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  The Information about Ireland Site Newsletter 
                  July 2006
 
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) 2006  

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		IN THIS ISSUE
=== Foreword
=== News Snaps from Ireland 
=== New free resources at the site
=== Ancient Ireland #1: The Milesians
=== The Traditional Irish Wedding by Bridget Haggerty
=== Irish Signs
=== Gaelic Phrases of the Month
=== Monthly free competition result

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FOREWORD
========

The warmest Irish Summer in recent years was 
capped with the hottest day in a decade! Of 
course the Irish complained all the way through 
the recent heatwave. Ahhh for some rain!

We have included a 15% discount voucher for your
use when buying some of our new Irish signs 
- see below- the voucher is valid until the 
end of August.

Please DO send us in your stories, poems or 
articles about Ireland for the next edition 
- we love including reader contributions,

until next month,

Michael


WE NEED YOUR HELP!

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NEWS SNAPS FROM IRELAND
=======================
 
ECONOMY CONTINUES TO BOOM DESPITE GLOOMY FORECASTS

The new worth of Irish citizens has been estimated 
at EURO 150,000 per head, which puts Ireland near 
the top of the international 'wealth league table', 
second only to Japan. The economic boom of the last 
decade has created over 30,000 m-illionaires, with 
net worth increasing by over 350% in the last 10 
years. The recent report by Bank of Ireland which 
published the new data alludes to the willingness 
of Irish people to take risks as one of the reasons 
why so many people have done so well.

All is not so rosy in the property market however. 
Despite the sustained growth in house prices in 
recent years the willingness of banks to offer 100% 
mortgages, interest-free mortgages and 35 and 40 
year terms on loans is creating a possible future 
crisis in the Irish economy. It is now estimated 
that as many as 40% of all new mortgage loans are 
100% loans, often to investors. 35-year terms are 
now considered the norm.

Despite the warnings house prices continue to 
forge upwards. Should the property market take a 
big hit then the construction boom that has 
fuelled the economy would suffer a severe 
downturn.

GDP grew by 5.5% in 2005 and this figure is 
expected to be matched in 2006. Inflation at 3.9% 
continues to be a worrying concern. The release 
of over 15 B-illion Euro into the economy in the 
first half of 2007 is expected to create jobs on 
the one hand, but also to drive price inflation 
up, which will result in employee pay demands 
which will reduce competitiveness. There is an 
overall consensus among economists that, once the 
construction boom slows down then there will be 
a serious and perhaps sudden reduction in 
employment.

FOREIGN WORKERS FLOCK INTO IRISH ECONOMY

The number of workers from outside Ireland, mostly 
from eastern Europe, has reached record levels. 
Over 65,000 workers from Poland and the other new 
EU states were registered in the first half of 
2006. Of the near quarter million who have boosted 
the workforce in the last 2 and a half years only 
2000 are claiming unemployment benefits.

GOVERNMENT MAY PUBLISH EXAM RESULT LEAGUE TABLES

Despite opposition from the Teacher Unions the 
Irish Government may copy the UK example and 
publish exam 'league tables' that show which 
are the best performing schools. The Irish 
Department of Education is opposed to the idea 
and has thus far successfully managed to block 
such publication of exam results. 

It is argued that the release of the information 
would highlight schools who are under-resourced.

SALE OF AER LINGUS IS APPROVED

The autumn sale of Aer Lingus has been approved 
with the Government set to retain a controlling 
stake in the national airline. Staff unions are 
gearing up for a fight having warned the 
government that any public flotation will not 
take place without their approval.

UK SET TO BUILD NEW NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS

The UK government has decided to greatly expand 
the number o nuclear power stations with plans 
for 12 new facilities expected to be announced 
shortly. The Irish government is already engaged 
in legal action to try to get Sellafield closed. 
The proximity of the controversial power station 
to the Irish coastline has always been a bone of 
contention between the two countries.

The British Ambassador to Ireland has been 
informed in no uncertain terms of the number of 
concerns that the Irish government has in relation 
to nuclear energy on the British mainland. Irish 
Taoiseach Bertie Ahearn has previously described 
Sellafield as the single biggest threat to Ireland.

Plans for a nuclear power plant in Wexford were 
scuppered in the late 1970s. It is unclear how the 
Irish public would react today to any new plan to 
install a nuclear power plant in Ireland, given the 
global concerns over climate change. Those in 
favour of nuclear power in Ireland point out that 
Ireland already uses some nuclear-generated 
electricity by way of the inter-connect to the 
British power grid.

PRAYER BOOK FOUND IN BOG

The ancient prayerbook that has been recovered 
from an Irish bog is being hailed as one of the 
greatest archeological discoveries ever made in 
this country.

The Psalter, or Book of Psalms, was found in a 
Midlands bog where peat was being milled. It has 
been described by the National Museum of Ireland as 
the Irish equivalent of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The 
1200 year old manuscript is written in Latin on 
calf-skin 'pages' and will take up to 3 years to 
restore.


