sacred ground.
For only then will I be free,
my heart will be at home.
My soul will find the peace it seeks
and nevermore will roam.

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø

Keep us alive! - visit https://www.irishnation.com

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


A PART OF IRELAND		BY BEQUI HOUSE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today we all want to be Irish. Ireland is doing 
well economically and, thanks to technology, the 
young ones are returning instead of leaving. 

At the turn of the 20th century, here in the USA 
most everyone tried to hide their Irish descent. 
According to a recent informal survey of 20 people, 
100% had at least one grandparent with an Irish 
name. This survey was taken in the Southeastern 
United States, where today they are proud to be 
called Irish. Of these 20 people, 60% had two 
grandparents with Irish Surnames. These are more 
than Irish names but real people, loved ones. 

'Yes, Grandmother Mary Sheridan’s grandfather 
came over from Ireland'. 

Actually, with a little research we find it was 
her Great Grandfather, Jacky. Still, they do 
have names and know they came from Ireland. 

Those of us in the Southeast have an appreciation 
for things Irish that has helped Ireland’s 
tourism. Most of us either have gone or plan to 
go to the Emerald Isle. We want to see where 
Granny Maggie came from. 

It’s the people in Ireland like the nice lady 
between Dublin and Limerick who allowed a tour 
bus to stop at her home for one sick lady to use 
the bathroom. The nice fatherly Cabbie took time 
to tell us about the small pubs with the local 
music that we would enjoy much more than the 
Cabaret with 300 people seated at long tables to 
listen to music. These people keep us returning 
because they make us feel at home, a part of 
Ireland. 

Bequi House,
freelance writer
bequi@stories.com

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


QUOTES OF THE YEAR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  It was a golden period for the people 
  of this county

Taoiseach Bertie Ahearn after dissolving the 28th
Dail and announcing a General Election.

  The heart of the county is confined
  in Listowel today

Tribute by writer and friend Tony Guerin to 
John B. Keane who died in May

  Five years ago, if you asked a child to name a 
  priest they would all name Father Ted or Father 
  Jack. Now they don't even know them.

Joe Conway of the INTO (Teachers organisation), 
on the decline of religion in schools.

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


DECEMBER COMPETITION RESULT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The winner was: rainbow4seven@msn.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. 

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø

Keep us alive! - visit https://www.irishnation.com

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø

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

Until 2003,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.

https://www.ireland-information.com
Click here to contact us