Hello again from Ireland where Spring is doing its best to break through after what has been a pretty bleak Winter. We just recently had Imbolc, the Gaelic traditional festival that marks the beginning of Spring, so things are looking up!
In this month's issue we have to talk about a King and a Queen! Firstly we recall the uncrowned King of Ireland Charles Stewart Parnell,whose fight for Home Rule paved the path for those rebels who were to follow. Our Irish mythology tale is dominated by Clíodhna, the Queen of the Banshees, and Goddess of love and beauty.
Those of a certain vintage will certainly remember the economy brand of superstores that flourished in the 1960's and 70's in Ireland. 'Woolworth's is another lyrical tale from Pat Watson that recalls them. This month's 'On Your Hike!' takes us to the southern tip of County Dublin to Killiney Hill Park.
And we end with a very old story by Thomas Crofton Croker that recalls the tale of 'Fior Usga' and her fabulous underwater home in Cork.
If you have an article or story you would like to share then please do send it to us.
Until next time,
Michael
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NEWS FROM IRELAND
IRISH PROPERTY PRICES STILL OUT OF CONTROL
The Irish property boom that went bust in 2008 and which resulted in French and German bondholders (gamblers) being bailed out to the tune of 64 Billion Euro is still one of the darkest moments in the relatively young history of Ireland.
So it may come as a surprise to learn that the current inexorable rise in property prices in Ireland has long since surpassed the peak of the madness that occurred in 2007. At that time property prices reached their height before falling back slightly, and then entirely in the wake of the collapse of the main Irish banks.
Fast forward to 2025 and the most recent report on this subject from the Central Satatistic Office (CSO,) has revealed that property prices in Ireland in 2024 are at 112.7% of the 2007 peak. That is to say that property prices in Ireland are so out of control that even the heights of the appalling madness of 2007 have been surpassed. Prices have risen by 8.7% in the last 12 months alone.
Of course the situation this time around is somewhat different in that the banks are not saddled by massive property related debts (at least they say that they aren't and they surely wouldn't lie). The main issue currently is the lack of supply of housing, coupled with strong inward migration both from International Applicants seeking refuge and from those fleeing the war in Ukraine (numbering 112,189 as at Feb 2nd 2025, per the CSO).
Have no doubt about it, the current lack of housing is a complete failure of government policies for over a decade now and will very likely cause untold economic, political and social damage to the citizenry of this country for decades to come.
Clíodhna - pronounced: 'kleen-ah'
Tuatha Dé Danannan - pronounced: 'two-hah day dan-onn'
Clíodhna was the mythical Queen of the Banshees, the female spirits of the Tuatha Dé Danannan, and forever will be associated with the southern part of Ireland and Cork in particular.
She was a Goddess of love and beauty and is surrounded by three birds whose fabulous songs could cure all ills. Those who heard the songs were lulled into a deep sleep and when they awoke found that their sickness had been cured.
She was a fabulous beauty, perhaps the most beautiful woman in the world.
Other tales of Clíodhna are not quite so benign. She is said to have lured sailors to the sea-shore where they would drown, unconcerned as she was with the fate of mere mortals.
But it was one such mortal who was to cause her downfall. She left the 'land of promise' in the Otherworld, known as 'Tir Tairngire', to be with her mortal lover Ciabhán (Keevan of the Curling Locks). It was an amazing sacrifice for a Goddess from the Otherworld to remain in the mortal realm but that is what she chose.
When one day Ciabhán went off to hunt, Cliodhna remained at the seashore but was swept away by a wave incanted by Manannán MacLir, the sea Deity. Ever since that time the tide in Glandore in Cork is known as 'Tonn Chlíodhna' meaning 'Clíodhna's Wave', especially when a fiercely loud braking wave thunders out from the sea.
And since that time Irish legend has it that every ninth wave in a sequence is the strongest, and is known as 'Clíodhna's wave'.
Clíodhna was revered by many of the strongest Gaelic families of old. In the 'Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland', Donal III O'Donovan, one of the great ancestors of the O'Donovan families, is referred to as the 'Dragon of Clíodhna':
Domhnall's son, dragon of Cliodhna, is guardian of the ancestral name,
he will remit his authority to none other - he has accepted the law of his dynasty.
O'Donovan, Four Masters, vol. V, p. 1548
She is also associated with the McCarthys of Desmond, who adopted Clíodhna as their fairy woman. One member of the O'Leary sept was named Conor Clíodhna, again showing how well known and respected Clíodhna was among these ancient southern families.
Perhaps one of the most enduring stories of Clíodhna relates to the famous Blarney Stone.
While building his castle in Cork, Cormac McCarthy became involved in legal difficulties and appealed to Clíodhna for her help. In a dream she instructed him to kiss the first stone he found the following morning, and if he did so his problems would be resolved.
