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		IN THIS ISSUE
~~~ Foreword
~~~ Keep us Free!
~~~ News Snaps from Ireland
~~~ New Free Resources at the Site
~~~ My Tenth Trip to Ireland    by Carol Martin
~~~ Gaelic Phrases of the Month
~~~ Ode to a Celtic Prince    by Christine Bode
~~~ Irish Quotations of the Month
~~~ Monthly free competition result

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FOREWORD
~~~~~~~~

Many thanks again to you all who have sent in 
articles to publish and words of encouragement 
- they are all greatly appreciated.

We have included special links for AOL users which 
should let them click directly from their email 
program to visit the various links shown in the 
newsletter. I would appreciate feedback if this 
worked out well as AOL is not available in Ireland!

The next issue will be sent on Saint Patrick's Day
so be sure to keep an eye out for it!

very best wishes from Ireland!

Michael.


WE NEED YOUR HELP!

PLEASE - send this newsletter on to your friends 
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KEEP THIS NEWSLETTER ALIVE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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up by a lifetime guarantee our family crest prints, 
rings, watches and more make the perfect gift for 
a friend or relative - or get them for yourself!

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NEWS SNAPS FROM IRELAND
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AIB LOSES US$691 MILLION IN SHARE-DEALING FRAUD

Ireland's leading financial institution, Allied 
Irish Bank, has been rocked by the loss of over 
US$691 Million in a Foreign Exchange dealing fraud 
in its American Subsidiary, All First Financial 
Inc., based in Maryland.

The Royal Bank of Scotland are being tipped to 
takeover AIB, given the weakness the Bank has 
suffered as a result of the scandal.

GENERAL ELECTION FEVER HOTS UP

Despite the date for the next election not having 
been announced all of the political parties are in 
full election gearing as the life of the Fianna 
Fail led Government ticks away.

Fine Gael have already promised to compensate 
shareholders who lost out in the Eircom floatation
but the move does not seem to be have been well 
received by the public. Party leader Michael Noonan 
also had to apologise for his handling of the 
Bridget McCole affair which triggered the current 
Lindsay Tribunal to investigate how Irish 
hemophiliacs were given infected blood products 
by the Irish Blood Transfusion Board.

Sinn Fein has received a boost in a number of 
opinion polls. The opposition by Taoiseach Bertie 
Ahearn to Sinn Fein being part of any Government 
coalition is not echoed by the public at large. 
The Fianna Fail leader has already pledged that 
his party will not go into Government with Sinn 
Fein given that party's current association 
with the IRA.

Despite the prospect of a national poll within 
months, the current political and public focus 
is on the upcoming Abortion referendum.

ABORTION REFERENDUM CAUSES CONFUSION

Abortion is illegal in Ireland. Despite the 
thousands of Irish women who travel to England 
for abortions every year successive Governments 
have failed to tackle the issue.

A new referendum is being held which will 
effectively reverse the 'X-Case', in which a 
teenage girl was given permission to travel to 
England for an abortion because she was suicidal. 
Thus the 'right to travel' became inextricably 
entwined with the right, or not, to an abortion.

The hastily announced referendum has caused much 
confusion as both the main Anti-Abortion lobby 
and the Pro-Choice lobby are seeking rejection of 
the amendment. The Anti-Abortion group claim that 
the proposed amendment to the constitution does not 
do enough to protect the unborn fetus. The 
Pro-Choice group however, maintain that the very 
right to travel by citizens will be affected and 
that the life of a mother will be placed below 
that of an unborn child.

Thus, posters by both groups advocating a 'No' 
vote have appeared side by side. The Government is 
seeking a 'Yes' vote and has rejected the claims 
made by both of the 'No' advocates.

Pre-Referendum surveys indicate that the outcome 
is so close as to be impossible to call.

ABBEY THEATRE TO BE REBUILT

The famous Abbey Theatre, the home of Joyce, 
Yeats, Synge and O'Casey is to be demolished and 
rebuilt on its original site. The decision made 
by the Government is not the preferred choice of 
the Theatre directors who wanted to relocate the 
National Theatre to a nearby site in the Dublin 
Docklands. The estimated three year timescale 
for the project will mean that a temporary venue 
will have to be found in the interim.

JEANIE JOHNSTON FAMINE SHIP TO BE COMPLETED

The replica Famine ship being built in Kerry, 
the 'Jeanie Johnston', is finally to be completed 
after running nearly four times over its original 
estimated cost of EURO 3.8 Million. The ship was 
originally to have been sailed to America during 
the 2000 millennium year but ran into 
difficulties when the costs spiraled out of 
control. It is not yet clear whether the vessel 
will ever take to the water.

