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Welcome to the Irish Culture & Customs newsletter which is published every weekend and sent out to more than 1400 readers all over the world. You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for it - God Bless you! If you'd like to read past issues, they are archived at: http://www.yourmailinglistprovider.com/pubarchive.php?Herself
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Greetings and blessings to all,
Well, here we are at the last edition for October - hard to believe! It's always lovely to be back and we hope this issue finds you in good health, good spirits and in good company. We'd also like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our new subscribers. Many thanks for signing up and please feel free to pass our meanderings and musings along to family and friends.
It was a busy week in the Haggerty household - so, what's different about that, you might ask?! The Hallowe'en decorations are up and we're trying very hard not to eat all of the chocolate bars we bought for next Friday's trick or treaters. The last few days, the weather has grown noticeably cooler and the furnace has started to come on from time to time. The frost is finally on the pumpkin!
For our readers in Ireland, we hope you are enjoying the last bank holiday of the year - and if you're on the roads, to borrow the new ad slogan, please be careful and "Arrive Alive."
Since subscribing, many of you have become dear friends; but, unfortunately distance prevents us from meeting in person. However, this past week, Bridget had the pleasure of lunching with Jane Irwin who lives nearby. After writing back and forth for almost two years, we finally got together as a result of Jane wishing to buy Bridget's wedding book (Jane has TWO daughters getting married next year!). We hit it off extremely well and plans are in the works for a pre-Christmas get-together.
For all of you Rugby fans, way to go Ireland, who beat Argentina in one of those bite your nail games that ended with a score of 16 to 15!
And, for all the many of you who enter our trivia contest, we're sorry to say that it appears Celtic Brands is not going to honour their offer of a side of salmon. We now have the possibility of three disappointed prize-winners which is very upsetting, both for them and for us. However, the good news is that one of our subscribers, Roger Cummiskey, who is also an acclaimed artist in Dublin, has generously offered to sponsor the contest for six months beginning in November. More details will be posted on the Trivia page when we update it this coming Friday.
In other exciting news, Anne Lanier Weddings will begin advertising on our wedding page, also beginning this November 1st. Relevant to that , and because of so much Hallowe'en/Samhain content to deal with, we have decided to hold up on the article Music for an Irish Wedding until we "re-launch" the wedding section. So, for all of you brides and grooms to be, thanks for your patience and watch for new content, products and more in the next week or so. Enough about us...
In news from Ireland:
Dublin: Win tickets to Ireland's biggest and best Christmas experience!
7UP's Christmas on Ice and Dublin Tourism are giving away two pairs of tickets to the fantastic Christmas Village in the RDS at the forthcoming festival launch weekend. Click here to enter:
http://www.visitdublin.com/competitions/xmasonice.asp
Dublin: One of the largest modern design exhibitions ever held in Ireland will open to the public at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) on October 29. "Living in Motion: Design and Architecture for Flexible Dwelling" explores developments in the home, the workplace and in peoples' lifestyles. It continues to January 2004.
Cork City: The Guinness Cork Jazz festival is taking place this weekend; the international gathering of musicians includes 120 bands and 1,000 musicians from 26 countries.
A series of Masses to celebrate the newly beatified Mother Teresa of Calcutta has begun at Roman Catholic churches in the Irish Republic. Masses will be held in Armagh, Dublin, Knock, Co Mayo, and Blarney, Co Cork over the next four days.
Women challenge 'old boy' culture in the law: Last week saw the launch of the first ever report on women lawyers in Ireland. The report was conducted because of the dramatic increase in numbers of women entering Law in recent years; among the student body in Trinity, for example, male students are outnumbered in every class.
Dublin: Winter came early last week when snow closed the airport for most of the day and caused traffic chaos in the city.
Shannon Estuary: Animal-lovers now have the chance to listen to Fungie and Flipper having a chat - by telephone. A water phone is being installed to record the live conversations of a group of 50 dolphins who have taken up residency.
