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  The Information about Ireland Site Newsletter 
                   July 2008
 
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) 2008  

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		IN THIS ISSUE
=== Foreword
=== News Snaps from Ireland 
=== New free resources at the site
=== 'The Diary of a Scullery Maid' by Joe Rogers
=== An Irish Leader: Sean Lemass
=== 'Cheeky Boy' 		   by Pat Watson
=== Tourist Tip #5: Ireland House-Swap
=== Gaelic Phrases of the Month
=== Monthly free competition result

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FOREWORD
========

Hello again from Ireland where the speculation is 
rife that the Irish Government will try to hold 
a second referendum to reverse the decision of 
the recent Lisbon vote. They are in for a tough 
time if recent opinion polls are anything to go 
by!

This month we are glad to include an article 
about Irish holiday house-swapping and are 
launching a new free service to allow anyone to 
list their home for a house-swap - see below.

Until next month,

Michael

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=======================
NEWS SNAPS FROM IRELAND
=======================

IRISH GOVERNMENT MUSES LISBON RE-RUN

The Irish government has thus far failed to rule 
out a re-run of the recent Lisbon treaty which 
was defeated, much to its chagrin. All of the 
major political parties (excluding Sinn Fein) 
were firmly behind this EU treaty which was 
designed to changed the way the EU works, but 
which was rejected by the Irish electorate for 
a whole variety of reasons. 

EU rules require that if any 1 member state 
rejects a treaty then it cannot be ratified. 
With nearly all of the other EU states having 
now ratified the treaty the pressure is on the 
Irish government to somehow force the issue 
over the line. The only way to do this is to 
hold a second referendum, the outcome of which 
is far from certain.

While Brian Cowen is very pro-Europe he must 
also realise that any second referendum would be 
a huge political gamble. If a re-run was defeated 
(as current opinion polls suggest) then his 
reputation would be in tatters and there would be 
inevitable calls for him to resign. Even if he 
succeeds and gets a second vote passed it is 
unlikely that the defeated half of the electorate
would forget the way they had been treated by the 
EU in general and by Fianna Fail in particular. 
Add a declining economy into the mix and it is easy 
to see how the current government could be dumped 
out of office if it gets the Lisbon issue wrong.

CENSUS REPORT SHOWS POPULATION DIVERSITY INCREASE

A report on the 2006 census has revealed that the 
number of non-Irish people living in Ireland has 
almost doubled to 420,000 since 2002. Of the 195 
independent countries on the planet 188 are 
represented in Ireland. By far the largest group 
to settle in Ireland are those from Britain who 
accounted for 112,000 with Poland at 63,000 in 
second place. Immigrants now represent nearly 10% 
of the entire population, compared with 5.8% in 
2002. Most of these new arrivals are men in their 
20's or 30's. The vast majority of the new 
immigrants are in employment. 42% are married with 
80% renting accommodation (British immigrants are 
more likely to buy property outright rather than 
rent).

The slowdown in the Irish economy however is 
likely to result in this number decreasing over the 
short-term with many migrant workers returning 
home. It remains to be seen just how many actually 
return to their homeland.

CRACKDOWN ON ALCOHOL CONTINUES

There has been some success in the ongoing battle 
to persuade drivers not to 'drink and drive'. 
While the number of people who have been stopped 
and tested has increased hugely in recent years 
there was a drop in the number of those found to 
be 'over the limit' from 2.5% in June 2007 to 
1.4% last month. A Europe-wide initiative of 
increased testing was conducted across 18 
countries in June. The average country figure 
of drivers found to have excessive alcohol was 
1.7%. Scandinavian countries fared best with an 
average of 1% breaking the law. Switzerland and 
the UK both fared poorly with figures over 6% 
each. France was 2.17%. Moldova reported a figure 
over 20%.

Convictions for drink-driving in Ireland were 
also down from 9581 in 2006 to 7842 in 2007 with 
this number looking certain to drop dramatically 
again in 2008.

While it is certain that high-profile media 
campaigns and stricter law enforcement have played 
a huge part in this reduction, the effect of the 
Irish smoking ban that was introduced in the 2004 
should not be underestimated. Ireland was the 
first country in the world to ban smoking in the 
workplace, which effectively meant that smoking 
in pubs became illegal. The result was a big 
reduction in the actual number of pubs as well 
as a reduction in the number of visits being 
made to pubs by Irish people. Corresponding sales
from off-licenses boomed with people preferring to 
take a drink at home rather than risk being 
stopped and checked while driving.

