Greetings & Blessings to all

 

Welcome to our September newsletter.

This is only my second newsletter so I’m still fumbling a bit. I hope all of you are fit and happy. I reserve my own appraisal for a while yet. I still haven’t figured out how to put the graphics in the newsletter the way Bridget did. I’m going to keep working on it until I get it to work (or I’ll give up).

 

Now, I’m calling out to all of you to help me out. There are 4,500 of you getting this newsletter. I need help with links to events or just interesting stuff about Ireland and all of us Irish. I also need jokes, the more the better. A few of you have sent me jokes and I am grateful. Send me whatever you have for links and jokes and they will find their way into the newsletter so everyone can enjoy them. I’ll give you credit, of course. 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

 

 

LINKS

 

10 Things to do in Northern Ireland Sep.18th - 24th.

This is a link to the Belfast Times. If you can be anywhere in NI within those dates, have fun. Here’s the link for details:

http://www.belfasttimes.co.uk/%E2%80%AA10-exciting-things-to-do-in-northern-ireland-18-24-september%E2%80%AC/

 

Ireland just got two new direct flights to Toronto and Montreal

“With 13pc of the Canadian population claiming Irish ancestry I have no doubt that Montreal will be a popular destination for both Irish and Canadians.”

http://www.independent.ie/life/travel/travel-news/ireland-just-got-two-new-direct-flights-to-toronto-and-montreal-36128478.html

 

The quiet man premiered 65 years ago - here's what people thought of it

We always watched it every St. Patrick's Day. I still enjoy it today. So it was a surprise to find out that some in the Irish government thought it would provoke riots in Ireland from the audiences. What?? Here's the link:

https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/entertainment/the-quiet-man-premiered-65-years-ago-today-here-s-what-people-thought-of-it?utm_campaign=Best+of+IrishCentral+-+2017-09-14&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Mailjet

 

Savor the Flavors of Ireland

Ireland has undergone a culinary revolution in recent years, and you’ve got to taste it for yourself. Savor everything from elegant fine dining, engaging food tours and robust food markets. Or, sip on Irish breakfast at the “tea shop at the end of the world”; attend a renowned oyster festival, or pack a picnic of freshly caught seafood on the beach. You’ll love every bite of these 10 incredible edible experiences in Ireland. Here's the link:

http://www.ireland.com/en-us/articles/great-food-experiences-ireland/?utm_source=acton&utm_medium=email&utm_content=intro-article-cta_shortemailsept17-IrelandFoodandDrink&utm_campaign=2017_warm_email_program&tax_tag=food-drink

 

Irish weather: Storm Aileen to strike Ireland with heavy rain and storm force winds

I know. I don’t usuallly put up anything about Irish weather but after hurricane Harvey and hurricane Irma I’m a bit sensitive. I hope everyone is safe. If I had my wishes it would just fizzle.

There is a wind warning as Storm Aileen is set to hit Ireland with gusts of 110km/h - Irish Times

Seven things to do now before Storm Aileen hits Ireland – as two yellow weather warnings remain.

Here's the details:

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/irish-weather-storm-aileen-strike-11153773

 

Ireland's Top Brands

Coca-Cola is the top brand in Ireland for the 13th year in a row. The Checkout Top 100 brands list released today shows that Irish products dominate. I'm a little sad about so many American products in this list. But, it's not really that bad. Here's the link:

https://www.todayfm.com/News/Irelands-Top-Brands

 

Niall Horan tops Ireland's young entertainers' rich list aged just 23

Irish Mirror

The Slow Hands singer, who tops Ireland's young entertainers' rich list at the age of 23, is a fast learner when it comes to business. Why am I not surprised. Here's the detail:

http://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/niall-horan-tops-irelands-young-11140405

 

Places to visit in Ireland - before you die.

This is part one so, I assume there's more to come. We haven't been to Kilmainham Gaol or Newgrange (yes, this one is a serious oversight but the time to go is the summer solstice and it's not so easy to get into). I'll put out the 'part two' when it's posted. Here's link:

https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/genealogy/places-to-visit-in-ireland-before-you-die-part-one?utm_campaign=Best+of+IrishCentral+-+2017-09-10&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Mailjet

 

Kylemore nuns have monastery plans

This is one place I did visit, it's beautiful. The building is beautiful and the setting is breathtaking. Take a look at the plans. They don't have the beauty of the abbey. I hope the new monastery will be somehwat hidden. It would ruin the abbey surroundings if it was visible. Here's the link:

http://connachttribune.ie/kylemore-nuns-monastery-plans-343/

 

 

QUOTES, TOASTS , CURSES AND BLESSINGS

Who cares? When autumn birds in flocks

Fly southward, back we turn the clocks,

And so regain a lovely thing

That missing hour we lost in spring.

