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  The Information about Ireland Site Newsletter 
                  January 2006
 
The Newsletter for people interested in Ireland 
 Now received by over 50,000 people worldwide 
      https://www.ireland-information.com 
          https://www.irishnation.com
              Copyright (C) 2006  

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		IN THIS ISSUE
=== Foreword
=== News Snaps from Ireland 
=== New free resources at the site
=== The Gift-bearer from Dublin's College of Surgeons
			   by Geraldine Flanagan
=== The Hand that Rocks the Cradle 
			   by Anthony Valentino
=== A September Trip to Ireland  by Dick Redmond
=== A little bit of Dublin - #10
=== Gaelic Phrases of the Month
=== Monthly free competition result

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FOREWORD
========

A belated Happy New Year to you and yours from 
a freezing cold Ireland! As this is the time for 
resolutions how about finally penning that Irish
history article, story or poem that you have been 
putting off and sending it in for inclusion in 
the newsletter!

Until next month, stay warm!

Michael


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or relatives who you think are interested in 
Ireland. By doing this you are helping to keep 
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NEWS SNAPS FROM IRELAND
=======================

RESERVE POLICE FORCE TO BE SET UP IN IRELAND

A voluntary reserve police force to complement 
the Garda Siochana presence on the streets has 
been announced by the Minister for Justice. Up 
to 900 volunteer reservists are expected to be 
recruited during 2006.

Garda senior officials have big doubts about the 
scheme and are especially worried that the reserve 
force could be infiltrated by subversives and 
criminals. It has been speculated that the measure 
is in response to Sinn Fein attempts to introduce 
community policing in Catholic areas of Northern 
Ireland, and that similar moves may be made in 
the South.

EARLY ELECTION SEEMS UNLIKELY

The Fianna Fail and PD coalition looks set to run 
it terms with an election likely to be held in the 
early part of 2007. Recent opinion polls have been 
very good news for Bertie Ahearn's government who 
took a hammering in the recent local and European 
elections. The imminent maturity of the 
part-government funded special savings accounts 
(SSIAs) over the next 15 months will further add 
to the 'feel good' factor among the Irish 
electorate.

The opposition Labour and Fine Gael parties have 
already signalled their intent to present their 
parties as a potential alternative to the current 
government. Labour in particular have been 
recently modifying their stance on immigration 
with a view to wooing those moderate voters who 
may be disillusioned with the current setup.

Sinn Fein continue to do well in the opinion polls 
although quite how this will translate into 
parliament seats won remains to be seen. The party 
has been criticized recently for its proposals to 
increase corporate tax from 12% to 17.5% (a move 
which would hamper foreign investment in Ireland) 
and the implementation of a 50% income tax rate on 
earners of over EURO 100,000 per annum.

ILLEGAL MUSIC DOWNLOADING TACKLED

A judge has ordered several Irish internet service 
providers to release the names and addresses of 49 
Irish people who are suspected of illegally 
sharing and downloading music from the internet. 
Thousands of songs have been uploaded and 
downloaded without any payment being made to the 
copyright owners of the music. Legal action by the 
music companies against the named individuals is 
now imminent.

M50 MOTORWAY TO BE UPGRADED

Work on the upgrade to the notorious M50 ring-road 
around Dublin is to get underway this year. An 
extra 24km of traffic lanes as well as a revamping 
of the most heavily used interchanges are to be 
provided by the year 2010 at a cost of EURO 1.5bn.

The government is expected to 'buy out' the 
company who operate the toll-plaza near the 
Blanchardstown exit and replace it with some form 
of automatic tolling. peak-time congestion on the 
motorway is now so heavy that Dubliners commonly 
refer to the motorway as 'Europe's largest 
car-park'.

NEW IRISH SOCCER MANAGER IS UNVEILED

In a surprise move by the Football Association of 
Ireland Steve Staunton has been unveiled as the 
new manager of the Irish soccer team. He will 
be assisted by former England manager Bobby Robson 
who was most recently involved in football as 
manager of Newcastle United. He also brought 
England to the brink of world cup success in 1991 
before his team were beaten on penalties in the 
semi-final.

