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		IN THIS ISSUE
~~~ Foreword
~~~ News Snaps from Ireland 
~~~ New free resources at the site
~~~ Eamon DeValera: An Irish Leader
~~~ The Traditional Irish Wedding 
                             by Bridget Haggerty
~~~ Nine Famous Irishmen	by Roger Judge
~~~ Gaelic Phrases of the Month
~~~ Monthly free competition result

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FOREWORD
~~~~~~~~

Hello again from a Ireland where a decision has 
finally been made about a new national sports 
stadium after years of pondering. The new stadium 
will prove a great boon to tourism as well as 
providing a decent home to Irish Soccer and Rugby. 
About time!

Preparations are under way for the Saint Patrick's 
Day Parade in Dublin in March but there is some 
doubt if O'Connell Street will be ready in time. 
There are huge road works underway on the nations 
premier street at the moment and there is a real 
possibility that the parade may have to be 
diverted away from the street that houses the 
famous GPO for the first time ever.

Here is a new year's resolution for you:
Write an article, story or poem about Ireland or 
the Irish and send it in for publication?

Come on now, get to it!

Until next time,

STAY WARM!

Michael


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

IRELAND HOLDS THE PRESIDENCY OF THE EU

Taoiseach Bertie Ahearn has welcomed European 
leaders to Ireland after Ireland assumed temporary 
leadership of the EU. During the Irish tenure it 
is expected that a real attempt will be made to 
finally agree on an EU constitution.

The dark side for Ireland of a newly enlarged EU 
has been demonstrated with the loss of 150 jobs 
from the Philips ELectronics plant at Leopardstown. 
These jobs have been directly relocated in Poland 
where wages are much lower than in Ireland. Poland 
is one of ten countries who will join the EU later 
this year. An increase in the national minimum 
wage from 6.35 EURO to 7 EURO per hour has been 
criticised by employers who cite high wages as 
the main reason why more jobs will be lost.

Bertie Ahearn is expected to invite US President
George Bush to a summit in Ireland during the 
6 month Irish presidency of the EU.

CRIME FIGURES DOWN

The overall rate of crime in Ireland fell in 2003. 
Headline crime has fallen by over 2% with murders 
down by 12%, from 52 to 46. Serious assault cases 
have declined by 14% from 5016 to 3946 reported 
incidents. Possession of firearms however, 
increased by 43% from 67 cases in 2002 to 96 cases 
in 2003.

New powers have been given to the Garda Siochana 
(the Irish Police), and further legislation is in 
the pipeline which will enable the Garda to take 
bodily samples from suspects without permission. 
They will also be able to issue their own search 
warrants when necessary.

KERRYMAN IS FIRST IRISHMAN REACH SOUTH POLE

Father of three Mike Barry from Tralee in County 
Kerry is the first Irishman to walk to the South 
Pole. The achievement by the wind-energy consultant 
immediately drew comparisons with that of his 
fellow county-man Tom Crean, who accompanied 
Shackleton on his ill-fated trip to the South Pole 
early in the last century. Mike Barry was also 
part of the first ever team to conquer Mount 
Everest in 1993.

TOURISM ON THE INCREASE

After recent bleak years when there were airline 
problems, Foot and Mouth disease and the SARS 
epidemic, Irish tourism is finally in recovery. 
It is hoped that 2004 will be even better than 
2003 when over 6.1 Million visitors arrived in 
Ireland and tourist revenue topped 5.2 Billion 
Euro. Other European locations have not fared so 
well. The UK saw a 2% rise in visitor numbers but 
Spain had no increase and visitors to France 
reduced in numbers by 8%.

SKY TELEVISION TO LAUNCH IRISH TV NEWS SERVICE

Sky Television, owned by media mogul Rupert 
Murdoch, is to launch 2 half-hour Irish news 
bulletins in direct competition with the RTE 
coverage. SKY have already recruited popular 
newsreader Grainne Ni Seioge from TV3.