Remembering Hallowe'en. The following showed up on one of our Irish forums. We thought you might enjoy it:
"Trick or Treat" - never heard the words uttered in Dublin; we said "Help the Halloween party." We dressed up in anything we could find, an old sheet, Mum's or the sister's clothes, crepe paper costumes and, if you were really really rich, maybe a hire costume. Mind you, hire costumes were few and far between in our neighbourhood. Fruit was the order of the day, it was funny how some of the fruits like the coconut only appeared in Dublin in the middle of winter. Colcannon for dinner, mashed potato with curly kale and plenty of butter, salt and pepper. Mum would wrap a sixpence or thruppence in a piece of greaseproof paper and put it in the pot of colcannon. It was the luck of the draw who got it on their plate. Then we had the barmbrack with the brass ring hidden inside; get the ring and you were the next to be married. The only games I remember playing were bobbing for apples, apples in a basin of water, or trying to bite an apple suspended from a string. Today it seems that people associate Hallowe'en with America."
Co. Waterford: This weekend, the city is staging the first Waterford 'Phoenix' Arts Festival. Celebrating many art forms including comedy, craft, dance, film, literature, music, theatre and visual arts, there will be scores of events happening all over the city. The full programme can be viewed here:
http://www.waterfordartsfestival.com
In news from all over:
Cleveland, Ohio. Twenty Achill islanders are in Cleveland through Wednesday to complete a "twinning" - or symbolic union - of the two communities, Cleveland and the Parish of Achill. At the same time, they are seeing up close the city their countrymen helped build.
Cumberland, Maryland. Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians want to put together a fund-raising effort for a 5 feet by 3 feet monument in honour of the Irish canal and railroad construction workers who helped establish the city as a transportation hub.
From the mailbag:
MaryPat is looking for a recipe for a cake called "Schlim" which her mother made every Sunday. It was made with flour, eggs, baking powder or soda, milk and raisins and caraway seeds and was cooked on the top of the stove in a covered pan - not in the oven like soda bread. Her grandmother made it on on open fire in Mayo. Can anyone help?
Last week, Anthony Melling from the Dept of Anthropology at the University of Kent in Canterbury asked about Pooka Piles. No-one seems to know the origins or how old the expression is, but several people wrote to say they knew it as relating to rings of toadstools or mushrooms.
Links of the week:
Still looking for a Hallowe'en costume? You might find it here:
Hallowe'en Costumes
http://www.costumepig.com/store/1733/Adult.html
Judith reminds us that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Help those who cannot afford a mammogram by clicking here:
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites
Need a stress-reliever? Try this:
http://ownbey.info/rightnow
If you like hummingbirds as much as we do, you'll enjoy this link sent in by Betsie
http://community2.webtv.net/hotmail.com/verle33/HummingBirdNest/index.html
It doesn't always come up right away - but keep trying.
We've blathered on long enough...on with the update:
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We're ready for Christmas, are you? Find all our exciting New Christmas Items here:
http://www.celticattic.com/treasures/christmas_all_year_long.htm
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IN THIS ISSUE:
A Bit of The Wit
Joke of The Week
Did You Know?
Quotes & Quips
Know Your Irish Writers & Books?
Riddle
New This Week
The Week Ahead
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A BIT O' THE WIT
He is indebted to his memory for his jests and to his imagination for his facts.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan, in honour of his birthday October 30
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OUR FAVORITE JOKE OF THE WEEK
This one isn't Irish, but it's too good to pass up; and besides, Scots are our Celtic kin, right? With many thanks to Yergov in the Ukraine:
Old Scotland. Two nearby castles are at war. One shoots a cannonball at the other. Bang. A piece of wall breaks. In a while the second castle shoots at the first one. A part of a tower becomes a pile of stones. And so on for some time. Then there is a long silence. Suddenly from one of the castles a cry is heard: "Why don't you shoot?" And the answer: "But you have the cannonball."
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DID YOU KNOW...
1. Edgar Allan Poe's father was Irish? A failed actor, David Poe is said to have abandoned his family after the death of Poe's mother, Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins. Edgar was two years old.
2. The crypt of St. Michan's Church in Dublin contains the almost perfectly preserved remains of corpses dating from the Middle Ages? The reason for their preservation appears to be the limestone walls of their tombs.
