Tír na mBláth

Irish Seisiún Newsletter

Thanks to our past editors - Mary Gallacher and Bill Padden

Editor Tommy Mac

................Today's date and new proverb 

Tá dúil ár n-anama sa cheol againn.'

(Music is our soul's desire.)

Sunday's Seisiún

for December 1, 2024

‘Tá dúil ár n-anama sa cheol againn.’

Music is our soul’s desire.

Thanks again to

Bob Murphy, Pat Quinn, Randy Powell, Art Jacoby, and Kevin Westley

for supplying photos and info about our sessiuns.

Good times - Good tunes

Tom,

We had a small, but great session today. Quiet in the pub today, I guess being a holiday weekend, everybody is putting up Christmas lights and such.

Anybody interested in pre registration for the Comholtas Cultural Experience North America 2025 (and who wouldn't?) being held in Orlando, April 3rd to the 6th can find the pertinent info at: https://www.cceconvention.com/

Also registration is open for the Tionol 2025, which is the South East Uilleann Pipers Club annual event, which is also in Orlando, Jan. 31st to Feb. 2. Though a smaller event, it is non the less a hoot centered around the Claddagh Pub in Orlando, mostly pipers, with separate fiddle track workshops, this year featuring Willie Kelly for the fiddle track. For info: https://www.southeastpipersclub.org/

Meanwhile: On fiddle were Seamus, Art, Ian and Bob, Pat on accordion, Tom on Bodhran, Bob on Guitar, Carol Sandler showed up, right off the plane for a couple of tunes also, welcome!

Some of the tunes were: Milky Way, Crock of Gold, Green Mountain Reel / Oslo Waltz / John Brennens', Knotted Cord, Tinker's Daughter / Maid on the Green, Tar Road to Sligo / Willy Coleman's, Out on the Ocean, Morrison's Mohair Momma / Humours of Glendart, Saddle the Pony, Tobin's Favorite / Rose in the Heather / Swinging on the Gate, Earl's Chair, Ships are Sailing / Charlie Harris polka, Finnish Polka, Jessicas / the Butterfly, Farewell to Whalley's Range / Wedding Reel, Swinging on the Gate / Hut on Staffin Island, High road to Linton / Dusty Windowsills, Rakes of Kildare, Humours of Kiltyclogher / Galway Hornpipe, Honeysuckle Hornpipe / Mossy banks, Mountaintop / Broken Pledge, Julia Delaney, Old Bush / Haunted House, My Darling Asleep, Old Favorite / Maggie in the woods, Sligo Maid, Maid behind the Bar / Jig of Slurs, Morrisons, Mystery tune / Farewell to Ireland, High Reel / Lark in the Morning, Connaughtman's Ramble, Stan Chapman's and a few I missed while fetching a Guinness.

Bob Murphy

,.

..

Click below to see our Ronan put everything he's got into fiddle playing

............

Click any of the above logos to go to that site

.

"That’s How I Spell Ireland"

Saturdays at 7 to 8 PM EST.

You can listen on 88.7FM or WRHU.org.

For a request please text me on 917 699-4768.Kevin and Joan Westley

Note: Show will be preempted whenever the NY Islanders have a Saturday game

....

"The Port Jefferson Library will offer a multi-media program called Christmas Time in Ireland. It is a virtual presentation on Thursday December 19 at 7PM. It will include topics about the happiest time of the year in Ireland; such as, Why 25 December, Christmas in Killarney, Preparing for Christmas, Decorating with Holly & Ivy, Wren Day, Woman's Christmas and many more.

This program will be presented by Kevin Westley. He will sing or play songs for each topic by the artist that made the songs popular. There is no charge for this presentation. Kevin broadcasts That’s How I Spell Ireland, Saturdays at 7PM, on WRHU.ORG & 88.7 FM.

Here is the registration link for anyone interested that you want to share it with: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAocu2tqDwpGd0P6fjTxLvQD_c-HmNh0B9b#/registration

E-Mails Received

Fireny@aol.com

Old Ireland

Each week I will post a (new) OLD photo of what Ireland was like years ago. The photos are taken from a great website called Ireland in the Rare Auld Times. I highly recommend this site. You can sign up at https://www.facebook.com/groups/889110974518793/

If you have any photos of what things were like in old Ireland please send them in and include a story about it if appropriate.

Please don't send things from the above web site. I already have those.

Man fancy dressed and cart,

1901

Ireland Travel

Note: Whenever clicking on a link you will be brought to another web-site. To return here you must click on the BACK arrow.

FAVOURITE PLACES IN IRELAND

Deck of Cards Houses, Cobh, County Cork.

(See it on a map here.)

You might be familiar with the sight of this colorful row of houses in Cobh, County Cork. Called the "Deck of Cards" houses, they're an iconic fixture of the scenery! You can find out more about them and Cobh here. And check out this video where Carina has a chat with the general manager of the Cobh Heritage Center as he shows us just why this place is so special.

Travel Quiz

Can you identify this site and it's location in Ireland?

Answer in next week's Newsletter

Last weeks Travel Quiz answer

Dublin castle courtyard

Irish Language

PHRASE: Cé as tú?

PRONOUNCED: K/oss/tu

MEANING: Where are you from?

PHRASE: As America, is tú féin?

PRONOUNCED: oss/America/iss/tu/feign

MEANING: From America, and yourself?

PHRASE: Is as Éirinn mé

PRONOUNCED: iss/oss/air-inn/may

MEANING: I am from Ireland

Free Irish Classes

The classes are over zoom and are held at 12:00 eastern time the 1 st Sunday of every month.

It is basic conversational Irish and open to learners of all ages, especially beginners.

All are invited either to participate privately or to meet at Tim Finnegans at 12:00 prior to the regular Sunday session.

Hope to see you there!

slan go foill. Le dea ghui,

Anita

click here to register

Irish stew hot pot recipe for a cold winter's night

This traditional Irish strew is topped with a layer of potatoes, browned to perfection with Kerrygold butter.

Sheila Langan @SheiLangan Nov 09, 2024

This traditional Irish strew is topped with a layer of potatoes, browned to perfection with Kerrygold butter. Kerrygold USA

There's no dinner quite as comforting as a hearty Irish stew on a cold winter's night. In addition to all the usual suspects, this recipe from Kerrygold USA takes things to the next level, topping the stew with a layer of potatoes brushed with salted butty and browned to perfection in the oven. This recipe uses a shoulder of lamb but you can also use neck of lamb or gigot chops, which are slices of lamb taken through the leg so they include a small central bone, to make this stew. Simply ask your butcher to cut it into 1 ½in (4cm) slices for you. If you use these, the stew will be bony but the flavor will be fantastic.

