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Greetings & Blessings to all
Welcome to our October newsletter.
Well, I don't know wether we're going to have an Autumn or just go straight into Winter. When I get up it's in the 30'sƒ or about 1. Something Celsius. My son is happy because he doesn't think he'll have to mow my lawn until next Spring. It's an ill wind that doesn't blow somebody good.
So, if I look forward, I have thanksgiving, my birthday and Christmas followed by New years. As usual I think I’m going to be tired by next year.
I hope you all have nothing but happy times ahead and I hope you have a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Enough of my nattering.
Again my thanks for the contributions. Please keep them coming. I would like appropriate news or other links more than anything.
We’re all in this together let’s make it as good as we can. Stay with me everybody.
Enough of the blather...
Is this your first edition? Many thanks for joining us and if you like our musings and meanderings please feel free to share them with your family and friends. And do encourage them to sign up. The more of us, the merrier! And for all of our readers, we hope this issue finds you in good health, good spirits and good company.
On with the update...
IN THIS ISSUE:
The Weather
Up the minute forecasts provided by Ireland's official source for all weather-related news. Please click Met Eireann.
http://www.met.ie/forecasts/
Basic Irish
Links
Quips, Quotes, Proverbs & Toasts
A Bit of the Wit
Joke of The Month
Did You Know
The week That Is
Leave 'em Laughing
Last Words
Basic Irish
It's Trick or Treat in the USA and Help The Hallowe'en Party in Ireland, but wherever you are, this week's lesson focuses on words and phrases associated with the day before the Celtic New Year - Samhain (sow-en).
Word: Hallowe'en
Irish: oíche shamhna
Pronunciation: ee-heh how-nah
Word: Ghost
Irish: púca or taibhse
Pronunciation: pookah or thyve-sheh
LINKS
1. Met Eireann forecast date for 'cold blast' to hit Ireland as temperatures drop below freezing
Met Eireann has forecast the first ‘cold blast’ of winter to arrive in the coming weeks as temperatures drop to below zero in some areas.
In its monthly forecast, the weather experts said the coming week, Friday, October 21 to Thursday, October 27, would be dominated by low pressure to the southwest of Ireland.
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/met-eireann-forecast-date-cold-28291752
I know the feeling —Russ
2. Was your family shanty or lace curtain Irish? It’s important
So which Irish are you? Shanty or lace curtain; narrow back or donkey; Mick or Paddy?
The Irish in America did not come in one size fits all. While they might have all been equal off the Famine boat, they soon moved in different classes after they arrived.
All Irish started as shanty Irish, a term for a one-room cabin really. Five Points in New York and South Boston teemed with them.
Bridget worried about this but her father said she was a princess- I agree —Russ
3. Solar eclipse: When, where and how to see it in Irish skies next week
Skygazers encouraged to keep an eye out on Tuesday as a partial solar eclipse will be visible in Irish skies
A partial solar eclipse is set to grace skies across northern Europe next week as the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun.
On Tuesday morning, the eclipse will start at 9.58am in Iceland and end off the coast of India at 2.02pm.
4. ‘White gold’ could be hidden in Ireland’s stone walls
Ireland has never had vast reserves of precious metals, oil or coal, but future fortunes could be hiding in plain sight across a swathe of the east of the country
https://www.independent.ie/news/white-gold-could-be-hidden-in-irelands-stone-walls-42081989.html
5. Polish ruling represents far greater threat to the EU than Brexit
The ruling by Poland’s constitutional tribunal last week that it would give priority to the Polish constitution over EU law has sent shockwaves through the European Union.
I agree with Poland—Russ
6. 16 common Halloween words in Irish and how to pronounce them
Halloween began in Ancient Ireland as Samhain (sow-win), a celebration of the end of the harvest and the beginning of the winter season—but these days it's more recognisable as a celebration of spirits, spooky stories and eating sweets until you’re sick.
The holiday is still huge in Ireland and massive in America, thanks to Irish migrants arriving in America to escape the Great Hunger, and for the descendants of those immigrants looking to learn some more about the teanga of their ancestors—or Irish people looking for a refresher course—we’ve put together a list of common Halloween words in Irish.
So without further a-boo…
7. Surge of Irish House interest from Ex-Pats, anxious to Return to Ireland after the Pandemic
The race for remote working space and the urban flight from cities is driving a huge rise in property prices outside our major cities, the Irish Independent REA Average House Price Survey has found.
REA reports that Average house prices have risen by €3,500 per month since the end of June.
no surprise—Russ
QUOTES, TOASTS , CURSES AND BLESSINGS
"Midnight has come and the great Christ Church bell
And many a lesser bell sound through the room;
And it is All Souls’ Night.
