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  The Information about Ireland Site Newsletter 
                  December 2005
 
The Newsletter for people interested in Ireland 
 Now received by over 50,000 people worldwide 
      https://www.ireland-information.com 
          https://www.irishnation.com
              Copyright (C) 2005  

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		IN THIS ISSUE
=== Foreword
=== News Snaps from Ireland 
=== New free resources at the site
=== Peace on earth, and at sea  by Brendan Power
=== A Celtic Music Quiz      by Winnie Czulinski
=== The Card Game - a poem	 by Nuala Pinson
=== Christmas Gifts that are still available
=== Free US$5 Voucher
=== Irish Christmas Traditions
=== Christmas Cart - a story  by Bree T. Donovan
=== A little bit of Dublin - #9
=== Gaelic Phrases of the Month
=== Monthly free competition result

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FOREWORD
========

Happy Christmas from Ireland. This is a bumper 
issue this month so you may wish to print it 
off first. We have included a free Christmas gift 
voucher for you below - valid until the end of 
the year

Nollaig Shona duit!

Michael


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

IRISH ARE THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE IN THE EU

A recent report from the European Union (EU) has 
revealed that the Irish are among the happiest 
people in Europe. The survey found that 92% of 
Irish people are happy with their lives, compared 
with the EU average of 80%. 50% indicated that 
the health-care system was the most worrying 
aspect of Irish life with 42% citing crime as 
their biggest worry.

In respect of support for the EU Ireland ranks 
second only to Luxembourg where 82% are 
supportive, 73% being the rating in Ireland. 
Austria and Britain are the most skeptical about 
the EU, with 32% and 34% support respectively.

BUDGET 2005 IS ANNOUNCED

The annual budget, or allocation of financial 
resources, has been announced by the Minister for 
Finance. The big winners are families with 
children who will receive an extra EURO 30 per 
week per child, up until the age of 5 years. Old 
age pensions were increased also with the 
Government indicating it will reach its target of 
a payment of EURO 200 per week before its term in 
office expires.

It is expected that extra tax will be put onto the 
sale of cigarettes. Alcohol may also be targeted 
for extra taxation but the Minister will be 
mindful of the delicate balance required in 
respect of keeping inflation low while at the same 
time pursuing its policy of taxing unhealthy 
consumption.

The Irish economy will have grown by 5% in 2005 
and is expected to top 6% in 2006. The construction 
boom is the main driving force behind the 
continuing surge in the economy, allied with a low 
corporate taxation regime and record high 
employment levels.

EU WORKERS FLOCK INTO IRELAND

Workers from eastern Europe are flocking into 
Ireland attracted by high wages and employment 
opportunities. In 2004 there were 7000 
registrations of workers from the new EU states 
who are entitled to work in Ireland. The figure 
in 2005 is more than 11,000 per month. Most of 
the new workers are from Poland (54%), Lithuania 
(19%), Latvia (9%) and Slovakia (8%). Tax 
documentation has revealed that the vast majority 
take up employment immediately while others work 
on short term contracts and return home. Citizens 
of the new EU states are not entitled to collect 
Social Welfare in Ireland. Non-nationals now 
account for 8% of the Irish workforce which is one
of the highest rates in the EU.

HOUSE PRICES CONTINUE TO RISE IN 2005

Despite the now annual event of warnings from 
economists of an imminent collapse of the Irish 
property market house prices continued to rise in 
2005. The average cost of a home in Ireland is now 
EURO 275,000. The start of 2005 saw the rate of 
increase in house values begin to drop off, but it 
soon picked up again in the second half of the 
year. House prices increased in Ireland by an 
average of 9% in 2005. The increase in 2004 was 
over 8%.

The recent one-quarter percent interest rate 
increase by the ECB did little to dampen the 
market. The huge influx of foreign workers is 
regarded as one of the big reasons why the 
market is still so buoyant. In order for prices 
to decrease then supply would have to exceed 
demand and, despite record level of houses being 
built, this does not look likely in the short 
term. 

ABBEY THEATRE MOVE FINALISED

It has been confirmed that the world famous Abbey 
Theatre located in the heart of Dublin City is to 
be moved a short distance to new premises at 
Georges Dock. The Abbey has been under severe 
financial pressure in recent years and the move 
is intended to revitalize the ailing national 
theatre.

