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Wednesday, September 2, 2009
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| Area Deaths
Sister Philomena Rosaire Glynn, OSF, 90, died in Tacoma on August 25. A native of Galway, she was a nun for 70 years and ministered for 26 years in the Archdiocese of Seattle.
Ernest G. Stoole, born in Dublin in 1930, died August 15 in Arlington.
Rosaleen (O'Neill) Briggs, born in Belfast, died at Seattle's Mount St. Vincent on August 13.
Alice Georgina McCullough died in Seattle on August 3, aged 91. Alice's parents were from Donegal and Dublin, and her mother, Lily Kempson McAlerney, fought with James Connolly's Irish Citizen Army during the 1916 Easter Rebellion in Dublin. Alice is survived by 13 children, 18 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, one sister and one brother.
Colette Cerafice, born in Derry in 1940 and came to the US in 1961, died on July 29 in Kelso.
Joe Higgins, born in Castlerea, Co. Roscommon in 1923, died in Bremerton on July 15. He was only 12 and on his own when he emigrated to the US in 1935.
Brian Conlon, the 45-year-old brother of Patrick Conlon of the Kangaroo & Kiwi, died suddenly in London recently. A Memorial Mass for Brian will be celebrated Sunday, October 18, at 10 am at St. Benedict's Church, 1805 N 49th St, Seattle.
Sean Patrick O'Reilly died suddenly in Seattle on July 22, aged 50. Sean was a Celtic and interfaith minister, spiritual director, public speaker, chaplain, poet and budding author. His late father was from Co. Westmeath and his mother Mary Jo from Co. Cavan. Sean's memorial service will be Sunday, October 4th at 3 pm in the chapel at Mount St. Vincent, 4831 35th Ave SW, West Seattle.
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Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílis
May their faithful souls be at God's right hand |
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| Saturday,
October 10
Seattle U.
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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! |
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| CONSULATE GENERAL OF IRELAND |
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| Click to read the latest issue of The Irish Echo. |
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| ITS NOT TOO LATE! |
to renew your Membership! |
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| Irish Vice Consuls Visit |
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On Irish Heritage Night at the Mariners, Irish Vice-Consul Barry O'Brien from San Francisco threw out the first pitch which was caught by Irish Vice-Consul Tim Reilly from Chicago. Click the picture to see other photos of the game and reception. |
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| Irish Music and Dancing |
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The Baile Glas Irish Dancers and the Northwest Junior Pipe Band perfromed in Center Field on Irish Heritage Night at the Mariners. Here they march over from F X McRory's to Safeco Field before the game. Click the picture to see other photos of the game and reception. |
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| Vice Consuls Reception |
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A small dinner reception was held for the visiting Vice Consuls from San Francisco and Chicago. Click the picture to see other photos of the game and reception. |
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SEATTLE IRISH NEWS
SEATTLE GAELS - The 2009 North American GAA Championship Finals are being held this coming weekend at Boston's Irish Cultural Center. The Artane Boys band from Dublin will perform and the Seattle Gaels Hurlers and Women Gaelic Footballers will be there as well. We wish the Gaels the very best in their efforts to bring another trophy or two back to the Pacific Northwest! For more information, visit www.nagaa.org or www.seattlegaels.com.
IRISH MUSIC - A Traditional House Concert with Randal Bays, Susan Waters and Dave Marshall, will be held at North Hill Community Center, 20827 3rd Ave S., Des Moines, Friday, September 18 at 8 pm. For tickets and directions visit www.hoilands.com.
SENIORS' LUNCHEON - Gerry Staunton, the Co. Mayo-born Irish Consul General for the Western United States, will attend the Irish Seniors' Luncheon on Saturday, September 19, at Assumption Church Hall, 6201 33rd Ave NE, Seattle. The Luncheon serves as another great opportunity to meet and greet old and new friends who share that special Irish connection. If you know an Irish Senior who should be invited, please email the name to lunch@irishclub.org.