WINDFARMS TAKE OFF IN IRELAND

The number of wind farms for the production of 
electricity is set to quadruple with 60 more 
facilities to be completed in 2004. The world's 
largest windfarm is currently under construction 
in Arklow, County Wicklow.

HOUSE PRICES INCREASE AGAIN IN 2003

A 9.5% increase in house prices in Ireland has 
been reported for 2003. House prices are expected 
to increase by 6 to 8% in 2004, with demand still 
very high.

2003 ROAD DEATH TOLL IS LOWEST IN OVER 40 YEARS

The introduction of penalty points in 2003 is being
 credited with a significant reduction road deaths 
due to traffic accidents. Last year 341 deaths were 
recorded and this is the best total since 1961. In 
2002 there were 376 fatalities.

NEW NATIONAL STADIUM TO BE LOCATED IN DUBLIN

The stadium at Landsdowne Road is to be rebuilt 
into the National Stadium. The site was chosen 
ahead of the proposed new stadium at Abbotstown 
which was abandoned mainly on grounds of cost. 
Irish Soccer and Rugby officials have welcomed 
the announcement. The new facility will have a 
capacity of 50,00 and is also available to the 
GAA, heightening the possibility that Croke Park 
in turn may be opened up to Soccer or Rugby 
fixtures where a capacity of more than 50,00 
seats is required.

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 7 coats of arms images and family
history details have been added to the Gallery:

C: O'Carragher
G: Gee
H: Hitchcock
N: Neilan
S: Stroud
T: Toohey, Trant

View the Gallery here:

http://www.irishsurnames.com/coatsofarms/gm.htm

We now have over 100,000 worldwide names available.
Get the Coat of Arms Print, Claddagh Ring,
Screensaver, Watch, T-Shirt Transfer or Clock for
your name at:

https://www.irishnation.com/familycrestgifts.htm

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EAMON DEVALERA: AN IRISH LEADER 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eamon DeValera was one of the most important 
figures in the history of Ireland. His relationship 
with the people of the country was often strained 
and his attitude and motives have frequently 
puzzled historians throughout. The fact remains 
however, that without his involvement in the Irish 
Nationalist movement the course of Irish history 
would have been radically different. 

He was born in New York on the 14th of October 
in 1882 to Catherine Coll (a young Irish immigrant 
from County Limerick) and Juan Vivion DeValera 
(an immigrant of Spanish origin). 

Little is known of his early childhood except that 
his family moved from America in 1885 to Ireland 
where the young Eamon studied at Blackrock College 
in Dublin and was largely reared by his Grandmother. 
He studied languages and mathematics and was, like 
Michael Collins, a student of English Rule in 
Ireland. The early 1900s was a time of the great 
Gaelic cultural revival in Ireland as literature, 
drama, sport and the language of the Gaelic nation 
were all revived. 

The main spearhead of the revival was The Gaelic 
League which he joined in 1908. He was greatly 
influenced by the League and learned the Irish 
language whilst immersing himself in the Gaelic 
culture. The Gaelic League was an obvious 
recruiting ground for the various revolutionary 
organisations of the time and it was not long 
before DeValera became a member of the Irish 
Republican Brotherhood. DeValera was second in 
command to Thomas MacDonagh of the Dublin Brigade 
during the Easter Rising of 1916. 

The Rising failed and the seven leaders, MacDonagh 
and Pearse among them, were executed, along with 
9 other rebels. DeValera was also sentenced to 
death as an organiser of the revolt but was to 
escape the firing squad because of the confusion 
surrounding his ancestry (the English authorities 
did not want to risk the execution of an American 
citizen). 