Irish stew hot pot recipe

Ingredients

4 tbsp plain flour

1 ½lb lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into chunks

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

2 onions, sliced

2 large carrots, sliced

2 ½ cups (1 pint) chicken stock (from a stock cube is fine)

dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 ½lb even-sized potatoes

3 tbsp (1 ½oz) Kerrygold Salted Butter

salt and freshly ground black pepper

chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Place the flour in a shallow dish and season generously, then use to coat the lamb. Arrange half of the lamb in the bottom of a round casserole dish and add a sprinkling of thyme. Scatter over the onion, followed by the carrots, then season to taste and add another sprinkling of thyme. Arrange the remaining lamb on top to cover the vegetables completely and sprinkle over the remaining thyme. "

Pour enough chicken stock to just come up above the last layer of lamb. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Cover the casserole with a lid and place in the oven for about 1 hour until the lamb and vegetables are just tender and the stock has thickened slightly. "

Place the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside for 5 minutes until cool enough to handle. Slice the potatoes lengthways into 1cm (½in) thick slices and lay them in a slightly overlapping layer on top of the stew. "

Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave and brush over the potatoes. Season to taste and cook in the oven for another 40 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and nicely golden and the lamb stew is bubbling up around the edges of the dish. Serve straight to the table.

For more delicious recipes, visit the Kerrygold USA website.

Enjoy

If you have a cherished family Irish recipie share it with us.

And if there's a story that goes with it.....even better! mail click here

Fireny@aol.com

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filíocht pronounced FILL-ee-uhkht meaning Poetry

“December”

by Brendan Kennelly

from The Essential Brendan Kennelly (2011)

It’s December, presents are lunatics—

spoons, napkins, knives, writing-paper,

classy jars of delicious jam.

I’ve sent you nothing but my small books,

I must seem tight as a mackerel’s arse

on a winter’s night, and that’s water-tight.

But I despise the treacherous generosity

of presents. Presents are like hooks,

the greedy fish is fooled by the fly he swallows.

In refusing to give presents to rich friends,

the poor man shows true generosity.

In this rumination on the holiday season, Brendan Kennelly shares commentary on how gift-giving traditions are often out of tune with the spirit of a religious occasion. The diction excludes holiday-specific language and only tangentially refers to the time of year, perhaps suggesting that materialism isn’t always tied to the holidays.

Stories and Tales

How three brave sisters defended their family's home

in the Irish Land War

The O'Halloran sisters, armed with poles and boiling water, tried to fend off the officers evicting their family.

Sheila Langan @SheiLangan Oct 22, 2024

The O'Halloran sisters lived in Bodyke, Co. Clare The National Library of Ireland

The story of the three O'Halloran sisters from Co Clare is one of loyalty and courage in the face of adversity.

The O'Hallo ran sisters - Annie, Honoria, and Sarah - lived with their parents and their brothers, Patrick and Frank, in Bodyke, Co Clare. They were the tenants of Colonel John O'Callaghan, who would become notorious by the end of the Land War.

The Second Irish Land Act of 1881 had attempted to give tenants more security by paving the way for rent reductions, guarantees of the same rent for periods of 15 years, and, in some cases, eventual proprietorship.

O'Callaghan had been charging the O'Halloran family £31, which the court ordered be reduced to £22-10 shillings, a sum the family maintained was unfair since in their grandfather's time the rent had been as low as £13-10 shillings. They became one of the families to participate in the Bodyke rent boycotts, and in June 1887 they prepared to resist eviction from the land their family had lived on and tended for generations.

All five of the O'Halloran children rose to the occasion, helping their parents to barricade the doors and windows. But Annie, Honoria, and Sarah took an especially active part - pouring boiling water to scald the bailiffs and even stealing one of their bayonets.

Their brother Frank's first-hand account of the day of the eviction was published in the Irish Times on June 15, 1887, and has been re-published by the Clare County Library.

The following excerpt unfolds the dramatic events:

"On the morning of the eviction, we were up at the break of day and laid our plans, each to defend a certain point and none to waiver, whatever might come.

We boiled plenty of water and meal, and, when all was ready, we kept a lookout for the bailiffs and the rest of them. At this time I was only home a few months from America, and during my absence, I may add, I did not learn to love Irish landlordism or English rule.

"We had not long to wait, as the attacking party appeared over the hill at about half past ten o'clock, and pretty formidable they looked too - police, soldiers, bailiffs, and all followed by a large crowd of tenants. We had two portholes broken out commanding the eastern rear corner and had plenty of pitchforks and poles to meet the rifles and the bayonets when they would attempt to scale the windows. Mr. Davitt, however, came up and deprived us of the pitchforks. I guess he thought there would be blood spilt if they were there. When the bailiffs approached with picks and axes we waited until they would come near enough for the hot fluid to scald them. The police shouted to us to go in from the portholes or that they would shoot, but we took no notice of them.

"I remember that, as they raised their rifles, the thought struck me that it was a queer country where the sons of people were amongst the greatest enemies the people had.

"The police were not more than 25 feet away, but they did not fire. The bailiffs attacked the corner, and the sisters threw cans of boiling water on top of them, making them speedily retire, while the girls stood waiting with more water ready to fire, but they took no notice of them either. The crowd outside became terribly excited, as they saw by this that we meant no surrender in earnest. I had a long pole defending the corner, and I found that I could not use it effectively from the porthole which I was at, as I was a left-handed man; so I got an iron bar and broke a hole through the roof, a shower of slates falling on the emergency men outside.

"Then I got water and took off the slates, which I fired at them, but I don't think any took effect but, anyway, we had the satisfaction of seeing that we made it impossible for them to continue at the corner. For about three-quarters of an hour, the struggle continued, and finally, the defeated emergency men gave up, some of them well-scalded. Then they went to the end of the house and the police got scaling ladders to get through the window on the second story, so I exchanged places with my brother and went to the porthole at the gable end, which he had been defending up to this.