3. The Fomori are the evil gods of Irish myth?
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QUIPS, QUOTES & ANECDOTES - PROVERBS, CURSES AND TOASTS, TOO
The most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money, and the most repellent man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan, in honour of his birthday on October 30.
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KNOW YOUR IRISH WRITERS & IRISH-RELATED BOOKS?
The answers for last week:
1. Haunted Ireland - Her Romantic and Mysterious Ghosts by John J. Dunne
2. Haunted Hills - Ghost Tales of Ireland for Children by Joan Ryan, Gorden Snell (editor)
3. The Epics of Celtic Ireland: Ancient Tales of Mystery and Magic by Jean Mzrkhale, Jody Gladding (Translator)
In the words of one overly-excited Irish emcee, please clap your feet for:
Patricia Edwards
This is quite an interesting site about Irish Myths & Magic
http://www.irelandsown.net/fionncycle.htm
Debbie aka Mollie
My favorite website is:
Inishowen On-line. It's filled with lots of news about Donegal as well as the west of Ireland.
http://www.inishowenonline.com/index.htm
Hartson Dowd
Ireland's National Tourism Database. Here you will find extensive information on camping, hostels, castles, car rentals, and much more; accessible by county and region. It also contains some information on Northern Ireland.
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com
Helen Dowd
Need an angel today? Visit my website at: http://www.occupytillicome.com/literary.html
Ellen Parodi
Namely Gifts at
http://namelygifts.com
Personalized Name Keepsakes and Gifts
Something for every name on your gift list!
Featuring Hallowe'en and Our Everyday Heroes
Déirdre McKiernan-Hetzler
Interested in exploring "real Irish culture and history?" Take a look at our most recent tour itinerary and then request a brochure; we'll be glad to send you one as soon as they're back from the printer. In the meantime, we'd be happy to email you the itinerary.
http://www.irishbook.com/tourinfo.htm
Pat Murphy
Biddy McGraw's the Pacific Northwest's only authentic Irish pub and the home 'O the "perfect" pint':
http://www.biddys.com
Want to see your name and favorite site on our list? Try to find the following authors - we assure you, it's really easy! Who wrote:
1. Great Irish Tales of Horror
2. Casting The Runes and Other Ghost Stories
3. The Lively Ghosts of Ireland
Hint: All three titles can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=irishcultucus-20&path=tg/detail/-/0440226120/qid%3D1067119341/sr%3D1-46
Send us the correct answers to two out of three and the rewards are:
1. If you have a web site, send us your URL plus a short description and we'll publish it in the next newsletter. If you don't have a web site, please nominate a favorite. Also, please remember that we list our sleuths in the order of entries received.
2. Receive a correct entry into the current "So You Think You're Irish" trivia contest. (In fairness to those of you who go to the trouble of actually finding the answers to the trivia contest, you'll get a bonus entry!)
3. Click through on the Hint URL above, tell us the title and earn another entry into the Trivia drawing.
NOTE: It would be very helpful if you would send your entries to: bhaggerty@irishcultureandcustoms.com
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Help keep our newsletter free by visiting one of our sponsors for this week's edition: Carmel & Joe Mulligan
Dreaming of owning a house in Ireland? Here's your chance!
For Sale: Charming country cottage on a 1/4 acre near Saggart Co. Dublin, which is a rare find so close to the capital (just 13 miles from Dublin City Centre). It is also conveniently located just 6 miles from Blessington, Co. Wicklow. Local amenities include swimming, golf, fishing and hillwalking. The house includes many original features such as 8ft 6inch high ceilings and original wooden floors. A Quick Sale Is Required. Just the location alone is well worth further enquiries. For more information, please contact lorrainemulligan@eircom.net
To see photos of the house and for a complete description, please click http://www.remax-ireland.com/pubscripts/ListingFull.asp?AgentId=90401002&ListingId=174&Lang=ENI
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THIS WEEK'S RIDDLE
First, the answer to last week's puzzle.There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, and stupendous are three of them; what is the fourth? The answer is hazardous. First with the answer was Linda from Villa Park, Illinois. Well, done, Linda! Special mention for thoroughness goes out to Amy of NC. With the help of her brother, she came up with apodous, iodous, iridous, jeopardous, macropodous, molybdous, palladous, phyllocladous, podous, and vanadous! Aaaagh - we think we'll stay away from words for a while. So, in keeping with the season, here's an easy one:
Where do baby ghosts go during the day?