AER LINGUS AND RYANAIR SLUG IT OUT

Rival airlines Aer Lingus and Ryanair have stepped 
up their battle, with the consumer being the big 
winner. Ryanair recently added 18 new routes to 
its service with Aer Lingus replying with 6 new 
routes of its own, including direct flights from 
Dublin to Poznan, Palma and Rennes. Ryanair now 
offers a service to Marseilles, Milan, Valencia 
and Bratislava.


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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:

G: Gould, McGinty
H: Harmon
R: Redmond
T: Terry, Thorpe

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PEACE ON EARTH, AND AT SEA       by Brendan Power
==========================

The tiny village of Slade is at the end of the 
road; nobody passes through on their way to 
anywhere else, so the only people who get to see 
and enjoy its rugged beauty are those who want 
to go there. It is tucked away in the South East 
corner of Ireland, on a rocky stretch of the 
County Wexford coastline in the shadow of the 
Hook tower, Europe's oldest working lighthouse.
 
Today, many people who want to escape the rush of 
city life are slowly discovering the secret of 
its beauty and tranquillity, but in the early 
part of the last century things were very 
different. Visitors were virtually unheard of and 
life for most of the inhabitants was a daily 
routine of work and sleep with very little time, 
or money, for leisure activities. Except Sundays 
of course; Sundays were for going to Church and
gathering in groups to share the gossip.

Peter Power, my grandfather, was a typical 
villager. He was born in Slade and by the 
outbreak of the First World War he had lived and 
worked there for over 50 years. His home was a 
little cottage on the dockside, he owned a small 
fishing boat, and he rented some land from Lord 
Ely's estate ­ one acre, three roods and thirty 
perches to be exact.

Peter's day consisted of fishing in the morning 
and working on the land in the afternoon. His 
prime aim was to provide enough food for his 
family and whatever was left over would be sold 
to pay for the other necessities of life. Life 
had never been easy for Peter and his wife, Mary, 
struggling to provide for their children, but 
life was never easy for anyone in those days.
 
Peter's first wife had died and the children of 
that marriage were now grown up sufficiently to 
fend for themselves; John had joined the merchant 
navy, Tommy and Margaret had moved to Cardiff in 
search of work, and Annie worked for a family in 
Wexford. There were still four young ones, 
however, that needed feeding and clothing, so 
the never-ending circle of work and sleep 
continued while the war to end all wars was 
fought on foreign shores. Slade was a long way 
from the battlefields of Belgium and France, 
and the war was a long way from the minds of 
Peter and his neighbours.

On a misty September morning in 1916, Peter left 
the dock in Slade early in the morning as usual 
to catch the tide. The sea was choppy but not 
rough, and there was a fair wind to fill the 
sails of his boat. With him that morning was his 
14-year-old son, Patrick, who had left school 
that year and was now expected to make a 
contribution to the household. The lobster pots 
they had laid the previous day were about three 
miles offshore and Peter was hoping for a good 
catch. He needed the money the lobsters would 
provide; Mary had told him she wanted to make her 
annual trip to New Ross to buy shoes for the 
children in preparation for the winter ­ the rest 
of the clothes she would make herself, sewing and 
knitting during the long dark nights.

It is often said that God smiles on the righteous, 
and sure enough the lobsters were plentiful today 
­ twenty-one from their fifteen pots. After 
baiting and re-setting the pots, they raised the 
sail and headed for home, fishing for mackerel on 
the way. By now, Peter's mind was on the work to 
be done that afternoon, but he was suddenly jolted 
out of his thoughts by a disturbance in the water 
no more than 100 yards away.

It was like nothing he had ever seen, the sea 
appeared to be erupting in front of his eyes, and 
then his surprise turned to fear. He had never 
seen one before, but he did not need anyone to 
tell him that what was emerging from the sea was 
a German submarine. First the bow rose high in 
the water and then, as it smashed down and 
levelled out, causing a wave that rocked the boat, 
he could see a single machine gun on the deck and 
could clearly make out the number, UB17, on the 
tower amidships.

The submarine looked huge; it must have been 80 
or 90 feet long, and towered high over the little 
sailing boat even at that distance. Peter had read 
about a submarine sinking the Lusitania just 10 
miles off the coast of Cork last year, and now, as 
he attempted to reassure Patrick, a hundred 
thoughts raced through his mind, 'What do they 
want?' 'What will I do?' 'I can't escape, they 
could shoot me out of the water'. He knew that even 
a glancing blow from the mighty metal monster could 
smash his little boat like matchwood and send it to 
join his lobster pots at the bottom in seconds. 

