°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø

			IN THIS ISSUE
~~~~~ Foreword
~~~~~ Keep us Free!
~~~~~ New Free resources at the site
~~~~~ News Snaps from Ireland
~~~~~ Irish Film Review: The General          by Dawn Hayden
~~~~~ Irish Quotations of the Month
~~~~~ Beltane Bonfires and Nettle Soup   by Bridget Haggerty 
~~~~~ Gaelic Phrases of the Month
~~~~~ Shamrock Site of the Month: irishweddingday.com 
~~~~~ Searcher Site of the Month: familyweb.org
~~~~~ Monthly free competition result

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


FOREWORD
~~~~~~~~

Hi again!

We have an excellent article from Bridget Haggerty in this 
month's issue which outlines the traditions and customs 
associated with the dawning of the Summer season in Ireland.
We have also finally started our Irish Recipes resource, 
see below.

I am glad to report that the threat posed by Foot and Mouth 
Disease seems to be finally declining despite the fact that 
the epidemic is still prevalent in England. 

Thanks again to Dawn Hayden for her film reviews. This 
month 'The General' is examined. Got an Irish film review 
you would like to submit? Send it in!

BEST WISHES FROM IRELAND!

Michael.


PLEASE - send this newsletter on to your friend's or
relatives who you think are interested in Ireland. By 
doing this you are helping to keep us 'free'.

Got something to say? Don't keep it to yourself!
Why don't you submit an article for inclusion
in the next edition? Email to:	
 
newsletterarticle@ireland-information.com

This newsletter is available on-line at:
 
https://www.ireland-information.com/may01.htm

The only way that you could have been subscribed to this
newsletter is by filling out a subscription form at the site
whereupon a confirmation notice would have been issued.

If you wish to unsubscribe then go here:
 
https://www.ireland-information.com/newsletter.htm

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø

KEEP US ALIVE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEW FREE NEWSLETTERS: You can help us to continue supplying 
free resources and information from Ireland by signing up to 
receive more great free information:

 https://www.ireland-information.com/list.html

Get a Print, Watch, Tee-Shirt Transfer or Screensaver 
with the Family Crest for YOUR family name:

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

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


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

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:

C: Cooney
D: Drewe
G: Goodison 
L: Lynn
M: Morrissey

View the Gallery here:

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

We now have over 20,000 worldwide names available.
Get the Coat of Arms Print, Screensaver, Watch, T-Shirt
Transfer, Clock or Claddagh Ring for your name at:

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

NEW IRISH RECIPES ARCHIVE

The archive has just been started. We will be offering a 
downloadable ebook next month with all of the recipes. Here 
are the first five to whet your appetite!

Irish Stew
Dublin Coddle
Boxty Potatoes
Apple Mash
Irish Scones

Is it lunchtime yet?

View at:

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

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


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

FOOT AND MOUTH FEARS RECEDE

The foot and mouth epidemic continues in England but so 
far there has only been one recorded case in Southern
Ireland and since that was well over a month ago the 
Government has been able to lift many of the restrictions 
that had been imposed. 

The tourist industry are particularly happy that the 
countryside is again open for business and that the many 
castles, parks, gardens and heritage sites can be availed 
of by visitors.

A big promotional campaign offering cheaper flights and 
accommodation deals is expected to be mounted by tourism 
chiefs in the next few months. The message is clear: 
'COME TO IRELAND'  - you may even find a bargain!

IRELAND HAS THE HIGHEST BIRTH RATE IN THE EU

The Irish birth rate of 14.6 births per 1000 is still the 
highest in the European Union but this rate is expected to 
decline over the next 2 decades. There is now a trend for 
women to first give birth whilst in their early 30's 
whereas before the most frequent age for initial 
childbirth was when a woman was in her late 20's.

One of the main reasons for the impending expected decline 
and the current advancement of the age of new mothers is 
the cost of childcare. Government initiatives to encourage 
parents to continue working have failed to tackle the 
prohibitive cost of placing young children in Creches and 
Montessori Schools which is partially responsible for the 
reduction in the birth rate. Some lower-paid civil servants 
are paying between 60% and 80% of their wages in childcare 
costs. Placing a child in a creche in Ireland for 5 working 
days can cost IR£120 per child per week (approx US$140).