Can't wait to find out the answer and want some similar groaners? Click here:
http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/halloween/games/jokes.html
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NEW OR FEATURED ON OUR HOME PAGE:
1. Home Page - See what's new at a glance:
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/index.html
2. New: Article - Creepy Irish Creatures
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/CreepyCreatures.html
3. New: Article - Ghosts in Irish Houses and Castles. Sorry for the delay - it's coming....
4. The Irish Kitchen - a new recipe from Hartson Dowd. This will be published on Monday
5. New: Library/Books - Great Irish Tales of Horror
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Libr/1BkMisc1.html
6. New: Library/Music - We Three Kings by the Irish Tenors - their latest offering for Christmas, plus several more seasonal recordings
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Libr/1MuscXmas1.html
7. Featured: Samhain, The Irish New Year
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/Samhain.html
8. Featured: A Triple Treat For Hallowe'en
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/TripleHalloween.html
9. Ongoing: Circle of Prayer. Our third Novena in this cycle began on October 23rd and ends on October 31st. The fourth will begin next Saturday. Our dear friend Eileen in New York was the inspiration for beginning our Circle of Prayer. Her good news is that prayers for her brother Bob have been answered - his cancer is treatable. The bad news is that her son Christopher has also just been diagnosed with cancer. Thus, we ask that you keep Eileen and her family in your prayers; and, while her strength and faith are phenomenal, she really needs our support, now, more than ever. We also heard from old friends, the Kellys. Rita was diagnosed with breast cancer in July and is now going through chemo. The prognosis is good. But it might have a lot to do with attitude. When her little boys saw her take her wig off, they asked her how she did that. They think it's all part of Hallowe'en!
Also in need of our continuing prayer and meditation are Lindsea, Dianne DiMella, Claire Spellmire, Bob, C.J., Christopher (the baby with the brain tumor), Sam, Steven & Margaret, Priscilla's family, the Mulligans, and our military personnel stationed all over the world, especially in Iraq. Whatever your spiritual leanings, we hope you will join us each day
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Blessings/CirclePrayer.html
NOTE: If you have asked us to pray or meditate for someone by name, please let us know how things are doing. Thanks!
10. On-going: Irish News: Headlines for the past week
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/01News/Home.html
11. On-going: This month in Irish History:
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/02Hist/aOctober.html
12. Trivia Contest - this is the last week. All entries must be in by midnight, October 31st, whatever time zone you are in.
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/TriviaContest.html
NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING:
Here we are again at the end of another month, which means the usual panic to update the site for November, ie. new Culture Corners, trivia quiz, and a new kids' story. We know Grainne will come through with a terrific tale for the little ones and God willing, our editor-in-chief will fill in all the other blanks. In the meantime, we enjoyed creating a special Halloween blessing which has been posted (we also put it at the end of this newsletter), and, last, but certainly not least, Aideen has promised appropriate ghoulish phrases for our next Basic Irish lesson which will be published next Tuesday.
Until next time, a few bits and pieces before we take our leave - from our crazy calendar, the 26th is French Food Festival as well as Exaltation of the Shellfish (Spain), the 27th is the beginning of Ramadan; it's also National Potato Day. One of our favorites is National Chocolate Day on the 28th. Oatmeal Day is the 29th, the 30th is Buy-A-Doughnut Day, and of course, the 31st is Hallowe'en, Samhain & Beggar's Night as well as Apple & Candle Night (Wales), and National Caramel Apple Day. So there you have it, except to say pinch, punch, first day of the month, white rabbit next Saturday, wish you a Happy Celtic New Year, and leave you with this blessing:
At all Hallow's Tide, God keep you safe
From goblin and pooka and black-hearted stranger,
From harm of the water and hurt of the fire,
From thorns of the bramble, from all other danger,
From Will O' The Wisp haunting the mire;
From stumbles and tumbles
and tricksters to vex you,
May God in His mercy, this week protect you.