Staunton is Ireland's most capped player and is 
quite popular among the Irish public. The main 
concern with his appointment however is his lack 
of managerial experience. His only previous 
managerial role is that of assistant manager at 
lowly Walsall. How he copes with the big-earning 
and big ego Premiership players who were recently 
his teammates remains to be seen.

TOUGH DRAW FOR IRELAND IN EURO 2008 QUALIFIERS

Ireland have been handed a tough task if they are 
to qualify for the 2008 European championships to 
be held in Austria and Switzerland.

Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Wales, 
Cyprus and San Marino join Ireland in Group D with 
the top two teams certain of qualification.

Croke Park has been made available by the GAA for 
2 rugby and 3 Soccer internationals during 2007. 
The ground will be rented out to the FAI and the 
IRFU for 25% of the gate receipts. The prospect of 
up to 75,000 Irish fans cheering on the boys in 
green against Germany and the Czechs is eagerly 
anticipated.

OBESITY CRISIS IN IRELAND

The modern obesity crisis that has hit the Western 
world has not bypassed Ireland. It is estimated 
that there are now over 300,000 overweight and 
obese children in this country.

AER ARANN TAKES ON RYANAIR

The Irish airline Aer Arann is taking on Ryanair 
in the budget airfares stakes. It is expanding its 
fleet by EURO 150M which represents the third 
largest aircraft order ever by an Irish airline. 
The airline currently operates flights to 13 UK, 
3 French and 5 Irish destinations.

MICHAEL COLLINS WHISKEY TO BE LAUNCHED

A new whiskey bearing the name of the famous Irish 
revolutionary leader is to be launched into the US 
market. The Independent distiller Cooley is to 
market the product complete with a signature on the 
bottle of 'the big fella', similar to that which 
appears on the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty.


Voice your opinion on these news issues here:

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

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NEW FREE RESOURCES AT THE SITE
==============================

NEW COATS OF ARMS ADDED TO THE GALLERY:

The following 6 coats of arms images and family
history details have been added to the Gallery:

C: Considine
D: Durgin
H: Hogg
M: Manley
R: Rimmer
W: Weaver

View the Gallery here:

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

THE PERFECT WEDDING, ANNIVERSARY OR BIRTHDAY GIFT!
We now have over 100,000 worldwide names available.
Get the Coat of Arms Print, Claddagh Ring,
Screensaver, Watch, T-Shirt Transfer or Clock for
your name at:

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THE GIFT-BEARER FROM DUBLIN'S COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
			   by Geraldine Flanagan
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Here I was going about my chores doing what most 
people do in the hectic weeks before Christmas, 
when, in a whisper, my childhood muse arrived 
draping about me like a soft pink shawl. I hadn't 
the time for musing but no matter; shaking her off 
was not right as she visits so rarely, guides so 
gently and leaves sadly. Christmas stories are 
always so welcoming and I knew there was a memory, 
long-lost in the attic of my mind, that would 
rattle and shake until it was uncovered, dusted, 
and held up to the light for value and appraisal. 

And there I was, in a black and white fragile 
film clip, aged six, sitting up in a tightly made 
steel hospital bed in Dublin city. It was during 
the time of the year when dusk arrives prematurely. 
My mother and good neighbour wrapped me in a 
blanket one shiny grey evening and carried me, by 
way of two double-decker buses, to a hospital on 
the far side of Dublin city. First, they treaded 
to a hospital closer to home but were informed 
there was no room, on that night, for someone who 
didn't arrive via the emergency entrance. The 
second hospital took pity on the exhausted women 
and relieved them of my burden.

It did not seem to me my illness was grave: To 
this day I have no details of it. You see my 
mother had been widowed not so very long 
beforehand and really can't remember much except 
that I wouldn't eat, was losing weight and was 
too weak to talk. All I remember is that I felt 
no pain and my family had abandoned me to a huge, 
imposing building in a faraway place. My first 
sensation was that of a starched white sheet 
cascading around my body like an ocean wave-an 
Irish one. While my teeth chattered, I viewed the 
high-ceilinged ward and the two rows of steel beds 
placed, obediently in attention, on either side. 
All was devoid of colour, save white.  A parade of 
young starched nurses, strictly trained as though 
they were nuns, moved determinedly their eyes 
focusing only on the exact whereabouts of the 
Matron. It was not a children's place. My eyes 
counted twelve of us.