DeValera was elected as the leader of Sinn Fein 
upon his release and set about the formation of 
an Irish parliament (the Dáil). He was arrested 
in 1918 for subversion and imprisoned in England 
in Lincoln prison. With the help of Michael Collins 
he escaped to America to raise both funds for and 
consciousness about, the Irish plight. In his 
absence the War of Independence was being waged 
by Collins. The English Prime Minister of the 
time was Lloyd George who wanted to see an end to 
the violence. 

DeValera returned to negotiate with Lloyd George 
and soon realised that his ambition of a free and 
independent Ireland would not be granted. He 
returned home and sent a delegation led by Michael 
Collins to negotiate a settlement. 

The subsequent Anglo-Irish Treaty was ratified by 
the Dáil in 1922 but DeValera opposed both the 
partition of the country and the Oath of Allegiance 
to the English crown that the Treaty required. A 
bloody Civil War followed which saw both the defeat 
of the Anti-Treaty side, led by DeValera, and the 
death of Michael Collins. 

DeValera was again imprisoned but released in 1926 
when he formed the Fianna Fáil party. He now 
attempted to achieve his aims by the use of 
constitutional politics. By 1932 he had removed 
the Oath of Allegiance and sought about 
establishing an independent Ireland. He created an 
Irish Constitution in 1937 but an Irish Republic 
was not declared because of the partition of the 
country. 

DeValera resisted both bribes and threats from 
Churchill during the war years, ('the emergency'), 
and it was not until the Costello led Government 
declared a Republic in 1948 that the effects of 
the Anglo-Irish Treaty were finally removed from 
the Southern part of Ireland. Partition remained. 

DeValera was Taoiseach of Ireland for much of the 
fifties and on 25 June, 1959 he was inaugurated as 
President of Ireland, a position he held for 14 
years. He retired in 1973 and died shortly 
afterwards, on 29th August 1975 at the age of 92. 

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THE TRADITIONAL IRISH WEDDING by Bridget Haggerty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is one wedding Irish tradition that states: 
'Marry in May and Rue The Day' while another 
states: 'Marry in April if you can, joy for maiden 
and for man'. 

When I told my daughter about this Irish 
superstition, she changed her wedding date so that 
she'd be married in April!

What began as a search for Irish traditions and 
customs that she could incorporate into her 
celebration ended up as an incredible pile of 
notes that eventually took on a life of its own. 
Long after her wedding, I was still obsessed with 
delving into history and folklore, looking for
everything I could find on how weddings were 
celebrated in Ireland long ago.

I am convinced that if couples make the effort, 
they can have a totally Irish celebration from 
beginning to end - even to the pre-wedding parties. 
There's one quaint custom where the groom was 
invited to the bride's house right before the 
wedding and they cooked a goose in his honor.
It was called Aitin' the gander — it has to be 
where we get the expression 'his goose is cooked!'  
We threw one of these dinner parties for my 
daughter and everyone had a great time. (The 
apple-potato stuffing has become a family 
favorite!).
 
There are so many other traditions, customs and 
just an incredible amount of folklore to draw upon, 
that it would be remiss to be of Irish descent and 
not take advantage of all the possibilities. Here 
are just a few ideas culled from what eventually has 
become a 200-plus page book called 'The Traditional 
Irish Wedding' and it is now available worldwide. As 
complete as I could make it, the book covers attire,
decor, menus, recipes, music, toasts, vows, and 
perhaps of most value, a resource listing that will 
help you find everything from Irish wedding gowns 
and tiaras to sheet music for a Celtic Mass. 

Here are some more:

* Bunratty Meade is a honey wine that's served at 
the Bunratty Castle medieval banquet. It's from a 
recipe based on the oldest drink in Ireland and 
if you've never tasted it, it's well worth trying. 
In the old days, it was consumed at weddings 
because it was thought that it promoted virility. 
(If a baby was born nine months after the wedding,
it was attributed to the mead!). Couples also 
drank it from special goblets for a full month 
following the wedding, which is supposedly where we 
get the word honeymoon. This was to protect the 
couple from the fairies coming to spirit the bride 
away.  