... and as they say in Ireland - mind yourself!
Bridget & Russ
Get down on your knees and thank God you're still on your feet
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Events & Classifieds
Note: To avoid duplication, we list only those events not mentioned in the comprehensive listing put together by The Wild Geese. To check their Events Page, please click: http://www.thewildgeese.com/pages/events.html
The Irish Heritage Newsletter also lists events - if you'd like to subscribe, just send a note to George at Steeler059@aol.com
And, if you're in Ireland, or lucky enough to be visiting, you can see what's on offer for October/November here:
http://www.emigrant.ie/Event.asp
For the latest in Irish music events, click
http://www.EuropeanIrish.com/Music/MusicCalender.htm
Frankfurt, Germany
The Bogside Artists' exhibition at the Horse Hospital, London has ended and will now move on to the Kunstlerhaus Mousonturm.The show will comprise 10 enormous photos of the artists' murals digitally reproduced on vinyl and measuring twelve feet by nine. These murals are situated in the Bogside area of Derry. Further details of their work can be found on the group's web-site at http://www.bogsideartists.com
Irish Writer's Centre - Dublin
The Autumn - Winter Course Brochure is now available . For more details, contact Bernadette Larkin at bernadette@writerscentre.ie, or visit their website:
http://www.writerscentre.ie
Samhain International Poetry Festival Friday 31 October & Mon 3 November in Gort a'Choirce, Co. Donegal. Email: info@samhainpoetrycompetition.com
or info@maggiedans.com
Toronto, Canada
New Perspectives in Celtic Archaeology
Saturday, November 1, 2003, 9.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Room 400, Alumni Hall, 121 St. Joseph St., St. Michael's College, University of Toronto. To register please see: Registration (PDF)
http://www.utoronto.ca/stmikes/news/items/celtic_conf_2003_registration.pdf
Contact Jean Talman at jean.talman@urotonto.ca, or phone 416-926-7145.
SouthEast Texas
November 9, 2003
Danny O'Flaherty, Irish singer/songwriter, will appear at a special benefit performance at the Julie Rogers Theater. For ticket information, call 982-4140 (weekdays) and 722-7298 (evenings and weekends).
Houston
The Houston unit of Irish Northern Aid will sponsor a free public meeting led by the Belfast author and historian, Sean Quinn. The main topic of the meeting will be "Policing in the North of Ireland". It will be held on Sunday, November 16, 2003 between 3PM-6PM at the Fedora Lounge in the Kaleidoscope Center, 10630
Westheimer, Houston, Texas 77042.
Song and Silence: A Weekend with the Celtic Saints - November 21-23
Pendle Hills, Wallingford, PA
For more information or to register, please contact our registrar, Steve Jackson, at ext. 142, (610) 566-4507 or (800) 742-3150, or e-mail him at registrar@pendlehill.org. If you have access to the Internet, please check out our website:
http://www.pendlehill.org
Texas Dulcimer Cruise - February 5-9, 2004
Galveston to Cozumel on the Carnival Celebration. There will be workshops, jam sessions, talent show and more. These spots will go fast, so book early! Inside cabins are $430.80 pp, double occupancy and oceanview cabins are $480.80 pp, double occupancy. Ask for Marcy: 281-535-5703 or e-mail marcy@delesandri.com
Galveston, Texas
March 28, 03
Galveston 1894 Grand Opera House - James Galway, flautist Sunday March 28, 2004 3pm
Cais Conference/Reunion - May 26-29, 2004
Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
The theme is "Mother Tongues: The Languages of Ireland." For details, please click
http://www.irishstudies.ca
6th Int'l McManus Clan Association Gathering May 25th through May 31st, 2004
For full details please visit our website at:
http://members.aol.com/manusclan/mcm2004.htm
or contact Phil McManus at Manus@aol.com
7th Clann McKenna Rally - June 25th through Sunday June 27th 2004
For details, please write plunkettmckenna@eircom.net
or click on the following link:
www.omagh.gov.uk/historypark.htm
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