The Information about Ireland Site Newsletter
    January 2010


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      The Information about Ireland Site Newsletter 
                      January 2010
     
     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) 2010  
    
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    		IN THIS ISSUE
    
    === News Snaps from Ireland 
    === New free resources at the site
    === William Clarke - The Ballybay Piper, by Peadar Murnane
    === Edmund Burke - Political Thinker, by Joseph E. Gannon 
    === Walking the Past by Brendan Forde
    === Tricky Dubh by Pat Watson
    === Killarney by Peter Carter
    === Gaelic Phrases of the Month
    === Monthly free competition result
    
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    FOREWORD
    ========
    
    A belated happy new year from Ireland where the 
    great flood gave way to the big freeze. Rarely 
    has the country been brought to such a shuddering 
    halt as happened in the early weeks of this year.
    
    Surely things can only get better with more 
    optimism evident. Maybe people have just had 
    enough of the gloom...
    
    Until next month
    
    Michael
    
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    =======================
    NEWS SNAPS FROM IRELAND
    =======================
    
    FLOODS FOLLOWED BY THE BIG FREEZE
    
    It has been called the biggest freeze in 30 years 
    although some observers are citing it as a 'once 
    in a century' event. The devastating floods that 
    hit many business and homes in the west and south 
    of Ireland were quickly followed by heavy snowfalls 
    and a prolonged freeze. Ireland is not used to 
    weather like this and although snow and sleet are 
    a regular occurrence the prolonged nature of the 
    recent cold snap caused no end of problems.
    
    Supplies of salt and grit that had been built up 
    to last for a few days were suddenly depleted as 
    the entire transport network was gridlocked with 
    ice causing chaos at airports and roads. Schools 
    were closed down, businesses suffered as staff and 
    customers stayed away. Residents of isolated rural 
    homes had to be airlifted to safety in scenes more 
    reminiscent of a country under siege than a modern 
    western economy.
    
    Government agencies were criticised for their 
    response but were ultimately saved when the thaw 
    arrived earlier than expected. Schools and 
    businesses re-opened and the damage was assessed. 
    Melting snow and ice again flooded some businesses 
    and homes, their despairing owners only having 
    just recovered from the first deluge.
    
    The big flood and freeze had a huge impact on 
    recession-hit Ireland with most retailers and 
    shopping malls reporting a big reduction in trade 
    due to the extreme weather. This is not the sort 
    of thing that is needed to boost economic recover. 
    Perhaps this beating by the weather marks the very 
    bottom of the trough and the recovery is on the 
    way? Lets hope so.
    
    WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM EXPOSED AS INADEQUATE
    
    One of the most inconvenient effects of the recent 
    bad weather has been the disruption to the supply 
    of fresh water to residents and businesses. The 
    big freeze has highlighted the poor state of the 
    country's network of water-pipes with up to 40% 
    of water being lost due to leakage from the system. 
    An estimated 300 Million euro is to be spent 
    repairing the broken pipes in an effort to prevent 
    a repeat of this poor performance in the future.
    
    With the public so focused on the water problems 
    it was an ideal opportunity for the government to 
    again advance their proposals for water metering. 
    An annual charge for water usage is to be 
    introduced by the government next year, initially 
    in 1.1 Million homes. Businesses already pay for 
    water usage. The initial charge to householders 
    is expected to be about 175 euro annually although 
    this is expected to rise to as much as 400 euro.
    
    NEW TERMINAL TO OPEN AT DUBLIN AIRPORT
    
    The Dublin Airport Authority has allowed the 
    public to view the new 19-gate terminal 'T2' at 
    Dublin airport for the first time. The fully 
    operational new terminal due to be opened in 
    November of this year is where all 'long-haul' 
    traffic will be accommodated. US customs and 
    immigration can be cleared in the new terminal 
    before flights are boarded.
    
    BANKING DISASTER TO BE PROBED
    
    A Banking Commission of Inquiry is to be 
    established to examine the near collapse of the 
    Irish banking system. The government had 
    originally balked at the idea of establishing an 
    investigation into how Bank of Ireland and Allied 
    Irish Bank nearly joined Anglo Irish Bank on the 
    scrapheap, but later agreed to a wide-ranging 
    investigation that looks set to be established in 
    the coming months.
    
    WELFARE CARD OR NATIONAL IDENTITY CARD?
    
