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RECENT
PASSINGS |
Molly Claire Nichols died recently in Wyoming following a short battle with cancer. She was the 24-year-old niece of former Seattle resident and Galwegian Esther Mulkerrin.
Charlotte Flanagan, 89, who died this past week in Westport, Co. Mayo, was a sister of Martin O'Malley of Edmonds and the late Mike O'Malley.
Dave Arnold, 84, who died recently in Seattle, was the father of Irish Heritage Club member Dean Arnold.
SéanCorbett, the oldest brother of Seattle's Michael Corbett, died recently in Co. Limerick.
Terry Kavanaugh, the 78-year-old brother of Dan Kavanaugh of Yelm, was killed recently in an auto accident in Arizona.
Patricia Moore, a member of the Irish Book Club and lover-of-all-things-Irish, died recently in Seattle.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílis.
May their faithful souls be at God's right hand. | |
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| | Míle Buíochas!
A Thousand Thanks! |
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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! | |
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| IRISH CONSULATE
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| ON OUR WEBSITE |
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If you need Irish Musicians, Irish Pubs, Irish Stores, or anything else Irish in Seattle, you'll probably find it listed on our website's Seattle Irish Resource Page. |
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HERALD INSULT
The Everett Herald newspaper insulted all Irish people on its front page this morning (July 3) with an outrageous item headlined Reel and reeling. Read the item's degrading definition of an "Irish experience" at heraldnet.com and I hope you will take the time to email The Editor to politely complain and demand an apology. Their tel # is 425-339-3000. ____________________________________________________________
AMBASSADORIAL VISIT
WORKING VISIT - When Irish Ambassador Michael Collins visited Seattle on June 8 and 9, he didn't have any downtime on his schedule, but from the minute he arrived he was busy representing Ireland and meeting Seattle's Irish community. Over his two days here, he attended an Irish Seniors' Luncheon, attended a Business Seminar on the Microsoft Campus, launched Irish Network Seattle, had a business breakfast with Governor Chris Gregoire, met with Secretary of State Sam Reed, met with elderly Irish-born sisters at St. Ann's Convent in Tacoma, spoke to the World Affairs Council, met with the Seattle Times Editorial Board, spoke to almost 200 students at Seattle University and attended a reception with about 200 members of Seattle's Irish community. Photos from many of the events can be seen at www.IrishClub.org or click the photo.
IRISH NETWORK - About 65 people attended when Ambassador Collins officially launched Irish Network Seattle, a new business-oriented network dedicated to connecting the Irish-born, Irish Americans and friends of Ireland throughout the Puget Sound area. The local group plans to affiliate with Irish Network-USA
to facilitate networking opportunities locally and across the United States, and also to further develop the existing economic, social and cultural ties between the United States and Ireland. For information on IN-Seattle's next event, email Info@IrishNetwork-Seattle.com or visit www.IrishNetwork-Seattle.com. |
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SEATTLE IRISH NEWS
IHC AGM - The Irish Heritage Club's 2010 Annual General Meeting and Election of Officers will be at Fadó Irish Pub (on 1st Ave at Columbia St, downtown Seattle) on Thursday, July 15, with hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 pm and the meeting at 7:00 pm. Please RSVP to IHC President Nanci Spieker to let her know if you plan to attend so she can make sure there's enough for everyone. Anyone who volunteered during Irish Week and all 2010 members are especially welcome. For more information, or to volunteer for an office, etc., call Nanci at 206-427-3027.
HIGHLAND GAMES - The Irish Heritage Club will have a booth at the Skagit Valley Highland Games, Friday-Sunday, July 9-11, at Edgewater Park in Mount Vernon. The games start Friday evening with a FREE concert featuring Scotland's Tannahill Weavers, and continue 9 am - 6 pm Saturday and Sunday. More information is available at www.celticarts.org. The Scottish Highland Games in Enumclaw are July 30-August 1 - visit www.sshga.org for details.