IRISH CHARITY - The Seattle Seahawks and the Matt Talbot Center - Seattle's homeless program named for the Dublin Saint - jointly host a Dinner and Auction Fundraiser at Qwest Field, Monday, September 28, starting at 5 pm. Current and former Seahawks and UW players will be in attendance as well as NBA, MLB and other sports figures. All proceeds go toward the enhancement and expansion of the Matt Talbot Center's Women's and Children's Program. Contact Talbot@irishclub.orgfor information or tickets.
LEGACY LUNCHEON - Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan, physician and noted Paralympics athlete, keynotes Providence Mount St. Vincent's Legacy Celebration Luncheon on Wednesday, October 7, at Seattle's Westin Hotel. The Legacy Luncheon raises funds to support the residents and programs of Providence Mount St. Vincent. Tynan electrified a TV audience of more than 35 million when singing at President Ronald Reagan's funeral in 2004, and he is also famous for his performances of "God Bless America" at important Yankee Stadium games. Luncheon tickets are $50 - call 206-938-6194 oremail colleen.cremin@providence.org.
 BUTTE, AMERICA FILM - A new feature-length documentary film, titled BUTTE, AMERICA, tells the remarkable mining history of Butte, Montana, once the most Irish city in North America. Narrated by Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, the film will be on PBS in late October, but Seattle's Irish Heritage Club has arranged for a special screening of BUTTE, AMERICA at Seattle University's Pigott Auditorium, Saturday, October 10, 7 pm. The film's Director Pam Roberts, co-writer Edwin Dobb, and former Montana Congressman Pat Williams, will attend to introduce the screening and answer questions. For tickets ($10) and more information, visit www.irishclub.org.
IRISH DINNER-DANCE - An Irish Night At The Glen, a Dinner Dance to support St. Mary's Food Bank, will be held Saturday November 21 at Glen Acres Country Club, 1000 S 112th St, Seattle. It's especially an occasion for current and former members of Seattle's Gaelic Football and GAA fraternity, and others in Seattle's Irish community, to gather for a night of ceol agus craic - good music and great fun. All proceeds go to St. Mary's Food Bank. Tickets are $50.00 pp - contact 206-547-1612 or jomalley@mail.com.
ALZHEIMER'S WALK - Caitlin Campbell, granddaughter of Jim Walsh and his late wife Betty, will walk in the Memory Walk to End Alzheimer's on Tuesday, September 29. She's requesting donations in honor of her Grandpa who has Alzheimer's! Jim is one of just three Honorary Lifetime Members of the Irish Heritage Club. If you can help, visit Caitlin's Page.
IMMIGRATION REFORM - As a member of Irish Apostolate USA, Seattle's Irish Immigrant Support Group was represented at a White House meeting on Immigration on August 20th. The meeting was addressed by President Obama who declared his administration's intention to achieve Comprehensive Immigration Reform within 17 months.
MARINERS NIGHT - Over 500 Irish Heritage Night tickets were sold for the Mariners vs. White Sox game on August 12 and the game was one of the year's best, a pitching duel won 1-0 by the Mariners in the 15th inning. See Irish Vice-Consul Barry O'Brien throw out the first pitch and other photos at www.irishclub.org.
KENNEDY PASSING - The death of Sen. Edward Kennedy was noted in Seattle by about 500 people who attended a Mass at St. James Cathedral organized in response to requests from members of Seattle's Irish community.
IRISH WEEK 2010 - The 39-member St. Catherine's Marching Band from the fishing village of Killybegs, Co. Donegal, will travel to Seattle next March to participate in Seattle's St. Patrick's Day Parade scheduled for Saturday, March 13, 2010. More details later.
HOMEWARD BOUND - At the end of October, former Irish Taoiseach (PM) and Seattle's 2008 St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal, John Bruton, leaves his current position as EU Ambassador to the US in Washington, DC.
VANCOUVER BC IRISH - A one day Irish Immersion class will be held on October 3rd in Vancouver, BC. Contact brendanflynn_1@hotmail.com or call 604-873-3167 for details.
