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			IN THIS ISSUE
~~~~~ Foreword
~~~~~ Keep us Free!
~~~~~ New Free resources at the site
~~~~~ News Snaps from Ireland
~~~~~ The Changes in Ireland		by Betty Iannone
~~~~~ Irish Film Review: The Snapper		by Dawn Hayden
~~~~~ Irish Quotations of the Month
~~~~~ The Problem with 'Angela's Ashes'	by Brian Kelly 
~~~~~ Gaelic Phrases of the Month
~~~~~ Shamrock Site of the Month: Working/Marrying in Ireland
~~~~~ Monthly free competition result

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FOREWORD
~~~~~~~~

Hi from Dublin!

Hope your Summer is giving you some sun because that is 
certainly not the case here in Ireland. If you have ever 
thought of visiting Ireland then prepare for rain because 
it can happen any time and at any place.

Thee is good news about the Foot and Mouth outbreak which 
seems to have abated. The single case that occurred in 
County Louth caused a near national panic but the 
reintroduction of animals into those farms that suffered 
most is a sure sign that that war is nearly over.

On the Internet front Ireland is suffering as much as 
anywhere and was rocked by the collapse in the share price 
of Baltimore Securities and the recent news that the Local 
Ireland business is to be sold off or possibly closed down.
At one stage Local Ireland had nearly 30 people working on 
their web sites!

We have two contrasting reader articles this month. Why not 
pen a few paragraphs about your favourite Irish subject and 
send it in for the next newsletter.

BEST WISHES FROM IRELAND!

Michael.


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KEEP THIS NEWSLETTER ALIVE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

SEND AN ELECTRONIC POSTCARD WITH THE FAMILY CREST - FREE!

Know any Murphys's, Doyle's, Smith's or Kelly's - send them 
their family crest postcard! It's free!

View the Gallery here and then choose the name you want 
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NEW COATS OF ARMS ADDED TO THE GALLERY:

The following 11 coats of arms images and family history
details have been added to the Gallery:

B: Bresnahan
C: Critchley
D: Doody
E: McEnroe, McElroy
H: Hinson, O'Hare, Hehir
M: McMeekin, Mobley
J: Janes

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NEW IRISH RECIPES ARCHIVE

The archive has just been started. We will be offering a 
downloadable ebook soon with all of the recipes. Here 
are the next batch to keep you going!

Irish Potato Farls
Black Velvet
Oatcakes
Irish Omelette

View at:

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

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

NORTHERN IRELAND PEACE PROCESS IN CRISIS

The resignation of David Trimble as the First Minister of 
the Northern Ireland Assembly has prompted a meeting of 
all of the pro-agreement parties in Shropshire. The 
agreement is in crisis over the failure of the IRA and the 
other paramilitary parties to decommission their weapons.

Trimble resigned on the basis that there had been no 
significant progress on this issue and it is now likely 
that the Northern Assembly will be suspended and direct 
rule reimposed from London. Sinn Fein maintain that the 
guns are silent and have been for some considerable time.

The loyalist marching season kicked off with the annual 
stand-off at Drumcree. The Orange Order were again banned 
from marching down the predominantly Catholic Garvaghy 
Road near Drumcree in Portadown. The resultant protest 
passed off with significant incident.

GOVERNMENT FORCED TO RETREAT FROM BANNING OPINION POLLS

The recent influence that opinion polls had on the Irish 
electorate in the recent European referenda are seen as 
just one of the reason why Bertie Ahearn's government 
tried to have the publication of polls banned for the 
week preceding the vote.

A loophole in the proposed law meant that it would be 
illegal to publish the polls for the preceding week but 
that the publication of opinion polls on the actual day 
of the voting would be allowed!

It is very likely that revised legislation will be 
introduced in the Autumn despite the claims by media groups 
that the legislation amounts to nothing more than censorship.

EU TO INTRODUCE 'GREEN CARD' TO TACKLE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

The EU is to introduce a 'green card' system to allow for 
legal immigration of workers and to try to prevent the ever 
increasing problem of 'human trafficking'. The proposal 
allows for a common immigration policy across the 15 member 
states although the total number of immigrants allowed into 
a country will still be at the behest of the individual 
governments. 

Ireland issued 18,000 work permits last year and allows 
anyone within the EU or from Iceland or Norway to work in 
Ireland without a permit. Other European workers are 
generally given a work permit once they have a definite 
offer of employment.