One suggested use for the ship is to convert it
into a temporary youth detention centre!

THE EURO, THE FARMER AND THE BICYCLE

A County Monaghan farmer set off on his bike with 
over fifty thousand punts in a plastic bag hitched 
to the back. He was making his way to his local 
bank to convert the money into EUROs before the 
deadline for conversion of the now defunct money 
had passed.

Alas, a tumble on the notorious Monaghan country 
roads meant the farmer had to remount his bike, 
unaware that the fall had ripped the thin plastic 
covering his life savings. Fives, tens, twenties 
and fifties littered the countryside for nearly 
3 miles before a good Samaritan motorist stopped 
the farmer and informed him of the commotion that 
he was causing behind him. Motorists, pedestrians 
and cyclists alike could be seen clambering into 
ditches and hedgerows to claim their share of the 
unexpected windfall!

The farmer eventually lodged thirty thousand of 
his original fifty thousand into his bank account. 
The Gardai (police) retrieved a further ten 
thousand from honest fortune seekers who heard of 
his plight and surrendered the money they had 
collected. Ten thousand still remains outstanding, 
perhaps much of which is still floating around 
the Monaghan countryside in the February high 
winds!

IRISH SOCCER STAR IN MAGNIFICENT GESTURE

Irish soccer star Niall Quinn has announced that 
the takings from his May testimonial soccer match, 
estimated to be worth in excess of STG$1 Million, 
will be given to charity, to be divided between 
two children's hospitals, one in Dublin and the 
other in Sunderland, where Quinn plies his trade. 
The gesture has been welcomed in all quarters of 
the press and public. Even the English Prime 
Minister, Tony Blair, commended Quinn for his 
generosity.

Support has been forthcoming also from players, 
stewards and officials who will officiate 
at the match, and who have all agreed to give 
of their services free of charge.

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NEW FREE RESOURCES AT THE SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEW COATS OF ARMS ADDED TO THE GALLERY:

The following 22 coats of arms images and family
history details have been added to the Gallery:

A: McAuliffe
B: Breeden, O'Brannigan
C: Callahan, McCormack, McCrudden, McCorkell
D: Dobson, Dorrian
G: Geran, McGonagle
H: Haseltine, Head, Hinchcliffe
M: Magee, Mulcare, Munnelly
N: Neary
T: Thornhill
W: Waite, Worrall, Worrell

View the Gallery here:

 http://www.irishsurnames.com/coatsofarms/gm.htm

We now have over 20,000 worldwide names available.
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SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

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Saint Patrick in adavance of the big day!

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NEWSLETTER FORUM

Voice your opinion at the Newsletter Forum here:

 https://www.ireland-information.com/cgi-bin/newsletterboardindex.cgi

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MY TENTH TRIP TO IRELAND 	by CAROL MARTIN

I made my first trip to Ireland in 1985 with a 
group of 18 people including my mother and my 
sister. It was the thrill of a lifetime for my 
sister and I. We knew our father's mother was 
born in Ballyjamesduff in County Cavan and we 
remembered her telling us stories about banshees 
and the wee folk when we were very young. Our 
father had died 11 years before we made our trip 
and we felt this trip was as much for him as it 
was for us. He was afraid to fly so it was a trip 
he never would have made himself, although he 
would have loved to visit Ireland. 

A friend of ours arranged the tour and we knew 
some of the other people, but not all of them. 
By the end of the trip we all knew each other 
very well and I had made some lasting friendships. 
I thought this would be my one and only trip to 
Ireland and I planned to savor every moment.

I don't know what I was expecting to see in 
Ireland other than lots of green fields and old, 
rundown houses. I had no way of knowing that this 
trip would change my life forever. From the moment 
my foot stepped onto the ground at Shannon Airport 
I felt like I had come home. It was a very real, 
physical feeling, not just a sentimental emotion, 
although it did make me cry. I felt like my soul 
belonged there. I have felt that same way each 
time I return to Ireland. I have made ten trips so 
far since 1985 and am planning my eleventh one for 
August of this year. I have also planned many 
itineraries for friends and co-workers. I have 
become the local 'Irish guru'.