MONTANA IRISH - A 12 week class in the Irish language starts September 8 at the University of Montana. Contact ciara_wadden@hotmail.com or 406-214-5924 for details.
GENEALOGY SURVEY - Howard Kingston, an Irish MBA student, is basing his Masters dissertation on Irish Americans and their interest in Irish genealogy. He welcomes anyone interested in genealogy to participate in an Irish Genealogy Tourism Survey. |
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MISCELLANEOUS
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Watch the All-Ireland Hurling and Gaelic Football Finals live from Ireland at Fadó Irish Pub, 1st and Columbia, Seattle, 206-264-2700. This Sunday, its Tipperary vs. Kilkenny in Hurling and on September 20th its Cork vs. Kerry in Gaelic Football.
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Cherish the Ladies, one of the best and most popular Irish music groups in the world, performs Saturday, October 24, 7:30 pm at McIntyre Hall, 2501 E College Way, Mount Vernon. Call 360-416-7727, ext 2, for tickets and information.
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For the most up-to-date information on Irish and Celtic music events in the Pacific Northwest, visit www.hoilands.com. |
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NEWS FROM IRELAND
IRISH LION - The death of Sen. Edward Kennedy was widely mourned in Ireland. The most respected and best-known Irish-American of this generation, Kennedy was especially remembered for his strong support of Irish causes. Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen was the only foreign head of government present at Kennedy's funeral.
MISSION CHURCH - The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, where Kennedy's Funeral Mass was celebrated, has strong Irish connections. Located in Boston's Roxbury district which used to be an Irish enclave, the church has shamrocks in the stained glass windows and a side chapel dedicated to St Patrick. Eamon de Valera sheltered in the Basilica's rectory in 1919 after escaping earlier that year from jail in Britain.
EUNICE KENNEDY - The death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, longtime champion for the disabled, was also greatly mourned in Ireland. Because of her, the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games were held in Dublin, with more than 6,500 athletes participating from 170 countries.
CENSUS ONLINE - Ireland's National Archives now has a free online searchable database for the 1911 census covering all Ireland where you can view the actual document completed by each Irish household. 1911 was the last census until 1926 because of the Irish War of Independence. The 1901 census will also be online by this time next year, and it is hope to later provide the ability to compare today's Google maps with Irish street maps since 1911.
BUSINESS FORUM - Irish-born members of the Irish Diaspora, the Irish abroad, will come together in Dublin next month for an Irish government sponsored forum aimed at harnessing their ideas and networks to come up with plans for the long-term recovery and positioning of the Irish economy. Attendees will include the chief executives of Qantas and of British Airways, the presidents of Tiffany, Nike Affiliates and of Fox Television Stations, a Microsoft Vice-President, and the chairmen of BP and Goldman Sachs.
GENETICS DETECTIVES - Genetics researchers at Trinity College Dublin have identified three genes that are found only in humans, the first discovery of genes that are completely unique to humans. The find may help to explain what exactly it is that makes us human.
ANIMATED ART - Dublin's skyline will be transformed for 18 nights starting September 24 when the 16-storey Liberty Hall becomes a giant TV screen. Some 100,000 low-energy LED lights will be installed in 330 windows and programmed to display animated art pieces from dusk until dawn each night that will also be broadcast live online around the world. Members of the public are invited to design and submit pieces for the project, a sample of which is already online.
DEPORTED - Belfast native Pól Brennan was deported from the US to Ireland last week, 25 years after escaping from the Maze prison near Belfast. In 1983, Brennan was serving a 16-year sentence when he and 37 IRA prisoners escaped from the Maze in the biggest jail break in UK history. He came to the US but was arrested in 2008 even though Britain had dropped its extradition case against him in 2003.