Despite the protestations of the drinks and 
entertainment industries about falling revenues 
and increasing redundancies, it seems that 
Government policy is finally starting to pay 
dividends. Any visit however, to a major urban 
hospital on a weekend night to view the large 
number of patients waiting for treatment as a 
result of excessive consumption of alcohol, 
will demonstrate that there is still a long way 
to go to change Ireland's drinking culture.

IRISH SCIENTIFIC EXPLOITS HIGHLIGHTED

The American publication 'The Scientist' has 
hailed Ireland for its recent scientific prowess. 
The recent boom in the Irish economy over the 
last 15 years has meant that talented Irish 
researchers no longer had to emigrate to find 
employment as the worlds top biotechnology and 
pharmaceutical companies located in Ireland. 8 of 
the worlds top pharmaceutical multi-national 
companies have located in the country with 
exports of medicines and chemicals accounting for 
nearly half of all Irish exports. It is expected 
that 2008 will see 1000 students graduate with 
a PhD, a figure that has nearly doubled in the 
last 10 years.

IRELAND DEFEATS USA TO WIN THE SOCCER WORLD CUP

Ireland has beaten the US in a penalty shootout 
to win its first ever soccer world cup. The 
competition was held in China and while there were 
celebrations they were a bit more muted than those 
that might be expected from a winning soccer team.

The Robot World Cup saw an Irish team take part 
for the first time with students from NUI Maynooth 
blazing the trail. The games were four-a-side and 
played on a small pitch for 20 minutes. The aim of 
the contest is to eventually create robots that can 
win a game of soccer against humans. The challenge 
is to achieve this by the year 2050.

'They're a long way off, and they know they're a 
long way off,' Professor Middleton of NUI Maynooth 
said. 'But the organisers will ask you to think of 
the first flights by the Wright brothers and then 
ask how long was it before man was on the moon?' 

NEW WORLD RECORD FOR CASTLEBLAYNEY

The town of Castleblayney in County Monaghan has 
entered the 'Guinness Book of Records' for having 
the most Smurfs in a single place. 2008 is the 
fiftieth birthday year for the Smurfs. To celebrate 
this fact 1253 people painted their arms and faces 
blue, wore a blue tee-shirt, donned a Smurf cap 
and generally behaved in a Smurf-like manner 
(unspecified). An official representative from the 
Guinness Book of Records confirmed that 
Castleblayney had surpassed the previous record 
of 533 held by Croatia earlier in the year.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON WINS BACK TO BACK GOLF 'OPENS'

Irishman Padraig Harrington has won the British 
Open for the second year in succession. Despite 
having an injured wrist the affable Dubliner 
battled through the pain-barrier to become 
Ireland's most successful golfer ever with the 
win catapulting him into the realms of golfing 
super-stardom. He is currently ranked third in 
the world and is being hailed in some quarters 
as the real 'Celtic Tiger'.


Voice your opinion on these news issues here:

https://www.ireland-information.com/newsletterboard/wwwboard.html

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

IRELAND HOUSE-SWAP LISTING

Our new free service lets you find or list a 
home for a house-swap:

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

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:

F: Falke, Falvey
G: Gillespie
T: Tully
W: Woulfe

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:

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


===========================================
EXTRACT FROM 'THE DIARY OF A SCULLERY MAID'
by Joe Rogers
===========================================

The small section of ten men, rifles at the slope, 
marched in single file along the mountain, their 
enthusiasm for the drill more than making up for 
their nondescript appearance. Dressed in shoddy 
overalls - some wearing wellingtons with others 
in mud-covered hobnailed boots - they stepped out 
with as much swagger as if they were 
newly-commissioned officers on a passing-out 
parade. 'Cle, deas, cle, deas, cle, deas, cle' 
Seamus Duffin, in charge of the section, called 
out left, right, in Irish, in time with the men's 
marching feet, and then with the command, 
'Complacht stad!' elevated his small section, in 
his mind, to a full company and brought them 
smartly to a halt.

'Right, men,' he said, his knowledge of Irish 
confined to a few marching commands, 'Fall out 
for a smoke, an' if ye see anyone comin', get in 
among the trees quick an' hide yeselves till they 
pass. Don't let me down now, for God's sake.'
The men, glad of a respite from their morning's 
march, sat down to rest their weary feet!

'Well, Arthur, any word from the missus?' Duffin 
was very pleased with the overall performance of 
his newest recruit and was showing an interest in 
his affairs. There was no doubt about Arthur's 
prowess with a rifle as he had proved by being the 
top scorer of the section on their makeshift 
firing range farther back towards Kinnity. They 
were on weekend manoeuvres in the Slieve Bloom 
Mountains and had now reached The Cut making their 
way across country to the Ridge of Cappard.

