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IN THIS ISSUE
~~~ Foreword
~~~ News Snaps from Ireland
~~~ New free resources at the site
~~~ Cork Dishwasher scoops the Irish Draw
~~~ Bridey by Carole Kenney
~~~ The Road to Knowledge by John B. McCabe
~~~ How I started to learn Irish by Nancy Bryan
~~~ Gaelic phrases of the month
~~~ Shamrock Site of the Month
~~~ Monthly free competition result
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FOREWORD
~~~~~~~~
Hello again from Ireland where the talk is all
about rubbish! People now have to pay to have
their rubbish bins collected and they are not at
all happy about it. Two elected representatives
have actually gone to prison in protest at the
charges.
Until the next time,
Michael
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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.
Timothy Meade got some family crest watches as
gifts for his wedding groomsmen:
Michael,
The watches are amazing. They arrived at just the
right time. I really appreciate that you didn't
bill me for the extra shipping. It warms the
cockles of me heart.
Thanks for making my wedding day just that much
more beautiful.
Tim
See here for family crest gifts:
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NEWS SNAPS FROM IRELAND
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HUGE FALL IN NUMBERS SEEKING ASYLUM IN IRELAND
The recent decision by the Supreme Court that the
parents of Irish-born children are not
automatically entitled to residency in Ireland
has resulted in a big drop in the number of
applications being made.
There were over 11,600 applications for asylum
during the first 8 months of 2002. During the
same time period in 2003 only 6051 have been
received. Applications from Nigeria account for
one third of all applications. SInce there is no
direct travel route between Ireland and Nigeria
it is clear that the asylum applicants are
landing in other European countries first (mostly
Britain and France) where they are supposed to
make their application. The possibility of
residency being granted in Ireland because an
applicants child was born in Ireland has caused
major pressure being placed the country's
Maternity Hospitals.
The closure of this path to residency has been
attributed with causing the huge fall in the
number of refugees entering the State.
DEMONSTRATIONS OVER BIN TAX CONTINUE
A Socialist T.D. (member of parliament) and a
Dublin Councillor have been jailed as a result
of their ongoing protests against the bin tax.
The bin tax was introduced as a means of
financing local government. The cost of the
collection of bins to residents varies from
region to region and has steadily increased. A
campaign against this 'double taxation' has
resulted in legislation being introduced that
authorises the local councils to refuse to
collect the bins of those residents who have
not paid the charge.
This has prompted street demonstrations and
the blocking of refuse trucks on roads. The
two politicians who were sent to jail were in
direct contravention of a High Court order
preventing them from blocking the bin trucks.
Recent government proposals that all bins will
be weighed in the future and that residents
will be charged on a 'per-weight' basis has
done little to calm the disquiet.
IRISH TROOPS MAY BE SENT TO IRAQ
Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahearn has indicated
that he may be willing to send Irish
peace-keeping troops into Iraq, should the
United Nations require them. Any troop
deployment would be dependent on a new UN
resolution authorising UN involvement in the
conflict. Already two senior Garda officers
have been appointed onto an international
police panel which will report on the state of
security in Baghdad on behalf of the UN.
DEBATE OVER SMOKING BAN CONTINUES
From next January it will be illegal to smoke in
pubs and restaurants in Ireland. The new smoking
ban is being introduced by the Department of
Health in a bid to reduce the risk of passive
smoking and to encourage non-smokers to quit.
Lobbying by pub and hotel owners has gained
momentum in recent months and already some
publicans are working to manoeuvre around the
ban. Several pubs have had courtyard style
'beer gardens' created complete with outdoor
heaters and retractable roofs. Some rooms in
pubs are being converted to 'outdoor' rooms by
the removal of a wall or by the raising of the
ceiling.
NEW DRINK LAWS INTRODUCED
New laws have been introduced in an effort to
reduce drink consumption and to reduce street
crime associated with over-consumption of alcohol.
Closing time in pubs on Thursday nights will
revert to 11:30 pm from 12:30 am. It will also be
illegal for people under 18 to be in a pub after
9:00 pm, unless they are at a private function or
are consuming a 'substantial' meal. 18 to 20
year-olds will also be required to carry
identification with them whilst in a pub and will
face a fine of 300 Euro if found on a licenced
premises without such identification.
FALSE COMPENSATION CLAIMANTS WILL FACE JAIL
New measures are being introduced to try to reduce
the 'compensation culture' that has blossomed in
Ireland in recent years. Apart from America,
Ireland is the most litigious country in the world
when it comes to suing. There have been may well
documented cases of false claims being made and
the Government has decided to act.
Anyone who makes a false compensation claim will
be faced with the possibility of up to 10 years in
jail under the tough new proposed legislation.