GLASS ARTIST - Irish artist Róisín de Buitléar arrived in Seattle last week to teach for three weeks at Dale Chihuly's Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood. Róisín, a co-founder of the Glass Society of Ireland and an educator who has been working primarily in the medium of glass since 1983, will also spend time as Artist in Residence at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma.
EMMET FELLOW - Jeff Walsh from Clogrennane, Co. Carlow, a law student at Trinity College, Dublin, was awarded the 2010 Thomas Addis Emmet Fellowship in International Public Interest Law, and he arrives in Seattle this weekend to work for two months in public-interest law with the Appleseed Foundation.
ONLINE GAA - For $10 monthly, you can belong to Overplay's 'Virtual Private Network' gaining access to online live GAA games that are normally restricted to Ireland. Overplay temporarily changes your US IP address to an Irish one which thereby permits access to restricted programs! Visit Overplay VPN for details.
AUGUST PICNIC - Seattle's Irish Community Picnic is Noon - 6 pm, Sunday, August 1, at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah (exit # 15 off I-90). There's a covered picnic area and several BBQ grills - just bring charcoal. A Hurling game starts at noon followed by games and fun for the entire family - tug-o-war, sack-races, etc. Parking galore. All members of Seattle's Irish community are welcome at no charge and hot-dogs and hamburgers will be provided. We suggest people bring their own beverages and a potluck dessert. For details, email Picnic@irishclub.org or call 425-745-1263.
IRISH AQUASOX NIGHT - Irish Heritage Night at the Everett Aquasox is Friday, August 6, 7:05 pm, preceded by a Seattle Gaels Hurling Exhibition game and featuring a special appearance by 1989 World Series MVP Dave Stewart. $20 gets you a pregame All-You-Can-Eat Picnic BBQ as well as a ticket to both the Hurling match and the Baseball game. $9 discounted seats are also available. Visit www.aquasox.com/groups, Group Password "Irish".
IRISH MARINERS NIGHT - Half-way to St. Patrick's Day, Irish Night at the Seattle Mariners is Friday, September 17, 7:10 pm, vs. the Texas Rangers. Enjoy Irish music, Irish stepdancers, bagpipers, a FREE Seattle Mariners Irish Heritage Night cap and reduced price tickets ($40 tickets for $28, $20 tickets for $14) if you purchase online or call Yoko McCann at 206-346-4505.
MISCELLANEOUS
- Irish Set Dancing on Sundays at Mick Kelly's in Burien has gone on summer hiatus but replacement set dance lessons at a home in the Bellevue/Renton area are being considered. Email irishfeet@gmail.com.
- Congratulations to Irish Heritage Club member Dean Arnold who was honored by a Mayoral Proclamation when he recently retired after spending 32 years working for the City of Seattle.
- The Blight is a historical fiction story that is painful, powerful, and moving. Author Megan Blight was born in California and currently resides in Bellingham.
- Seattle's Irish Book Club next meets on August 10 to discuss The Bodhran Makers by John B. Keane. For more info, contact hudit@comcast.net.
- Gaelic Football and Hurling games from Ireland are telecast live at Fadó Irish Pub, 1st and Columbia, downtown Seattle. Visit Fadó for telecast times, fees, etc, or call 206-264-2700.
- An Irish Language Immersion Week in Butte, Mt, offers credit and non-credit courses, July 17 - 24. Email traolach.oriordain@mso.umt.edu.
For the latest information on all the Irish / Celtic music and dance events in the Seattle area, visit www.HOILANDS.com.
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SPIRIT OF LIBERTY AWARD
Tomorrow, July 4, the Ethnic Heritage Council hosts the 26th Annual Naturalization Ceremony at Seattle Center where over 500 people from more than 75 countries will be sworn in as new citizens of the USA. Each year during the ceremony, the Ethnic Heritage Council honors a naturalized citizen who has made outstanding contributions to his or her adopted country while maintaining their ethnic heritage. This year, US Congressman Jim McDermott will present the 2010 Spirit of Liberty Award to John F. Keane of the Seattle area's Irish-American community. He is the second Irish-American recipient of the award following in the footsteps of Mary Shrine who received it in 1998.