Weeks would pass until I thought, incorrectly, 
that I was there for a whole year. In my mind's 
eye my life has changed permanently. Out of 
sheer fright I shunned the world, even Santa 
himself, who must have been working nearby because 
he found the time to drop in twice to take pity 
of us poor orphans.

All us children were orphans all through the long 
day until visiting hours. In the evening an array 
of doting adults, greyly attired, materialized and 
claimed an individual bed and its occupant. I 
noticed a Mammy and Daddy for every bed and 
surmised that all the other children were spoiled 
rotten when they were not orphans. You have no 
idea how many brown packages and sweets were 
bestowed on them. I took comfort in knowing their 
teeth would be rotten by age eleven.

Because I had siblings, my mother could not take 
two long bus journeys over to my orphanage 
regularly. My granny came twice, once huffing and 
puffing with exhaustion and thirst while proudly 
holding a Christmas present: a lovely doll. God 
bless her soul. That night I offered her a glass 
of Lukazade, which is a sugary drink, thought to 
be good for children. This bottle of fizzy, 
orange water was often left on my bedside table 
at night for morning time. There is something 
wonderful about the colour of orange in winter 
and in the morning. It puzzled me, though, 
because I knew this drink had to be purchased. 
One day a young, friendly nurse mentioned that it 
was she who was instructed to place it there for 
me by a special person. I mouthed the words: 
'Special person.'

It is hard to say, sometimes, exactly when one 
takes stock of another but I know it was gradual 
and not intrusive. He came when I was dozing off 
in the evening using up time until other parents 
went home. He would sit by my bed. At first I 
was silent and so was he. To me, he was a giant 
man, with enormous shoulders, soft hands and 
fascinating white teeth. There was a stillness 
to him that is uncommon. His hands never 
fluttered. He would not come if I had a visitor, 
which wasn't very often. 

As time past, I came to see that he was one of 
the doctors. In those days, and I think it 
remains the same today, the College of Surgeons 
trained young doctors from all over the world. 
Dublin was truly homogenous in the past and any 
foreigner who was working in our country usually 
was undergoing training as a pilot with Aer Lingus 
or as a doctor with The College of Surgeons. This 
special doctor was from Africa, he must have told 
me which country but this piece of data is lost to 
me, and sadly, also is his name. As we became 
friendlier, he would talk about Africa, the hot 
sun, and how much he missed his family, and his 
own way of life while drizzling rain on the tall, 
cold windowpane behind me made a forlorn backdrop 
for his orange bottle. He questioned me about my 
family. I remember telling him they lived miles 
and miles away too, but the weather was the same. 
We became friends; best friends and I started to 
sit up straight at visiting hour and wait for him. 
Everyone in the ward knew he was only coming to 
see me. He never stopped at other beds even if 
they beckoned to him and sometimes he would ask 
the nurses to fetch something for me, such as, 
a hot-water bottle or a little extra pillow and 
they would. 

One evening he came looking very sad. He told me 
it was time for him to return to Africa and that 
evening would be the last time we would ever see 
each other.  I withdrew into silence. As he took 
his leave I flung my arms around him and said: 
'I don't want you to go, please stay in Dublin.' 
These words moistened his eyes but he continued 
to speak to me slowly and in compassionate, 
fatherly tones. He said I was to think of my 
family and that I would be going home soon, like 
him, and that he would always remember my brave 
pale face and my golden hair. 
'Brave' and 'Golden.'

Shortly afterwards I was well enough to return to 
my old bright world.  In a way I had become 
accustomed to the orderly life and the awful smell 
of cabbage at dinnertime. Strangely, I now had to 
adjust to a lively home and to the life-affirming 
aroma of my mother's baking. To my delight, the 
Christmas I had missed was kept under lock and key 
in the parlour. Santa had left me a blackboard and 
easel with long white pieces of chalk. For the 
first few days, in between two worlds, I drew and 
dusted and dusted and drew, whitening the red sofa 
in the small room with soft chalk dust. I tried to 
draw my African doctor and explain to my mother 
and granny, in a know-it-all chatty way, that it 
was he who left the orange drink so that they 
could quench their thirst after the long bus rides 
and after climbing all those huge steps up to my 
ward to see me. They smiled. I smiled. I really 
didn't know if that were true but in my heart it 
was fitting that some tribute be returned to my 
special gift-bearer.