    A new public services identity card is to be 
    introduced in an attempt to reduce benefit fraud 
    and to speed up applications for welfare and other 
    public services. The new cards will be able to 
    retain biological identifiers such as fingerprints 
    and eyescans. It is expected that every adult in 
    the country will have the card within 3 to 4 
    years. The government is not citing the new 
    welfare card as a national identity card although 
    it is hard to see how it is not exactly that. 
    Despite reservations by civil liberty groups the 
    scheme has been met with an overall positive 
    reaction.
    
    LIFESPAN GREATLY INCREASED SINCE 1920
    
    The average lifespan for men and women in Ireland 
    has been greatly increased due to better health 
    care, nutrition and lifestyle and a big reduction 
    in infant mortality. 76.8 years for a man and 
    81.6 years for woman are an increase of 20 and 25 
    years respectively since 1920. The number of 
    people over the age of 60 is expected to nearly 
    treble by the year 2041, highlighting the urgent
    need for future-planning of pension and 
    health-care requirements.
    
    
    Voice your opinion on these news issues here:
    
    
    https://www.ireland-information.com/newsletter.htm
    
    ==============================
    NEW FREE RESOURCES AT THE SITE
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    IRELAND HOUSE-SWAP LISTING
    
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    NEW COATS OF ARMS ADDED TO THE GALLERY:
    
    The following 5 coats of arms images and family
    history details have been added to the Gallery:
    
    A: Alway, Athey
    K: Keith, Kilroy
    T: Tully
    
    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.
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    Anne MacDonald ordered a family crest plaque:
    
     Hello, Michael,
    
     Received my plaque, carefully wrapped, 
     in good order. It is splendid! I am 
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     it. I would like to order another one! 
    
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     Best wishes for happy holiday season.
    
     Sincerely, Anne MacDonald
    
    THE PERFECT WEDDING OR ANNIVERSARY GIFT!
    
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    ==================================
    WILLIAM CLARKE, THE BALLYBAY PIPER
    by Peadar Murnane
    ==================================
    
    The son of a third generation Scottish 
    Presbyterian family who settled in Cornahoe, 
    near Ballybay, Co. Monaghan where Robert William 
    Clarke was born on 29th. October 1889. The family 
    moved to the townland of Carga and later to 
    Dunmaurice where the family was reared. The 
    probability is that they all attended the National 
    School at Cornanure until they were old enough to 
    walk to the town school. in Hall Street. His 
    sister Agnes was a registered pupil at Cornanure 
    in 1886 when she was four years of age. At this 
    time Cornanure was an interdenominational school.
    
    Although the only son and the one best entitled 
    to inherit and work the farm, young Willie opted 
    for a less laborious and more interesting 
    occupation. On leaving school, he 'went to serve 
    his time' to the Ballybay jeweller and watchmaker, 
    Patrick Duffy. He finished his apprenticeship 
    with Mercers of Enniskillen and returned to 
    Ballybay to commence business in Main St. in 
    premises formerly occupied by Marcella Brown.
    
    He married Margaret Johnston from Clontibret and 
    they had a family of two boys, Thomas and William 
    and a daughter, Nancy. Thomas (Tom) joined the 
    RAF during World War Two and was killed in action. 
    William (Willie) is a Minister of the Presbyterian 
    Church, now retired in Eglinton, Derry. Nancy is 
    married and lives in England.
    
    There was no musical tradition in the Dunmaurice 
    Clarkes but when young Willie by chance met up 
    with 'The Piper Ward' from Oghill, his latent 
    talent soon surfaced. Ward introduced Clarke to 
    the Uilleann pipes and Highland Bagpipes and gave 
    him a sound grinding on the rudiments of both 
    instruments and taught him the skills of reading 
    and writing music. 
    
    Pipe bands and fife and drum bands were a common 
    feature of parish life in Co. Monaghan in the 
    early 1900's. The Orange Lodges, the Hibernians, 
    the Foresters, Land Leaguers and Home Rulers 
    sustained their faith and enthusiasm through 
    their bands and banners. 
    
      
    
    
    Ballybay district had a long tradition of bands be they Fife and Drum or Brass and Reed. Willie Clarke thought that Ballybay should have a good Pipe Band capable of competing with others from Doohamlet, Clontibret, Lisnagrieve, Oghill, Corduff and Lough Egish. No doubt, Clarke got every encouragement from Ward, his old mentor who had founded the Pipe bands at Oghill and Doohamlet.

