Welcome to the Irish Culture & Customs newsletter which is published every week or so and sent out to more than 3,500 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.phpHerself
If, for any reason, you wish to unsubscribe, instructions are at the very end -but we do hope you'll stay with us. Also, if you need to update your info' or change your Email address, you can do that at the end as well.
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Greetings & Blessings to all,
Pinch punch first day of the month, white rabbit! It's so hard to believe October is upon us, but right on cue, here in the Ohio Valley, the leaves are starting to turn. Hopefully, we won't miss the peak of the Autumn colors as we're headed down to Florida in the next few hours for about ten days or so. We wish we could say it's for a vacation, but it's all about putting Russ' mom's property on the market and neither one of us is looking forward to the work involved - or the emotional stress.
All of that said, as much as we have tried to get this newsletter done properly before we go, we've run out of time and this will be a shorter edition than usual. Our apologies, but we know you will understand. The good news is that we have extended the deadline for the September Trivia Contest. You now have until October 15th to get your answers in. The same goes for the Writer's Quiz.
Enough of the blather - on with the update...
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SPONSOR
Help us keep the newsletter and the website free - please visit our good friends at the Celtic Attic - and tell them, Bridget said hello! We'll get a small commission for anything you buy God bless 'em:
Wow! This summer sure sped by, but we've had so much fun adding tons of new items just in time for Christmas. Visit our New Items page link below for all our new goodies:
http://www.celticattic.com/contact_us/information/new_items.htm
And don't forget to enter our monthly giveaways: For September, will be giving away a Winter Day Basket. The basket will have teas, coffee cup, plenty of candy and some other goodies. Value of this Gift is $30.00. http://www.celticattic.com/contact_us/back_to_school_giveaway.htm
We're also offering a jewelry giveaway here:
http://www.celticattic.com/contact_us/free_giveaway.htm
And if that isn't enough to persuade you to visit us, how about FREE SHIPPING on orders over $75.00! Visit our sales pages here:
http://celticattic.com/merchant/merchant.mvcScreen=CTG.&Store_Code=CA&Category_Code=SPA
Happy Shopping!
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Links
Quips, quotes, proverbs & toasts
A bit of the wit
Joke of The Week
Riddle
The week that was
Events
Leave 'em Laughing
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SPONSOR: You can help us help us pay the expenses for producing this newsletter when you visit our advertisers, including our good friends at Lollysmith:
With cooler weather on hand in the northern hemisphere, tweed caps from Dangle have once again become very popular and we expect that when the snow flies, Connemara socks will be the fashion in demand for the feet. To check out these authentic Irish products and many more - Please click:
http://www.lollysmith.com
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Links
Tourism Ireland Ryder Cup Golf Game
IT'S VERY EASY TO PLAY!
But tricky to master! Open to users worldwide you are invited to play 9 holes with the overall winner receiving a luxury 4 ball golfing vacation in Ireland with a value of $18,000!!
After completing your own game and in addition to the overall leader board, you can create your own "private leader board" and challenge friends, golf buddies and colleagues to compete within your own league, thus increasing the competitive fun within the game!
http://www.discoverirelandgolfgame.com/
From our Friends Jack & Vivian of the Irish Page
September 22 was the Fall Equinox. The Equinox in Irish is "Cónocht". It is one of the two days of the year when day and night are of equal length
For this Cónocht we have Enya's New Age Song The Celts.Turn up the volume on your speakers as the music is mystifying and very appropriate for the occasion. We hope you enjoy it.
http://www.irishpage.com/songs/enya/celts.htm
Free mammograms
Do you know of a woman who can't afford a mammogram? Here's how you can help. Go to the Breast Cancer site and click on their free mammogram link; if they get enough clicks , they'll be able to donate at least one free mammogram a day to underprivileged women. It takes just a minute and there's no cost involved:
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
Last but certainly not least - our ongoing gift to AG in California and all friends to animals, please click this link today and everyday. It only takes a second to feed an animal. Thanks!
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites.woa
ED. NOTE: October 4th is the feastday of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. If you'd like to send a card to an animal lover/pet owner, there are some very nice greetings here:
St. Francis Day greeting card
http://www.catholicgreetings.org/Create.asp?card=3
It only takes a second to feed hungry people, too:
http://www.thehungersite.com
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QUIPS, QUOTES , PROVERBS & TOASTS
Here's to a long life and a merry one
A quick death and an easy one
A pretty girl and an honest one
A pint of guinness
and another one.
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A BIT IF THE WIT
Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. P. J. O'Rourke
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JOKE OF THE WEEK
We usually avoid the stereotypical Irish drunk jokes, but this one sent in by our good friend Hartson tickled the old funny bones. We hope it does the same for you.