Phyllis McGinley

 

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

 

JOKE OF THE MONTH

On their way to the church to get married, a young Irish couple were involved in a fatal car accident. Being good Catholics the young couple find themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven. While waiting, they begin to wonder: could they possibly get married in Heaven? When St. Peter finally showed up, they asked him. St Peter said "I don't know. This is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find out" and he leaves them sitting at the Gate. After three months, St Peter finally returns, looking somewhat bedraggled. "Yes" he informs the couple " I can get you married in Heaven". "Brilliant!" said the couple "But we were just wondering, what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?" "You must be joking" says St. Peter, red-faced with frustration. "What's wrong?" asked the frightened couple. " Peter shouted "It took me three months to find a priest up here.....Do you have any idea how long it'll take me to find a lawyer?" 

DID YOU KNOW

1. According to old custom, a piece of candle, a coin and a small quantity of wine or spirits should be placed next to someone who has died? The candle was to give the deceased light, the coin was to pay the fare over the river of death, and the liquor was to sustain him or her on their journey.

 

2. On April 13th, 1829, the day the English Parliament gave the vote to Irish Catholics, the statue of George Walker - Protestant hero of the 1689 siege of Derry - which had stood quietly on the city's famous walls for more than a century, inexplicably crumbled?

 

3. The Irish word for province means fifth? And yet there are are only four provinces, you say - Leinster, Munster, Connaught and Ulster? The answer is that at one time Meath, which means in the middle, was once the fifth province.

 

 

THE WEEK THAT IS

 

1. Article: Galway Races - Where the Pint is the Unit of Currency!

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/GalwayRaces.html

 

2. Article: The Galway International Oyster Festival - a joyous celebration of a native aristocrat

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/aGalwayOysters.html

 

3. Article: Anam Cara

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/AMisc/AnamCara.html

 

4. Article: Irish Linen - The Cloth of Kings

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/AEmblem/Linen.html

 

5. Article: Driving in Ireland Part One

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Atravel/Driving1.html

 

6. The Irish Kitchen: Irish Oyster Recipes

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/rOysters.html

 

7. Kids’ Ireland: Irish children learning through film

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/1Kids/learningFilm.html

 

So there you have it until we write again - sometime in October..

If you are planning on getting married between now and then or tied the knot in the month of September,  here is your special verse:

 

Marry in September’s shine,

your living will be rich and fine

 

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:

 

Blessing for an Autumn wedding

May golden sunlight guide your way

and renew the joy of your wedding day.

May autumn warmth turn away the cold

and protect your love from

growing old.

And if our love should start to wain

May God grant you strength to

begin again.

Edited and Adapted from a blessing by

Fr. Andrew M Greeley

 

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

Some of you may not find this as funny as I did. Bridget always told me I thought too much. But she didn’t ever threaten to leave if I didn’t stop. See what you think (all puns intended).

 

It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then to loosen up. Inevitably though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker.

 

I began to think alone - "to relax," I told myself - but I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.

 

I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself.

 

I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?"

 

Things weren't going so great at home either. One evening I had turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's.

 

I soon had a reputation as a heavy thinker. One day the boss called me in. He said, "Skippy, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job." This gave me a lot to think about.

 

I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confessed, "I've been thinking..."

 

"I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!"

 

"But honey, surely it's not that serious."

 

"It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as college professors, and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking we won't have any money!"

 

"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently, and she began to cry. I'd had enough. "I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door.

 

I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche, with a PBS station on the radio. I roared into the parking lot and ran up to the big glass doors...they didn't open. The library was closed!

 

To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night.

 

As I sank to the ground clawing at the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye. "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked. You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinker's Anonymous poster.

 

Which is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker. I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was "Dumb and Dumber." Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting.

 

I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home. Life just seemed...easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking.

 

Author Unknown