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Greetings & Blessings to all
Welcome to our March newsletter.
Of course, this is the month of St. Patrick’s day. That means I have to put up the Irish flag on the outside of the garage. Bridget always insisted the flag be up all through the month of March. We have a lot of rain now so I’ll put it up after the rain is gone. That rain comes with warmer temperatures and I’m not complaining. This month also brings celebrations for St. Patrick. My youngest son owns a pub and he will have a full Irish Breakfast on the day. That same evening my brother-in-law will be having a St. Patrick’s day party. I’ll be very tired by the time it’s all over. No, I won’t mind at all.
Here’s where I wish everyone a very happy St. Patrick’s day but mind the drink or you’ll regret it the day after.
Once again my thanks for the contributions of jokes and anything else. Please keep those contributions coming. I would like appropriate news or other links more than anything. My thanks in advance.
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:
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
LINKS
1. From the very white weddings to amazing ICU nurses - the most heartwarming acts of kindness that happened in Ireland during Storm Emma
As heavy snow sent Ireland into into lockdown during Storm Emma, people across the country pulled together.
While treacherous roads and a Status Red weather warning suspended everyday life, we saw some truly heartwarming gestures.
Here are some of our favourite feel-good moments from the past few days
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/storm-emma/from-the-very-white-weddings-to-amazing-icu-nurses-the-most-heartwarming-acts-of-kindness-that-happened-in-ireland-during-storm-emma-36667238.html
2. The Three Main Talking Points In Irish Sport Right Now
Not much action on the pitch this week, but plenty of big questions to answer off it. Will Ireland’s leaky defence cost them a Grand Slam? Are Sean Maguire and Declan Rice the answer to Irish football’s prayers? And with Dublin cruising into the Knockout stages of the league, have their opponents given up the fight?
It’s time to answer the three biggest questions in Irish Sport right now.
3. Weather Update: All You Need To Know This Sunday
Here's what you need to know as Storm Emma departs our shores in the coming hours.
FORECAST
Snow across the country is due to start melting today - but there is a risk it will cause some flooding.
A status orange warning is still in place for Leinster, Munster, Cavan and Monaghan until midday.
Some of the country's roads remain impassable but routes should improve as the snow thaws.
Mostly cloudy today with scattered outbreaks of rain with top temperatures of 7 degrees.
It’s, almost, over but it’s interesting to see how Ireland copes (or doesn’t)—Russ
4. Best Irish movies of all time we feel more than deserved an Oscar
Not interested in seeing if any of the Irish nominations win an Academy Award tonight? We have the best Irish movies out there all lined up as your perfect Oscars alternative.
If you need a break from your hectic life or just fancy cuddling up on the couch what better way to pass the time than by watching an Irish movie? The Academy Awards may be on tonight but we can understand if you'd prefer to give the Oscars a miss. (They are very long!) The best Irish movies of all time are more than enough for an award-ceremony alternative.
I agreed with all of them—Russ
5. Passport out of date? Don’t panic. We’re Irish
The absolute nicest, most polite people in Ireland are to be found in the queue at the passport office in Dublin. Everyone who steps inside that building on Mount Street, clutching their sheaf of papers and their freshly printed photos – not more than six months old; full frontal view; no hairbands; a neutral, if somewhat strained, expression – is beaming, bursting with love for their fellow human. Or at least the fellow human on the other side of the glass, in whose hands the fate of their imminent travel plans lies.
I wish that was true where I live—Russ
6. New documentary delves into the world of fragile corals in Ireland’s ‘deep Atlantic’
Fragile coral in Ireland’s “deep Atlantic” and the issue of plastics in oceans will be explored in a new documentary which will be previewed at this weekend’s national gathering of divers in Limerick.
Shot by natural history film-maker Ken O’Sullivan, Ireland’s Deep Atlantic is due to be broadcast on RTÉ television in late April.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/new-documentary-delves-into-the-world-of-fragile-corals-in-ireland-s-deep-atlantic-1.3413413
I never think of coral without thinking of the Caribbean—Russ
7. Fifteen facts about the Irish flag, for its 170th birthday
The GPO Witness History Visitor Centre in Dublin is staging the first permanent exhibition on the Irish Flag, to commemorate the 170th anniversary of the tricolour. Here are fifteen facts about the flag every Irishman should know.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/fifteen-facts-about-the-irish-flag-for-its-170th-birthday-1.2362893?utm_source=morning_digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news_digest
I just put mine out and it’s snowing, sigh—Russ
Another Opportunity from one of our sponsors
Free Irish Gaelic Course for Beginners this one is even better than last month. Don’t miss out.
Make a real connection with your Irish heritage for St. Patrick's Day, by taking this free email course from our friends at Bitesize Irish Gaelic. The first day you'll learn the first phrase to greet anyone in Irish Gaelic.