* Lucky horseshoe. Irish brides used to carry a 
real horseshoe for good luck. (Turned up so the 
luck won't run out). You can get porcelain 
horseshoes which most Irish brides carry these days, 
or one made of fabric which is worn on the wrist.  

* Magic Hanky. This charming custom involves having 
the bride carry a special hanky that with a few 
stitches can be turned into a christening bonnet for 
the first baby. With a couple of snips it can be 
turned back into a hanky that your child can carry 
on his/her wedding day.  
 
* Make-up bells. The chime of bells is thought to 
keep evil spirits away, restore harmony if a couple 
is fighting, and also remind a couple of their 
wedding vows. Giving a bell as a gift has become an 
Irish tradition. You could also have your greeters 
hand out tiny bells to your guests to ring as you 
process. (You might want to let them know when 
they're supposed to be rung - perhaps mention it in 
your program along with an explanation of the custom). 
Guests could also ring their little bells at the 
reception in lieu of clinking glasses.  

* Irish Dancers. Consider hiring a group of Irish 
dancers to hand out your programs before the 
ceremony. Dressed in their full regalia, it would 
add a wonderful touch of of pageantry and color. 
They could also dance at the reception later. We 
did this at my daughter's reception and it was a 
major hit. 

* Music. There's so much wonderful Irish music 
available, you'll have no problems in finding 
appropriate selections for both the ceremony and 
the reception. The difficulty will be in 
deciding which pieces to play! 

* Readings: My daughter had the following Irish 
wedding vow on the front of her program:

By the power that Christ brought from heaven, 
mayst thou love me. As the sun follows its course, 
mayst thou follow me. As light to the eye, as 
bread to the hungry, as joy to the heart, may thy 
presence be with me, oh one that I love, 'til 
death comes to part us asunder. 

On the back of the program, she had this old 
Irish proverb:

Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.
Walk beside me and just be my friend. 

* The Irish Wedding Song. Very popular at 
contemporary Irish weddings. We had two friends 
sing this at my daughter's reception while the 
newlyweds cut the cake. (Afterwards I thought we 
should have had the lyrics typed up and placed 
on the tables so that everyone could join in).  
 
* Flowers. In the old days, many Irish brides 
wore a wreath of wildflowers in their hair; they 
also carried them in bouquets. For my daughter's 
wedding, our florist designed gorgeous bouquets 
that included a flower called Bells of Ireland. 
In Wales, brides carried live myrtle and gave a
sprig to each bridesmaid which they planted. If 
it grew, the bridesmaid would marry within the 
year. If you're planning a more general Celtic 
celebration, this might be worth considering. 

* Ancient custom: In the old days, couples ate 
salt and oatmeal at the beginning of their 
reception: Each of them took three mouthfuls as 
a protection against the power of the evil eye. 
Also, when a couple is dancing, the bride can't 
take both feet off the floor because the fairies 
will get the upper hand. Fairies love beautiful 
things and one of their favorites is a bride. 
There's many an Irish legend about brides being 
spirited away by the little people! For the same 
reason, it's bad luck for a bride to wear green. 
I've also heard that it's bad luck for anyone to 
wear green at an Irish wedding - but I  think it 
really only applies to the bride. It's also bad 
luck for a bride or the groom to sing at their 
own wedding. 
 
Portents and omens: 

* A fine day meant good luck, especially if the 
sun shone on the bride. If you're a Roman Catholic, 
one way to make certain that it won't rain is to 
put a statue of the Infant of Prague outside the 
church before your ceremony. 

* It was unlucky to marry on a Saturday.