"At this time some unfortunate delay occurred about handing up the water. My brother went to see what was wrong, and while he was so engaged a policeman entered through the window. He was met by Honoria who caught a grasp of his sword-bayonet. He was just bent down in the act of jerking it from her when I saw him. I knew that if he gave the pull he would have cut her fingers off and ruin her hands. There was not a moment to spare. I jumped off the platform and struck him with my clenched fist under the chin and sent him sprawling to the other end of the room. My sister was then in full possession of a rifle, bayonet and all, and sure she did use it. She rushed to the window and scattered the police outside right and left, and cleared the ladder outside, which was crowded. All this happened in a few seconds. My brother had now returned with the water, and I went to Honoria's assistance. I got a big pole: there was a policeman at the top of the ladder; I put it to his chest, pushed him into an upright position.

"The policeman behind him pressed him on, while the crowd yelled, wild with delight. I shoved harder and he fell to the ground, amidst deafening cheers and shouts. Others pressed on, to meet the same fate. Now we thought it was high time to evict the policeman we had inside. We got him near the window to throw him out. The police outside rammed their bayonets and wounded us several times, so we had to throw him back again instead of throwing him out. The fight now began properly. We attacked them with all our might and so fierce was the struggle that we smashed a sword-bayonet and injured several of those outside. Eventually, we cleared the window again and victory was hailed with thunders of applause outside. The forces outside were dismayed as if they did not know what to do next.

"We thought that the little respite we got could not be made better use of than by ejecting the policeman who still remained inside, so we caught him again.

"Out he would have gone at the moment for certain, but Father Hannon was at the top of the ladder. He put up his hands and said: 'Don't throw him out, Frank.' The good priest intervened because he knew that the police would fire the next time.

"Well, anyway, his word was law with the whole of us, and little wonder; so I promised him I would do nothing and let him go. The police then rushed in after Father Hannon and Father Hannon held me as if in a vice. I never felt such a grip before or since. A great big coward of a policeman struck my mother and handled her brutally. 'Father Hannon' said I, 'are you going to hold me while they choke my mother?' He let me go. I made a spring forward and struck the policeman a blow of my clenched fist, which quietened him anyway.

"The house then became full of police, and several of them grappled me. I made no further struggle; I knew that it was useless, and felt satisfied that we had done all in our power. We were all taken into custody to be sent to jail, and Mr. Davitt and Father Hannon got permission for the former to accompany the girls to jail. In a moment or so we were on the car ready to start, when the girls were released, to be prosecuted in the ordinary way. They brought my mother and myself to Limerick Jail, where we were kept until they brought us up for trial. All the tenants took forcible possession immediately, and they remained there until a settlement was come to the following February." The O'Hallorans were then allowed to return to their home. Eventually, in 1909, they along with other Bodyke tenants were given the chance to buy and own their land - a hard-won victory.

* Originally published in November 2015, updated in Oct 2024.

Céad Míle Fáilte -

and welcome to your Letter from Ireland.

As I look out the window this morning I see the aftermath of “Storm Bert”. We have had plenty of rain and wind over the last 24 hours - and it has left the countryside quite sodden. The storm followed on from our first snows of the season last Thursday. Well, the weather certainly seems to have a mind of its own at the moment! How are things in your part of the world today?

Today, we conclude our series on the Vikings in Ireland. We look at their influence and a legacy that has lasted down to the current day. I’m having a cup of warming Barry’s tea as we chat - so do join me with a cup of whatever you fancy as we explore a fascinating chapter of Irish history: the Viking legacy that shaped our nation in ways that may surprise you!

From Viking Raiders to Settled Traders & Farmers.

When you think of the Vikings, images of fierce warriors probably come to mind. While it is true that they first came as raiders, you may be surprised to learn that many Vikings eventually settled in Ireland, becoming farmers, traders, and craftsmen. They brought with them advanced farming tools, including heavier ploughs that could turn tougher soils, and introduced new crops like rye. It is believed that their expertise in animal husbandry led to improved cattle breeding and more efficient dairy farming methods. Perhaps most significantly, they introduced systematic land management, including the 'strip field' system that was established in many parts of the country from the 1600s onwards.

Masters of the Sea, Trade and War.

The Vikings revolutionised Irish sea-going activities, introducing advanced fishing techniques such as deep-sea fishing, new net designs, and improved preservation methods. They built sophisticated fish smoking houses and established Ireland's first commercial fishing stations. Their superior shipbuilding skills and trading networks connected Ireland to routes stretching from Scandinavia down to the Mediterranean.

The Vikings established Ireland's first true trading towns - Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Cork and Limerick - which became bustling commercial hubs where merchants from across Europe would gather.

The Vikings also revolutionised warfare in Ireland. Their longships were marvels of engineering - shallow-drafted vessels that could navigate both open seas and river systems, allowing raids deep inland along Ireland's waterways. These innovations forced Irish kingdoms to adapt, eventually building their own fleets based on Viking designs and developing new coastal fortifications.

A lasting military legacy came through their role as mercenaries. Many Norse warriors served Irish kings as professional soldiers, bringing their combat techniques and year-round military discipline to Irish warfare. Fighting in disciplined units with weapons like the two-handed axe, these mercenary soldiers combined Norse military traditions with Celtic warrior culture, fundamentally changing how warfare was conducted in medieval Ireland.

Building Towns and Creating Communities.

The Norse influence on the development of our towns was a revolution for Ireland of the day. Firstly, Gaelic Ireland did not have any towns - the nearest thing were the monastic enclosures dotted through the Gaelic Kingdoms. And suddenly, the Vikings introduced towns with organised street systems, regular plot divisions, and specialised districts for crafts and trading. These towns always featured waterfront developments with purpose-built quays and warehouses, as we discovered during the archeological excavations at Dublin's Wood Quay.

They created dedicated market spaces and 'thing-motes' (assembly places) for town gatherings, and introduced urban infrastructure including raised wooden walkways and drainage systems. Many of these planning principles still influence Irish urban landscapes today.

A Lasting Cultural and Living Legacy.

The Viking influence also permeates Irish culture in countless ways. Many common Irish surnames like Doyle, McAuliffe, Dolphin, Cotter, Coppinger, O'Rourke and McLoughlin reveal Norse origins or influence. Their language left an indelible mark on our Irish vocabulary - words like 'bád' (boat), 'margadh' (market), and 'fuinneog' (window), still in use today, all come from Norse.

