Newsletter Masthead
Thursday, October 30, 2008
CONDOLENCES
To the family of Ann Williams Bush who died earlier this month in Seattle. Ann was a long-time advocate and fundraiser for the Glencree Reconciliation Center in Co. Wicklow.
 
To Kay Johnston who works for Microsoft in Bellevue, on the recent death of her father, Tony McCann, in Killathurley, Co. Mayo.
 
To Seattle's Mike Moran whose father Peter Moran died recently near Elphin, Co. Roscommon.
 
To Michael Gleason on the recent death of his 56-year-old brother Patrick Gleason
 in Enumclaw.
 
Ar dheis D� go raibh a n-anamacha d�lis 
May their faithful souls be at God's right hand
 
 
 
Irish Heritage Club Logo
 
 
The Celtic Connection
Read the Seattle News in the most recent Celtic Connection, the voice of Celts around the Pacific Northwest. You can also pick up a copy each month at your local Seattle-area Irish Pub or Restaurant!
 
IRISH CONSULATE NEWS
Irish Harp
To receive the Irish Consulate's email newsletter, visit the Irish Consulate website.
 
Irish Echo
Click to read the latest issue of The Irish Echo.
 
 
IRISH HERITAGE CLUB NEWS
 
1916 Capture of Eamon de Valera 
DOCUMENTARY FILM / MEETING
 60 minutes of the historical documentary film Mise �ire (I Am Ireland) will be shown at 6 pm Sunday evening, November 16, at Assumption Church Hall, 6201 33rd Ave NE, Seattle. The film features archive cinematograph material of the 1916 Easter Rising, including footage of the Rebellion's leaders, Clarke, Pearse, Connolly, de Valera and Collins. Commentary is in Gaelic with subtitles in English. An Irish Heritage Club General Membership and Irish Week Meeting follow at 7 pm along with a Social Hour including light Hors d'Oeuvres. Members and potential members are very welcome. For information, call 206-427-3027 or email [email protected].
 
Daidi na Nollag
DAID� na NOLLAG - Seattle's  Irish Community Children's Christmas Party with Daid� na Nollag (Father Christmas), is 1-4 pm Sunday, December 7, Maplewood Church Hall, 19523 84th Ave W (on 196th St), Edmonds. Everyone is invited to meet Daid� na Nollag who arrives in his green robes at 2 pm. Please register children (names and ages) by calling �ine McDonald at 206-734-2633 or email [email protected].
 
MOTHER'S CHRISTMAS - Only a few spots remain for the 2009 Nollaig na mBan (or Mother's Christmas) Dinner on Sunday, January 11 at 
Mick Kelly's Irish Pub and Restaurant, 435 SW 152nd St, Burien . Cocktails 5 PM, Dinner 6 PM. For reservations, etc., contact [email protected] or 425-745-1263.
 
SOUTH SOUND IRISH - Any interest in a South Puget Sound Irish group, geared towards people who live in Olympia and further south? Contact Anne at
[email protected].
CONGRATULATIONS  
Tom & Margaret Hartnett
To Tom & Margaret Hartnett of Bremerton
 who recently celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
From Co. Limerick, Tom came to the US in 1951 and for most of his career worked for the Army Corps of Engineers and Naval Facilities Engineering Command. Born in Seattle, Margaret's parents were from Co. Donegal, and she and Tom met and married in Seattle in 1958. They have five grown children and seven grandchildren.

OTHER LOCAL IRISH NEWS, ETC.

DEPORTEES DINNER - Saturday, November 8, 6:30 pm, there's a Fundraising Gala Evening benefit and auction for The Irish Deportee Defense Fund at Anthony's HomePort at Shilshole to benefit former Irish Republican activists whose legal status in the US is ambiguous. Most have American spouses and are the fathers of American-born children, but they cannot work or travel. This fundraiser and auction will help pay for the legal costs involved with resolving their status, so that they can live, work, and travel like other legal US residents. Live music featuring the Jazz vocals of Bridgid Roney. Tickets are $75 each or $140 for two - call 206-542-3781 or email [email protected].
 