McCarthy did as instructed and when he argued his cause in the courts found that he was possessed of such eloquence and convincing language that he easily won his case. He honored Clíodhna by having the stone he had kissed set into a wall, where today it is visited and kissed by countless thousands of visitors from all parts of this world.
The legend of Blarney was enhanced even more when Queen Elizabeth I found that she could not successfully persuade Cormac McCarthy to surrender his castle to her. Such was his delaying tactics and now superior negotiating skills and turn of phrase that the frustrated Monarch of England described his communications as 'Blarney, as what he says he does not mean'.
And so it is that Clíodhna is well remembered in Ireland. Her Palace was near Mallow in Cork at a place that is still called 'Carrig-Cleena', meaning 'Cliodhna's rock'.
And every time a massive thunderous wave breaks on the seashore her memory rises from the history of Ireland, echoing from the mythic era that, although now at an end, is never forgotten.
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CHARLES STEWART PARNELL - THE UNCROWNED KING OF IRELAND
The Great Famine of 1845 to 1849 left over 1 million dead with a further 1 million emigrating over the following 10 years. One of the effects of the disaster was to demonstrate to ordinary Irish people that the English Government had failed them in their time of need and that they must seize control of their own destiny.
Out of the Famine grew several revolutionary movements which eventually culminated in the 1916 Easter Rising. Yet in the second half of the nineteenth century the main concern of the Irish people was their land and the fact that they had no control whatsoever over it ownership.
Charles Stewart Parnell was the son of a Protestant landowner who organized the rural masses into agitation against the ruling Landlord class to seek the 3 Fs: Fixity of Tenure, Freedom to Sell and Fair Rent.
Violence flared in the countryside but Parnell preferred to use parliamentary means to achieve his objectives and the result was a series of Land Acts which greatly improved the conditions under which the Irish agricultural class toiled.
Parnell's main ambition was Home Rule for Ireland (local Government) and he led the Irish Party, deposing Isaac Butt in the process to achieve this aim. He and colleagues such as Joseph Biggar made a science out of 'fillibustering' and delayed the English parliament by introducing amendments to every clause of every Bill and then discussing each aspect at length. His popularity in Ireland soared to great heights.
Trouble loomed for Parnell however, in his private life. He had secretly courted a married woman, Kathleen O'Shea, the husband of whom filed for divorce, naming Parnell as the co-respondent. He tried to ignore the scandal and continued his public life. Public pressure in Ireland and from Gladstone in England eventually brought his downfall and he died shortly afterwards, in 1891.
The Home Rule Bill that he had forced Gladstone into introducing was passed in the House of Commons, but defeated in the House of Lords. In the years that followed the fight for Home Rule continued in Ireland but was overtaken by the outbreak of World War One and the 1916 Easter Rising that changed Irish history forever.
In his last speech in Kilkenny in 1891 Parnell said:
'I don’t pretend that I had not moments of trial and of temptation, but I do claim that never in thought, word, or deed, have I been false to the trust which Irishmen have confided in me.'
But perhaps he will be most remembered for the quotation that can be found on his statue at the junction of O'Connell Street and Parnell Street in Dublin City Centre:
'No man shall have the right to fix the boundary to the march of a Nation'.
ON YOUR HIKE! KILLINEY HILL PARK
Killiney Hill Park is a lovely park that overlooks Dalkey Island and Dublin Bay and is located about an hour from Dublin city center when using public transport. It is a great park for kids of all ages with a fine playground, a tea-room cafe, and some cracking views.
Travelling to the park from the city center involves getting the DART (or bus) to Dun Laoghaire and getting a local bus to Victoria Road in Killiney, leaving a 10 minute or so walk to the park entrance. Alternatively you can stay on the DART and go through Dun Laoghaire for a couple of more stops to arrive at Dalkey, where the walk to the park car park is about 25 minutes or so.
Both of these coastal towns (Dun Laoghaire and Dalkey), are well worth a visit in their own right, and with a little planning the Pier and seafront in Dun Laoghaire could be walked in the morning, with a visit to Killiney Hill Park in the afternoon making up a neat day-trip. Alternatively Dalkey is home to Dalkey Castle which is also well worth a visit.
It is even possible to walk along the coastline from Dun Laoghaire to reach Dalkey.
So, to get there:
Dublin City Center --> DART (heading South) --> Dun Laoghaire --> Bus #59 --> Exit at Stop 3099 --> Short walk to the park
or
Dublin City Center --> DART (heading South) --> Dalkey --> 25 minute or so to the park.
I would recommend the second option since it only involves one interface with public transport.
Arriving at the park leaves the visitor with a number of trails. Perhaps the most popular is that which leads to the famous Obelisk at the very top of the hill (the purple trail on the photo), and which is visible for miles around. Reaching the top is a good place to admire the views (especially when the sun honors the local citizenry with its presence). Indeed this is also a decent place to admire the Aircraft and Jets racing by Bray during the annual air-show.