Recent genetic studies reveal just how deep the Viking influence runs in Irish DNA. Up to 15% of the male population in some areas, particularly along the eastern seaboard, carry Norse genetic markers. Different regions show varying patterns - Limerick shows strong connections to Norwegian Vikings, while Dublin's genetic footprint links more to Danish settlers. This biological heritage simply confirms what historical records tell us: the Vikings didn't just raid and trade with Ireland, they became part of its very fabric.

The Viking legacy in Ireland is a testament to the power of cultural exchange. What began with those original fearsome raids evolved into a rich fusion of traditions, practices, and bloodlines that we have come to call "Hiberno-Norse" culture.

If you walk through any of Ireland's major cities or coastal towns today, you're walking through layers of this Viking heritage - seen in the street layouts, in the place names, in the faces of the people, and in the very way we live and work together in an urban environment. It's a powerful reminder that Irish identity, like all cultural identities, is woven from many threads, creating the rich Irish cultural tapestry that we cherish today.

How about you - did the Vikings visit and settle in your part of the world - or the place your ancestors originated? Do you have any Norse DNA in your own family tree?

Slán for this week,

Mike

Hi there Thomas

Looking for a boost in your practice routines? I've pulled together some of our best expert guides on the blog to help you revolutionise your Irish playing!

We have fascinating guides on how to play and master your favourite Irish instruments like some of the great musicians including Matt Molloy, Noel Hill and Mary Bergin.

Unlocking these hard-earned secrets and insider knowledge of traditional Irish music in our exclusive posts will help you elevate your musical journey like never before. Plus, you get to enjoy some gorgeous playing and classic tunes along the way!

You can find general tips and tricks on how to learn Irish music for all ages including guest posts by top Irish musicians like Conal Ó Gráda, Jack Talty and Caitlín Nic Gabhann, along with top Irish tunes from iconic Irish composers fiddle player, Liz Carroll, and the late, great Paddy Fahey.

This is the best kind of rabbit hole to find yourself down!

You don't want to miss these amazing resources. A live Irish session

Thinking about joining a session soon, but a bit nervous?

My session etiquette guide is one of the most read posts on our site since it was first published in 2018 and is continually updated with relevant information and important advice for those of you whose dream it is to join an Irish music session.

You’ll also find the easiest beginner tunes handpicked for your instrument including:

Banjo

Flute

Mandolin

Tin Whistle

Accordion

Violin

Concertina

Any Instrument

If you play piano or guitar you can learn how to accompany Irish music like the greats.

And that’s not even all of it!

Click to head over to the blog and see what other gems you'll unearth when you dive in and immerse yourself in the rich world of traditional Irish music learning.

>> Note: Even if you don’t play an instrument there are plenty of background articles and musician profiles, like this one about bodhrán legend Johnny 'Ringo' McDonagh, for a music lover like you to pore over.

Trad Music Learner’s Corner

If you've been wondering about improving your life by taking up an instrument and learning traditional Irish and folk music, why not pop over and explore this exciting and rewarding world.

I'm here if you need any advice at all.

Just email me with your questions!

Slán go fóill,

See the Black Friday deals on all the instruments

If you visit the store please let Paraic know you heard about it

from Tommy Mac and the Tír na mBláth. Tim Finnegan's Pub, Irish Seisiún Newsletter

CEASAIR -

THE FIRST INHABITANT OF IRELAND!

Irish mythology tale

Ceasair, Cessair or Cesair - pronounced: 'kess-air' Ceasair was the leader of the earliest inhabitants of Ireland, the people who settled in Ireland before even the time of the Biblical flood.

CeasairCeasair was the leader of the earliest inhabitants of Ireland, the people who settled in Ireland before even the time of the Biblical flood.

Her exploits are recorded in the ancient manuscript 'Lebor Gabala Erenn', also known as the 'Book of Invasions' as it chronicled the arrival of the earliest peoples who inhabited Ireland. First were the people of Ceasair, then the people of Partholon, the people of Nemed, the mysterious Fir Bolg, the supernatural Tuatha De Danann, and finally the Milesians who are the Gaels from which the modern people of Ireland are descended.

Ceasair was the granddaughter of Noah, who was refused entry onto the Ark by her grandfather and so decided to create three Arks of her own.

When Ceasair was but ten years old her foster father, a priest in Egypt, told her to gather together a group and set out in order to escape the flood that was to soon follow. She built a fleet of three ships which she populated with as many capable women as she could find, each possessing a different skill. When her own father Bith was refused entry onto the Ark, along with Fintan Mac Bochra and Ladra, Ceasair offered to bring these three men to safety as long as they acknowledged her leadership.

They set sail for Inis Fail (the land of destiny, Ireland), reasoning that as Ireland was as yet unpopulated by man that no sin could have ever been committed there, and so would be safe from the flood sent to cleanse the world of evil. The journey was perilous and took seven years but finally the people of Ceasair arrived in Ireland. It was the year 2361 BC according to 'The Annals of the Four Masters', but only one ship had survived the journey, this containing fifty women and three men. T

hey decided to divide the women into three groups, each group to take one of the men to populate the land. They also divided up the sheep they had brought with them (the first sheep to come to Ireland). Ceasair allocated herself to Fintan's group. Banba, a great warrior woman, was the leader of Ladra's group.

Now this was a huge responsibility for the three male warriors who remained with these women. And for Bith it was too much and he soon succumbed to illness, having been overwhelmed by the responsibility of impregnating sixteen women. He became the first man to be buried in Ireland.

Ceasair and Alba divided his women and brought them into their own groups. Ladra, incapable of surviving the now increased greater demands, also died, which left Fintan as the only man on an island of fifty women!

Feeling inadequate in the face of this mammoth task, his reaction was perhaps unsurprising: Fintan fled.

He hid out in a mountain cave and when the flood struck he took the form of a salmon fish, and then a hawk, surviving for over five thousand years.

Ceasair was broken-hearted at having been abandoned by her great love and died shortly afterwards. As for the remaining women they were all washed away in the flood, all apart from Banba. It is remembered that Banba and Fintan, the only two to survive, later gave existence to the mysterious and supernatural Formorians.

Ceasair was the first inhabitant of Ireland, a fantastic leader able to exert her authority and power over all who followed here. She was unwilling to wait patiently while a wrathful God planned her extermination!

She is thought to have been the earliest Irish Goddess, displaying power and sexuality, common traits in Irish Goddesses that were to follow her.