    Willie Clarke was responsible for the formation of the Ballybay Pipe Band in 1919. It was he who brought the recruits together, trained them and raised the funds to procure instruments and uniforms. One of their first public appearances was at the Peace Celebrations held in Leslie Demesne in August 1919. Their band room was in Church St., opposite the old National School which later became their headquarters. This was also the meeting place of the local Orange Lodge No. 211. It was inevitable that amalgamation would take place. Not every member of the band was an Orangeman. Many like Fred Braden, were members of the band for the sheer love of pipe music. Fred was a Methodist. It was very appropriate that when Willie Clarke died in 1934 the name of the band was changed to the "William Clarke Memorial Pipe Band".

    During his short life, Willie soon attracted the company of such noted Uilleann and Warpipe players as the Carolans of Dopey Mills, near Newbliss; Michael Keenan of Glassleck, near Shercock; Philip Martin of Kilturk, near Newtownbutler who used to cycle to Ballybay for piping sessions with Clarke and the Moorheads from Doohamlet.

    Brother Gildas (Patrick O'Shea) was a native Irish speaker from Kerry and taught in the De La Salle schools in Downpatrick. He was a well known figure in the piping world and is remembered for his large collection of Egan chanters. He was a regular and welcomed visitor to the Clarke home in Ballybay where he stayed overnight on many occasions. Another acquaintance of Clarke who sampled his hospitality was James Ennis of Finglas, the father of the late Seamus Ennis, piper, singer, collector, raconteur and broadcaster. Two Belfast pipers, Frank McFadden and Francis McPeake and Leo Rowsome, well known piper and pipe maker from Dublin enjoyed many sessions in the Clarke homestead. There they exchanged tunes and techniques and became lifelong friends.

    Every man who played pipe music was a friend of Willie Clarke. Many townspeople will remember an old 'tramp' piper who visited Ballybay on occasions. He was known to the locals as "Caoch O'Leary". His ensemble was no more than an Uilleann chanter and a 'goose' but he had a vast repertoire of pipe tunes. As often as he would appear in town Clarke would invite him in for a meal after he had played and collected the town. There would be an exchange of memories and tunes between them. Clarke would do the necessary repairs on his equipment and would bid him goodbye with a packed meal and a couple of shillings . This was the type of man Willie Clarke was. A man with no social or religious barrier but 'a man for all pipers'.

    He was an enthusiastic competitor, taking first place at Monaghan County Feis in 1927. The following is an extract from an article written by Harry Bradshaw of Radio/Telefís Éireann for the "Heart of Breifne", with grateful acknowledgement:
    "Willie Clarke's name, like that of many another musician, would probably be long forgotten now if it were not for his recordings. The story of how these records came about goes back to 1928 and an imaginative record company executive in London who decided to present on record the various piping traditions existing within these islands. Ireland would contribute the Uilleann Pipes, England the Northumbrian Pipes and Scotland the Highland Bagpipes -- the series of three records to be entitled: "The Pipes of Three Nations". Since the early 1920's, Clarke had been attending an annual piping gathering held in Bellingham, a small town in Northumberland and it was here that the Columbia Record Company of London looked to promote pipers for their planned records. Willie was asked to play the Uilleann Pipes. Pipe Major James Robertson of Edinburgh played the Bagpipes and Anthony Charlton of Northumberland played on the small pipes of Northumbria. In the Summer of 1928, all three travelled to London and made the recordings which were selected that year. George McCullagh (of Derryvalley and a pupil of Clarke's) remembered how Willie proudly returned to Ballybay with an advance copy of the record. 'Well I mind the record played in Clarke's own house after he came back: he was happy enough with it. That was the year 1928'." The tunes recorded by Willie were:- 'Father O'Flynn'; 'Down the Broom'; 'The Star of Munster'; 'McLeod o' Raasay' and 'The Swallow's Tail'.

    George McCullagh, won a gold medal in the Ulster championship on the ancient pipes in Portadown in December 1945.

    Willie Clarke's expertise extended to the making of pipes. His training in clock making and watch repairs called for the utmost precision and stood to him in the 'manufacture' of the real article. A customer or visitor to his shop premises would find him 'turning' the wood on a small foot-operated lathe to his own planned design. Fashioning the pipes was one thing but their tuning or toning was another and this was Willie's speciality. He was the official local agent for Band Instruments and War Pipes produced by McFadden, foreman Pipe Maker to Denis McCullagh of Belfast.

    Robert William Clarke died in 1934 at the age of 45. His mortal remains lie buried in the graveyard of Second Ballybay Presbyterian Church. His memory is still alive in the archives of Radio/Telifís Éireann and in the hearts and minds of the people of Ballybay. "The Irish Phonograph" radio programme on his life and recordings was transmitted over the airwaves in September 1986.