IRISH-AMERICAN LAWYERS - Irish America magazine has listed its
Top 100 Irish-American lawyers across the US, those who share "a passion for the law and for their Irish heritage", and among those listed are Washington State's Attorney General Rob McKenna, and Seattle attorney Jenny Durkan. McKenna has been Attorney General since November 2004 and was Seattle's St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal in 2005. Besides being a civic leader, Durkan, whose grandfather came from Co. Mayo, is also a prominent attorney for progressive causes in Seattle.
 
SENIORS' PENSIONS - Seattle's 
Irish Immigrant Support Group reminds anyone who worked in Ireland or the UK for over 5 years before coming to the US or Canada, that they may be eligible to claim an Irish Pension and/or a British Pension, including collecting all arrears. Also, the US Diversity Visa Lottery is now accepting online applications through December 1. Applications are free and can only be made on the official DV Lottery website at www.dvlottery.state.gov.
 
PRESIDENTIAL VISIT - Irish President Mary McAleese will visit Portland on December 13 to unveil an Irish Famine Memorial at Portland's Mount Calvary Cemetery and to meet Portland's Irish community. The last time an Irish President visited Portland was on November 14, 1919 when Eamon de Valera, then President of the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic, was raising money to fund the Irish War of Independence. Two days earlier, de Valera had addressed a Seattle crowd of "at least 6,000", according to a report in the Catholic Northwest Progress.
 
AS GAEILGE - Seattle's conversational Irish-speaking group meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7:30 pm at Mosaic Coffee House in the Wallingford District. For information, contact
[email protected] or [email protected].
 
COMHR� MONTREAL - Quebec holds its Irish language weekend November 8-10 at the Laurentian Lodge, Pr�vost, about 40 miles north of Montreal. The weekend of language classes, workshops and other activities costs $185 - email
[email protected] for details.
 
SCOTTISH GAELIC - Scottish Gaelic beginners start classes in November. For details, contact
[email protected] or visit www.slighe.com/z2g.
 
IRISH CULTURE - An Irish Language and Culture Day will be held Saturday, November 15 at St. Andrew's School, Helena, Montana, with Irish Language, Culture, and Dance Instruction for both kids & adults! For details, visit
www.irishmontana.com.
 
IRISH RAFFLE - Win a trip for 2 to Ireland and help support the Irish Studies Program at the University of Montana! The St. Patrick's Day raffle first prize also includes a ten-day car rental and $1500 spending money, with other prizes also. $5 per ticket or $25 for 6. Visit
www.irishmontana.com or email [email protected].
____________________________
AREA CONCERTS / C�ILIS, ETC.
For the most up-to-date information on Irish and Celtic events in the Pacific Northwest, visit www.hoilands.com.
 
CEILI DANCE - Scoil Rince Slieveloughane holds a Ceili Dance fundraiser on Saturday, November 1, 6:30 - 9:30 pm, at Mount Si Senior Center in North Bend. Admission: $5 per person, Children under 3 and seniors free. For information, contact [email protected].
 
ANOTHER CEILI - On Saturday, November 15, another Hooley will be held at the Des Moines Community Center, 20827 3rd Ave S, southwest of Sea-Tac airport. Doors open at 5 pm for the potluck supper, jam session, dancing and more. No experience required but do bring your beverage of choice. For details and information, view photos of the last Des Moines Hooley or email [email protected].

CRAICMORE join with the Slieveloughane Irish Dancers for a concert at Bothell's Northshore Performing Arts Center, Sunday, November 16 at 2pm.
 