Catholic Ireland's tradition of the Station Mass,

a rural farm's incredible 1960s prep

IrishCentral contributor Mary Ryan recalls the incredible lengths her family and community went to for this rural celebration and honor.

Mary Ryan Contributor @IrishCentral Nov 29, 2024

Having a "Station Mass" in your house was a great honor and meant a LOT of prep. Getty

The Station Mass, a deeply rooted Irish Catholic tradition, carries with it a history of resilience and faith. Originating during the Penal Laws when priests risked their lives to celebrate Mass in secret, this cherished custom evolved into a rural community event held in family homes. For one family in the 1960s, hosting the Station Mass meant more than fulfilling a religious duty—it was a labor of love, a source of pride, and a test of their social standing.

The tradition of the ‘’Station Mass’’ dates back to a time when the Penal Laws were in effect in Ireland. Catholic priests had a bounty on their heads if they were caught celebrating Mass. The priests and faithful risked their lives by having Mass in secret wooded areas, changing the locations (stations) so as to stay ahead of ‘’priest hunters’’. With the repeal of the Penal Laws, Mass was celebrated in houses. The tradition continued through the centuries.

I remember back to the Stations we had in our house in the '60s. Our catechism taught us that at the consecration of the Mass, Jesus was ‘’really, truly and substantially present” at the Mass. We were in awe of the honor of this taking place in our house. We believed that the blessings that would come from this would be many.

The social pressure for ‘’doing the Stations right’’ cannot be underestimated. For our Station Mass we would not be outdone. To this end, we whitewashed all the outhouses. The farmyard dung pile was tamped down with many cartloads of sand. It took many cartloads of gravel spread over the barnyard to cover potholes. Sand and gravel was laboriously sourced from the beach nearby.

In the meantime, inside the house, the women had scrubbed and cleaned every corner. The white linen tablecloths and alter cloths, strictly reserved for the Stations, and only saw the light of day every five years were washed and starched.

The kitchen table, which would become the priest's altar was posing a problem. My father was the measuring stick for being roughly the height of the priest. By unanimous vote, the table was thought to be too low for any respectable altar to look. The priest could not be expected to bend low to retrieve his sacred vessels. A few neighbor men ‘’with good sense’’ were called in to see if they could come up with a solution.

Hoisting the table onto chairs did not solve the problem. Now the altar was too high. After much head scratching and cups of tea one man declared that a few inches sawed off the table legs and once resting on the chairs would make the ‘’altar’’ close to regulation size. The handsaw was brought out and after much botched sawing and finger measuring it was declared ‘’close enough’’. It was a quick solution to a vexing problem.

The food for the Station mass was the next important issue. Certain protocols had to be adhered to and may as well have been written in stone. Butter had to be turned into butterballs.

The day before the Stations a woman known to be a skilled butterball maker arrived at our house full of importance and produced her butter paddles. My mother produced a mound of butter and the woman turned it into a mound of butterballs. The paddles had tiny ridges so each butterball had ridges. So much better than the plain ones seen at other Stations.

Sugar for the priests tea had to be sugar cubes in a bowl with sugar tongs. Brown sugar was a must for the priest's porridge (oatmeal) all items hard to find in a rural village in the 60s.

The most difficult to procure though was a grapefruit, something any respectable Station table could not be without. Mercifully one woman had occasion to go to a town far away and returned with the goods. We could all exhale.

Now, a no less important job was to figure out the placement at the priest's breakfast table. It was generally considered that it should be ‘’those who could best talk to a priest’’.

The Ecclesiastical table sat six. There was much jockeying for these positions as it established one's standing in the village. ‘’Wrong’’ placements caused much bad feeling for a long time to come.

In the case of our Station Mass some of these positions were already taken. The woman who made the butterballs was rightfully assured of her place at the table. For the woman who tracked down the sugar cubes, brown sugar and possibly the only grapefruit in the county it was no contest. For the man of the house, it was an honorary position. That left two coveted openings to the discretion of the woman of the house.

Two women who had walked in from the mountains in the morning were chosen by my mother. It was a not-too-subtle message from her to bring low those who thought they were best qualified to talk to a priest. Yes, even in this poor rural village there was a pecking order.

The morning of the Stations arrived and Mass was celebrated at the cobbled-together kitchen table/ altar. The neighbors marveled at its great height and some could not resist taking a peek under the altar cloths to see how this was achieved. Breakfast was then served to the priest along with his band of diverse diners.

When the priest departed, the Stations were officially over. The neighbor men went home to milk the cows and feed the chickens. The women stayed on for breakfast and gossip and to do a postmortem on the "Station Mass".

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Tommy Mac here.....

Where did everyone eat?

The table was now either too tall if still perched on the chairs

or too short it the chairs were removed.

And if still on the chairs, where did everyone sit?

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W.T. COSGRAVE -

CHAMPION OF THE IRISH FREE STATE

W. T. Cosgrave was born in Dublin 1880. He joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913, fought in Dublin in the 1916 Easter Rising, and was captured and condemned to death by the English.

W.T. COSGRAVE at College Green

His sentence was commuted to life in prison but he was released and promptly won a parliamentary seat in a 1917 by-election for Sinn Fein. He repeated this success in the 1918 General election.

January 21st 1919 is one of the most important dates in Irish history as it was on that day that Sinn Fein gathered in the Mansion House in Dublin city centre and formed an 'Assembly of Ireland, a parliament, which declared Ireland a republic and independent from English rule. Cosgrave was appointed by deValera as Minister for Local Government in the now hunted government with the job of organising non-cooperation with the British authorities and establishing an alternative system of government.

The ensuing war of Independence ended with the 1921 Treaty and the subsequent split within the nationalist movement. On one side were those who followed deValera who refused to recognise the partition of Ireland and the abandonment of Ulster to the northern loyalists. On the other side was those who supported Michael Collins who viewed the Treaty as a stepping stone to full independence. A bloody civil war ensued culminating in the death of Collins and the defeat of the deValera faction by the Free State army. Cosgrave sided with Collins in opposing deValera and assumed the leadership of the Free State upon Collins death. He was now formally the President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State.