A small cafe is very popular with visitors and is located half way down the hill from the Obelisk viewing point. There is a pretty good kids playground with Zip-line at the very bottom near the large car-park.
On the northern side of the park lies Dalkey Quarry that can also be explored via a well-marked trail. Those seeking some adventure can arrange in advance to scale the sheer rock faces (there are several local climbing clubs who can assist).
The exact trail chosen depends on which entrance you arrive into. If arriving from Dalkey then you can head straight into the main car-park adjacent to the playground. You can then take the Quarry walk to the left which loops back to the car park before taking the main park loop around to the left and then right up towards the Obelisk. Staying on that main trail will lead back down to the Cafe, and from there back to the car park.
Alternatively if approaching from the far side of the park there is an entrance quite near to the Cafe (the purple trail on the photo) and in this case you can proceed to the right, up the hill to the Obelisk before descending on the far side and then completing (or not) the Quarry loop (the orange trail on the photo).
The park is very popular with locals and is always busy (but never too busy). A great day out and quite kid friendly.
Smart, well-travelled people, who had been to
Dublin, knew all about Woolworth's nick-knack
shop.
They sold everything under the sun, from
a needle to an anchor. Anybody who had never
been there was backward. Then, wonderful news
arrived. They were going to open a shop in our
town.
Even the war, the rationing and the
coupons could not dampen our enthusiasm at the
great news. They had acquired the building,
work on its renovation was proceeding, and it
would be open for Christmas. Santa Claus would
be there, we had heard, but we did not really
believe that he visited the Dublin shop every
year. Now we could see for ourselves. Just
because you were only seven didn't mean you
were stupid.
When the sign over the new shop went up
everybody said that the spelling was wrong,
'Wellworths'.
They supposed it would be
noticed and put right by next week but it
wasn't. Instead we heard that it was not the
real Woolworth's at all but a copycat company.
However they would have many of the same things,
nearly as good.
The question was would they
have packs of small playing cards selling for
sixpence. A full size pack cost a half a crown.
'Haven't ye your father's playing cards, aren't
they good enough.'
That's what Mammy said.
Daddy's playing cards were several years old
and there were only thirty-seven left out of the
original pack and even those were in poor
condition. They were dog-eared and marked so that
many of them were recognisable from the back.
This led to cheating by the older members of the
family.
I had learned to count on the cards long before
I went to school. There were forty-five in the
pack then. I heard there were several games you
could play if you had all fifty-two cards but we
had only two games, strip-jack (beg of my
neighbour) and casino.
Only two could play
strip-jack so casino was usually played. In this
game every player got four cards and there were
four cards placed face up on the table. If the
first player had a card in his hand matching one
on the table, he could put both in his bank.
Sometimes he could pick two or three cards off
the table if their number added up to a card in
his hand, for instance a two a three and a four
could be picked up by saying two plus three plus
four equals my nine. He could then put all four
cards in his bank. If he had no match he just had
to leave down a card. Deals continued until all
the cards were gone and whoever had the biggest
bank won.
When my aunt gave me sixpence in town, during the
Christmas week that Wellworth's opened I decided
to look for the little playing cards.
That was
the first day Santa was there and the crowds were
huge. Behind the two girls at the door there was
a long queue of children and parents and at the
end of the line was a fake Santa. I might have
been only seven years old but everybody knew Jim
Farrelly. One of the door girls grabbed me.
'Give me your shilling and then you can join the
queue for Santa.'
I glared at her. 'I don't want to go to Santa I just want a pack
of playing cards for my six pence.' 'You cannot go to Santa unless you have a
shilling.' 'I don't want to go to Santa' and I ducked under
her arm and ran down the shop with her after me.
The manageress appeared, 'What's all the fuss?'
'He won't line up for Santa.'
'I want a pack of playing cards and I only have
sixpence.'
She took the sixpence and gave me the
most beautiful little box with a king of diamonds
on the outside. Now it was the door girl's turn to
glare.
Now! We'd see who would cheat, who would claim
that three and four was eight, who would read the
backs of the cards. The owner of the cards would
call the tune. Anybody caught cheating would be
put out of the game.
It was great to be a man in charge of his own cards.
Pat Watson
'Shy Man' is one of sixty lyrical
yarns from 'Original Irish Stories' by Pat Watson,
Creagh, Bealnamulla, Athlone, Ireland.
First published in May 2006.
Visit: Barnes & Noble
or you can email the author here: pjwatson77@gmail.com
FIOR USGA by Thomas Crofton Croker
A little way beyond the Gallows Green of Cork, and just outside the town, there is a great lough of water, where people in the winter go and skate for the sake of diversion; but the sport above the water is nothing to what is under it, for at the very bottom of this lough there are buildings and gardens, far more beautiful than any now to be seen, and how they came there was in this manner.