IRISH DOT-COM CHIEF RESIGNS

The founder and CEO of the Irish darling of the NASDAQ, 
Baltimore Securities, has resigned amid pressure from 
shareholders over the collapse of the stock price. Fran 
Rooney founded the Internet security firm but the collapse 
of confidence in the Internet sector has hit those companies 
that supply Internet technologies to other Companies the 
hardest.

Over 250 employees were made redundant recently while the 
share price has fallen by 96% since last January. A 'rights' 
issue of shares is expected as the company tries to raise 
new funds. Microsoft and RSA Securitues are said to be 
waiting in the wings for the right moment to pounce with 
takeover bids.

MORE COMPETITION FOR RYANAIR

The success of Ryanair as a no-frills airline has prompted 
English based rival GO to enter the Irish market. Ryanair 
announced that it will establish a new route from Dublin to 
Edinburgh in direct competition with GO.

RE-DRAFT OF UNPUBLISHED 'ULYSSES' CHAPTER FETCHES IR£1.2M

Ulysses, the definitive work by Irish author James Joyce 
continues to amaze! A heavily reworked and previously 
unpublished chapter from the book has fetched IR£1.2 Million 
at auction in Sotheby's in London. Penned in Paris sometime 
between 1916 and 1920 the manuscript contains Joyce's usual 
scrawls and annotations and looks set to further confound 
and delight Joycean scholars.

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THE CHANGES IN IRELAND		by Betty Iannone

I recently returned from County Leitrim, the home of my 88 
year old mother, Mary Agnes Drugan Christensen. My mother 
had been talking about one more trip home for about a year 
and since I had made the trip once before with her over 15 
years ago I decided to take the trip with her. I was anxious 
for the opportunity to make a dream come true for my mother 
and to see for myself what many friends and family were 
saying about the changes in Ireland.

Arriving in Dublin we took a train ride for three stops from 
the Mt. Herbert Hotel to the city, where we had arranged, 
via email to meet the son of a fireman, Jimmy O'Mara, who was 
on the job with my husband John. Jimmy speaks some Gaelic but 
his brogue is a thing of beauty. We toured Trinity College 
and visited the Book of Kells exhibition. We shopped of 
course, and felt like we were in New York City. Except for 
the width of the sidewalks and the height of the buildings
there was very little difference.

But the glorious changes in Ireland were so apparent. Like 
New York City, we saw no street beggars, no little urchins 
at the tourist stops to beg or steal you purse. The city 
looked cleaner and most prosperous. And like New York the 
streets and shops were full of people from all over the 
world. Some were just visitors, but many were living and 
working in Ireland now. In our hotel there were young people 
working there from France, Spain, Germany and the Orient. 

I had rented a car at Dublin airport and was psyching myself 
up for the experience of once again driving on the wrong 
side of the road, which of course I did on more than one 
occasion!

My friend Jimmy said he could make the trip from Dublin to 
Sligo in about and hour and a half, but he gave me directions 
to avoid going back through Dublin city and therefore making 
the drive much easier for the two Yanks. The trip took us four 
hours to reach Drumkeerin and our first stop was the Beauty 
Shop of my cousin, Mary McHugh. She of course had dinner 
waiting for us. 

We traveled daily from Drumkeerin visiting relatives and 
neighboring towns and cities. We went to Dromahair to visit 
an old friend Winnie McKeon. Winnie and her husband Phil 
moved back to Ireland after Phil retired 20 years ago. 
Winnie remained in their beautifully landscaped home after 
Phil's death several years ago. This is a town that is on 
the verge of some very big changes but it still remains a 
perfect spot for a movie or for those picture perfect 
postcards. If my mother wins the lottery this is where she 
will buy her dream home, with six bedrooms so the entire 
family can come to Ireland for Christmas. 

Sligo was booming and driving through those very narrow 
downtown streets was a nightmare. On our first trip, I 
parked in Dunne's supermarket carpark on the far end of 
town and walked about a mile back into the city to shop to 
have lunch. The signs of progress and prosperity were 
everywhere. The dress shops, boutiques, the internet cafes, 
and like Dublin there were people from all over the world in 
Sligo, I know because I stopped every one of them looking 
for directions back to my car! This was not the Sligo of 15 
years ago. But real changes in Ireland can be seen in the 
lives of it's young people.  