In 1923 he founded the pro-Treaty party Cumann na nGaedheal. He was regarded as being effective and efficient rather than flamboyant or charismatic. He oversaw the formal establishment of the structures of the state during this most turbulent and crucial time in Irish history. Many new European countries that formed in the aftermath of the first world war shifted into dictatorship or even fascism. Cosgrave was determined that Ireland should remain wholly democratic. Nevertheless he oversaw a government that ruthlessly executed without trial many of his political and military opponents.

His determination to maintain the Free State as a democratic institution is perhaps best demonstrated by his overseeing of the peaceful transition of power to deValera in 1932 after the new Fianna Fail party had won the general election of 1932. This was a pivotal moment in Irish history. The same soldiers and politicians who has created a Free State after winning the bitter Civil war only a few short years earlier now peacefully handed the reins of power over to the same people they had been fighting. It is to Cosgrave's credit that he did not entertain the rumblings of a military coup that circulated among the army at the time.

Cumann na nGaedheal was eventually transformed into Fine Gael in 1933 with Cosgrave assuming leadership of the party in 1935, remaining in that role until 1944 when he retired. He died in 1965 and was awarded the honour of a State funeral by his former nemesis Eamon deValera.

It can be argued that the Free State managed by Cosgrave was far more secular than the Catholic-church dominated republic led by deValera in later years. His establishment of the framework of nationhood during his tenure in charge was later acknowledged by deValera but is perhaps not as well regarded or acknowledged by recent generations.

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This Week in the History of the Irish:

November 24 through November 30

Posted by The Wild Geese

DOMHNAIGH -- On November 24, 1922, during the Irish Civil War, Irish republican Erskine Childers was executed by the Free State government. Childers, whose mother was from County Clare, was born in London. He was wounded while serving in the British army during the Boer War, a war in which the Boer side was supported by most Irish nationalists. After the war, Childers became involved in the Irish nationalist movement; he also wrote a book about his exploits in the Boer War called In the Ranks of the CIV (City Imperial Volunteers). In 1914, Childers was involved in one of the most famous incidents of the republican struggle when he smuggled German rifles into Ireland on his yacht, Asgard.

(Left: Erskine Childers in his British army uniform, c. 1900)

Surprisingly, however, Childers was convinced by John Redmond's arguments that an Irish contribution to England's war effort in World War I would yield home rule, and he enlisted in the British Navy and was even awarded a Distinguished Service Cross. Once the war was over, and he saw that Home Rule for the 32 counties was highly unlikely, he became a committed republican. He was elected to the Daíl Éireann from County Wicklow in 1921 and then appointed minister of propaganda in the Republican government. He was secretary to the Irish delegation that negotiated The Anglo-Irish Treaty, but he opposed that treaty and joined the republican side in the Civil War. In November 1922, Childers was captured by Free Staters while in possession of a pistol. Recent Free State legislation had made that a capital offence and Childers was sentenced to death. Ironically the pistol had been a gift from Michael Collins. On the 27th, he was taken from his cell at dawn and shot. Before they shot him, Childers shook the hand of each member of his firing squad and forgave them. In his prison cell the night before he died, Childers made his son promise to forgive those who were about to kill him; 51 years later that son, also Erskine, would be elected president of the Irish Republic.

Read more about The Anglo-Irish Treaty.

MÁIRT -- On the night of November 26, 1781, units of Dillon’s and Walshes regiments of the Irish Brigade of France were among a force of about 400 commanded by Marquis de Bouille that landed on the British-held West Indies island of St. Eustache (now known as Eustatius). De Bouille had more than 1,500 troops with him (about 600 were Irish), but with only 400 ashore since bad weather and high seas made landing the remainder impossible. Knowing that his small force had only the element of surprise in its favor, and not knowing when the weather might allow the rest of his troops to land, the Marquis decided to attack. He ordered Count Arthur Dillon and his Irishmen to march on the barracks with hopes of capturing the island’s governor there.

(Right: Count Arthur Dillon, from a contemporary portrait. His family served France for more than 100 years, but in 1794 he would die on a French guillotine.)

Meanwhile Chevalier de Fresne and Vicomte de Damas would attempt to rush the fort and enter it before the surprised English could close the gates. Dillon’s men managed to march straight toward the barracks without alarming the island’s inhabitants thanks to their red coats. They arrived at the barracks about 6 a.m., where part of the English garrison was on parade. They also thought the Irish were some other English unit, and the Irish gave no sign of hostile intent until the last minute. By then it was too late for the unsuspecting British soldiers. (Quite a number actually being Irishmen.) A point-blank volley and a bayonet charge by Dillon’s men and the fighting there was over. The governor, Lt. Col. Cockburne, rode up shortly afterward and was made a prisoner. The French force sent to assail the fort was also successful, managing to get into the fort before the drawbridge could be closed and overpowering the garrison there. St. Eustache was captured and over 850 British soldiers taken prisoner. Dillon later reported that 530 of the prisoners were Irishmen who immediately agreed to join the Irish Brigade regiments. A large sum of money was found in the governor’s house and de Bouille, in a gesture seldom seen in that era, distributed 100 crowns to each private soldier.

AOINE -- On November 29, 1895, Denny Lane (left), author and poet, and member of the revolutionary Young Ireland party, died in Cork. Lane was born in Riverstown, near Glanmire in County Cork, in 1818. Denny attended Trinity College, Dublin. While a student there, he met fellow student Thomas Davis, a man who would have a profound effect on his life. After his schooling, Lane passed the Bar, but he soon became involved in the political activities surrounding Daniel O'Connell, joining the Repeal Association. Lane was active in the Association as was his friend Davis. Davis, Lane, and small group of their friends soon became known by the name which has survived to this day: the Young Ireland Party. The young men became increasingly impatient with the slow pace of O'Connell's repeal campaign and soon began to contemplate armed insurrection. Davis, along with John Dillon and Charles Duffy, founded the newspaper of the movement The Nation in 1842. In its pages, the idea of total separation from England was soon openly suggested, and Lane became one of the paper's contributors. Lane contributed articles and later poems to the paper, his best-known poems being "Carrig Dhoun" and "Kate of Araglen." Finally, in 1846, the issue of physical force split the Young Irelanders from O'Connell's Repeal Association. Lane supported the split. He was among those arrested by the British after the failed '48 Rising, spending four months in prison. After his release, he returned to Cork and does not appear to have had much political involvement from then on. Lane was president of the Cork Literary and Scientific Society, and also had a successful business career in subsequent years before dying at the age of 82.