    Peadar Murnane, local historian, Ballybay, Co.Monaghan.
    ========================== KEEP THIS NEWSLETTER ALIVE! Visit: https://www.irishnation.com ========================== ================================ EDMUND BURKE - POLITICAL THINKER by Joseph E. Gannon ================================ 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' Edmund Burke was one of the most famous political thinkers of the 18th century. Through his speeches and writings, he raised the level of political debate in England, attempting to make moral principles a part of English politics. A champion of Catholic emancipation, Burke wielded his influence to weaken the heinous Penal Laws. He was born on January 12th, 1729, at Arran Quay, Dublin. Burke was the son of a mixed marriage, his mother Catholic and his father Protestant. He would later marry an Irish Catholic woman. Perhaps it was these two factors which led him to advocate a compassionate policy toward Ireland for most of his life. Burke graduated from Trinity College in 1748 and studied law at Middle Temple in London. He failed, however, to secure a call to the bar and instead began a literary career. In 1756, Burke published his first book, 'A Vindication of Natural Society' and an essay titled 'A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful'. In 1757, he married June Nugent, the daughter of a Catholic physician, and in 1759 he became editor of the Annual Register. By 1761, Burke had begun to involve himself with politics. That year, after living in England, he returned to Dublin as secretary to W.G. Hamilton, chief secretary for Ireland. He left that post two years later to become secretary to the new prime minister, Lord Rockingham. In 1765, Earl Verney brought him into the House of Commons as a member for Wendover. His first speeches in the early months of 1766 impressed the members of Parliament. In the space of a few short weeks, Burke rose from obscurity to being recognized as one of the leading figures in the House of Commons. He now began to make his own mark in politics through his writing and public speaking. Burke had come to Parliament just as the controversy over the Stamp Act was beginning. He urged repeal of the act and consistently supported a policy of reconciliation with the American colonies. Burke wrote four well-known pamphlets on the America question from 1770 to 1777: 'Thoughts on the Present Discontents' (1770), 'American Taxation' (1774), 'Conciliation with the Colonies' (1775), and 'A Letter to the Sheriffs of Bristol' (1777). Burke's colleagues in Parliament never took his advice on the American colonies, but many since have recognized the wisdom of the policy he advanced. In commenting on Burke's writings on the American question, John Morley, the Liberal politician and writer, said that 'taken together they compose the most perfect manual in our literature, or in any literature, for one who approaches the study of public affairs, whether for knowledge or practice'. After Yorktown, it was Burke and the Whigs who would eventually force King George III to recognize the futility of continuing the war in America. Burke was the leading Parliamentary proponent of civil rights for Catholics in Ireland. Since the late 17th century, Catholics in Ireland had been barred from full citizenship and the vast majority forced into abject poverty by the Penal Laws. During the last part of the 18th century, the threat of French intervention in Ireland and Burke's efforts together forced the passage of several reductions of the severe restrictions of the Penal Laws. The championing of that cause would cost Burke his MP seat in 1780, but he returned to Parliament as the member from Malton and became Paymaster of Forces when a Whig, Lord Rockingham, became prime minister again. When Lord Rockingham died in July 1786, Burke resigned and never held public office again, but he continued his involvement with British politics and writing for the rest of his life. Burke was a constant critic of British colonial policies, and, in the 1780s, his investigation into The East India Company led to the impeachment of Warren Hastings, governor general of India. Although Hastings would eventually be acquitted of all charges, the entire affair led to reforms in England's administration in India and helped bring the inequities of England's colonial system before the public. Burke believed this was the most important political contribution of his career. Burke is often remembered for his vehement opposition to the French Revolution, which he expounded in 1790 in what is, perhaps, his best known work: 'Reflections on the Revolution in France'. The work was widely published and read all over Europe, and his articulation of what he viewed as the dangers of the Revolution caused a sensation in England. It caused him to break with many of his longtime friends and colleagues in the Whig party and invoked replies from many English writers, the most famous one being Thomas Paine's 'Rights of Man'. In what might seem a contradiction, given his support of the civil rights of Irish Catholics, Burke was opposed to the Volunteer movement in Ireland and to the establishing of Henry Grattan's Irish Parliament. Burke's opposition to these movements may well have been his fear that Grattan's Parliament would not be a government of all the Irish people but merely one that continued, and perhaps even strengthened, the