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The Weather
Basic IrishIrish: As Béarla led thoil?
Pronunciation: oss bayr-lah ledh hell? (literally 'in English please?)
LINKS1.How Ireland's elusive corncrake has come back from the brink of extinction
The increase, which is being attributed to the warm weather, was the first rise in numbers since 2014.2.'He was a bit taken aback!' - Mum and daughter attend First Dates Ireland restaurant together
Meeting the parents is usually not done on the first date - but that was exactly the case for the first ever mum and daughter pair to appear on First Dates Ireland.
The first episode of the dating show's new series airs tonight.
Delia O'Malley (23) persuaded her mum Amy (52) to sign up for the show when she was filling in the form.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-news/he-was-a-bit-taken-aback-mum-and-daughter-attend-first-dates-ireland-restaurant-together-37698551.html
Who will approve of who I wonder —Russ
3.Irish Rail set to get NTA approval for €100m worth of rail carriages
Irish Rail, which saw record passenger numbers last year, is expected to get approval from the National Transport Authority (NTA) shortly for the purchase of €100 million worth of new rail carriages.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/irish-rail-set-to-get-nta-approval-for-100m-worth-of-rail-carriages-1.3753805
The more rail the better—Russ
4. John Cleese: ‘Why don’t you Irish spell your names properly?’
Yes, John Cleese is as tall as we think, and he still has that gait as he strides on stage to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. He obliges with occasional oral explosions and outrageous comments, as we require. As he leaves, he snatches his notes from the podium, intentionally all Fawlty-like.
He’s casual, wearing a navy polo short and jacket, and, delightfully, (I’m almost sure) no socks under what look like navy moccasin slippers.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/stage/john-cleese-why-don-t-you-irish-spell-your-names-properly-1.3754137?localLinksEnabled=false&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=KBC+refuses+to+engage+with+staff+over+arson+attacks%2C+union+says&utm_campaign=morning_briefing_digest
That would take all the fun out of it—Russ
5. Armagh father and son grow Ireland’s most expensive vegetable
The world’s most expensive vegetable — the Japanese wasabi — has been successfully grown in Ireland for the first time.
The sushi accompaniment, traditionally grown in mountain streams of its native habitat in the Japanese Shizuoka Prefecture, is worth a cool €1.5m an acre.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/armagh-father-and-son-grow-irelands-most-expensive-vegetable-896342.html
I guess I’ll stick with potatoes—Russ
6. Laurel and Hardy – another fine mess: The real story of their final days
When a Laurel and Hardy film came on television my grandad Freddie Elcock would sit me on his knee and point excitedly at the screen. “There he is,” he’d say. “Stan Laurel. My old pal Stan.”
Before the first World War Freddie had worked with Stan – and Charlie Chaplin, too – on music hall bills topped by the impresario Fred Karno’s touring company of slapstick comedians. Chaplin was Karno’s star; a 20-year-old Stan Jefferson (his real name) was second banana and Charlie’s understudy. Freddie wasn’t a member of the troupe, but he performed at local theatres, way down the bill among the wines and spirits, and when a Karno show was touring the British midlands he and his comedy partner, Jack Dutton, would be drafted in to do a knockabout front-cloth parody strongman act while scenery was being changed, then join the others for the riotous finale.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/laurel-and-hardy-another-fine-mess-the-real-story-of-their-final-days-1.3738117?localLinksEnabled=false&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Garda%C3%AD+investigate+claims+Ardee+murder+suspect+confessed+in++selfie+video&utm_campaign=morning_briefing_digest
I couldn’t resist including this—Russ7. Student who died at the Cliffs of Moher has been identified
A young man who fell to his death at the Cliffs of Moher on Friday has been identified as Anand Goel, a Trinity College Student from India.
Mr Goel, who was studying marketing and design, appears to have lost his footing and fell 600ft to the sea below at the popular Co Clare tourist destination. It is believed that he was taking a selfie photograph at the time of the incident.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/student-who-died-at-the-cliffs-of-moher-has-been-identified-1.3749146QUOTES, TOASTS , CURSES AND BLESSINGSA weary soldier fighting against Napoleon at Waterloo wrote in his diary: "When I [could] take some nourishment, I felt the most extraordinary desire for a glass of Guinness." Doctors wrote in to say that they found Guinness good for everything from "insomnia, neurasthenia, debility and constipation" to an "effective aid for nursing mothers."
Guinness tried to get stout admitted into the U.S. during Prohibition as a medicine, but the Treasury Department coldly said no.
A BIT OF THE WITJOKE OF THE MONTHDID YOU KNOW1. According to Irish folklore, if you take molasses melted in water, it will prevent varicose veins.
I’m glad I don’t have varicose veins, oh it must be thick molasses —Russ
2.Blarney, as defined by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, is flattery so thin we like it, as opposed to baloney which is flattery so thick it can't be true.
A good one from Bishop Sheen—Russ
3.Cork is Ireland's largest county.
Which explains why it’s referred to as ‘West Cork’ and ‘East Cork’–Russ
Sponsor
Available on Amazon. Use this Link:THE WEEK THAT IS2.Article: In Tribute to W.B.Yeats
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/AWriters/Yeats.html
So there you have it until we write again - sometime in February.every fireside door and every wall;
every heart that beats beneath its roof,
every hand that toils to bring it joy,
every foot that walks its portals through.
may Brigid bless the house that shelters you.
The Book
Potion, pope and perfidy
The second and final version is complete and available on Amazon.
Don’t order through ‘Marketplace’ or you’ll get the first version which is incomplete. Use this link: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Potion-Pope-Perfidy-ebook/dp/B07BBVST69/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531576170&sr=1-2&keywords=russell+haggerty&dpID=61BzUIHyd2L&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
If any of you bought and read the first version, I don’t want you to pay the higher price for the second. So, send me an E-Mail at the address below and I’ll buy one for you at my author’s price and mail it to you (and, yes, I’ll sign it). Even with the postage it will save you a bit of money.
Bless you all,
Russ Haggerty
LEAVE 'EM LAUGHINGIt's not really a joke, but is definitely good for a giggle! Sir Boyle Roche, MP for Co. Kerry was notorious for his oratorical blunders. Witness this lovely example:
During the French Revolution, he warned that the revolutionaries might invade Ireland. "Sir," he declaimed, "they would break in, cut us to mince meat and throw our bleeding heads on that table to stare us in the face. Who would not answer such a call to arms, not to mention legs and feet?"
Last Words
If you or anyone you know can benefit from advertising in my newsletter or the Irish Culture and Customs web site please contact me. My E-Mail address is: rhaggerty@irishcultureandcustoms.com
Thank you in advance
For all of you who have supported Irish Culture and Customs all these years – thank you.
When you start to buy anything on the internet don’t forget to go through the web Site. If you use Amazon, click on ‘Shopping’ at the top of the Irish Culture and Customs Homepage and the next page you see will have Amazon at the top. Anything you buy from Amazon through our site pays a (very small) commission. It beats a blank and it doesn’t effect your price. Thank you again.
—Russ