'No, Seamus, not heard a word. But...bear in mind, 
lass has only been gone aweek. Any road, 'appen 
she's home be now, like... an' studyin' where in 
'ell I've got mesen to. Most likely kill me, will 
lass, when I get 'ome.'
'Deed she won't. Not when she sees how Malachy's 
looked after the place. An' sure, little Bernard...
he couldn't be in better hands, Emily mindin' him 
like her own... an' Mrs Nielson droppin' in on them 
every now and then.' The section leader knew that 
Arthur had only agreed to come on this manoeuvre
because the farm and little Bernard were being 
well attended to in his absence.

One of the men, without a request or coaxing, 
began to sing, 
'Sure for this Lord Edward died, and Wolfe Tone 
sank serene - Because they could not bear to 
leave the Red above the Green. And 'twas for this 
that Owen fought, and Sarsfield nobly bled - 
Because their eyes were keen to see the Green 
above the Red. So let us hold a fearless course 
- so that it can be said - Before the war is o'er 
you'll see the Green above the Red!'

The song petered out as Mooney, the singer, lit a 
cigarette, and Duffin - always mindful of his 
position as Section Leader - couldn't resist the 
opportunity to display his knowledge of Ireland 
and its heroes.

'Good man yerself, Mooney,' he said. 'That song, 
as you may or may not know, was written by Thomas 
Davis, who along with John Mitchel and others, 
inspired the 1848 Rising against the British. 
Unfortunately, that Rising failed... Mitchel and 
eight companions were sentenced to be hanged, 
drawn and quartered, but worldwide protests got 
the sentences commuted to transportation for 
life.' Duffin paused, looked round at his men 
before continuing. 'Twenty-five years later, 
Queen Victoria heard that the new prime minister 
of Australia - Sir Charles Duffy - was one of 
those nine convicts. Then further enquiries 
discovered that others of the nine were just as 
famous... Mitchel had escaped to America where 
he became a New York poitician. Patrick Donahue 
an' Terrence Mcmanus became brigadier generals in 
the US Army... Thomas Francis Meagher governor of 
Montana... Richard O'Gorman, governor general of 
New Foundland... Morris Lyene was Australia's 
attorney general an' was succeeded in that office 
by Michael Ireland which left Thomas D'Arcy McGee 
the last of the nine... he became a member of 
parliament in Montreal, Canada.' 

Duffin strove to emphasise the point he was 
making, 'Ireland robbed of great men by her 
unmerciful masters, who had no right whatsoever 
to deprive us of such awesome talent - God blast 
them all anyway - the Sassenachs!' 