Paddy staggered home very late and very drunk. He took off his shoes to avoid waking the wife. He tiptoed as quietly as he could toward the stairs leading to heir bedroom, but misjudged the bottom step. As he caught himself by grabbing the banister, his body swung around and he landed heavily on his backside. A Guinness bottle in a back pocket broke and made the landing especially painful. Managing not to scream out loud, Paddy sprung up, pulled down his pants, and looked in the hall mirror to see what damage he'd done. Bleeding from several cuts, he somehow managed to find a first aid kit and began putting a Band-Aid as best he could on each place he saw blood. He then hid the now almost empty Band-Aid box and stumbled his way into bed. In the morning, Paddy woke up with searing pain in both his head and bottom and his wife staring daggers at him from across the room. She says, "So, you were staggering drunk last night Paddy, weren't you now? Says Paddy, "Now hy would you say such a thing?" "Well," she says, "it could be the open front door, it could be the broken glass at the bottom of the stairs, it could be the drops of blood trailing through the house, it could be your bloodshot eyes, but mostly....... it's all the Band-Aids stuck on the hall mirror."
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DO YOU KNOW YOUR IRISH WRITERS?
Who wrote:
1. Ryder Cup 2006: How Ireland Landed Golf's Biggest Showpiece
2. Where Golf is Great - The Finest Courses of Scotland & Ireland
3. The Golfing Union of Ireland 1891-1991
Send in your answers and if you get two out of three correct, we'll list your name and web site (or your favorite Irish web site) in our next newsletter.
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SPONSOR
Help us keep this newsletter free by visiting our good good friends at The Irish Lottery:
Drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday, but you have to be in it to win it. So enter now - you don't have to live in Ireland to play, winnings are tax-free and checks are mailed within 48 hours. Do you have the luck of the Irish? Play the Irish lottery and find out! Please click here for full details including a compilation of stats based on previous draws which could improve your chances of winning!
http://www.irishlotto.net
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RIDDLE
Once again, the Riddle People outdid themselves and we had an avalanche of correct solutions but for the second week in a row, Bill Smith from North Carolina was first in. Well done, Sir!
You have 9 golf balls, 8 of which are equal in weight. The ninth is slightly heavier then the rest. You also have a balancing scale.
Q: Can you use this scale two times and only two times in order to tell which ball is heavier?
A. Separate the balls into 3 groups of 3. Place 3 balls on the left side of the scale and 3 balls on the right. If they balance out, you know that the heavier ball is not one of those 6. If one side is heavier, you know that the heavier ball is one of those 3.
And now for our next cranium cruncher:
Q: What is the easiest way to throw a ball, and have it stop, and completely reverse direction after traveling a short distance?
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THE WEEK THAT IS/WAS:
1. Article - Showcasing the best of Irish Food at the Ryder Cup
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/aRyderCup.html
2. Book Review - Only Golf Spoken Here
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Libr/zOnlyGolf.html
3. Article - Only a Fortress Could Hold Such Treasure: Meade
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/aMeade.html
4. Article - Celebrating St. Michael's Day in Old Ireland
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/Michaelmas.html
5. Article - The Galway International Oyster Festival
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/aGalwayOysters.html
6. The Irish Kitchen - Oysters
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/rOysters.html
7. Article Making a Match in Lisdoonvarna
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/AMisc/Lisdoonvarna.html
8. Basic Irish - Revised Back to School
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/3Focloir/Lessons3.html#Gael19
9. Kid's Ireland - Irish children learning through film
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/1Kids/1Home.html
10. Jokes department. We now have seven pages of jokes. You can't have heard them all? Take a look and if you have one we don't, please send it in!
11. Circle of Prayer: Our fourth Novena in this cycle began on Sept. 21 and continues through Sept. 30. Our fifth Novena in this cycle begins on October 1st and ends on October 9th. Last time, we asked you to pray for Debbie. Very sadly for those left behind, especially Krista and Kristen, God called Debbie home last Saturday, but she is now at peace and free of pain. Whatever your spiritual leanings, we ask that you remember her family and friends in your prayers and meditations; also Heather and Patricia who are both facing very traumatic treatment for extremely serious illnesses; Sarah H; Scott H; Jane Fitz; Cathy; and especially all of our men and women in the military all over the world. To visit our Circle of Prayer page, please click
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Blessings/CirclePrayer.html
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So there you have it until we write again. We hope this abbreviated edition finds you in good health, good spirits and good company. And if you have just joined us, many thanks for signing up; we promise to give you a lot more blither and blather in the next issue!
Between now and then, if you're celebrating a birthday, anniversary or other special event may God grant that it be filled with joy. Were you married in October or will you be tying the knot as we did this month? The old Irish verse is:
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry. We can definitely attest to that!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends in Canada, and belated Happy New Year 5767 to all of our Jewish readers!