A survey of 140 countries has placed Ireland 18th in terms 
of providing health and education to girls. The 'Save the 
Children' report indicated that Finland, Sweden and the UK 
were the best of the surveyed countries with the poorer 
African nations faring worst. The life expectancy ratio of 
a population is critically linked to the health and 
education of young girls, the report found.

REAL IRA AND CONTINUITY IRA ARE BANNED BY USA

The US Government has outlawed the 'Real IRA' and the 
'Continuity IRA', designating them as terrorist 
organisations. Representatives of these groups will be 
denied visas to enter the US and will thus be restricted 
in their ability to raise funds. 

It is estimated that the Real IRA has a current membership 
of approximately 170 members while the Continuity IRA has 
about 50 members.

The forthcoming General Election in the UK and Northern 
Ireland is expected to be a make or break time for the peace 
process. Ulster Unionist leader David Thrimble has put his 
reputation on the line again by declaring that there must be 
decommissioning of IRA weaponry or else he will resign from 
the Northern Executive. It is possible therefore that the 
Northern Assembly may be again suspended in an attempt to 
save the 'Good Friday' agreement.

SLOWDOWN IN HOUSE PRICE INCREASE CONTINUES

The boom in the price of Irish property is continuing albeit 
at a slower rate than before. The cost of a new home in 1996 
was IR£63,000 but today, five years later, it has doubled to 
IR£125,000.

The 12-month price increase in house prices fell in April to 
18.4% from 19.1% the previous month. House prices have risen 
by 4% in the first 4 months of this year, compared to 6.6% in 
the same period in 2000. These figures are deceptive though
because there is now real evidence that there are some 
bargains to be picked up, especially in rural areas. A two 
acre site with a good quality bungalow is now available for 
IR£150,000 and that is less than 1 hours drive from Dublin.

If you fancy a 'fixer-upper' then you can pick up a derelict 
cottage in the tax-advantageous Counties of Leitrim, Cavan 
and Sligo for as little as IR£15,000. Estimated rebuilding 
costs of about IR£75,000 provide you with a country retreat 
for £90,000. Pretty good!

CRACKDOWN ON PUBS WHO SELL ALCOHOL TO TEENAGERS CONTINUES

Fifteen pubs have so far been closed as part of a Garda 
crackdown on the sale of drink to teenagers. The new law has 
forced guilty premises to close for periods of up to 2 weeks 
and further infractions will see even greater closures. Three 
convictions will result in revocation of the licence. 30 more 
court cases are pending. 

The national Age Card scheme is seeing over 200 applications
being made daily from young people who are over the 18 year 
limit. 25,000 cards have been issued so far in the seven 
months that the voluntary initiative has been in place.

QUIET MAN POSTER SELLS FOR IR£3300 AT AUCTION

Northern Ireland publican Billy McNeill is obviously a big 
John Wayne fan, or maybe it is the buxom image of Maureen 
O'Hara that attracted him to the original 1950 poster for 
the movie 'The Quiet Man' that was auctioned in Sothebys 
recently. 

A fierce bidding war ensued for the original promotional 
poster that was expected to fetch around IR£1000 but 
earned more than treble that amount.

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:

Interested in Genealogy? You Need Genealogy Detective!

Discover the most unusual and hardest to find information 
about your ancestors! Save time, money and effort. Put your 
investigations on the right track by unlocking the power of 
the Internet - access over 500 databases. 

Risk free, low cost, money back guarantee 
- but you won't need it. 

Genealogy Detective puts an end to wasting time!

Find out more here:

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

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


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

The John Boorman film ' The General' is based on the life 
of Dublin gangland leader Martin Cahill who was killed by 
the IRA because of his involvement in the drugs trade and 
because of his willingness to associate in crime with the 
enemies of the IRA. 

The always excellent Brendan Gleeson plays the lead as the 
slobbish, unkempt and yet ruthless Cahill who defied 
authority from an early age to establish the foremost 
criminal Dublin gang of its time.

He robs banks at will, visits a country manor and robs the 
artwork, trades in drugs extensively and even nails one of 
his own men that he suspects of cheating him to a billiard 
table.