Anyone who exaggerates a claim will have their
complete claim thrown out and may also face legal
expenses.
MOTORCYCLISTS TARGETED IN WAR ON TRAFFIC DEATHS
New legislation has been proposed by the
Government which will make it compulsory for all
motorcyclists to wear colourful luminescent bibs.
The introduction of the penalty points system has
seen a big reduction in the number of road
fatalities in all categories of road vehicle,
except motorcycles. 42 motorcyclists have been
killed on Irish roads so far this year.
A further proposal by the Government may raise
the minimum age for motorcycle use from 16 to 17
years. Compulsory lessons for new drivers has
also been suggested.
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 8 coats of arms images and family
history details have been added to the Gallery:
C: McCloskey
D: McDade
F: Forkin
H: Hichisson, Henley
L: Lowther
M: Mulcahy
R: Rigney
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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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
View family crest plaques here:
https://www.irishnation.com/familycrestplaques.htm
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BRIDEY by Carole Kenney
~~~~~~
Bridey is my second cousin, and the most
interesting of a number of cousins living in
County Clare, Ireland. I visited her in her
thatched-roof white house which has been in the
family for 200 years. Once inside, you look up,
not at a ceiling but at a shiny pattern of thick,
strong, reeds interwoven in such a way that rain
never penetrates. The entry door opens onto the
kitchen where the entire right wall is an enormous
faded yellow cabinet, with many latched doors. The
living room is dark with worn furniture, and
between the sofa and chair is a small round table
holding a glass decanter and small glasses for the
Irish Whiskey.
Bridey never married. She kept house for her
father and brother who were quite fond of Irish
Whiskey. She rides a motor scooter, wears a brown
raincoat year round and has a very deep voice. My
cousin, Reina, told me confidentially with a kind
but amused smile, that Bridey's neighbor down the
road thought for a long time that she was a man.
Reina and I were sitting at her dining room table
and I was admiring her collection of crystal and
pieces of Belleek when she offered to drop me at
Bridey's so I could spend a little time with her.
I tried frantically to think of an excuse.
'She's probably tired from working in the garden
and will want to take a nap'. Nothing worked.
'Oh no' Reina said persistently, 'she'd love to
see you, she said so just the other day'. There
was no hope. I didn't want to go. But we went. I
didn't want to be left alone with this strange
lady with whom I had nothing in common. She had
rough, pock-marked skin, faded red hair, no facial
expression, and that scary deep voice. I could see
no hope for conversation other than those
desperate banalities that ward off the horror of
total silence. She came to the door. Reina left
me there.
Bridey smiled a little, seemed genuinely glad to
see me, and offered me a chair beside the round
black heater. We each had a little Irish Whiskey.
I hoped it would help. She started by asking me
about my grandmother and why she never returned
to Ireland for a visit. I explained that her
husband had died leaving her with four children
and that there was little possibility of such a
trip. She didn't seem to understand. She looked
distant and repeated a few times, 'None of them
ever came back'. She said again, half to herself
'They never came back, none of them'. I rambled
on nervously as she listened quietly, saying
little, asking an occasional question.
There was a little rack beside the round, black
stove and on it hung two pairs of pink drawers
with holes, drying as we talked. At first it
seemed colloquial and colorful and even funny,
but suddenly the whole scene changed and I saw
the tragedy of her lost life. I saw her soul and
it obliterated everything else. I saw the old
brown raincoat on a hook, her quiet acceptance of
her fate, and suddenly the rack, the stove and
the pink drawers became so overwhelmingly sad, I
had to fight back tears. I pretended to be
coughing. She was sensible and would have thought
I was crazy. I still wanted to leave, but part of
me wished I could stay and in some way make her
life easier. She kissed me goodbye and I felt the
roughness of her cheek and of her life.
In this 200-year-old family house, Bridey gave me
a sense of the soul of Ireland and a feeling of
being contained within that soul. It was home,
this place I had never seen before, as tangible
as the rickety chair I was sitting on.
Carole Kenney
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THE ROAD TO KNOWLEDGE by John B. McCabe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I can never recall with any accuracy my first day
at school because I made two beginnings. My
brother was two years older than me and he was
sent to school for the first time at the age of
six. I was sent along with him but then my
parents took pity on me because I was only four
and it was a mile walk to school. I was kept at
home until the following year and made a new
beginning then.
School itself was not such a wonderful experience
though I was bright enough to learn quickly and
was seldom punished. Being naturally fond of
company I delighted in the excitement of the
crowd but privately formed only a few special
friendships.