YULETIDE CONCERTS
Magical Strings are joined by the Raney Irish Dancers, Scottish fiddle band The McKassons, juggler virtuoso Thomas Arthur, vocalists Mark and Colleen Raney, and more to celebrate 30 Years of Celtic Yuletide Concerts with shows in Shoreline, Spokane, Kent, Friday Harbor, Bellevue, Mount Vernon, Olympia, Portland, Tacoma and Seattle. For all the details, visit www.magicalstrings.com.
 
MASTERY OF SCOTTISH ARTS presents world class performers in a world class venue at Benaroya Hall on Friday, February 2, 2009.
 
MUSIC CAMP - The  eighth
Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp, March 9-15, 2009 in Friday Harbor, with classes in the fiddle, flute, concertina, bouzouki, guitar, sean-n�s singing, mandolin, tinwhistle, ear training, and Irish ensemble.
 
CALLING MUSICIANS / BANDS - The Irish Heritage Club provides a listing of 
Seattle-area Irish musicians that probably needs to be updated! If you have an Irish-themed band or group that you'd like to have added to the list, or if you'd like to correct information already there, please email [email protected].

NEWS FROM IRELAND

FINANCIAL CRISIS - When the financial crisis first hit, Ireland's Government issued a guarantee of all bank deposits at Ireland's six main banks for the next two years. The effort helped maintain financial stability after Irish bank shares had collapsed and the London Independent subsequently said that Ireland thus became the safest place in Europe to keep money. 
 
MOORE REMEMBERED - The grave of Annie Moore, the 15-year-old girl from County Cork who in 1892 became the first immigrant through Ellis Island, has finally been marked with a Celtic cross. Moore married a German-American baker and lived on Manhattan's Lower East side until she died in 1924. Her unmarked grave in CalvaryCemetery in Queenswas discovered in 2006.
 
MORE ELECTIONS - Ireland's local elections are scheduled for June 2009, and candidate spending limits are being imposed, although the limits have yet to be spelled out. In the 1999 local elections most candidates spent between $3-5,000 each.
 
PLACENAMES SPELLING - The correct spelling, pronunciation and origins of Irish placenames, and of the names of thousands of towns, streets and villages, can be verified at www.logainm.ie. The website provides the official translation of some 100,000 Irish placenames, most of which are Irish (Gaelic) in origin. However, with the decline of the Irish language as the everyday vernacular, many placenames today are anglicised versions of the originals but www.logainm.ie provides the real scoop!
 
TROUBLES ANNIVERSARY - 40 years ago, a small civil rights protest march of about 400 people in Derry was baton charged by an RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) riot squad, something that had happened many times before without repercussion. However, this time an Irish TV crew was filming and the brutal footage was soon playing to world-wide television coverage. Two days of serious rioting followed in Derry and most commentators consider October 5, 1968, as the start date of 'the Troubles' in Northern Ireland.

CROMWELL ANNIVERSARY - A new book about Oliver Cromwell claims that in 1997, shortly after being elected Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), Bertie Ahern walked out of the office of the British foreign secretary in London when he saw a portrait of Cromwell hanging on the wall, and refused to return until "that murdering bastard" had been removed. Ahern has denied the story. 2009 is the 359th anniversary of Cromwell's ruthless march through Ireland.  
 
FAMINE WEBSITE - An Irish Famine website geared towards teachers and students in Quebec can be found at
www.irishfamine.ca, and is one of the most extensive web sites on Irish History ever produced. Nine of the worlds most published historians have contributed and the Universities of Australia, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Dublin and McGill have been involved. In 1847, the worst year of the Irish Famine, the Canadian quarantine station at Grosse Isle, a small island lying about 30 miles east of Quebec city, reported 9,572 deaths from disease contracted on board famine ships arriving from Ireland.
 
FOOD OSCAR - Cully Sully soups, produced in Galway, became the first Irish food company to win the overall Sial d'Or award in Paris.  248 food brands from more than 30 countries competed for the award which is aimed at food products launched in the past two years.
 