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BLOODY SUNDAY ENQUIRY
 BASICS - The Saville Report, the report of the British government enquiry into the killing and wounding of civil rights marchers in Derry in 1972, was published on 15 June and the entire report can be found at BLOODY SUNDAY ENQUIRY. The report acknowledged without equivocation that British paratroopers fired the first shots on January 30, 1972, fired on fleeing unarmed civilians, and the paratroopers had no justification for shooting any of those killed or injured on the day that is known as Bloody Sunday.
APOLOGY - On behalf of the British Government, Britian's Prime Minister apologized without reservation to the families of those who were killed and injured. He said the report left no doubt that the shootings were "both unjustified and unjustifiable." He said, "On behalf of our country, I am deeply sorry." Read the full transcript of the Prime Minister's statement made on the floor of the House of Commons.
DETAILS - The Report explicitly details the grim circumstances of each of the deaths and injuries, including how Alexander Nash was shot and injured as he tended to his dying 19-year-old son, and how 22-year-old James Wray was shot a second time while he was lying on the ground. It states British soldiers shot without giving any sort of warning at unarmed men and boys, and shot some of them in the back as they were trying to escape. It says the soldiers "lost control", and lied afterwards about what happened, falsely claiming they had come under attack. It states their commanding officer either disobeyed orders or wildly overstepped his authority.
WIDGERY COMPARISON - The Saville Report concluded that none of those killed or wounded had posed any threat to the soldiers. The Widgery Report, the 1972 British government report that was issued just 11 weeks after the killings, is now officially discredited. Widgery had largely exonerated the British soldiers. It concluded that shots had been fired before the soldiers started firing; that the soldiers thought their standing orders justified their actions; and that there was a strong suspicion that some of those killed had been firing weapons or handling bombs. Britain's Guardian newspaper outlined the key differences between the two reports.
REACTION - The official declaration of innocence of those who were killed or injured, and the British Prime Minister's apology, released a wave of satisfied emotion among many in Ireland and brought a sense of relief to most. Justice is seen as finally being done and the report brings to an end another sorry chapter in Britain's history in Ireland. |
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OTHER NEWS FROM IRELAND
IRISH HERITAGE CERTIFICATE - The Irish Government by the end of 2010 plans to introduce a Certificate of Irish Heritage for people of Irish descent who do not qualify for citizenship. Presently, Irish citizenship can be claimed only through an Irish-born parent or grandparent. This new process acknowledges the clause in the Irish Constitution which states: "The Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage". Applicants will need to prove their claim to Irish ancestry through documents such as a birth certificate, church records of death, marriage, etc. Certificate-holders will also benefit from discounts from Irish businesses and while visiting Ireland.
ECONOMIC FORECAST - Consultancy group Ernst & Young says Ireland will make the greatest recovery in the Euro zone for 2011 although it will not create any new jobs. Their forecast sees Ireland jumping from 15th place in terms of GDP growth to second place in 2011 at 2.8 percent. The unemployment rate is not expected to drop below 12% until after 2014.
CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS - Ireland last week passed a civil partnership bill, granting same-sex couples many of the rights of civil marriage. The bill legally recognizes cohabiting but unmarried couples while stopping short of granting them full marital rights. Ireland legalized homosexuality in 1993 and now joins a growing list of countries that recognize same-sex partnerships as civil unions/partnerships or full marriage.
OBAMA VISIT - University College Cork has invited President Barack Obama to Cork to deliver the inaugural Frederick Douglass lecture on human rights. The lecture series is named for one of America's best known anti-slavery campaigners and one of Obama's political heroes. Arriving in Ireland in 1845 at the start of the Famine, Douglass gave over 50 lectures around the country and later wrote of "a total absence of all manifestations of prejudice against me, on account of my color."