* Those who married in harvest would spend all 
their lives gathering 

* A man should always be the first to wish joy to 
the bride, never a woman 

*It was lucky to hear a cuckoo on the wedding 
morning, or to see three magpies
 
* To meet a funeral on the road meant bad luck and 
if there was a funeral procession planned for that 
day, the wedding party always took a different road

* The wedding party should always take the longest 
road home from the church

* It was bad luck if a glass or cup were broken 
on the wedding day

*A bride and groom should never wash their hands 
in the same sink at the same time — it's courting 
disaster if they do

* It was said to be lucky if you married during 
a 'growing moon and a flowing tide'
 
* When leaving the church, someone must throw an 
old shoe over the bride's head so she will have 
good luck

* If the bride's mother-in-law breaks a piece of 
wedding cake on the bride's head as she enters 
the house after the ceremony, they will be friends 
for life.

Many other customs are interspersed throughout the 
book, e.g. (from the reception section) the top 
tier of your wedding cake should be an Irish 
whiskey cake which is saved for the christening of 
your first baby. I've also heard of another custom 
which just came to my attention and will be 
included in the next edition: a bottle of champagne 
is saved from the reception so that it can be used 
to 'wet the baby's head' at the christening. 
 
In finally making this book a reality, my hope is 
that when he says to you 'would you like to be 
buried with my people', or you say to him 'would 
you like to hang your washing next to mine', 
you'll say yes, and then use the suggestions to 
help you plan an Irish celebration reflective of 
your roots and as romantic as your heritage.  

And for all engaged couples and their families in 
the midst of pre-wedding chaos, I raise a parting 
glass: May all your joys be pure joy and all 
your pain champagne. 

Sláinte! 

Bridget Haggerty

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NINE FAMOUS IRISHMEN		by Roger Judge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the 'Yound Ireland' disorders in Ireland in 
1848 the following nine men were captured, tried, 
and convicted of treason against Her Majesty, 
the Queen, and were sentenced to death:
John Mitchell, Morris Lyene, Pat Donahue, Thomas 
McGee, Charles Duff, Thomas Meagher, Richard 
O'Gorman, Terrence McManus, Michael Ireland.

Before passing sentence, the judge asked if there 
was anything that anyone wished to say. Meagher, 
speaking for all, said:

'My Lord, this is our first offense but not our 
last. If you will be easy with us this once, we 
promise, on our word as gentlemen, to try to do 
better next time. And next time we won't get 
caught!'

The indignant judge sentenced them all to be 
hanged by the neck until dead, and drawn and 
quartered. Passionate protest from all the world 
forced Queen Victoria to commute the sentence to 
transportation for life to wild Australia.

In 1874, word reached the astounded Queen Victoria 
that the Sir Charles Duffy who had been elected 
Prime Minister of Australia was the same Charles 
Duffy who had been transported 25 years before. 
On the Queen's demand, the records of the rest of 
the transported men were revealed and this is what 
was uncovered:

Thomas Francis Meagher: Governor of Montana
Terrence McManus: Brigadier General, US Army,
Patrick Donahue: Brigadier General, US Army,
Richard O'Gorman:  Governor General of Newfoundland
Morris Leyne:  Attorney General of Australia, 
after which Michael Ireland succeeded him.
Thomas D'Arcy McGee: Member off Parliament, 
Montreal, Minister of Agriculture and President 
of Council, Dominion of Canada
John Mitchell: prominent New York politician.


Roger Judge,
Newfoundland

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GAELIC PHRASES OF THE MONTH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


PHRASE:		Eanair/Feabhra/Marta
PRONOUNCED:	ain-irr/feow-rahh/marr-tah
MEANING:		January/February/March

PHRASE:		De Luain/De mairt/De Cheadaoin
PRONOUNCED:	day-loon/day-mart/day kade-djeen
MEANING:		Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday

PHRASE:		Aon/Do/Tri
PRONOUNCED:	ah-inn/doh/tree
MEANING:		One/Two/Three

View the archive of phrases here:

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

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JANUARY COMPETITION RESULT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The winner was: jrooney@eccoselect.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,

STAY OUT OF THE COLD!

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.

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