Geraldine Flanagan
Copyright, December, 2005

You can contact the author via our forum:

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

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where you can get great Irish gifts, prints, 
claddagh jewellery, engraved glassware and 
much more.

Anne MacDonald ordered a family crest plaque:

 Hello, Michael,

 Received my plaque, carefully wrapped, 
 in good order. It is splendid! I am 
 thrilled, and I know that my dad, for whose 
 81st birthday this was ordered, will love 
 it. I would like to order another one! 

 Everyone who has seen the plaque has been 
 really impressed, even those who, as my 
 daughter says are 'not into ancestor 
 worship!'

 Again, my hearty thanks for this 
 first-class product.

 Best wishes for happy holiday season.

 Sincerely, Anne MacDonald

THE PERFECT WEDDING OR ANNIVERSARY GIFT!

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THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE
==============================
			by Anthony Valentino

In my years of studying the Irish language I have 
become more and more convinced that preserving a 
language is at the heart of saving a culture.  

It is more important than wars, legislation or 
even self-governance (even though those are 
important). People sometimes doubt they can be 
effective patriots in their quiet, daily lives 
- but those who realize they can are the most 
effective saviors of their own culture.

Go raibh maith agat,
Antaine

  An Lámh a Luascann an Cliabhán

Bhí an fear óg ag troid
Leis an gclaíomh ‘s leis an ngunna.
Dhíshealbhaigh sé an rí gallda
Ach fuair sé bás.

Tá an seanfhear ag troid
Leis an vóta ‘s le focail.
Cuireann sé a fhear don Dáil
Anam an Phobail a shábháil.

Ach is fearr an ógbhean a dhéanamh
Le focail Ghaeilge a rá i gcogar le leanbh
Ná na claímhte ‘s na gunnaí go léir
‘S dlíthe ‘s óráidí mórga.

  The Hand that Rocks the Cradle

The young man fought
With the sword and the gun.
He evicted the foreign king
But gave his life.

The old man fights
With the vote and words.
He sends his man to the Assembly
To save the country’s soul.

But the young woman does more
With Gaelic words whispered to a babe
Than all the swords and guns
And laws and lofty speeches.

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A SEPTEMBER TRIP TO IRELAND       by Dick Redmond
===========================

After years of telling my mother we were going 
to take her to Ireland we finally decided to make 
the trip in September 1983. My mother was 80 years 
old at the time and in pretty good health.

We left Portland, Maine early in the morning and 
arrived at Newark, New Jersey, where we took a 
helicopter (a first for the three of us) to JFK. 
We left for Shannon at 9.00 p.m. and arrived at 
daylight. Without any plans or reservations we 
rented a car and headed for Galway. My mother 
turned on the radio and got a French station. 
She looked at me and said 'are you sure we're in 
the right country.'

When we got to Spiddal I pointed to a building 
across the street and asked my mother if she 
remembered it? It was the Spiddal Post Office 
and my mother used to tell us about sending 
letters to Ireland care of the Spiddal Post 
Office.

We visited several relatives on our first full 
day in Galway. My mother's cousin Joe Coyne asked 
to stop in and see Granny Coyne in Creduft. We 
couldn't find Creduft on the map so we stopped at 
a store. The teenage girls didn't know were 
Creduft was, but the father came in and confirmed 
we were in Creduft and Granny Coyne lived across 
the street. He also gave us directions to Nora 
Naughton's house down the road towards Galway. We 
met Nora and her granddaughter Luisne later the 
same day. I met Luisne again 13 years later when 
she and her family was staying at my brother 
Dave's place on Little Diamond Island in Casco 
Bay in Maine. Luisne and her sister Aisling are 
both teachers in Ireland and their father is an 
author and appears on a television program. Their 
uncle Padraic is a priest in South Africa.

Later the same day we found where Nora Faherty 
lived in Darrylaughan East. This was the original 
homestead of the Flaherty family where my mother's 
father grew up. The original house looked awful 
small for such a large family, but Nora pointed 
out that they had a loft.