STUDY IN IRELAND - The Ireland Homecoming Study Program aims to encourage the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Irish nationals, etc., to return to Ireland for their Higher Education studies. Tuition costs for members of the Irish Diaspora at any of eight Institutes of Technology are about 40% less than the standard rate for non-EU students. The fee for two semesters is about $7,500.
DUIs - Ireland's drink driving limit will soon drop from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood (.08) to 50mg (.05). Road fatalities in Ireland dropped from 107 per million in 2001 to 54 per million in 2009, due in part to increased garda (police) activity, mandatory alcohol testing and graphic adverting campaigns.
GENEALOGY LINKS - Over two million genealogy details for counties Kerry, Cork, Dublin and Carlow can now be accessed online at IrishGenealogy.ie, an Irish government website that also gives an outline of what types of Irish civil and church records are available online and where to look for them.
1901 CENSUS - On Sunday, March 31st, 1901, all of Ireland's 32 counties completed census forms and now more than 4.5 million of those 1901 census records are accessible online on the National Archives website. This is the earliest surviving complete Census of Ireland as most of the census records prior to 1900 were destroyed. Check out the 1901 Joyce family census form that lists one James Augustine, the 19 year old future Ulysses author. IRISH MAPPING - Ordnance Survey Ireland has launched an updated version of all their maps from 1830 to today and you can toggle between survey maps from the 1830s to today's detailed aerial and other maps. Verify landscape and other changes in the past 180 years by zooming in to a locality and then toggling between the map options listed on the right under PREVIEW MAPS SERIES.
IDEA CONTEST - "Your Country Your Call" invited anyone with an interest in Ireland to submit a proposal to create jobs for Ireland, with the winning proposals receiving a $135,000 prize and another $675,000 to implement it. 21 proposals have now been shortlisted and the two winning proposals will be announced on September 17.
FREE iPHONE - Twenty people who share in 140 words or less what they consider to be their their best Ireland Moment could win a free iPhone. Any Irish Moment counts, when you felt proud to be Irish, or when you had a great time in Ireland, etc.
STATE VISITS - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is expected to make a state visit to Ireland before the end of 2011, the first visit to the Irish Republic by a British monarch since George V in 1911. Prince Charles and various other British royals have often visited Ireland while Irish President Mary McAleese has made frequent visits to Britain and has also met the Queen several times. However, none of those visits were considered state visits.
STATESMAN'S DEATH - Dermot Earley, a distinguished Roscommon Gaelic footballer who later served as head of Ireland's army and naval services, died in Kildare recently at the age of 62. He also served with Ireland's UN contingent in Lebanon and as deputy military adviser to the secretary general of the UN in New York.
CRANNÓGS - A recent prolonged dry weather spell and the resultant low water table has yielded a number of significant archeological finds in Connemara. Among them is a new crannóg site in a lake near Carna. Crannógs are artificial islands built in prehistoric and medieval times on lakes and rivers and used as dwellings. There are over 2,000 crannógs in Ireland and about 600 in Scotland.
PEACE PRIZE - Jean Kennedy Smith and Victoria Kennedy, along with 13 other members of the Kennedy family, were in Tipperary last week for the presentation of the Tipperary Peace Award to Jean Kennedy Smith and the late Senator Ted Kennedy.
AIR INDIA - The anniversary of the 1985 Air India bombing was remembered recently at a ceremony in Cork attended by Government ministers from Ireland, India and Canada. A bomb planted by Sikh extremists killed all 329 on board a Montreal to London flight that blew up off the Cork coast on June 23, 1985.
 KYLEMORE SCHOOL - After 89 years, Kylemore Abbey's girl's school has closed. The Kylemore fairytale castle complex was built by an English politician for his wife in the 1870s. When she died, he added a Gothic church in her memory. After the First World War, the Benedictine nuns purchased the castle and estate for £45,000 and moved their school and convent from Ypres in Belgium. Nestled at the base of Druchruach Mountain (1,736ft), the Kylemore grounds will continue to be open to the public and the Benedictine nuns will continue to live there.