And two long glasses brimmed with muscatel
Bubble upon the table. A ghost may come;
For it is a ghost’s right..."
William Butler Yeats, in All Souls' Night
I guess I should find some Muscatel — Russ
A BIT OF THE WIT
The majority of the members of the Irish parliament are professional politicians, in the sense that otherwise they would not be given jobs minding mice at crossroads.
Flann O'Brien
And its still true—Russ
JOKE OF THE MONTH
Mike wakes up at home with a huge hangover. He forces himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees are a couple of aspirins and a glass of water on the bedside table. He sits up in bed and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and ironed. He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless. He takes the aspirins and sees a note on the table which says "Breakfast is on the stove, dear. I left early to go shopping. Love you!" He goes to the kitchen and sure enough, there's a hot breakfast waiting for him, and also the morning newspaper. His son is sitting at the table, eating. Really curious by now, Mike asks, "Son, what happened last night?" His son says, "Well, Mam said you came home after 3 a.m, you stumbled in the door, threw up in the hallway, and passed out half-way up the stairs. Confused, Mike asks, "So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me?" His son replies, "Oh, that! Mam dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your trousers off, you yelled "Leave me alone woman, I'm a married man"
DID YOU KNOW
1. The word íochtar (eek-tur) literally means lower part and is often used for the youngest child in an Irish family?
2. St. James's Gate Brewery is built on the site where, since medieval times, Dubliners held an annual drinking festival every 25th July to celebrate the feastday of St. James?
Perfect—Russ
Dublin's O'Connell Bridge was originally made of rope and could only carry one man and a donkey at a time? It was replaced with a wooden structure in 1801. The current concrete bridge was built in 1863 and was first called "Carlisle Bridge".
I walked over that one in 1996; it looks very modern–Russ
Sponsor
I’m my own Sponsor again this month.
Announcing the Irish Culture and Customs Book of Jokes
This is the collection of our Jokes. It was built up over many years and, now, is gathered here for your enjoyment. With this in your hand, whenever the day is dull or dreary you can open it up and have a good laugh, you'll feel better.
Available on Amazon. Use this Link:
THE WEEK THAT IS
1. Article: Creepy Irish Creatures
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/CreepyCreatures.html
2. Article: Creepy Irish Castles and Houses
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/CreepyCastles.html
3. Article: The Dullahan - Ireland’s Headless Horseman
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/Dullahan.html
Article: The Legend Of The Churchyard Bride
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/ChurchyardBride.html
Article: An Irish Halloween - Part1
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/Halloween1.html
6. Article: An Irish Hallowe'en - Part 2
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/Halloween2.html
7. The Irish Kitchen: Barm Brack.
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/rBreads.html
8. Basic Irish: Halloween and Samhain
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/3Focloir/Halloween.html
Kids’ Ireland: The Selfish Giant
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/1Kids/SelfishGiant.html
So there you have it until we write again - sometime in November.
If you are planning on getting married between now and then or tied the knot in the month of October, here is your special verse:
If in October you do marry,
Love will come but riches tarry.
I can attest to this—Russ
And, if you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or other special event between now and our next edition, we hope it's an occasion filled with joy and happiness.
We’ll take our leave with this blessing:
From tinker and pooka and black-hearted stranger
From harm of the water and hurt of the fire
From the horns of the cows going home to the byre
From teasing the ass when he's tied to the manger
From stones that would bruise and from thorns of the briar
From evil red berries that waken desire
From hunting the gander and vexing the goat
From depths o' seawater by Danny's old boat
From cut and from tumble, from sickness and weeping
May God have your loved ones this day in His keeping.
Edited and adapted from the poem "A Prayer for a Child" by Winifred M. Letts
All the best & God Bless,
Bridget & Russ
Get down on your knees and thank God you’re still on your feet.
Téigh ar do ghlúine is bí buíoch le Dia go bhfuil tú fós ar do chosa.
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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 LAUGHING
Maureen's husband, Patrick, was a typical Irish male chauvinist. Even though they both worked full-time, he never helped around the house. Housework was woman's work! But one evening, Maureen arrived home to find the children bathed, one load of clothes in the washer and another in the dryer, dinner on the stove, and the table set. She was astonished; something's up, she thought.
It turns out that Patrick had read an article that said wives who worked full-time and also had to do all the housework were too tired to make love.
The night went well and the next day she told her office friends all about it. "We had a great dinner. Patrick even cleaned up. He helped the kids do their homework, folded all the laundry and put everything away. I really enjoyed the evening." "But what about afterward?" asked her friends. "Oh, that was perfect, too. Patrick was too tired!"
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