Voice your opinion on these news issues here:

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

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

NEW COATS OF ARMS ADDED TO THE GALLERY:

The following 5 coats of arms images and family
history details have been added to the Gallery:

C: McCart
Q: Quigley
R: Roe
S: Squiers, Stafford

View the Gallery here:

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

THE PERFECT WEDDING, ANNIVERSARY OR BIRTHDAY GIFT!
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your name at:

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ANCIENT IRELAND #1: THE MILESIANS
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The 'Leabhar Gabhala' or 'book of invasions' is 
a manuscript that records the ancient history of 
Ireland. It was written in the eleventh 
century and gives a vital account of the invasion 
by the Gaels, the 'Sons of Mil', the Milesians.

The story of the Milesians begins in Scythia in 
the very south-eastern part of Europe in the 
millennium before Christ. These were a nomadic 
people famed for their prowess with horses. They 
were ruled by King Fenius who had a grandson 
named Gaedhuil, or 'green gael'. Having been 
bitten by a snake the boy was taken by his 
father to Moses, who cured him with his staff. 

Moses told the boy that he would travel to a land 
without snakes, an island to the west, where his 
descendants would remain.

The boy travelled throughout Europe and settled 
in Spain where he was known as Milesius and became 
King. His brother, Ith, discovered the island that 
Moses had told him about, but was killed by the 
Tuatha de Danaan, the people of the Goddess Danu. 
By this time Milesius had also died but his wife, 
Scota, and his sons, swore vengeance on the Tuatha 
de Danaan and set off for Ireland. Victory was 
theirs despite Scota being a casualty of the war. 
The sons of Milesius, Eber and Eremon, became 
rulers of Ireland, the land without snakes. The 
two rulers divided the country between them with 
Eber ruling the North and Eremon the South. 
Needless to say, the peace of the land was 
short-lived with a battle ensuing to claim the 
hill of Tara. Eremon prevailed, and became King 
of Ireland.

Academic scholars are unsure of when exactly the 
Milesian invasion occurred. Some estimate it at 
1000 bc, others as early as 3500 bc. Despite the 
difficulty with verifying traditions and legends 
there is good evidence to prove the existence of 
the Milesians as a Celtic race of people. The 
descendants of the Milesians include 'Niall of 
the Nine Hostages' (from whom all O'Neills are 
descended), Conn of the Hundred Battles, and 
Ugani Mor. It is based on this pedigree that the 
Milesians are regarded as the true fathers of the 
Irish people.

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where you can get great Irish gifts, prints, 
claddagh jewellery, engraved glassware and 
much more.

Wendy Walker of Columbia, Missouri got a
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crest engraved on it for her son

 Michael,
 I received by registered mail today the ring I 
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 It is beautiful and the service I received 
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THE TRADITIONAL IRISH WEDDING by Bridget Haggerty
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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 from bookstores.

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 
progress (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 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. 

Slainte! 

Bridget Haggerty

You can get this book here: 
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0937702188/theinformatabout

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YOU CAN HELP TO KEEP THIS FREE NEWSLETTER ALIVE!

Visit: 
https://www.irishnation.com
where you can get great Irish gifts, prints, 
claddagh jewellery, engraved glassware and 
much more.

Anne MacDonald ordered a family crest plaque:

 Hello, Michael,

 Received my plaque, carefully wrapped, 
 in good order. It is splendid! I am 
 thrilled, and I know that my dad, for whose 
 81st birthday this was ordered, will love 
 it. I would like to order another one! 

 Everyone who has seen the plaque has been 
 really impressed, even those who, as my 
 daughter says are 'not into ancestor 
 worship!'

 Again, my hearty thanks for this 
 first-class product.

 Best wishes for happy holiday season.

 Sincerely, Anne MacDonald

THE PERFECT WEDDING OR ANNIVERSARY GIFT!

View family crest plaques here:

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

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IRISH SIGNS
===========

We are delighted to announce the availability of 
new hand-crafted and personalised Irish signs. 
Get 15% off by entering the code NL07 in the 
'extra instructions' part of the order form.

Our Wood Signs are based upon late 19th century 
designs when use of text oriented trade and pub 
signs were at their height. While the signs are 
brand new, they conform in shape and lettering 
style to that of old time signs. To complete the 
look, all of the signs are given a hand rubbed 
stain to 'age' the sign appropriately. 

Some of our popular designs include the following:

My Irish Angel: 
 I have an Irish Angel,
 She keeps me free of Strife,
 I'll lifelong love this Angel,
 Sure she also is me wife!

God created liquor to keep the 
Irish from conquering the world

An Irish Toast:
 May you be in heave for two hours 
 before the Devil knows you're dead

Don't wait until Christmas week to order!

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

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GAELIC PHRASES OF THE MONTH
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The following Gaelic phrases are engraved on our
new Irish rings - see here:

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

PHRASE:		Mo anam cara
PRONOUNCED:	muh ann-imm karrah
MEANING:		My soulmate

PHRASE:	 	Gra, Dilseacht, Cairdeas 
PRONOUNCED:	graw, deel-shockt, korr-djass
MEANING:		Love, Loyalty, Friendship

PHRASE:		Gra Go Deo
PRONOUNCED:	graw guh djoe
MEANING:		Love forever

View the archive of phrases here:

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

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JULY COMPETITION RESULT
========================

The winner was: 6oconnors@comcast.net
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. 

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I hope that you have enjoyed this issue.

Until next time,

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.


https://www.ireland-information.com

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