Meanwhile, may the Good Shepherd of us all keep you and yours free from all harm - and as they say in Ireland, mind yourself.
Slan agus beannacht,
Bridget & Russ
Get down on your knees and thank God you're still on your feet!
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WHEN MANY GIVE A LITTLE, A LITTLE BECOMES A LOT
We are very grateful for a very generous donation from Dennis & Selma McNamara- go raibh maith agat! That said, we are thankful for whatever you can send; whether it's a penny, a dime or a dollar, Every penny does make a difference. Our snail mail address is
Bridget & Russ haggerty
5670 Meryton Place, Cincinnati OH 45224. Of, you can send a donation via PayPal. The URL is
http://www.paypal.com
and our email address is this one:
bhaggerty@irishcultureandcustoms.com
Many thanks in advance for your kindness.
YOU CAN ALSO SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS IN OTHER WAYS:
We make a small commission on all products purchased through the advertisers on our site and in this newsletter. Many thanks to all of you who have taken the time and trouble to click through the links and buy something!
We also make a few pennies when you click through Ads by Google. You'll see them in the right-hand margin of just about every page. Click through whatever interests you and at the same time, you'll be helping us keep the site and this newsletter free. Last, but certainly not least, if you know a business owner who would like to advertise with us, either in the newsletter or on the web site, we are always eager to promote any and all Irish-related products and services. Details can be found here: http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Advertise.html
Again, many thanks in advance for your help!
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ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS
Please check with the Wild Geese - they have a huge listing of events and we don't want to duplicate their efforts:
http://thewildgeese.com
If we receive a unique event not mentioned there we will be happy to list it here.
Dublin, Ireland - Now through October 4
Dublin International Theatre Festival. As with the Fringe, there's just to much detail to do it justice here, so please visit their great web site:
http://www.dublintheatrefestival.com/
Los Angeles - October 6 through November 12
An Claidheamh Soluis/The Celtic Arts Center resents Brian Friel's Molly Sweeney at the Celtic Arts Center, 4843 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Studio City. For c complete details, please click
http://www.celticartscenter.com
Ireland - Now through October 8
Working Class heroes Tour starring Ronnie Drew, Don Baker and Finbar Furey
For complete details, please visit:
http://www.absolute.ie/
NYC. NY - Now through October 15
On offer right now: "John Ferguson," a play about a poor, pious Ulster farmer facing eviction. For more details, please visit
http://www.minttheater.org/
Alora, Spain - Now through November 16
The Gallery in Casa Correos will be featuring the works of our very dear Dublin friend and world-renowned artist Roger Commiskey! For more details, please visit:
http://www.aia-group.net
Hollywood, Florida - October 21
The Irish-American Ceili Club presents Dinner & Dancing to Mary McAndrew and Black Diamond Band, 6:30pm-10:30pm. American Legion Hall, 211 North 21 Avenue, Hollywood For details, Call Patrick @ 954-522-4948 / Maureen @ 954-432-8292 or visit:
http://www.irishamericanceiliclub.com
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LEAVE THEM LAUGHING
While walking down the street a politician is tragically hit by a car and dies instantly. His soul arrives at the Pearly Gates where he is met by St. Peter. "Welcome to Heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you." "No problem, just let me in," says the politician
"Well, I'd like to but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in Hell and one in Heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity." "Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in Heaven," says the politician. "I'm sorry, says St. Peter, but I have my orders."
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to an elevator which takes the politician down to Hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a lush green golf course. In the distance is the clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. They run to greet him, hug him, and reminisce about the good times they all had together. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster and toast his arrival with champagne. Also present is the Devil, who is very friendly and tells great jokes. They are all having such a good time that, before the politician realizes it, his day in hell is over. Everyone gives him a big hug and waves goodbye as he gets back into the elevator.
The elevator goes up, stops and when the doors open, St.Peter is waiting for him. "Now it's time to visit Heaven." The politician instantly finds himself in the midst of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and before he realizes it, the day in Heaven is over. St. Peter returns. "Well then, you've spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven. Now you must choose your eternity." He reflects for a minute, then the politician answers: "Well, I would never have thought I'd say this but while Heaven has been delightful, I think I would be better off in Hell."
So Saint Peter escorts him, to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. When the doors of the elevator open, he is in the middle of a barren land covered with rotting rubbish. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the rubbish and putting it in black bags. The Devil comes over to him and she lays her arm on his neck. "I don't understand," stammers the politician. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a club and we ate lobster, we drank champagne, we danced and we had a great time. Now all there is a wasteland full of rotting rubbish and everyone is miserable.
The Devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted for us!" 