John Voight plays the aging detective out to get Cahill. 
Frustrated at every turn by his criminal prey he thinks that 
he finally has his man only to find that the courts let him 
down. The portrayal of the uptight policeman is in stark 
contrast to the feckless criminal Cahill who eventually 
reminds him that he has brought him down to his level.

This is a typical cops and robbers film. It treats the bad 
guy as the hero and the good guys as the inept fools. But 
once you get past this stereotyping this is very enjoyable 
viewing not least because it depicts a view of Dublin life 
that may be hidden, or ignored, by those not native to that 
city.

Unemployment, poverty, abuse, inner city bravado and the all 
pervasive plague that is the drugs epidemic that has swept 
Dublin in the last 20 years are a grim backdrop to this tale 
of depravity that can only end in destruction.

'The General' is filmed in black in white which adds greatly 
to the atmosphere of danger. It is well worth viewing if 
only to gain an insight into the machinations of inner 
city Dublin lowlife, but it is not for the faint hearted. 

Dawn Hayden

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


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

	The Rain drove us into the church - our refuge, 
	our strength, our only dry place ... Limerick gained 
	a reputation for piety, but we knew it was only 
	the rain.

Frank McCourt, Anggela's Ashes, 1996

	He'd ... settle into a life of Guinness, sarcasm and 
	late late nights, the kind of life that American 
	academics think real Dubliners lead.

Joseph O'Connor, Cowboys and Indians, 1991

	I feel at times as if I was among a people as 
	mysterious as the Chinese, a people who have taken 
	hold of the English language and moulded it to their 
	cross-purposes.

Conor Cruise O'Brien, speaking about Cork in 1994.

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


BELTANE BONFIRES AND NETTLE SOUP	by Bridget Haggerty 

Happy first day of the Celtic summer! Oh, to have been in 
Ireland a few hundred years ago at this time. The most 
dramatic part of the Beltane celebration was the community 
bonfire. People would gather around it, often bringing 
chairs or stools in order to 'sit out the wake of winter'. 
The best singers and musicians in the crowd would perform 
and there was always joyous dancing, often until the wee 
hours.

The fire was usually lit on May Eve - fed by whatever a 
village could spare - and was kept going until sunset on 
May 1st. In general, most people extinguished all fires in 
their homes on May eve. And, it was considered incredibly 
unlucky to even light a cigarette or candle and take it 
beyond the front door. In keeping with the old ways, 'new 
fire' had to be brought back to the house from the Beltane 
flames.

As the Beltane fires burned brightly across the land, other 
important events were taking place. May 1st was when many 
hiring fairs were held. People looking for work came 
carrying symbols of their skill - a spade, a hay fork, a 
reaping hook, or a spancel, which said the bearer was an 
expert milker.

Today was also known as 'gale day' - when a tenancy began 
or ended and on which a half-year's rent must be paid. Signs 
of the weather, the appearance of the sky and of the May 
moon, the strength and direction of the wind, the amount of 
rain, were all carefully noted, as indications of the coming 
Summer weather. Rain was expected and welcomed. 'A wet and 
windy May fills the barns with corn and hay'. A cold, east 
wind was a bad sign, while frost meant hard times to come. 
And, God forbid, there should still be snow on Slieve Snaght 
in north Wexford! This was so evil an omen that the farmers 
expected the landlord to forego the rent for the coming half 
year.

In different parts of the country, the custom was that one 
should not dig, whitewash, bathe or sail on May Day. As with 
many countries in western Europe, Ireland paid close heed to 
avoiding anything where there might be magic afoot. The 
fairies were on the move and the unexpected was always a 
distinct possibility.

A procession of 'May Boys', dressed in white shirts adorned 
with colorful ribbons tied in knots, led what was known as a 
garland procession through the neighborhood. At the head of 
the parade was an elected May King and Queen. At each stop, 
they would ask for funds to help defray the cost of the May 
Day party to be held later. Before 1820, there are records 
of great May Pole celebrations in Dublin. In addition to 
dancing and drinking, the pole was often greased and a prize 
offered to anyone who could climb to the top. Other 
revelries included a wide assortment of sporting events, 
including foot races, hopping races, sack races, and 
wrestling. Dance competitions were also held and very often, 
the coveted prize was a cake.