SATHAIRN -- On November 30, 1864, Corkman and Confederate Gen. Patrick Cleburne, one of the finest generals produced by either side during America's long, bloody civil war, was killed in command of his division in the battle at Franklin, Tennessee. The Irishman, of whom Robert E. Lee would later say, "In a field of battle he shone like a meteor on a clouded sky," had flashed one last time and fallen to the ground. John Bell Hood, commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee at Franklin, and one of the finest division commanders the Army of Northern Virginia ever had, was in the last stages of proving himself incapable of independent command.

(Right Historical Art Prints The final, tragic, moments of Patrick Cleburne, as painted by artist Don Troiani. )

The Federal defensive position at Franklin was a formidable one, but Hood was still angry about the escape of Schofield's army from a near-trap the day before at Spring Hill and was determined to attack the Federal works, though most of his officers, including Cleburne, strongly advised against it. Cleburne was mounted for the first part of the assault, but soon had that horse shot from under him. A courier dismounted to give Cleburne his horse, but that one was killed before he could mount it. Advancing on foot near the 5th Confederate Infantry, perhaps next to one of the many Irishmen in that unit, Cleburne was hit just below the heart by a minie ball and killed. Franklin was one of the most horrific defeats of the war for the western Confederate army. In addition to Cleburne, they lost generals Gist, Granbury, Adams, and Strahl, all killed that day, and Carter, who later died of his wounds. But their greatest loss was Cleburne, 'The Stonewall of the West.' It must have surely convinced the few remaining soldiers of the Army of Tennessee that their cause was lost. Cleburne had died with his face to the foe, as he would no doubt have chosen, but it had been a needless death in an ill-advised attack. Just before the attack, General Daniel Govan had told Cleburne he expected few of them to survive the fight. "Well, Govan," said Cleburne, "if we are to die, let us die like men." And so he had.

Read more about Patrick Cleburne Library of Congress

SATHAIRN -- On November 30, 1864, as the valiant Cleburne met his fate, a tiny band of his countrymen were engaged on another part of the field. The Irish 10th Tennessee, by now whittled down to a mere 36 men, went into the fight at Franklin as part of the second line of Gen. Bate's Division. Just as the 10th was really a small company masquerading as a regiment, Bate commanded a regiment masquerading as a division. The 10th went into action as part of a thin second line on the left flank of the Confederate attack.

(Left Library of Congress William Brimmage Bate, the 10th Tennessee's division commander at the battle of Franklin.

The unit's attack briefly led the men of the 10th into the works of Federal Gen. Ruger's division, but a strong counterattack soon had Bate's men, including the 10th Tennessee, running to the rear to avoid death or capture. Miraculously, the 10th would have only one man killed, but 10 were wounded, nine of whom were also captured, and one unwounded man was also captured. They had lost a third of their tiny number. Death, injury, decease, and desertion over four years had now whittled what had begun as an under-strength regiment in May 1861 down to a squad. For Pvt. Martin Fleming of Co. E, 10th Tennessee, killed that day at Franklin, it is very likely that whatever family he had would never have a body to inter in a family plot. Like millions of 'Wild Geese' the world over before him, Fleming was another Irishmen who died on a foreign field. Just as the soldiers of other generations of 'Wild Geese' now lay in "far foreign fields, from Dunkirk to Belgrade," the bodies of Fleming's generation had sown the ground from Gettysburg to Franklin.

VOICES

"I have come back [from the Boer War] finally and immutably a convert to Home Rule...though we both grew up steeped in the most irreconcilable sort of Unionism." -- Esrkine Childers in 1908

(Right Library of Congress Patrick Ronayne Cleburne)

'Fare thee well, departed chieftain, Erin's land sends forth a wail; And oh! My country sad laments thee Passed so soon death's dark vale Blow, ye breezes, softly o'er him, Fan his brow with gentle breath; Disturb ye not his gentle slumbers; Cleburne sleeps the sleep of death! -- From a poem written for Patrick Cleburne's funeral and placed in his casket by Miss Naomi Hays, niece of former President James K. Polk.

'Where this division ... attacked no numbers resisted its onslaught, save only once, and there is the grave of Cleburne.' -- Confederate General William Hardee, offering Cleburne's epitaph

'I went over the front of our works to see what we had done. Well, for 400 yards in front, I could hardly step without stepping on dead and wounded men. The ground was in a perfect slop and mud with blood and, oh such cries that would come up from the wounded was awful. Oh, how they suffered that night was terrible, they had to lay just as they were shot down all night without anything done for them.' -- Pvt. Andrew J. Moon, 104th Ohio, in a letter home to his sister about after the battle Franklin

News of Interest

Cillian Murphy and wife Yvonne McGuinness

save historic cinema in Co Kerry

Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness say they want to "expand the creative potential" of the beloved Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, Co Kerry.

Kerry O'Shea @kerry_oshea Nov 22, 2024

Cillian Murphy and his wife Yvonne McGuinness have been named as the buyers of the Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, Co Kerry. Getty Images

Irish actor and producer Cillian Murphy and his wife, artist Yvonne McGuiness, have purchased the Phoenix Cinema site in Dingle, Co Kerry.

The purchase was announced on Friday, November 22 by Ionad Phoenix CLG, which describes itself as "a working group of residents who came together just over two years ago tasked with securing the future of the Phoenix Cinema in Dingle for the local community."

The group said on Friday: "We have been campaigning privately and publicly to save the cinema, loudly proclaiming its importance to the Dingle Peninsula as a much-loved arts facility and lamenting its loss.

"With the news that Cillian and Yvonne plan to keep the Phoenix functioning as a cinema and hope to develop the site for the arts, we believe our mission has been completed.

"The cinema has not just been saved, but, we hope, will grow into an arts hub facilitated by the wealth of experience that Cillian and Yvonne bring both in the film and art world, including their importance in Irish cinema and arts on a global scale."

The Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, Co Kerry. (West Kerry Properties)

Murphy's emotional connection to the Phoenix Cinema, which first opened its doors in 1919, stretches back to his childhood and through his professional career - in 2010, he introduced his new film "Perrier's Bounty" there.

“I’ve been going to see films at The Phoenix since I was a young boy on summer holidays," the Oscar winner and native of Co Cork said in a statement on Friday.

"My Dad saw movies there when he was a young man before me, and we’ve watched many films at The Phoenix with our own kids.”