The sound of banging metal came from the submarine 
and a small group of uniformed figures appeared on 
the tower. They signalled him to move closer, he 
really had no choice but to do as they indicated so 
he told Patrick to drop the sail and they edged 
closer using the oars. He could hear them shouting, 
'Haben Sie jede mogliche Nahrung bitte'. He could 
hear them, but he had no idea what they were saying. 
'Bitte Hilfe, etwas Nahrung, fische'.  Then a few 
words of English, 'Please, some food, have you 
fish, please help'.

A rope was thrown to their little boat and - still 
nervous, still fearful of what might happen - they 
tied up alongside. In broken English an officer 
explained that they had been at sea longer than 
expected and had run out of food. There were 
fourteen men on board and they had not eaten a 
proper meal for two days. Without hesitation, 
Peter told Patrick to pass over the box of 
mackerel. 'Danke, Sie sind ein guter Mann'. 
'Thank you, you are a good man. Please take this, 
we have nothing else to give you'. Peter and 
Patrick looked at the jar and wondered what it 
was; they had never seen Piccalilli before.

As father and son moved their boat away from the 
submarine, they could see sailors cleaning the 
fish as others brought a small paraffin stove up 
on deck to cook them. With the Germans waving and 
calling out to them, they headed straight for 
Slade, catching just enough mackerel for their 
dinner on the way. Patrick jumped from the boat 
onto the dock steps and ran as fast as his legs 
would carry him to show his Mother the strange 
jar of Piccalilli.