Sign up for "Irish for Beginners" course now for free. You'll immediately receive a free PDF ebook "The Irish Language - Your Key to Gaelic Ireland". A perfect place to start with your curiousity about connecting with your heritage through Ireland's native tongue.
http://bit.ly/IrishCultureBeginners
QUOTES, TOASTS , CURSES AND BLESSINGS
“I do not believe that a child can be reformed by lock and key and bars, or that fear can ever develop a child’s character.”
Father Edward J. Flanagan who was born in Co. Roscommon on July 13, 1886 and founded Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska in 1921.
A BIT OF THE WIT
The most important thing I would learn in school was that almost everything I would learn in school would be utterly useless. When I was fifteen I knew the principal industries of the Ruhr Valley, the underlying causes of World War One and what Peig Sayers had for her dinner every day...What I wanted to know when I was fifteen was the best way to chat up girls. That is what I still want to know.
From the Secret World of the Irish Male by Joseph O'Connor
JOKE OF THE MONTH
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!"
DID YOU KNOW
1. St. Patrick might not be buried in Ireland at all? One legend says he ended his days in Glastonbury, England and was buried there. The Chapel of St. Patrick still exists as part of Glastonbury Abbey and there is evidence of an Irish pilgrimage to his tomb during the reign of the Saxon King in A.D. 688.
Notice the Brits don’t have a St. Patrick’s day parade—Russ
2. In 1999, the world's smallest St. Patrick's Day parade was held In Dripsey, Co. Cork? It was just 25 yards long and went from from one pub to another.
And after the first pub visit it still took an hour for the parade—Russ
3. St. Patrick's real name is believed to have been Maewyn Succat?
He was Welsh, try to pronounce it–Russ
Sponsor: An old friend, Jane Fadely offers her books
1. Chickens in the Garden, Wellies by the Door: An American in Rural Ireland
2. Seasons of Ireland: Thoughts, Poems, Proverbs & Recipes
3. Leaving Ireland
All are available on amazon or - preferably - directly from vjfadely@gmail.com, signed and personalized if desired, for the same price as advertised on amazon, includes shipping.
They’re all worth the read—Russ
THE WEEK THAT IS
1. Article: Celebrating St. Patrick's Day in Old Ireland
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StPatsDay.html
2. Article: St Patrick gets the party, but there are many saints to honour in Ireland
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StPatGetsParty.html
3. Article: A Visit to St. Patrick’s Well
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StPatWell.html
4. Article: Madness in Melaque – Saint Patrick’s Day Mexican Style.
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StPatsMalaque.html
5. Article: O’Reilly introduces the Russians to a St. Patrick’s Day Parade
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/AMisc/ReillyinRussia.html
6. The Irish Kitchen: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day With A Real Irish Feast!
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/aStPatFeast.html
7. Basic Irish: Saint Patrick's Day
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/3Focloir/Lessons7.html#StPatricks
8. Kids’ Ireland: St. Patrick: From Slave to Saint
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/1Kids/StPatrick.html
So there you have it until we write again - sometime in April.
If you are planning on getting married between now and then or tied the knot in the month of March, here is your special verse:
If you wed when March winds blow,
Joy and sorrow both you’ll know
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:
St. Patrick's Blessing
As he brought new faith to Ireland
So may he bring out in you
A touch of Irish kindness
in everything you do.
And through the good St. Patrick
May your home and life be blessed
with all the special favours
That make you happiest.
Adapted from a blessing by the Norbertine Fathers
Don’t forget, you get a dispensation from Lent on St. Patrick’s day, I’ll be having a few Guinness—Russ
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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LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING
Mrs. O'Leary went to the doctor's office where she was seen by one of the new physicians. After about 4 minutes in the examination room, she burst out the door and ran screaming down the hall. An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she told him her story. After listening, he had her sit down and relax in another room.The older doctor marched down the hallway to the back where the first doctor was and demanded, "What's the matter with you? Mrs. O'Leary is 72 years old, she has seven grown children and ten grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?" The new doctor continued to write on his clipboard and without looking up said, "Does she still have the hiccups?"
One more for St. Patrick
Sean is walking through the park and notices an old lady sitting on a bench sobbing her eyes out. He stops and asks her what is wrong. She says, "I have a 22-year old husband at home. He kisses and cuddles me every morning and then gets up and makes me eggs, bacon, black pudding, toast and tea." Well then," Sean says, "Why are you crying?" She says, "He makes me homemade soup for lunch and then kisses and cuddles me for half the afternoon." Perplexed, Sean says, "So, why are you crying?" She says, "For supper, he always makes me my favourite meal and then kisses and cuddles me until 2:00 a.m. Astonished by now, Sean says, "Why in the world would you be crying, then?" Says she, "I can't remember where I live!"
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 page 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