Long before Saxon foot pressed Irish ground, there was a great king called Core, whose palace stood where the lough now is, in a round green valley, that was just a mile about. In the middle of the court-yard was a spring of fair water, so pure, and so clear, that it was the wonder of all the world. Much did the king rejoice at having so great a curiosity within his palace; but as people came in crowds from far and near to draw the precious water of this spring, he was sorely afraid that in time it might become dry; so he caused a high wall to be built up round it, and would allow nobody to have the water, which was a very great loss to the poor people living about the palace.
Whenever he wanted any for himself, he would send his daughter to get it, not liking to trust his servants with the key of the well-door, fearing that they might give some away.
One night the king gave a grand entertainment, and there were many great princes present, and lords and nobles without end; and there were wonderful doings throughout the palace: there were bonfires, whose blaze reached up to the very sky; and dancing was there, to such sweet music, that it ought to have waked up the dead out of their graves; and feasting was there in the greatest of plenty for all who came; nor was any one turned away from the palace gates—but 'you’re welcome—you’re welcome, heartily,' was the porter’s salute for all.
Now it happened at this grand entertainment there was one young prince above all the rest mighty comely to behold, and as tall and as straight as ever eye would wish to look on. Right merrily did he dance that night with the old king’s daughter, wheeling here, and wheeling there, as light as a feather, and footing it away to the admiration of every one. The musicians played the better for seeing their dancing; and they danced as if their lives depended upon it. After all this dancing came the supper; and the young prince was seated at table by the side of his beautiful partner, who smiled upon him as often as he spoke to her; and that was by no means so often as he wished, for he had constantly to turn to the company and thank them for the many compliments passed upon his fair partner and himself.
In the midst of this banquet, one of the great lords said to King Core, 'May it please your majesty, here is every thing in abundance that heart can wish for, both to eat and drink, except water.'
'Water!' said the king, mightily pleased at some one calling for that of which purposely there was a want: water shall you have, my lord, speedily, and that of such a delicious kind, that I challenge all the world to equal it. Daughter', said he, 'go fetch some in the golden vessel which I caused to be made for the purpose.
The king’s daughter, who was called Fior Usga, (which signifies, in English, 'Spring Water',) did not much like to be told to perform so menial a service before so many people, and though she did not venture to refuse the commands of her father, yet hesitated to obey him, and looked down upon the ground.
The king, who loved his daughter very much, seeing this, was sorry for what he had desired her to do, but having said the word, he was never known to recall it; he therefore thought of a way to make his daughter go speedily and fetch the water, and it was by proposing that the young prince her partner should go along with her. Accordingly, with a loud voice, he said, 'Daughter, I wonder not at your fearing to go alone so late at night; but I doubt not the young prince at your side will go with you.'
The prince was not displeased at hearing this; and taking the golden vessel in one hand, with the other led the king’s daughter out of the hall so gracefully that all present gazed after them with delight.
When they came to the spring of water, in the court-yard of the palace, the fair Usga unlocked the door with the greatest care, and stooping down with the golden vessel to take some of the water out of the well, found the vessel so heavy that she lost her balance and fell in. The young prince tried in vain to save her, for the water rose and rose so fast, that the entire court-yard was speedily covered with it, and he hastened back almost in a state of distraction to the king.
The door of the well being left open, the water, which had been so long confined, rejoiced at obtaining its liberty, rushed forth incessantly, every moment rising higher and higher, and was in the hall of the entertainment sooner than the young prince himself, so that when he attempted to speak to the king he was up to his neck in water. At length the water rose to such a height, that it filled the entire of the green valley in which the king’s palace stood, and so the present lough of Cork was formed.
Yet the king and his guests were not drowned, as would now happen, if such an awful inundation were to take place; neither was his daughter, Fior Usga, who returned to the banquet-hall the very next night after this dreadful event; and every night since the same entertainment and dancing goes on in the palace at the bottom of the lough, and will last until some one has the luck to bring up out of it the golden vessel which was the cause of all this mischief.
Nobody can doubt that it was a judgment upon the king for his shutting up the well in the court-yard from the poor people: and if there are any who do not credit my story, they may go and see the lough of Cork, for there it is to be seen to this day; the road to Kinsale passes at one side of it; and when its waters are low and clear, the tops of towers and stately buildings may be plainly viewed in the bottom by those who have good eyesight, without the help of spectacles.
GAELIC PHRASES OF THE MONTH
PHRASE:
Ní feidir linn é seo a shéanadh
PRONOUNCED:
nee fay-dur lin a (a as in a,b,c.) shuh a (a as in 'a bag') yan-idd
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