I must say that although Drumkeerin had not changed much in 
15 years, probably not much in the past 50 years, the 
changes were very apparent in my family that lived there 
and worked nearby.

The last time I saw my cousin Thomas Drugan, he was a skinny 
little kid sitting on top of his father's tractor, thinking 
he would probably spend the rest of his life much as his 
father and mother, Paddy and Mary Drugan did, trying to farm 
and raise cows on some very poor, rocky farm land. But today 
Thomas is married and has two beautiful children he has a 
supervisory position in a plant nearby and lives just below 
the house he was raised in. His two year old home would rival 
any new model home built in America. It is equipped with 
every modern feature, has three large sunny bedrooms, a grand 
kitchen and beautiful dining room. Tommy's sister Mary 
Bridget, married Sean Rooney from Ballenlatrallick and they 
are very successful at their sheep ranch near the beautiful 
Ben Bulben Mountain. The rest of the McHugh side of the 
family is also doing very well. 

We left Ireland very sad to say goodbye to friends and 
family but we were also saying goodbye to the Ireland I grew 
up hearing about. A poor country with many of the brightest 
young people coming to America to make a decent living never 
to return.

Today Ireland is an economic success and a success on it's 
own. I'm sure this has much to do with the peace talks in 
the North. Young and old alike are doing well.  The United 
States could take a lesson on how to take care of the 
elderly with love and respect. The care I saw first hand, 
from the poorest of poor, able to live with dignity in their 
own home, with telephone and electricity provided for them 
by the county, to the charity nursing facilities that would 
far exceed the personal attention and care given at any of 
the very  costly nursing homes in America.....

Ireland will never be the same and some of its natural 
beauty may be lost but do hurry there to be witness to this 
extraordinary transformation. For me it was like seeing 
history in the making.  Erin Go Braugh!

Betty Iannone

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IRISH MOVIE REVIEW: THE SNAPPER            by Dawn Hayden
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's get straight to the point: not everyone will like 
'The Snapper'. Based on one of Roddy Doyle's trilogy of 
'Barrytown' books (the other two being 'The Commitments' 
and 'The Van'), unless you can tolerate heavy Dublin accents 
and the bleak Northside view of the city then you might be 
better off renting 'Three men and a baby'!

Having said that 'The Snapper' is something of a cult 
classic among Dubliners and among Northside Dubliners in 
particular.

The film is based around Sharon Kerley and her family who 
live in a working class housing estate. These people are not 
the upper or middle class, they are the lower class, the 
people that Roddy Doyle writes best about. Sharon has a 
one-night-stand with a middle-aged neighbour and of course 
gets pregnant as a result.

Determined to keep the identity of the man who 'did the 
damage' secret she tells her parents who, after an initial 
shock, take the news in their stride. 'A man needs a pint 
after dat!' declares the father played by Colm Meaney 
(Star Trek, Into the West, Con Air).

The father is a central figure in this little drama as 
the way that he first copes with the news and then shuns 
his daughter after the real identity of the baby's father 
becomes known is crucial to the compelling nature of the 
story. He eventually relents of course and stands by his 
daughter despite the jeers of friends and neighbours.

This is gentle stuff but it IS funny - the father asking 
his wife 'Are ya on for it' and she replying 'just let 
me finish my knitting first!' - Sharon getting sick into 
her friend's handbag at the Disco - the youngest daughter 
parading around in her American marching band outfit.

The humour will not be to everyone's taste, but if you 
have ever been to Dublin then you will surely be able to 
relate to some of the character's and you will certainly 
end up with sympathy for them all.

Give it a go - this really IS what a lot of Dubliners are 
like!

Dawn Hayden

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THE PROBLEM WITH 'ANGELA'S ASHES'	by Brian Kelly

My name is Brian Kelly.  I was born and raised in Long 
Island (NY), but have moved many times since, now living in 
Georgia. I am second generation American, my grandparents 
coming from Galway and Limerick.

I try to constantly uncover more information about my 
grandparents lives in Ireland, their individual treks to the 
US, and their lives here in America. With it, comes the 
collateral and related information of their 'population' as 
a whole......