long tradition of Irish Protestant rule and Irish Catholic subservience. Burke was never an advocate of any form of Irish independence, though he supported the emancipation of Irish Catholics within the British Empire. Burke's writings on the Irish question are less known than those of his on the American and the French Revolutions, but he left behind several that would have served the British well, had they ever been heeded. In his 'Speech at the Guildhall' (1780), 'To a Peer of Ireland on the Penal Laws' (1782), and 'To Sir Hercules Langrishe' (1792), he sends them a clear message: Your foolish colonial policies have lost America and your foolish policies will lose Ireland. His counsel was ignored but the correctness of his theme has been proved by history. Burke died in London on July 9, 1797, one year before Ireland erupted in revolution. That revolt might have been avoided if some of Burke's ideas on Catholic emancipation and other legislative reforms had been more fully implemented by the English government. Then, as ever, the country's rulers seemed to suffer from a complete inability to make the compromises that could avoid repeated disasters on that long-suffering island. As Burke once said, in words that should echo down to those debating Ireland's future today: 'All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter'. Burke is not a hero of Irish nationalists, nor should he be, for he never was a proponent of Irish republicanism. But he did help put the corruption of England's colonial system before the English people. Most of all, he started the process that would eventually bring the despised malignancy known as the Penal Laws to an end. For this, he should be well remembered in the land of his birth. Joseph E. Gannon ========================== KEEP THIS NEWSLETTER ALIVE! Visit: https://www.irishnation.com ================================= ================ WALKING THE PAST by Brendan Forde ================ Your thoughts were mine Since I was a child As I walked Irelands bye ways And scenery so wild I walked troubled highways Reaching into the past Where each rock filled, green field Held memories that last Where ghosts of the tortured, Hungry souls, wandering round Bringing sad, haunting music From blood soaked, Irish ground Each step that I take Our ancestors trod Through hardship and suffering History's soaked,in each sod But Irish hearts, strong Kept our heritage alive In story, and song The poets spirit, survive To sing praise to the land The home, that gave birth To the spirit of old Ireland Bringing hope, to this Earth. Brendan Forde ========================== KEEP THIS NEWSLETTER ALIVE! Visit: https://www.irishnation.com ========================== ============= TRICKY DUBH by Pat Watson ============= A year after her husband's death in 1927 it became clear that the widow was on the lookout. Three serious suitors were quickly into the ring, after all her late husband, Kieran, had left her with a snug twenty acres and a house built into the shelter of a cut-away hill. Thatch would last twice as long in this sheltered position. Of course one couldn't show ones hand too soon as failure with one woman would hinder ones chances in future. Funny, the way everyone fancied the same woman while others could get no man at all. Then again twenty acres had it's own beauty. Rambling in at night for a chat was the most widespread leisure activity at the time and a man with intentions could call as a rambler without totally revealing those intentions. After an hour alone with the widow a man might broach the subject. Paddy Ban (fair), John Dearg (red) and Tricky Dubh (black) all had the same idea. That's why all three spent every night rambling in the widow's house this sherraft. Sherraft was the period between Christmas and Lent and was the time for weddings. While their nicknames once indicated their hair colour, now in their fourth decade there was little difference between them. As none had farms of their own this might well be their last throw of the romantic dice. Paddy Ban was a laidback dreamy romantic chap whom a woman could love but his farming abilities were suspect. His experience with the opposite sex was all in his head. John Dearg was a go-getter who would skin a flea and skin anybody else who got in his way. Some people called him 'John skin the goat'. The woman who got him would never be short of a few bob even if she were never at liberty to spend it. His only previous romantic encounter had ended abruptly when it transpired that the object of his affections did not own the uncles farm after all. Tricky Dubh who was from a wealthier family was gracious and charming but was something of a black sheep who had earned his nickname. His romantic encounters were many and varied and indeed there were rumours of a scandal or two. As Ash Wednesday approached all became more desperate and competition increased at the nightly meetings. A four-way conversation is not an ideal forum for suitors, especially if there is only one lady. A man has to measure his words so as to belittle the others without appearing vindictive. It's not easy to get to portray one's assets, one's physical powers, one's charms, one's charisma, or one's manhood while in the presence of two jealous rivals. All comments are likely to be misconstrued, added to, laughed at, sneered at or generally belittled. Then, on the Friday before Ash Wednesday the morning