40TH ANNIVERSARY - The events of August, 1969, are considered to be the start of Northern Ireland's "Troubles". On August 12, 1969, in Derry, the "Battle of the Bogside" started and on August 15 in Belfast, 1,505 Catholic families and 315 Protestant families were forced to leave their homes, either through burning or intimidation.The actions of the RUC (Police) and B Specials that weekend were key factors in the British Government's decision to deploy troops onto the streets of Northern Ireland.
BRITISH APOLOGY - The British government has formally expressed "deep regret" to the McAnespie family over the fatal shooting in 1988 of Aidan McAnespie, a 23-year-old killed when three shots were discharged from a British army watchtower in Co. Tyrone as McAnespie walked to a Gaelic Football game.
MOUNTBATTEN MEMORIAL - Some 500 people turned out in Co. Sligo last week to remember Britain's Lord Mountbatten and three others who were killed by an IRA bomb on August 27, 1979 while sailing at Mullaghmore in Donegal Bay. Two Co. Donegal councilors have now proposed erecting a memorial to the four victims who died that day.
IDENTITY CARDS - Northern Ireland's Unionists are not too happy, but Nationalists can now apply for UK ID cards that do not carry a Union Jack imprint. The shamrock, rose, thistle and daffodil, representing Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, will still appear on the card, as will the royal coat of arms, but no Union Jack unless you want one.
IRISH MOVIES - Two new Irish films about the Troubles in Northern Ireland were released last month. "Five Minutes of Heaven" stars Irish actors Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt, and is a thriller that wowed audiences at the Sundance Film Festival in January. "Fifty Dead Men Walking", starring Ben Kinsley, takes us back to the 1980s. The latter is an action film, while "Heaven" is more of a morality tale.
SISTER CITIES - Some 800 delegates from 24 countries attended the first Sister Cities International Conference ever held outside the USA when it was held in Belfast last month. At the companion Youth Conference, four Tacoma students joined a group of 150 young people from 15 countries for a week of activities and workshops centered around the theme "Building Enduring Peace after Conflict."
IRISH IMMIGRANTS - The Boston Globe describes the new wave of Irish Immigrants coming to America with the downturn in the Irish economy. Estimates of the number of undocumented Irish in the US range from 25,000-50,000.
PHOENIX RIDE - 1,200 amateur cyclists answered a Twitter invitation last week and joined seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong for a ride around Dublin's Phoenix Park. Armstrong was in Ireland to compete in the Tour of Ireland race before opening a cancer summit at Dublin Castle.
OLDEST FAIR? - The Auld Lammas Fair in Co. Antrim claims it is the oldest traditional market fair in Ireland, starting in either 1606 or 1612. But the Puck Fair in Co. Kerry says it is older as it received a 1603 charter from King James I. However, the Fair of Muff, in Co Cavan, which also claims a license from the same King James I in 1608, says its origins can be traced back to the 12th century. Anyway, they're all fun events held annually in August in Ireland.
CONNEMARA PONIES - 485 ponies and foals were on offer at the 85th Connemara Pony Show in Clifden, Co. Galway. The Connemara is a distinctive breed that make for excellent pets while their powerful build makes them good jumpers and great show ponies, ridden by both children and adults. Several farms in Washington State feature Connemara Ponies.
STEPHEN'S GREEN - Dublin's St Stephen's Green is named for a church attached to a leper hospital which stood nearby in medieval times. The area was first enclosed in 1664 and was the site of public hangings throughout the 18th century. In 1880 the park was landscaped in the form that exists today. Since then, memorials to eminent Dubliners like James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and W B Yeats have been added around the flower beds, trees and duck-pond.
SINGING GOV - First-term Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley is running for re-election but he also finds time to sing lead vocal, and play the bodhran, guitar and whistle with his band O'Malley's March whose latest CD, their fifth, is called Galway Races.
GAA RESULTS - Gaelic Football and Hurling supporters can now receive a free weekly email providing the results of Club and County games in Ireland. The service is provided by GAA County Boards in association with the Irish Independent - click here to subscribe.