In spite of my ability to learn quickly it is sad
to recall that I never felt loved at primary
school and the prevailing mood of those years was
one of anxiety and nervousness fear of being
late, fear of being slapped, shame at watching
others being beaten.
The schoolmistress who taught me in the early
years was a good and conscientious young woman but
one who shouted all day long and had her
favourites. I only resented her favouritism
because I wanted it for myself and because her
favourites were better off and I would have liked
that too.
The schoolmaster was humane and philosophical and
I warmed to him a little better but never crossed
the bridge between servile respect and healthy
reverence where real learning is possible. There
was a hunger in me that was never filled in those
formative years. One or two small seeds did take
root where the cadence of words and rhythms from
early poems touched my ear for the first time but
it was a sparse and famished nourishment that
barely awoke the soul.
Scientists agree that the most difficult sense to
recall is the sense of smell. Even when we dream
we do so in visual and aural worlds but never in
olfactory dimensions. Yet when it comes to those
early school years it is a variety of smells and
tactile sensations which best evoke, for me, the
ambience and atmosphere of that time. The
distinctive smell and cloying touch of plasticine
finds me rolling out wriggly worms on a rough
bench to form bicycles, bird's nests, little
houses and a whole variety of clumsy models of the
world around me.
The fumbling grip of a tiny finger and thumb on a
morsel of chalk, the dry scratching on slate
announce my first wobbly alphabet. Cold water,
coal dust and sunlight soap in an enamelled basin
the ritual ablutions after lighting the school
fire. The aura of expectancy evoked in the smell
of new books and their promised discoveries,
marred inevitably by ink stains and sullied by
punishments earned or undeserved in the
explorations of grammar, spelling and
transcription. The musty aftermath of stale lunch
crumbs in canvas bags, the pungency of ammonia
fumes oozing from the dry-toilet walls. These and
a thousand other smells are forever remembrances
of school.
There was no wall-clock that I can recall and the
school day was measured as in some primeval age
by phases of change. Time did not seem to exist
so slowly did the hours drawl by. Morning prayers,
roll call, mid-morning break, the shock of sound
when the angelus rang from the nearby chapel,
lunch-time, afternoon break and finally the
excited exodus of home time. These were the
constant signposts along to road to knowledge.
Between these unchanging divisions of the day lay
the timeless routine of learning which followed a
monastic regularity: chanting of tables,
brow-furrowed puzzlement of sums, the finger
leading the eye from word to word along the
mysterious page.
There was so little colour in those books after
we left the infant classes that the mind grew
bland with boredom. My eyes hungered for some
stimulus to brighten the landscape of our drab
and desolate space. I still recall the primitive
abacus of coloured spools threaded on clothes-line
wire against the brown wainscoted wall, the vivid
pink of fresh plaster covering a hole in the
off-white ceiling, a deep green spray of painted
shamrocks and a cascade of fiery tongues lurking
among the dull pages of an early catechism.
Occasionally a little light would seep through a
chink in the armour of routine. A visiting
missionary would call with exotic tales of
malarious mosquitoes, witch doctors and cannibals
in dugout canoes. For a brief moment our minds
would glow in the warmth of imaginations fire,
bright as the equatorial sun. Rarer still a
travelling conjurer would visit and we could
purchase for a few pennies those happy mesmeric
moments when 'the swiftness of the hand would
steal a march on the eye'.
The most terrifyingly important moment of the
year was the annual catechism exam when we begged
mammy to 'put us over the answers' in the thin
dawn light before going in to school. The examiner
was a young priest, a gentle, warm and loving man
who offered half the answer with the question so
that we could act our answers from his prompting
phrases while we were centre-stage for this most
dramatic performance of the academic year.
Progress was measured by postings: firstly from
bench to bench and later from room to room. Moving
to the 'master's room' marked a definite
graduation which promised that sometime in the
unimaginable future it might be possible to earn
parole from this, to us, life-long learning
imprisonment.
Then there came a day shortly before I finished
my apprenticeship when the master opened a book
and read a poem in Irish called 'An Long' about
a ship which came to harbour after many exotic
adventures in far-away magical places. That's when
it happened. A door opened to a world of words.
Was it something in the timbre of emotion in the
master's voice or the look of longing in his tired
eyes when he savoured the sounds? I am sure he was
not aware of the impact he made on me at that
moment of epiphany but today I thank him for the
gift that was worth the waiting in those timeless
years.
John B. McCabe
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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.
Claire Latevola ordered an engraved ring:
Dear Michael,
I did want to let you know the watch I ordered
for my Sister's birthday, with the Nugent crest,
was lovely.
She received it in short order and was delighted.
I recently saw it and was very happy with it.
Sometimes you feel you are taking a chance placing
such an order, but I would not hesitate to place an
order again thru your system.