Murphy added: “We recognize what the cinema means to Dingle.”

McGuinness added: “We want to open the doors again, expand the creative potential of the site, re-establishing its place in the cultural fabric of this unique town."

The couple noted: “Bíonn rudaí maithe mall (Good things take time)."

West Kerry Properties in Dingle has been teasing the sale of the property on social media in recent days.

"Can anyone guess which property is missing from the pocket on this window display?" the real estate agents said on November 20, adding: "Some big news coming on this place very soon .... stay tuned."

On Friday morning, West Kerry Properties confirmed on social media that the Phoenix Cinema had not only been sold but that Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness were the buyers.

"Delighted to confirm that the historic Phoenix Cinema in Dingle has now been sold," it said on Friday.

"Wishing the new owners, our Oscar Award Winning Actor, Mr. Cillian Murphy & Esteemed Artist, Yvonne McGuinness the best of luck and every success with their new venture."

History of the Phoenix Cinema in Dingle, Co Kerry

The Phoenix Cinema was built by brothers Jimmy and Johnny Houlihan and opened in 1919. The cinema in the heart of Dingle was reconstructed following a fire in 1921 and again in 1938.

In the following decades, the Phoenix Cinema became a focal point for the community, hosting film festivals, drama, concerts, dances, and of course screening films.

In the 1950s, the Houlihan family sold the cinema to John Moore, who continued to operate it as a cinema, concert venue, and dance hall.

Among the highlights of the cinema's storied history is when Rory Gallagher performed there in 1964 and for twelve days during June and July 1972, crowds flocked to see the film "Ryan’s Daughter" which was famously filmed in the area.

In 1978, Michael O'Sullivan purchased the cinema. He closed it for renovations and eventually reopened it in 1980.

In June 2021, the cinema was ranked 48 in a list of the UK and Ireland’s top 50 cinemas by entertainment magazine Time Out.

with rising costs and rolling pandemic lockdowns, the O'Sullivan family made the difficult decision to close

The Phoenix in November 2021.

Save the Phoenix Cinema

Not long after The Phoenix shuttered, a group of locals came together with the goal to purchase the historic building for development as both a cinema and an arts center.

Using the slogan #SaveThePhoenixDingle, the group set up a website with information on how people can help the campaign, which included donation options and the signing of a petition.

On Friday, Ionad Phoenix said that over the past two years, it has worked on business and strategic plans for an arts space based in the Phoenix Cinema site and identified lenders and investors, who they said they are "grateful to for their patience and commitment."

The group added: "The support of the people of the Dingle Peninsula and beyond has been wonderful and demonstrates our desire and need as a community for a multi-disciplinary arts space.

"We would like to thank all our supporters for their passionate support to date and hope they will get behind the new owners in creating a special place for us, here in Dingle."

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Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald

wants ‘clarity’ on McGregor DPP decision

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has called on the DPP to provide a statement on why it was decided not to prosecute Conor McGregor.

Sarah McGuinness @Extra.ie Nov 29, 2024 Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald Getty

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has called on the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to explain why it was decided not to prosecute Conor McGregor.

Referring to Nikita Hand’s victory in her civil case against the MMA fighter, Mary Lou McDonald said the women of Ireland have to know that "when a violent rape is carried out… that the system takes that really seriously".

CSO figures published this week showed that just one in every five sexual assault cases reported to gardaí resulted in a prosecution.

Last week, the High Court ruled in favor of Ms Hand, who accused McGregor of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018, with McGregor ordered to pay €240,000 in damages.

Public scrutiny has since turned to the office of the DPP which, in 2020, told Hand there was "insufficient evidence" to bring a criminal case.

McDonald on Thursday urged the DPP to make a statement on the matter, saying women must know rape is a "very, very serious crime".

She said: "We’ve had incidents like this before where the DPP hasn’t brought a case, and it’s caused real anxiety. I think there needs to be real clarity as to why that decision was taken."

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.

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A Little Humor

A man stumbles up to the only other patron in a bar and asks if he could buy him a drink.

"Why of course," comes the reply.

The first man then asks: "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Ireland," replies the second man.

The first man responds: "You don't say, I'm from Ireland too! Let's have another round to Ireland."

"Of Course," replies the second man.

Curious, the first man then asks: "Where in Ireland are you from?" "Dublin," comes the reply.

"I can't believe it," says the first man. "I'm from Dublin too! Let's have another drink to Dublin."

"Of course," replies the second man.

Curiosity again strikes and the first man asks: "What school did you go to?" "Saint Mary's," replies the second man. "I graduated in '62."

"This is unbelievable!" the first man says. "I went to Saint Mary's and I graduated in '62, too!"

About that time in comes one of the regulars and sits down at the bar.

"What's been going on?" he asks the bartender.

"Nothing much," replies the bartender.

"The O'Malley twins are drunk again."

Paddy, Sean and Seamus McGillicuddy were stumbling home from the pub late one night and found themselves on the road taking them past the old graveyard.

"Come have a look over here", Paddy says. "It's Michael McNally's grave, God rest his soul. Says he lived to the ripe old age of 87!"

"That's nothin'!" shouted Sean. "Over here lies Patrick O'Toole. He made it to the age of 95 when he finally died!"

Suddenly Seamus yelled out "Good God, brothers! Over here I found someone, it says they got to be 145 years old!"

"What's that Irishman's name?" slurred the drunken Paddy.

Seamus stumbled, lit a match to better read what was on the old stone marker, and exclaimed:

"It's Miles, from Dublin!"

Church Bloopers

From my wife Donna

Only in Ireland

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(Land of Flowers)

Tír na mBláth is one of hundreds of branches throughout the world of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) pronounced "kol-tus kyol-tori air-in", the largest group involved in the preservation of Irish music, dance and song.

Our board and membership is made up of Irish, Irish descendants, and all those who support, celebrate and take pride in the preservation of Irish culture.

We also aim to promote good will and citizenship.

Interested in belonging to Tír na mBláth? Feel free to download our membership form

Facebook page is at Tír na mBláth

Our meetings and several events are held at Tim Finnegan's Irish Pub in Delray Beach Florida.

Well, that's it for this week.

Slán go fóill

Slawn guh foh-ill!

Fireny@aol.com

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Sláinte, Tom Guldner (Tommy Mac)

Slán agus beannacht, (Good-bye and blessings)

The Parting Glass

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