PROTECT HURLING - An Irish Senator has called on the United Nations to add hurling to a global list of unique cultural activities that need to be "safeguarded". UNESCO has developed a convention to protect endangered cultural traditions and customs that do not fall into the "monuments and objects" category. If UNESCO did add hurling to the list, then celebrated players could be declared "living human treasures".
IRISH SURNAMES - Smith and Murray are among the 10 most common surnames in Ireland, but one is of British origin and the other is Scottish. The Top Ten most common Irish surnames are, in order, Murphy, Kelly, O'Sullivan, Walsh, O'Brien, Byrne, Ryan, O'Connor, O'Neill and O'Reilly.
ALI VISIT - Muhammad Ali this week visited the home of his Irish ancestors in Co. Clare. The boxing legend's great-grandfather, Abe Grady, emigrated to the US in the 1860s, settling in Kentucky where he married an African-American woman. In Ennis, Ali was made an Honorary Freeman at a Civic Reception in his honor.
50TH ANNIVERSARY - Ireland's International Rose of Tralee Festival celebrated its Golden Jubilee this year. 50 women competed for the 2009 title, with Roses participating from the US, Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Dubai. The winner was the London Rose, Charmaine Kenny.
RARE HARP - A New Yorker recently found an old Irish harp in a dumpster on West 26th St, and upon examination found the inscription "John Egan, inventor." From 1792 to 1830, Egan made over 2,000 harps, including one for Thomas Moore, author of "The Minstrel Boy" and "The Last Rose of Summer." There are only 70 surviving Egan Irish harps in the world today, making this find almost priceless.
CONCERN GRANT - Irish aid agency Concern has been awarded a grant of $41 million by the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Concern started working in Biafra, Africa, in 1969 and now works in 28 of the world's poorest countries.
GAELIC GAMES - The 2009 International Rules Series between Ireland and Australia has been cancelled because of financial considerations. Setanta held the international broadcasting rights for Australian Rules Football, and Setanta's collapse put a major dent in the finances of the AFL who have promised that the series will resume in 2010.
ARE YE RIGHT THERE, MICHAEL - The West Clare Railway is back on the track although initially it will only take passengers on a 2½ mile trip. It was the last of Ireland's narrow gauge railways to close in 1961, 124 years after Charles Stewart Parnell turned the sod on the original project in 1885. The railway is most famous as the subject of a Percy French song parody written after he arrived by train 4½ hours late for a recital in 1896.
MAYO CLASSICS - The tiny Co. Mayo village of Bofeenaun, 10 miles north of Castlebar, has one church, one school, no pub, but each July for the past three years, some of the world's most renowned classical musicians have traveled to the small west of Ireland village to give a classical concert in the local church.
SPIKE ISLAND - The former prison on Spike Island in Cork Harbor is being developed into an Alcatraz-style tourist attraction. In the 7th century, it was a monastic settlement but started being used as a prison in the 17th century. During the late 18th and early 19th century, it was used to hold prisoners being transported to the West Indies and Australia. After independence, the island remained in British hands until July 1938.