Ireland is so much more than I imagined it would 
be. There are thousands of fields made up of so 
many shades of green. There are abandoned houses 
with their own eerie beauty and there are also 
beautiful old and new homes. There are fields of 
flowers, and the heather and gorse growing 
entwined together create breathtaking hillsides 
of purple and yellow. The natural beauty amazes 
you with every turn in the road. The ancient ruins 
like Newgrange and the Gallarus Oratory make you 
feel insignificant when you consider their 
construction and the ages they have withstood. The 
magnificent beauty of the Cliffs of Moher, the 
Ring of Kerry, Donegal, the Dingle Peninsula and 
Connemara cannot be described in mere words. Even 
pictures cannot convey the true splendor you 
witness in person - they can only be a pleasant 
reminder of your visit. The architecture and 
history of Dublin, Cork and Galway invite you to 
delve further and learn about the events that 
took place in those cities. The harbors of 
Kinsale, Dingle, Roundtree, Clifden and so many 
other towns and villages just cry out to be 
explored and enjoyed. The thatched roofs on the 
lovely cottages of Adare make it a place you want 
to keep visiting over and over. When I have 
trouble falling asleep at night, I picture myself 
in Glendalough in County Wicklow. It is the most 
peaceful place I have ever been in my life. The 
monastic ruins, round tower, and natural beauty 
of the 'Glen of the two lakes' are almost 
mystical to experience.

When people who have never been to Ireland ask me 
about the food, they expect me to tell them how 
awful it is. I tell them that they are confusing 
Ireland's food with England's. Ireland has 
wonderful food. I have been to quite a number of 
excellent restaurants and especially love the 
'pub grub'. I always tell people that they don't 
need to spend a fortune on good food. They can if 
they want to, but they can also eat very well for 
moderate prices in some very good pubs. The 
creamed soups, scones and Irish coffee are to die 
for. On my last trip in November several people 
were with me who had never been to Ireland. They 
raved about how delicious the food was. In fact 
they commented that they had some of the best 
meals they had ever had anywhere.

The Irish people are extremely friendly and warm 
to Americans. So many of them have family who 
have emigrated to the United States and American 
tourists help the Irish economy more than tourists 
from anywhere else in the world. An Irish friend 
owns a shop told me that European tourists buy 
items that they know are the best value for their 
money. Americans buy everything in sight! They 
are amazed, and grateful, at how freely Americans 
spend their money. There is nothing more hypnotic 
than to sit and listen to an Irish old timer tell 
stories, even if you don't know whether they are 
true or not, it doesn't really matter. The lyrical 
sound of the Irish voice and their gift at story 
telling is unique and leaves you wanting more.

Visiting Ireland in 1985 had a profound effect on 
my life. I made the most difficult decision of my 
life sitting in the Pro Cathedral in Dublin that 
year and walked out of that Church with the weight 
of the world lifted from my shoulders. I went home 
and began amassing a library of Irish books and 
music. I have studied the history of Ireland.

In 1999 I ran a trip to Ireland with seven members 
of my family plus friends. We visited the town of 
Ballyjamesduff where my grandmother was born. We 
stopped at the Boyne (my maiden name) River and 
gathered water from it to bring home. My sister 
and I felt the presence of our father and my 
grandmother at that moment when my daughters 
scooped up that water and knew our ancestors were 
smiling down on us.

In September of 2000 I was diagnosed with cancer. 
I accepted this as God's plan for me. The only 
thing that made me cry over that diagnosis was that 
I might not live or ever be well enough to visit 
Ireland again. I knew my children and family would 
survive without me and I didn't cry over them, but 
I did cry when I thought I might never see 
Glendalough or the other places I love so much. I 
am grateful to say that I have made a full 
recovery from my cancer after chemotherapy, 
radiation and surgery. God has truly blessed me 
and rewarded me with my tenth trip to Ireland in 
2001. It was a very special trip for me, one that 
a year before I could not say would ever happen. 

I wish everyone could visit Ireland and experience 
the beauty of the country and her people. 

It might change their life as it has mine.

Carol Martin

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GAELIC PHRASES OF THE MONTH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PHRASE:		aon, do, tri, ceithir, cuig
		se, seacht, ocht, naoi, deich

PRONOUNCED:	ain, dough, tree, kerr/ih, koo/igg
		shay, shocht, uck/th, knee, deh
MEANING:		1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

PHRASE:		Mir a haon ar an gClar Gno
PRONOUNCED:	mere ah hain air on glar gh/no
MEANING:		Item one on the agenda

PHRASE:		Iadsan go leir ata i bhfabhar?
PRONOUNCED:	eed/sun go lair ah/taw ih vow/arr
MEANING:		All those in favour?