'How could you do that?' she asked when she heard 
the story, 'don't you know there's a war? They're 
our enemies.' Peter's answer, perhaps proving that 
God did indeed smile on the righteous earlier in 
the day, was, 'Mary, I couldn't leave them hungry, 
after all, they're someone's sons'.

~~~

Brendan Power is a professional conference speaker
www.BrendanPower.com
(C) 2005

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A CELTIC MUSIC QUIZ 	   by Winnie Czulinski
===================

Author Winnie Czulinski is the author of
'Drone on! The high history of Celtic music'
which is available from Amazon and other good 
bookstores. ISBN: 0920151396
 
1) What are the seven 'Celtic nations'? 

2) What was the most important fish in Celtic 
  mythology? 

3) Maewyn Succat become a famous Irish religious 
  figure under what name? 

4) What kind of specialized Celtic song-form was 
  urine used in? 

5) Musically speaking, what is a 'Strathspey'? 

6) What's the name of the Irish bellows-blown 
  bagpipe, and what does the name mean? 

7) Why is the mountain dulcimer often called a 
  stringed bagpipe? 

8) What does the Gaelic word 'craic' (pronounced 
  'crack') mean? 

9) Which 18th-century blind Irish harper created 
  many 'planxties' - and just what is a planxty? 

10) Which historical 'lady a la moan' wrote the 
  Scottish song Will Ye No Come Back Again? 

11) What 19th-century American scholar collected 
  so many Celtic folk songs he just had to 
  number them all? 

12) Who wrote the lyrics of the famous song 
  'Danny Boy?' 

13) Where in Canada was the Black Watch Regiment 
  formed? 

14) What early-20th-century magnate funded big 
  fiddling festivals in America? 

15) When he was almost Baroque, what famous 
  classical composer churned out dozens of 
  arrangements of Celtic folksongs for a big 
  publisher? 

16) Where and when did Lerner and Loewe's stage 
  production Camelot first open? 

17) What Irish rock group had a name that 
  means 'kiss my a--'? (i.e., posterior)

18) What famous American TV show did The Clancy 
  Brothers and Tommy Makem appear on, in the 
  early 1960s? 

19) Which two famous young Canadian Celtic 
  fiddlers tied the knot in 2002? 

20) How many taps per second can famous 
  Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley do? 

* * * 

ANSWERS: 

1) Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, 
  Cornwall, Brittany (NW France) and Galicia 
  (NW Spain). 
2) The Salmon of Knowledge (or Wisdom) 
3) St. Patrick, in fifth-century Ireland 
4) The 'waulking' song, sung by a group of people 
  pounding/kneading wet wool treated with urine, 
  to shrink and 'full' the fabric. 
5) A distinctive Scottish tune and dance, named 
  for the strath or valley of the Highlands' 
  Spey River. 
6) The uillean bagpipes, and it means 'elbow' 
  as they're squeezed under the arm. 
7) Traditionally played, it has a 'drone' - 
  an underlying note that remains the same. 
8) Fun, a good time, a certain 'spirit' (and 
  often in the bottle) 
9) Turlough O'Carolan. A 'planxty' was a song 
  composed specifically for a patron. 
10) Lady Caroline Nairne (1766-1845), a staunch 
  Stuart supporter. 
11) Francis Child. (Child #65, Child #66, etc.) 
12) English barrister Fred Weatherly, in 1912 
  (apparently while on a commuter train) 
13) New Brunswick 
14) Henry Ford 
15) Ludwig van Beethoven, for Scottish publisher 
  George Thomson. And actually, Joseph Haydn and 
  Ignaz Joseph Pleyel also did folksong 
  'arrangements' for publishers. 
16) Broadway's Majestic Theater, New York City, 
  in 1960 
17) Pogue Mahone - the phonetic spelling of this 
  rather cheeky Gaelic phrase. (Later, the band 
  shortened its name to 'The Pogues.') 
18) The Ed Sullivan Show. 
19) Natalie MacMaster (of Cape Breton) and Donnell 
  Leahy (of the Ontario musical family group 
  Leahy). 
20) 35 taps per second. 
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THE CARD GAME 			by Nuala Pinson 
=============

Seven years old and excited
I watched through a crack in the wall, 
People gathering in from the cold,
There was John Joe who was thin and small
And Maggie Sheehan wrinkled and old

Whiskey was on the table and glasses of ladies gin
The cards were cut and Johnny dealt them,
Flying face down amongst the din.
Then I saw my Granma's face and heard her say again,
'It is the devils past time, playing card games is a sin'.

The voices droned then quietened
Only the moaning wind I heard,
Fear of a sudden struck at my heart
First the lamp went dark and then lighted 
On the empty chair by the hearth.

A voice was raised in anger
Glasses clinked as I heard somebody's cries.
It was a game no longer
But a fight to the last for the prize.

Slap, slap, the cards hit the table,
Then a knock was heard at the door
A tall, dark coated stranger entered
And the cards were dealt once more.

The night wore on, the room went cold,
More turf was flung on the fire.
The stranger played 'gainst the friends of old
As their throats grew slowly drier.

By God, he knew his cards all right,
He was winning all hands 'round ,
Soon the stakes were upped
And more was supped
There'd be fortunes lost this night.

'Alright so' said Joe 'I wager that piece of land'
Joe looked desperate at the cards fanned in his hand,
'Have the cow and take the ewe whenever she has lambed.
Take them all I tell you, take them and you be damned' 

Bad cess to him, thought Mollie
We're ruined by this night.
The stranger uttered not one word
But took their all as right.

Ashen faced they watched as
The stranger gathered his loot.
A thud was heard in the fireplace
'Twas the sound of falling soot.

The night was lost in eerie darkness
Wind keening in the roof.
Maggie bend towards the embers
And saw……….the cloven hoof!

'Oh, Lord' she breathed 'It's the devil'
'Please help us now' she cried.
The others shrank back from the evil
He'd land for which fathers had died.

Maggie was ever the brave one
She ordered them up on their feet
'Ask Our Lord for forgiveness, 
For all our sinful greed'.

The Prince of Darkness facing,
They held their faith as a shield,
A dreadful roar then rent the air
Then peace….. he was no longer there.

In the morning I found myself
Curled at the foot of the bed
'Has he gone? Is it over?' I said,
As she smiled and patted my head.

(C) Nuala Pinson June 2000

===================================================

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IRISH CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
==========================

Ireland, like most countries, has a number of 
Christmas traditions that are all of its own. Many 
of these customs have their root in the time when 
the Gaelic culture and religion of the country 
were being suppressed and it is perhaps because of 
that they have survived into modern times.

THE CANDLE IN THE WINDOW

The placing of a lighted candle in the window of a 
house on Christmas eve is still practised today. It 
has a number of purposes but primarily it was a 
symbol of welcome to Mary and Joseph as they 
travelled looking for shelter.

The candle also indicated a safe place for priests 
to perform mass as, during Penal Times this was 
not allowed.

A further element of the tradition is that the 
candle should be lit by the youngest member of 
the household and only be extinguished by a girl 
bearing the name 'Mary'.

THE LADEN TABLE

After evening meal on Christmas eve the kitchen 
table was again set and on it were placed a loaf 
of bread filled with caraway seeds and raisins, 
a pitcher of milk and a large lit candle. The door 