We stayed at Park Lodge Spiddal for the first few 
days and went to Ashford Castle in Cong, County 
Mayo. Later we drove over to Connemera and visited 
Kylemore Abby, a private school for girls. We 
talked with an Indian girl and a girl from Kenya.

We then made a cross-country trip to Dublin hoping 
to stay a few days there. We only stayed one day 
because we couldn't find a room. Someone told us 
they had an international conference taking place 
in Dublin. With no reservations we had to find a 
place to stay so we went to Wicklow for a few 
days. We visited Mount Usher Gardens; Glendalough, 
the Meeting of the Waters; and the home of Charles 
Stewart Parnell (Avondale).

We stopped in Gorey for a few hours where my 
father's father lived before he came to the United 
States. There were an awful lot of Redmonds in 
Gorey if you went by the names on the storefronts. 
At Wexford we spent a few days at White's Hotel, 
whose original owners daughter married Thomas 
Moore. One night as we were heading back to our 
hotel we met some people coming out of a pub. My 
mother said to them 'the top of the morning to 
you' and one of them replied 'and the rest of the 
day to you'.

As we were leaving Wexford heading for Waterford 
we came to a crossroad with no signs. I asked my 
mother to roll down the window and ask that guy 
on the corner if he knows the road to Waterford. 
When she rolled up the window I asked her what 
he said. She replied 'he said he was from 
Philadelphia.'

Before heading for Shannon we visited The Rock of 
Cashel, JFK Park in New Ross, Reginald's Tower in 
Waterford and Bunratty Castle.

In all we spent 10 days in Ireland and we never 
met a disagreeable person. My mother lived for 
another 17 years after this trip and she never 
tired of talking about the great time she had.
 
Dick Redmond
Ocala, Florida

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Visit https://www.irishnation.com

where you can get great Irish gifts, prints, 
claddagh jewellery, engraved glassware and 
much more.

Wendy Walker of Columbia, Missouri got a
family crest signet ring with the Donnelly family 
crest engraved on it for her son

 Michael,
 I received by registered mail today the ring I 
 ordered for my son with the Donnelly family crest.

 I am very impressed and thrilled with the ring. 
 It is beautiful and the service I received 
 throughout the whole process of ordering and 
 receiving this unique gift has been superb. Thank 
 you for all your assistance and prompt responses 
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 Thank you

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THE PERFECT WEDDING, ANNIVERSARY OR BIRTHDAY GIFT!

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A LITTLE BIT OF DUBLIN - #10
===========================

The famous General Post Office in Dublin was 
first opened in 1818. A suggestion that the 
building be used as a Catholic Cathedral was 
rejected by the authorities as they did not want 
a religious institution in such a prominent place 
in the city. 

The building was to gain international prominence 
however, when it was seized during the 'Easter 
Rising' of 1916. The rebellion, which was led by 
Padraig Pearse, was very much centered at the GPO 
which was gutted during the battle that ensued.

It was rebuilt during the 1920's but several of 
the original bullet-holes from the Rising were 
left untouched, as a reminder of the turbulent 
history of perhaps the worlds most famous post 
office. 

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GAELIC PHRASES OF THE MONTH
===========================

PHRASE:		Slainte agus tainte!
PRONOUNCED:	slawn-che oggus tinn-che
MEANING:		Health and Wealth!

PHRASE:		Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo aris! 
PRONOUNCED:	guh mware-eh mwid beow air on omm shuh ah-rish
MEANING:		May we be alive this time next year!

PHRASE:		Athbhliain faoi mhaise dhuit!
PRONOUNCED:	ought-bleen fwee may-sheh dwit
MEANING:		A prosperous new year to you!

View the archive of phrases here:

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

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SHAMROCK SITE OF THE MONTH: CHAD'S IRISH TOURS

Chad's Irish Tours is a Certified Ireland 
Specialist with Tourism Ireland. Plan a group 
trip or self-drive vacation. 

Call today 1-877-6-IRELAND.

Click to Visit: 
http://www.chadsirishtours.com

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JANUARY COMPETITION RESULT
===========================

The winner was: handyhurley@yahoo.com
who will receive the following: 

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

Send us an email to claim your print, 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.

Until next time,

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.


https://www.ireland-information.com

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