Much attention was paid to the health of the family because 
it was widely believed that any illness or injury on May Eve 
or May Day was especially dangerous or difficult to cure. On 
the other hand, this time of year was considered to be best 
for gathering medicinal herbs.

The first May Day butter, that is, the first butter made 
from the milk of May Day, was held to be the best of all 
bases for salves and ointments. And, it was firmly believed 
that any herb picked at random before sunrise on May Day 
was a sure cure for warts. Also, if you wanted to keep the 
rheumatics away for a year, the custom was to eat nettle 
soup three times during the month, beginning on May 1st. 

It was the responsibility of the children to go out and 
gather young nettles and there are many written accounts of 
youngsters making a game out of chasing each other with the 
leaves. The nettles that survived the chase were made into a 
soup or cooked like spinach. Another traditional dish in the 
old days was stirabout or hasty pudding. Generally, the 
first of May was the day when farm folk took inventory and 
it was said to indicate a wife's great care and caution if 
there was still enough corn or flour to create the pudding.

There are many superstitions associated with this magical 
time so here is a brief list and possible precautions:

* Between sunset on May Eve and the dawn of May Day, one 
  should stay close to home and never sleep outdoors. If 
  you must be out and about, a piece of iron in the pocket 
  might give some protection, as will a spent cinder from 
  the hearth, or a sprig of mountain ash.

* Many people leave the fairies an offering of food and 
  drink either on their doorstep, or at a fort, lone bush 
  or other fairy dwelling.

* A favorite prank of the good folk is to cause people to 
  lose their way by bringing down a mist. One way to 
  protect against this is to wear your coat inside out. 
  This disguise will confuse them and might allow you to 
  escape.

* Care should be taken not to keep anything you find of 
  value on the roadway or anywhere. Best of all, don't pick 
  it up. But, if you wish to be neighborly, you should place 
  the article on a fence, gate or bush so that the rightful 
  owner can find it again.

* The first water taken from the well on May Day was 
  variously known as 'the top of the well' or 'the luck of 
  the well'. In evil hands this water could do great harm, 
  but in the hands of the rightful owner, it brought luck, 
  protection and healing.

* A child born on May Day has the gift of being able to see 
  the fairies - but it was believed the child would not live 
  a long life. Animals born on this day were also sure to be 
  weaklings.

* If a girl went out into the garden before sunrise on May 
  1st, she could find out the name of her future spouse by 
  taking up the first snail or slug she finds. This is put 
  on a plate sprinkled with flour. A cabbage leaf is 
  placed on top and left until after sunrise. Then, 
  according to the superstition, she will find the initials 
  of her lover traced in the flour.

* The call of the cuckoo is ominous - to hear it on your 
  right brings luck, on the left, ill fortune, from a church 
  yard meant a death in the family, and before breakfast, 
  a hungry year.


Bridget Haggerty is the author of 'The Traditional Irish 
Wedding', visit here for more:

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

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


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

PHRASE:		Tá grá agam duit!  
PRONOUNCED:	taw graw agg/um dwit
MEANING:		I love you!

PHRASE:		Mo mhíle grá 
PRONOUNCED:	muh veal/ah graw
MEANING:		My thousand loves

PHRASE:		Go raibh míle maith agat! 
PRONOUNCED:	Guh ruh meal/ah mawt ag/gut 
	(literal: may you have a thousand good things!)
MEANING:		Many thanks! 

View the archive of phrases here:

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

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


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

IRISHWEDDINGDAY.COM: Ireland's own online wedding directory, 
designed to make planning your wedding easier Visit at: 

 http://www.irishweddingday.com

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


SEARCHER SITE OF THE MONTH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FAMILYWEB.ORG: FamilyWeb is one of the first and only sites 
dedicated to helping the genealogy hobbyist attain an 
affordable presence on the internet. Visit at:

 http://www.familyweb.org

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


SUPPORT THE INFORMATION ABOUT IRELAND SITE
HELP US TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FREE RESOURCES

Get family crest gifts for your or a friends family name and 
get a free email account:

 https://www.irishnation.com


°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


MAY COMPETITION RESULT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The winner was: wpfahy@gis.net

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. 

°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø,¸¸,ø*°´°*ø


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.

https://www.ireland-information.com
Click here to contact us