to the house was left unlatched so that Mary and 
Joseph, or any wandering traveller, could avail of
the welcome.

THE WREN BOY PROCESSION

During Penal Times there was once a plot in a 
village against the local soldiers. They were 
surrounded and were about to be ambushed when a 
group of wrens pecked on their drums and
awakened the soldiers. The plot failed and the 
wren became known as 'The Devil's bird'.

On St. Stephens day a procession takes place where 
a pole with a holly bush is carried from house to 
house and families dress up in old clothes and with 
blackened faces.In olden times an actual wren would 
be killed and placed on top of the pole.

This custom has to a large degree disappeared but 
the tradition of visiting from house to house on 
St. Stephens Day has survived and is very much part 
of Christmas.

DECORATIONS:

The placing of a ring of Holly on doors originated 
in Ireland as Holly was one of the main plants 
that flourished at Christmas time and which gave 
the poor ample means with which to decorate their 
dwellings.

All decorations are traditionally taken down on 
Little Christmas (January 6th.) and it is 
considered to be bad luck to take them down 
beforehand.

TRADITIONAL GAELIC SALUTATION

The Gaelic greeting for 'Merry Christmas' is:
'Nollaig Shona Duit'
......which is pronounced as 'null-ig hun-a dwit'.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

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CHRISTMAS CART 		by Bree T. Donovan
==============

The Eyles moved to Ireland in mid-December 1947. 
Their origin unknown, (some even called them 
gypsies), but neither that nor the local gossip 
of the family's 'strangeness' mattered to Binne 
McCarty. There was talk of a son. She received 
the news with great curiosity and joy. Her only 
sibling was a sister seven years her senior. A 
turbulent teenager was of no use to Binne whatever. 
The Eyles's boy was reported to be about Binne's 
age. She was longing for the company and 
companionship of good, hearty lad, one who would 
appreciate her tomboyish ways. For once Binne 
would have an ally instead of disapproving eyes 
always on her, and the constant question of, 
'Why can't ya act like a good, little lass?' 
Binne had suffered through more than one 
Christmas of rushing to look neath the fir 
tree only to find that St. Nicholas once again 
must have mistaken her for another girl named 
Binne - one who treasured rag dolls rather 
than building logs, and trains as this Binne did.

Binne's family was not wealthy. Castlebar, a 
rural community in County Mayo offered little in 
the way of luxurious living. It was a town 
embraced by the brackish sea at its tip, and 
lush, green fields at its tail. Cathal McCarty, 
Binne's da, made decent enough wages possessing 
the good fortune of knowing how to cut turf, as 
any seasoned man of Eire, but also the rare 
ability to repair almost anything mechanical. 
This enabled him to support his family well 
enough. When the Eyles arrived it was said they 
came from money, but a black-hearted father who 
deserted his wife and son had squandered the 
fortune. Binne's father made it a point to 
abruptly end the questionable conversion at the 
dinner table one evening saying he would not 
allow the local 'hens' chatter' in his house. 

The McCartys were Catholic, but Cathal was certain 
of powers that could not be explained away by the 
Church's teaching. Perhaps it was all the time he 
spent in the murky bogs that allowed his 
imagination to run wild with stories of fey and 
the like. At least that's what Binne's mother 
concluded as she briskly cleared away the dishes 
that night informing her chiding spouse she was 
not a hen, but a good Christian, unlike her Pagan 
husband.

Being nine years old and in desperate need of 
a friend who truly understood her, Binne didn't 
care if the Eyles boy walked on a dirt floor or 
a Persian carpet. She just wanted to make his 
acquaintance and commence with all the fun they 
could have tramping about the countryside. 

Years later, devotedly working for a Children's 
Shelter in Africa, Binne could still recall clear 
as the bells at St. Dermot's the very first day 
she met young Mr. Eyles. Only a few days before 
Christmas, Binne's Yuletide excitement provided 
her the courage to make the visit alone. A tall, 
gaunt woman on the verge of nervous exhaustion, 
greeted Binne at the door. Binne extended her 
hand, taking hold of Mrs. Eyles slender wrist 
shaking it with confidence. 

'Hallo, Mrs Eyles?'
'Yes....' The woman concurred suspiciously.
'I'm Binne McCarty from 'round the way and I 
was hopin' to see yer son.' 

She received no words in reply, only the most 
queer glance from the woman. Binne thought it 
was because of her trousers and short-cropped 
hair. Girls her age wore dresses, even if they 
had no shoes, and hair long enough to fall past 
their shoulders. Binne's curls, black as pitch 
were cut close to her head. Dark eyes and ivory 
skin were her sole feminine qualities. Her 
attire and manner were all boy. 

'Ah, I've brought this.' She took a loaf of 
raisin bread she'd pilfered from her mother's 
cupboard. 'It's from me mam.' She blushed knowing 
that her mother would not be so welcoming to the 
odd newcomers, but wanting Mrs. Eyles to believe 
so. 'And, I've got some grand stones here to 
show yer boy. I collected them from the Ce'ide 
Fields.'

'Ce'ide Fields?' the woman politely accepted the 
bread. 'Yes, they are the most beautiful fields 
in all of Ireland! Well, not that I've seen all 
the fields in Ireland... yet. But, they have to 
be the oldest to be sure, over five thousand 
years they are!' Binne asserted.

'That's just a drop in the bucket.' The woman said 
in her tired way. Binne regarded Mrs. Eyles 
expecting further explanation.

'Please thank your mother for me.' Mrs. Eyles 
stepped away from the door. 'And thank you for 
calling on my son, but, he is not one to go out 
romping through fields.' 

'Oh, we don't have to go today then. I wouldn't 
mind stayin' inside for the afternoon.' Binne 
smiled. 'No, I'm afraid that won't be possible, 
dear, at least not any time soon.' 

Before she could shut the door a young boy seemed 
to materialize from behind his mother's skirt. 
'Who is it, mother?' Binne held her breath as the 
lad looked first to his mother then settled his 
great, green eyes on her. The afternoon sun resting 
on his blond head gave him an ethereal form. He was 
rather slight for a boy of ten, his pale skin 
almost translucent. Tiny veins, like blue lines of 
a map rested just below the surface of his 
forehead. Through the years Binne would come to 
know this certain look about him. It always 
signified he was deep in thought. It was one of 
the things she would treasure about him.

'Ya look like an angel!' Binne exclaimed.
The boy laughed, 'And you look someone with a 
heavy load.' 
'What?' Binne stared then remembered the bag of 
stones. 'Oh, it's not terribly heavy, and I 
thought I could share with ya.'
He beamed. 'Alright then, mum?'
'I think it best we go inside now, Gabriel.'
'Now mother, it would be very rude indeed if 
we sent her away without seeing what she carries!'
 'Yes, luv, you're right.' Mrs. Eyles gave in with 
a sigh. 'Take the girl's burden, and bring her 
inside.'

The children jumped with delight. 'I don't think 
yer mam likes me much.'  Binne whispered to the 
boy as he gently took her arm. 
 
'Don't let her frighten you.' The boy whispered 
back. 'Mother sometimes forgets we all have our 
work to do.' 