was the wettest for many years. If a man got very wet out looking for a stray calf wouldn't it be reasonable for him to seek temporary shelter in the house of an acquaintance and if that acquaintance happened to be the widow with whom a man wanted to have a serious private conversation so much the better. Whether it's that great minds think alike or that fools seldom differ I could not say but all three suitors had the same idea around daylight on the morning in question. John Dearg and Tricky Dubh jumped out of bed and prepared to look the part. They would need to walk in the rain for half an hour to look suitably wet. John Dearg, not to be wasteful, went to the well for water making sure to splash himself so as to look wet. Tricky Dubh herded the widow's livestock at the back of her house. Paddy Ban stayed in bed for a while to think. If he had this great idea maybe the others had it too. He got dressed, shaved and went as far as the ivy clad tree a hundred yards north of the widow's house. He would watch from there for a while. As Tricky Dubh was approaching the house from the back he spotted John Dearg coming up the south road. He hid behind the haycock where the goat was suckling her two kids. About the time John Dearg was reaching the front door, he took the ladder from the haycock, placed it against the low thatched roof, grabbed a kid and climbed up to the chimney. Up the wide chimney came the voice of John Dearg calling, 'God save all here', just then he dropped the kid down the chimney. The frightened beast upturned the kettle off the crane, the toast off the tongs, put the fire flying round the kitchen, and broke two willow pattern plates from the dresser before escaping out the door. In her fright and confusion the widow thought that John Dearg had brought the goat. Where else could it have come from? Picking up the twig she attacked John Dearg physically and verbally, raining blows on him while calling him obscene names and ordering him out of her house. Not knowing where the kid came from, he was shocked by the whole episode and ran for his life. As he struggled home through the rain, his heart and spirit broken he muttered to himself, what was the weird woman doing with the goat? Were there things about women and goats he did not know? Now he would never know. If that's the sort of them then he didn't want to know. They could all go to hell and the sooner the better. 'What on earth happened here?' said Tricky Dubh as he watched the widow picking up the bits of willow pattern plates? 'They were my grandmother's,' she wailed 'And look at the fire all over the floor and my toast, that lunatic John Dearg brought a goat into the house and a mad goat at that.' 'A goat is it? The sign of the devil, you'll have to get the house blessed, I always had my doubts about poor John, and you're lucky to be rid of him. Here let me help you tidy up.' 'Why did you throw the kid goat down the chimney?' That's what Paddy Ban said as he came in. 'What are you talking about?' Said Tricky Dubh. 'I saw you throwing the goat down the chimney.' The widow went for the twig again, this time with more ferocity, indeed Tricky Dubh was lucky to escape with his life. After Tricky Dubh left Paddy Ban had the field to himself. Their descendants are still around, no longer Ban or dreamy as the widow's dusky beauty and spirited personality changed all that. 'Tricky Dubh' is one of sixty lyrical yarns from 'Original Irish Stories' by Pat Watson, Creagh, Bealnamulla, Athlone, Ireland. First published in May 2006. To get your copy email the author here: pjwatson@utvinternet.com ========================== KEEP THIS NEWSLETTER ALIVE! Visit: https://www.irishnation.com ========================== =============== KILLARNEY by Peter Carter =============== By Killarney's Lakes & Fells Emrald Isles & -Winding Bays Mountain Path & Woodland Dells Memory Ever Fondly Strays Bounteous Nature Love All Lands Beauty Wanders Every Where Foot-Prints Leaves on Many Strands But Her Home is Surely-There Angels Fold Their Wings & Rest In That Eden Of-The-West Beauty's Home Killarney Heaven's Reflex Killarney Peter Carter ========================== KEEP THIS NEWSLETTER ALIVE! Visit: https://www.irishnation.com ========================= ========================= THE IRISH COINS PROOF SET ========================= The recent limited edition proof set of Irish coins produced by the Irish government is now available. We have a very small supply of these fantastic items which you can get from here: https://www.irishnation.com/irishcoinsandbanknotes.htm =========================== GAELIC PHRASES OF THE MONTH =========================== PHRASE: Thar gach ni eile... PRONOUNCED: har gock nee ella MEANING: Above all else... PHRASE: Ni mor a admhail.... PRONOUNCED: nee moor ah ad-voll MEANING: It must be admitted... PHRASE: Ar an iomlan... PRONOUNCED: air on um-lun MEANING: On the whole... View the archive of phrases here: https://www.ireland-information.com/irishphrases.htm ========================== JANUARY COMPETITION RESULT ========================== The winner was: hughes@wildlifetrust.org 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. ================================================= I hope that you have enjoyed this issue. Until next month, Michael Green, Editor, The Information about Ireland Site. https://www.ireland-information.com


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