I am filled with clear and stirring memories of countless 
days, nights and weekends spent at their home..... the great 
stories of family, relatives and friends experiences as they 
settled and grew into their new home, America. The voices of 
their friends, their neighbors ... and yet more relatives... 
the great love and respect they showed for each other... 
their love and undefeatable faith in God... their incredible 
work ethic... and yes, the oft times presence of 'drink' 
during the visits.... no one got drunk, no one got sick, no 
one got loud or abusive, no one drank to any excess or 
embarrassed themselves or their family.  A 'beer and a ball' 
was not an unusual thing to see. That being said, it didn't 
define the get-togethers, the alcohol wasn't the strong 
underlying theme, the environment wasn't one of disorder or 
disrespect... the stories got thicker as the night grew on, 
as did their brogues... but also as did their freely 
demonstrated emotions... their love for their homeland, and 
clearly their love for their new home, America.   

I've never been one to wear my feelings on my sleeve, to 
force my opinions on others, or to boast arrogantly of my 
Irish heritage (of which I am filled and deeply moved with 
pride). I say this in an effort to cut short any such 
reaction to what I am about to comment upon.

My issue is with the book Angela's Ashes. 

In short, my concern is for the vast and overwhelming number 
of people who I hear talk about this book, how absolutely 
wonderful it was, how the Irish have such a way with 
language and emotion, and how the author tells such a 
touching story about the Irish.  

My God!  That book is as much a book about 'The Irish' as 
those cheap green plastic hats and dyed beer on Saint 
Patrick's day! In fact, it does at least as much benefit 
(harm) to educating those seeking knowledge, and those 
interested in their heritage and the core essence of who 
they are and who their ancestors were..... as those hats 
and green beer!  

Angela's Ashes is not a story of Ireland, the Irish people, 
the Irish American experience, or even of Limerick! It is 
the story of an extremely dysfunctional family, a 
particularly irresponsible and drunkard of a man who 
happened to be Irish, and the sorrowful impact such a poor 
excuse of an Irishman had upon his family and their trek in 
life! 

Is 'drink' a mainstay of the Irish?  Yes, but it does not 
define us!

My grandparents came to the US from Ireland in the early 
20th century.  They came with thousands upon thousands of 
others. It was the incredible faith in God, faith in 
mankind, individual morality, character, leadership, 
dedication, determination, ingenuity, love and ethics 
(among countless other virtues and characteristics that are 
too many to mention) that marks the greatness of the Irish 
people, of the Irish-American experience, of the Irish 
contribution to the USA...  It is THOSE qualities that 
define the Irish! 

I have never written a book, though I do confess to enjoy 
the written word...  That being said, I am so aggravated, 
so offended, by the perception that is afforded by 
'Angela's Ashes' that I am motivated and on the very edge of 
writing a book of my own....  one that will have the reader 
laughing, even singing...  thinking back to their own 
relatives...  and yes, finding themselves in tears as well.
THAT, is the reality of who the Irish were and are... and 
who the Irish Americans were and are.

Brian Kelly

EDITOR'S NOTE: Do you agree with this article or do you 
think that Frank McCourt's book is an outstanding example 
of historical literature. Let us know! 

Any volunteers to write next month's article: 
'In defence of Angela's Ashes' ?

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

	When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I 
	managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a 
	miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly 
	worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable 
	childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse 
	yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.

Frank McCourt: Angela's Ashes, 1996

	I have seen the Indian in his forests and the negro 
	in his irons, and I believed, in pitying their 
	plight, that I saw the lowest ebb of human misery; 
	but I did not then know the degree of poverty to be 
	found in Ireland.

Gustave de Beaumont:
L'Irlande sociale, politique et religieuse, 1839

	Mother realised, to her great astonishment, that 
	Betty was a Protestant as well. Nobody had ever 
	explained to her that Protestants could also be poor.

Frank O'Connor: An Only Child, 1961

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

PHRASE:		Na dean sin!  
PRONOUNCED:	naw dane shin
MEANING:		Don't do that!

PHRASE:		Bi samhach!  
PRONOUNCED:	bee zoww/ock
MEANING:		Be Quiet!

PHRASE:		Duin an doras! 
PRONOUNCED:	doon on dur/oss  
MEANING:		Shut the Door! 

View the archive of phrases here:

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

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SHAMROCK SITE OF THE MONTH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Irish Department of Foreign Affairs

Getting married in Ireland? Want to work in Ireland? Here is
the official Government info.

 http://www.gov.ie/iveagh/askus/faq/default.asp

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JULY COMPETITION RESULT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The winner was: cathymccarthy@mcttelecom.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,

STAY SAFE!

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.

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