~~~

Bree Donovan is an author, poet and storyteller. 
She welcomes any feedback: blueiris2u@yahoo.com
(C) 2005

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A LITTLE BIT OF DUBLIN - #9
===========================

The part of Dublin city just off Clanbrasil 
Street has for centuries been known as 'The 
Blackpits'. The origin of this name is unclear. 
One theory suggests it is so named because of the 
large number of dead who were placed there during 
the 'Black Death'. Another suggestion alludes to 
the black vats used by tanners during the 
eighteenth century.

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GAELIC PHRASES OF THE MONTH
===========================
 
PHRASE:		Nollaig faoi shean is faoi mhaise duit!
PRONOUNCED:	Nullig fwee yan iss fwee mway/shih dwit
MEANING:		A prosperous and enjoyable Christmas!

PHRASE:		Nollaig Shona duit
PRONOUNCED:	nullig hunna dwit
MEANING:		Happy Christmas to you

PHRASE:		Athblian shona duit
PRONOUNCED:	ought/bleen hunna dwit
MEANING:		Happy new year to you


View the archive of phrases here:

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

=================================================

DECEMBER COMPETITION RESULT
===========================

The winner was: darrellmcquaid@yahoo.com
who will receive the following: 

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

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

=================================================

I hope that you have enjoyed this issue.

Until next time, have a Great Christmas

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.


https://www.ireland-information.com

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