VOTES NEEDED! - The Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare is one of 28 finalists in the "New 7 Wonders of Nature" campaign. Seven winners will be chosen by worldwide public vote with the winners announced in 2011. |
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TID-BITS
- In 2008, Ireland saw the highest number of births recorded since 1896
- The number of divorces granted in Ireland in 2008 was 3,630
- At www.translate.google.com, Google will translate websites and documents into the Irish language (although it appears the process still has some teething problems)
- Libya has confirmed discussions with the UK government about paying compensation to victims of the IRA during the 1970s and 1980s, a time when Libya was supplying arms and explosives to the IRA
- According to the most recent figures available, there are 34 million Irish-Americans, 3.8 million Irish-Canadians, 1.9 million Irish-Australians and half-million Irish-Argentines
- The average income of an Irish-American household is $53,000
- Traffic signal boxes around major junctions in Dublin city are being given a makeover by adding a city map and historical facts relating to the streets they are located on
- Guinness saw growth of 4% in 2008, with African sales growing 18%. In Southeast Asia, Guinness's largest market, sales were up by 11%
- A recent report estimates that net Irish emigration from 2010 to 2015 will total between 126,000 and 150,000, a turnabout from the net immigration during the 1990s and 2000s
- Thirty-six new Irish seminarians began studying for the Catholic priesthood this past weekend, up by 12 on last year and the highest number since 1999
- The Edge of U2 gives fans access to the band's 360 Tour with an exclusive Twitter feed
- Workers in Dublin are the fourth best paid in the world
- It takes 15 minutes for a worker in Dublin to earn enough to buy a Big Mac, while the same worker in Mexico City has to toil for 129 minutes to earn enough to buy the same burger
- Undocumented - read in the Irish Echo story about an Irish family's life in the shadows
- Australia's Top 100 Irish list includes Prime Ministers, Governors General, State Premiers and Archbishops as well as the odd bushranger
- The tiny village of Termonfeckin in Co. Louth is being swamped by Harry Potter fans, eager to visit the home of Evanna Lynch, the actress who plays Luna Lovegood in the hit movie
- The number of murders recorded in Ireland increased from 37 in 2003 to 77 in 2007
- Life expectancy at birth was estimated at 81.6 years for Irish women and 76.8 years for Irish men in the period 2005-2007
- The Irish Republic's population increased by 18.2% to 4.42 million from 1999-2008
- Productivity in Ireland, measured as GDP per person employed, was the second highest in the EU in 2008
- 42.3% of the Irish population aged 25-34 has completed third level education. The EU average is 30.3%
- Former President Clinton declares in the 50th anniversary issue of Golf magazine that his favorite golf course is Ballybunion in Co. Kerry
- On Golf magazine's list of the 50 Greatest Courses of the Last 50 Years were Irish courses The European Club, Brittas Bay, and Waterville.
- Nearly 35,000 Irishmen lost their lives fighting in the First World war
- There's more than hitting a hurling ball involved in winning the Poc Fada competition that's held annually in the Cooley mountains in Co. Louth.
- Belfast's Merchant Hotel was named the 'World's Best Hotel Bar' with the "World's Best Drinks Selection" and the "World's Best Cocktail Menu" at the recent Tales of the Cocktail Festival in New Orleans.
- Ireland's Post Office has stopped collecting mail from mailboxes on Saturdays and Sundays.
- President Obama recently presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor, to former Irish President Mary Robinson.
- www.coimicigael.ie is a new comic book publisher in the Irish language based in Ennis Co. Clare.
- Ireland's national broadcaster, RTÉ, has had two spelling errors in its full name for the last 40 years, Radio Telefís Éireann rather the correct Raidió Teilifís Éireann which it will use from now on.
- A 31-year-old former Manchester United midfielder and former Northern Ireland player, Philip Mulryne, last month started training for the Catholic priesthood. During his soccer career, he won 27 international caps and also played for Norwich City and Cardiff City.
- Ryanair, which started out in 1985 with a 15-seater plane, is now one of the world's biggest airlines by market value, and is Europe's largest low-cost airline
- New York Times article on new Irish immigration to the US
- British plans to require the production of a passport when travelling between the Irish Republic and Britain have been dropped
- There has been a steady decline in Orange Order membership from 76,000 members in 1948 to 35,000 today
- On Bastille Day, July 14th 1789, among the seven inmates who were released by the mob 220 years ago was an Irishman named James Francis Xavier Whyte. A Dubliner, Whyte left Ireland to pursue a career in the French army where he served as captain in Lally's regiment of the Irish Brigade
- Mayo Co. Council plans to correct the spelling of Irish (Gaelic) place names that are displayed incorrectly on 33 different road signs across the county
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AN IRISH PROVERB
Ná glac pioc comhairle gan comhairle ban
Never take advice without a woman's guidance
Slán
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ARE YOU A 2009 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 Membership@irishclub.org or visit www.irishclub.org. |
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2009 Members remain in good standing until March 31, 2010 |
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