LESS DRINKING - Alcohol consumption in Ireland is down by 7% so far this year with the smoking ban and drink-driving laws being partially blamed. Vintners' organizations claim that 1,500 pubs have closed and thousands of pub jobs have disappeared since 2001.
 
SMOKERS HELL - Ireland is now ranked second among 27 European countries for tobacco control, when measured by price, public smoking bans, public information campaign spending, advertising bans, health warning and smoking cessation treatment programs. 29% of Irish adults smoke and some 7,000 Irish people die annually from smoking related diseases.
 
GAELIC OUTLAWED - A 1737 law is being tested in a Northern Ireland court by a man who applied in Irish for a drinks license for a Belfast concert. A 1737 Act states "all proceedings in courts of justice within this kingdom shall be in the English language" but the applicant insists that European law supersedes the 1737 law.
 
IRISH CITIZENSHIP - Of 66,000 Irish passports issued in 2007 to people living outside Ireland, 13,202 were issued to people residing in the US and almost 30,000 to people living in Britain. To see if you qualify for Irish citizenship, visit
www.irishclub.org.   
 
PRESIDENTIAL ODDS - Ireland's largest bookmaker
Paddy Power has declared the US Presidential race over and has paid out over $1.3 million to people who bet on Obama. The largest bet was $130,000 which yielded a payoff of $195,000.
 
WORLD VOTE - What if every country around the world could vote in the US Presidential election? According to the
Economist World Poll, Ireland is voting 89% for Obama and 11% for McCain.
 
ENDORSEMENTS - North America's two largest Irish weekly newspapers, the 
Irish Echo  and the Irish Voice, have both endorsed Barack Obama for President. 
TID-BITS
 
�         CORRECTION - When the first pensions were introduced in Britain and Ireland in 1908, anyone over 70 with an annual income under �20 received a weekly (not an annual) pension of 5 shillings.
�         Taliban-style militants have destroyed a girls' school run by the Irish Presentation Sisters in Pakistan, one of a number of schools operated by the Irish nuns in that country. 
 �         The New York Times says that Belfast has regained its voice!
�         The Washington Post's military correspondent claims that during The Troubles, British security forces schemed to bug all new cars sold in Northern Ireland, apparently an attempt to catch Gerry Adams who was known to conduct meetings in new cars.
�         Starting March 30, passengers flying from all Irish airports will be charged an exit tax of €10.
�         Since 2004, Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs has allocated more than $8 million to Irish community centers and organizations in the U.S.
�         A 2009 Simpsons episode will mourn the decline of the Irish pub. Apparently, Homer and his father Abe travel to Ireland to buy a pub on Dublin's Grafton Street.
�         The 2009 Sister Cities International Annual Youth Conference will be held in Belfast from July 29-August 1.
�         In 2006, Irish male life expectancy was 76.2 years, while female life expectancy was 81.0 years.
�         82% of 10,000 Irish people interviewed earlier this year expressed themselves either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with An Garda S�och�na (the Irish Police Force).
�         Dublin bank robbers were unable to rob a bank when they arrived just moments after the bank closed because they were delayed by rush hour traffic!
IRISH PROVERB

 N� dh�anfaidh smaoineamh an treabhadh duit!

 You'll never plough a field turning it over in your mind!
 
Trick or Treaters
O�che Shamhna Shona! - Happy Halloween!
 
Sl�n  
 
John Keane
[email protected]
 
� 2008 John Keane. Items may be copied if [email protected] � is credited.
 Irish Heritage Club Logo
ARE YOU A 2008 IRISH HERITAGE CLUB MEMBER? Please show support for Irish activities in the Seattle area by making sure your membership is current. Membership is open to anyone interested in "Things Irish". Dues are $20 (single membership) or $30 (family membership), and you can pay by cash, check, or Secure Credit Card. For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.irishclub.org

2008 Members remain in good standing until March 31, 2009