Then remembering Arthur's origins, Duffin added, 
'Present company excluded of course.' And 
bestowing a friendly smile on the Yorkshireman, 
said, 'Arthur, auld son, sure aren't you the 
exception that proves the rule, an' mor Irish 
than the Irish themselves. Don't let me down 
now, for God's sake.'


~~~
The above is taken from Chapter 27 (Ireland 1902) 
from 'The Diary of a Scullery Maid', a historical 
novel by Joe Rogers which recounts in graphic 
detail the excesses of the British Empire leading 
up to the Irish Fight for Freedom.
      
Get your copy from here:

http://www.joerogers.co.uk/synopsis.html

==========================
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==========================

============================
AN IRISH LEADER: SEAN LEMASS
============================

Sean Lemass was Taoiseach (leader) of Ireland 
from 1959 to 1966. He is regarded by many 
historians as the greatest of all political 
leaders of Ireland and is credited with laying 
the foundations of the modern economic success 
in Ireland.

Born in Dublin in 1899 Lemass was a veteran of the 
Easter Rising in 1916. He fought in the War of 
Independence and was imprisoned in Ballykinlar in 
County Down for a year. He opposed the Anglo-Irish 
Treaty and fought against the Michael Collins Free 
State in the subsequent Civil War. He was among 
the rebels who occupied the Four Courts which 
were famously bombed by the Free State forces. He 
was again interned in Mountjoy and the Curragh. 

He was first elected to the Irish parliament in 
1924 as member of Sinn Fein and was re-elected 
from his Dublin South constituency at every 
election that followed, up until his retirement 
in 1969. With DeValera he was a founder member of 
the new Fianna Fail party in 1926 which had 
abandoned armed struggle in favour of using 
political means to achieve its goals. He served 
as Minister for Commerce, Minister for Supplies 
and finally as Tanaiste (Deputy-Taoiseach) before 
being elected leader in 1959. His dealings in 
economic matters on behalf of the State were to 
serve him well. 

Ireland during the 1950s and 1960s was an economic 
wasteland with little industry and huge 
emigration. Costello worked incessantly to develop 
industry and trade. His Programme for Economic 
Development saw the creation of Bord na Mona, Aer 
Lingus and the Irish Shipping industry. He worked 
to develop and expand the tourist industry, to 
extend the supply of electricity countrywide, to 
develop the sugar industry, and a myriad of other 
schemes and developments.

Irish society was changing at a rapid pace, with 
RTE being set up in 1961. The old conservatism 
was being challenged as never before. Ireland had 
applied for membership of the EEC and was becoming 
part of the wider modern European society.

Lemass favoured an attitude of co-operation with 
the new political entity that was Northern Ireland. 
In 1965 he became the first Irish leader to visit 
Stormont for talks with Prime Minister Terence 
O'Neill. The subsequent controversy as well as 
failing health may have convinced him that it was 
time to step down.

Sean Lemass retired as Taoiseach in 1966 and 
eventually retired from politics in 1969. 
He died in 1971.

His legacy of economic reform in Ireland is 
perhaps his greatest achievement and is being 
evidenced in the economic boom which began in 
the mid-1990s.

==============
CHEEKY BOY
by Pat Watson
=============

He had waited for this day all his life. Now he 
had his chance. He would show them. For years, 
in fact all his life they had been belittling 
and making a joke of him. Why, even his father 
sometimes seemed to forget his existence. Only 
today his brothers had verbally abused him and 
called him a cheeky brat. Now was his chance to 
show them up and he would not fail.

He had only been brought on as a sub and the very 
last sub at that. He was not in their first team 
or even their second team, nor was he on the 
bench, why he was not even in the crowd, but now 
he was on the field, here in the valley. This was 
his big chance, the chance of a lifetime. He 
would not blow it. He would prove his mettle to 
himself and everybody else. He must keep his cool 
and yet play the fool. He had the ability, he had 
the nerve, he had the knowledge. His own modern 
technology would win the day. He was fitter and 
stronger than anyone thought - he had been running 
twenty miles each way to play gigs for VIPs. He 
was fit and fast, he had strength and stamina, he 
had courage and determination, he had sex appeal. 
Boy had he sex appeal! He had fought bears before, 
fought and won. He had groupies around the gigs 
he played but after today every girl in the 
country would desire him, and would he enjoy 
that? Would he what! He would not leave them 
longing. It would drive his big brothers wild. 
This would not just make him equal to his brothers 
- it would make him totally superior. Then, he 
would get his own back for today's humiliation, 
indeed for a lifetime of humiliation.    

His hairy adversary was still some distance away. 
He could swagger and sing for a while yet. He 
must look soft, silly even simple. To lull his 
opponent into a false sense of security that was 
his plan. Those were fearsome roars, he was 
getting madder, bide your time boy, keep it cool, 
he was coming straight this way. Now is the moment, 
both feet firmly on the ground. Cheeky Boy now 
chose his roundest water honed projectile for 
least wind drag. He took cool and careful aim. He 
let fly. Plonk, he hit the mighty creature right 
in the middle of the forehead. For a second he 
swayed backward then fell forward flat on his 
face. With a leap and a bound Cheeky Boy was upon 
him, lifting the great sword and cutting off his 
head. He held the great hairy head aloft, the hot 
blood spattering his bare legs. There was a gasp 
from the crowd and in the second's silence that 
followed Cheeky Boy called out, 'henceforth I will 
be known by my own name, David.'

~~~

'Cheeky Boy' is one of sixty lyrical yarns from 
'Original Irish Stories' by Pat Watson, 
Creagh, Bealnamulla, Athlone, Ireland. 
First published in March 2006.
Get your copy from here:
http://www.myirishstories.com

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==================================
TOURIST TIP #5: IRELAND HOUSE-SWAP
==================================

If you are looking for a different type of Irish 
holiday experience then you might consider a 
house-swap! The idea is simple: you move home 
for a specified time with a family in a 
different country - they stay in your house
 and you stay in theirs.

Of course the big concern anyone has when doing 
this is that their house will be damaged by 
your partner family. Guess what? They think the 
same thing about you! A certain level of trust 
is required if you are to embark on this venture 
but the rewards can go beyond merely getting 
'free' accommodation. 'Partner' families have 
been known to go on holidays together after the 
initial ice is broken and some web-sites report 
that marriages have resulted from their home 
exchange program.

Of course there is always a flip-side to this and 
there are plenty of reports of people who have 
regretted getting involved with the idea. The f
act remains that your idea of cleanliness and 
care of another persons possessions may not be 
the same as your holiday home exchange partner.