Again, thank you.
Claire Latevola
Get your Family Crest ring here:
https://www.irishnation.com/familycrestrings.htm
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HOW I STARTED TO LEARN IRISH by Nancy Bryan
A Mhichil, a chara,
I, like many other Americans, do have a bit of
Irish blood running through my veins, but the
essence of my ancestors is embedded in my heart
and soul. My quest to learn Gaeilge (Irish
language) began about two years ago when I met
someone born and raised in County Cork, Ireland.
I started surfing the web, going into Irish chat
rooms and looking for ways to learn the language
online. That is when I found your newsletter with
the 'Phrases of the Month' section. It was
marvelous, and so easy to learn phonetically but
I hungered for more.
Each month, I would learn the phrases and practice
them. I even tried them out on one of your native
sons, a local shopkeeper. He said, 'You have a
darn good accent, for a Yank'. That made me smile,
and warmed my heart. But it also served to
reinforce my determination to really learn the
language and be able to speak it with pride and
confidence.
I happened upon a learning chat room on America
on Line, AOL International Gaelic Language Chat.
The host of that room was most helpful. When I
told him I wanted to learn but felt it would be
easier if I had someone with whom I could practice
speaking, he told me about an Irish Heritage
course at a local college. Well that did it.
I signed up for the spring semester (a ten week
session). I must confess, after the first class
I was a bit overwhelmed and questioned my own
ability to ever master the language. The rules
for grammar and spelling are baffling at first
and until you learn how certain letter
combinations, as well as what comes before and
after them, make certain sounds you really have
a hard time with pronunciation of the written
word. I was pleasantly surprised that by the
seventh class I began to understand what my
instructor was saying to me, though I was not
always able to answer in Irish. However, my Irish
determination (some may call it stubbornness)
kicked in and I have continued with my studies.
I attended the 5-week summer session and, along
with two other students, formed a study group
that meets once a week. I have also joined a
group from the college called Daltai na Gaeilge.
They offer many opportunities to actually use the
language and have a great site online, daltai.com.
If anyone wishes to learn just a few basic phrases
and hear them spoken or find a program in their
local area this site could be of help to them.
At present, after only 15 formal classes, I still
have the vocabulary and knowledge of a young child
but I work on it everyday. Even when I am with
family and friends who don't speak the language, I
will speak to them in Gaeilge and then translate
what I have said. The fun part comes when I have
them try to repeat the proper response. Another
way I practice is when emailing friends from the
class. I use my Focloir (dictionary) and try to
write it entirely in Irish. Then I take the email
to class and have the instructor go over it. If
an error is made and you learn from it, it
becomes a lesson. The real secret in learning
Irish is to have fun with it and cleachtadh,
cleachtadh, cleachtadh (practice, practice,
practice).
Some have asked me 'Why study Irish?' My reply is
simply 'Because I can'.
One day, God willing, I shall set foot on your
beautiful Ireland and I wish to honor her, her
people and my ancestors by being able to speak
the native tongue.
Tir gan teanga, tir gan anam (a land without a
language, is a land without a soul).
Keep up the great work with the newsletter.
Go raibh maith agat, a Mhichil,
(Thank you, Michael)
Mise le meas, (with respect)
Nainsi (Nancy)
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GAELIC PHRASES OF THE MONTH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PHRASE: An bhfuil pian ort?
PRONOUNCED: on will peen urt?
MEANING: Do you have any pain?
PHRASE: Beidh tu ag taisteal san otharcharr
PRONOUNCED: beg two egg tass/toil sann uttor/karr
MEANING: You are going by ambulance
PHRASE: Gheobhaidh me an bhanaltra duit
PRONOUNCED: yeo/igg/ may on bonn/all/trah dwit
MEANING: I will get the nurse for you
View the archive of phrases here:
https://www.ireland-information.com/irishphrases.htm
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SHAMROCK SITE OF THE MONTH: CELTICATTIC.COM
Shop online for everything you need to decorate
your home and life with a Celtic Twist: Art,
Crafts, Irish & Scottish Baskets, Suncatchers,
Wind-Chimes, Music and Celtic Gifts. We offer a
delightful variety of Celtic Jewelry: Pendants,
Crosses, Rings, Hair Ties & more. All your
Irish Bath, Beauty and Herbal needs are in one
convenient location! The Majority of our products
are Irish, Scottish, Welsh made.
http://www.celticattic.com
Phone orders 360-765-0186
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SEPTEMBER COMPETITION RESULT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The winner was: amynugent@core.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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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.
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I hope that you have enjoyed this issue.
Until next time,
Stay Warm!
Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.
https://www.ireland-information.com
Click here to contact us