PHRASE:		Iadsan go leir ata in aghaidh?
PRONOUNCED:	eed/sun go lair ah/taw in eye/gh
MEANING:		All those against?

PHRASE:		Cruinniu ar Athlo!
PRONOUNCED:	krin/u air ott/low
MEANING:		Meeting adjourned!


View the archive of phrases here:

 https://www.ireland-information.com/irishphrases.htm

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IRISH BANKNOTES AND COINS SOUVENIRS FROM IRELAND

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the Irish Punt?

Get a genuine Irish ten pound or twenty pound note 
together with a full set of Irish coins before 
they are gone forever!

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 https://www.irishnation.com/irishcoinsandbanknotes.htm

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ODE TO A CELTIC PRINCE		by Christine Bode

Twas a lass with emerald eyes and hair of 
burnished gold,
who dreamt time and again of an exotic island 
home,
where the wee faeries' magic could hush her 
yearning soul,
and be still her anxious spirit so she n'er again 
would roam.

Weary lass sank to her knees 'neath a weeping 
willow tree,
to take a shady break from her life-long urgent 
quest.
She closed her eyes, smelled the breeze and 
heard distinctively,
the lowly, plaintive sigh of a lonesome angel's 
breath.

'Oh dear Conor, you sweet thing, where have you 
been?
I have longed for you all of my life.
One touch of my hand and your essence revealed,
put an end to my heartache and strife.'

A more beautiful place she could never have seen,
though she's traveled far and wide for this 
glimpse,
And was led to a magic, ancient land of green,
by her search for a fabled Celtic prince.

The music of Ireland 'tis home for a poet's 
shrine,
the country fiddle, it will quiver, whine and 
wail.
The Gaelic harp can charm the most tortured of 
minds,
and the bodhran's beat tells its own haunted 
tale.

'Oh dear Conor, you sweet thing, where have you 
been?
I have longed for you all of my life.
And come so very far just to hear your sad song,
serenade me love, into the night.'

In yonder glen stood his Lord's noble castle'
thought she heard his footsteps through the bog.
He'd whisk her off to a proud sailing vessel,
while Gabriel's horn sounded shrill in the fog.

Alas, her prince was a phantom, elusive,
the spectre vanished o'er the cool, placid lake.
Not a limerick nor song could appease her,
her heart broke as she fathomed her fate.

'Oh dear Conor, you sweet thing, where you have 
been?
I have longed for you all of my life.
And I will surely cry when ye go away,
why'd you leave me to manage this plight?'

Christine Bode,
June 20, 1995


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IRISH QUOTATIONS OF THE MONTH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Every Political Party in Ireland was founded 
 on the gun.

John Hume, attributed in 1995

 Politics is the chloroform of the Irish people, 
 or, rather, the hashish.

Oliver St. John Gogarty, 1878-1957

 Our ancestors believed in magic, prayers, 
 trickery, browbeating and bullying. I think it 
 would be fair to sum that list up as 
 'Irish politics'.

Flann O'Brien, 1911-66

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SUPPORT THE INFORMATION ABOUT IRELAND SITE
HELP US TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FREE RESOURCES

Get family crest gifts for your or a friends 
family name and get a free email account:

 https://www.irishnation.com

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SHAMROCK SITE OF THE MONTH:   celticshamrock.com

Bring Ireland home for the holidays.  
At Celtic Shamrock's on line shop you'll find a 
wide selection of merchandise, we'll even gift 
wrap it for you!

 http://www.celticshamrock.com

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Readers Noticeboard:

The AOH, Bay City, Annual Limerick Competition

Achieve notoriety, fame, or even infamy, by 
penning and original limerick or verse in our 
annual free competition. Anyone who agrees not to 
take this contest too seriously may enter. 
Previous winners have ranged in age from 12 to 
80. If you are married or otherwise related to 
a judge, your chances of winning might improve. 
Then again, maybe not.

Details from Frank Quinn at irishmic@aol.com

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FEBRUARY COMPETITION RESULT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The winner was: raequinn@austin.rr.com

who will receive the following:

A Single Family Crest Print (decorative) 
(US$19.99 value)

Send us an email to claim your prize, and well 
done! Remember that all subscribers to this 
newsletter are automatically entered into the 
competition every time. 

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I hope that you have enjoyed this issue.
Please keep the feedback coming!

Until the next time,

May the roads rise to meet you, and 
may the wind be at your back. 

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.

https://www.ireland-information.com
Click here to contact us