From a financial viewpoint though this idea can 
save you thousands as short-term holiday home 
rentals are very expensive, especially if you 
are travelling with a few kids in tow, or as a 
part of group.

Cars can be included as part of the deal. Of 
course both parties will want to make sure that 
their 1984 Ford Escort (lets be generous and 
say it has 'character') is insured and 
that the person driving it knows the rules of
the road, is licensed and insured.

To get started you simply put the information 
about your home on a web-site and wait for the 
hundreds of calls to flood in (if only life were 
that easy!). Just like everything else you will 
need to promote your home as a desirable place to 
stay. Honesty is by far the best policy and is 
exactly what you would expect from the person you 
are going to be swapping with. 

There are dozens of websites on the web where you 
can list your home for exchange. Some are free 
- some are not. It would be no harm to try the 
free web sites first just to get an idea of what 
is involved. It is fair to say though that, if 
someone is willing to pay a fee to have their 
home listed (can vary from US$10 to US$100 
upwards) then they are probably serious about 
this venture. That said, what is most important 
is that you find someone who is on the same 
'wave-length' as you (this should become obvious 
after a few emails and a telephone call or two). 
This last part is important: make contact! Talk 
to them (email is great but what it enjoys in 
convenience, speed and succinctness it lacks in 
charm, personality and nuance).

Dont be put off by an offer of a home that seems 
much better than yours. While you may live in 
small-bedroom terraced house in the city centre, 
the fact that your home is in the city centre may 
give it great appeal to someone who has a rural 
Chateau in France or a fabulous cottage 
overlooking the Dingle Peninsula in Kerry.

Once you have agreed on the dates for a swap and 
are comfortable with the people you are swapping 
with try to spend a few minutes listing exactly 
what would please YOU most when you walk through 
their door. Perhaps these might include:

* A spotless clean house.
* New bed-linen and towels.
* Plenty of sanitary supplies available 
  for cleaning.
* Written detailed instructions about central 
  heating system, fire alarms, burglar alarms, 
  complicated door locks.
* Any issues with a car (if being swapped) such 
  as where the nearest gas station is, how to 
  start it! (turn the key in the ignition, wiggle 
  it twice to the left and once to the right, 
  say a prayer, put fifty pence in the meter 
  and hope for the best).
* Details on how to work the TV, satellite and 
  up-to date TV listings.
* A list of contact information for local police, 
  doctors, dentists, chemists, location of nearest 
  shops, etc.
* A supply of the very basic foodstuffs (bread, 
  milk, coffee, tea, sugar, butter, etc. - a few 
  bits and pieces would be nice).
* A de-cluttered home with as much stuff as 
  possible out of sight. Most valuable possessions 
  are usually left with a friend or relative 
  (unless they are more likely to rifle-through them 
  than complete strangers, in which case they can 
  be put in storage). House attics with a lock are 
  great places to hide stuff.
* A contact number for a friend, relative or 
  neighbour of the person you are swapping with.

Now, once you have completed this list of what you 
would like them to do for you make sure that you 
do everything on the list for them!

An important issue to consider is that of house 
insurance. You really need to contact your 
insurance provider and tell them what you are 
planning a house swap. Most insurers will no 
problem with this as it means that the house is 
occupied instead of being vacant, but you need to 
get this confirmed as there is an urban legend of 
an insurance company that did not want to pay out 
on a policy because of a technicality. Really.

When your holiday is done it goes without saying 
that you should clean up as much a possible and 
even leave the place better than you found it!
(fill those ice-cube trays, straighten those 
picture-frames, but try to resist rearranging 
the furniture).

And remember, even if your first experience is 
not all you wanted, persevere. Some families have 
been swapping with each other on an annual basis 
for decades. Reports of families who have house 
swapped fifty times or more are not uncommon. 
With a little effort ans bit of trust, the rewards 
can be great.

You can add your home-swap details to our new free 
listing service at:


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

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==========================

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

PHRASE:		Ta me/tu go hiontach
PRONOUNCED:	taw may/two guh hun-tock
MEANING:		I/you am wonderful

PHRASE:		Ta se/si are buille
PRONOUNCED:	taw shay/shee air bool-yeh
MEANING:		He/she is angry

PHRASE:		Ta sinn/sibh/siad tuirseach
PRONOUNCED:	taw shin/shiv/sheed tear-shock
MEANING:		We/us/they are tired


View the archive of phrases here:

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

=======================
JULY COMPETITION RESULT
=======================

The winner was: billabongozman33@yahoo.com.au
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 time,

Michael Green,
Editor,
The Information about Ireland Site.

https://www.ireland-information.com

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