GOLD ARTIFACTS - Three pieces of Bronze Age jewelry, thrown into a rubbish bin by burglars following a 2009 robbery, are now on display in the National Museum in Dublin. The three pieces, a lunula neckpiece and two gold sun disks worn by the early kings of Ireland, were found in a bog in 1945 and are believed to date from 2,000BC.
WATERFORD REOPENS - Waterford Crystal is being manufactured in Waterford city once again following the opening of a new facility. Production of the world-famous crystal started in Waterford in 1783 but stopped last year when Waterford Wedgwood went into receivership. Now a brand new manufacturing facility, retail outlet and visitor center has opened in the heart of downtown Waterford.
POLITICAL CARTOONS - The Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a large collection of Irish political cartoons covering Irish politics from the late 1800s to early 1900s, especially covering Ireland's relationship with England. The Collins collection of books, pamphlets, newspapers, maps and cartoons was purchased by the library in 1917.
DUBLIN ACCENT? - Princess Mako, granddaughter of Japan's emperor, will this summer study English at University College Dublin. Tokyo's International Christian University, which the Princess attends, has a long-standing student-exchange program with UCD. Her grandmother, Empress Michiko, was partly educated in Tokyo by Irish nuns, and studied Irish history, language and literature. She reportedly speaks passable Gaelic, plays the harp and has been known to recite I See His Blood Upon The Rose, which was written by executed 1916 leader Joseph Plunkett.
FINNEGAN'S ORDER - La Orden del Finnegans is a society of Spanish writers who venerate James Joyce's Ulysses and who named their group for Finnegan's Pub in Dalkey! Each year, members must attend the Bloomsday events in Dublin, from the readings in Meeting House Square to those at James Joyce Tower in Sandycove. That is followed by a session at Finnegan's where new members can be nominated.
LIGHTHOUSE ANNIVERSARY - Founded during the Napoleonic Wars, the Irish Lighthouse Service on June 15 marked 200 years of service around Ireland's 4,660 miles of coastline. An all-island organization headquartered in Dublin, ILS was the only statutory body to survive partition, and answers to both the Dáil and the British House of Commons. Among its best known lighthouses are Hook Head in Wexford, which claims to be the oldest operational lighthouse in the world, and Fastnet, known as "Ireland's Teardrop" since it was the last sight of Ireland for generations of emigrants to America. See photos of Irish lighthouses.
LOCAL BOOKS - Localbooks.ie is a new online bookstore specializing in books about Irish localities, books usually written by local authors but until now may have had very limited distribution. Localbooks parent company, Bard na nGleann, is based in the Cork-Kerry Gaeltacht and also operates Litriocht.com, the hugely popular Irish language online bookstore. With localbooks.ie, the company hopes to help document for many people the emigration path from small Irish towns and localities to various parts of the world.
HOUSE SALE - The asking price for Ireland's most expensive property recently dropped from $100 million to $60 million. The house on the 600-acre Lyons Demesne estate in Kildare was originally built in 1785. It has 19th-century Italian frescoes by artist Gaspare Gabrielli. a private cinema, gymnasium, wine cellar, a half-Olympic sized indoor swimming pool, seven bedrooms in the main house, as well as four additional bedrooms in a self-contained guest wing. Five lodges are also on the grounds. |
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TID BITS
- Read Bono's take on the Bloody Sunday Report in the New York Times.
- The Irish economy has technically emerged from recession in the first quarter, growing for the first time in two years. The growth was largely driven by multinational companies and exports. - The Irish Government has expelled an official at the Israeli embassy in Dublin in protest over the use of forged Irish passports by suspects in the killing of a Hamas official in Dubai. - Dublin's newest attraction is the National Leprechaun Museum on Jervis Street. The interactive museum is dedicated to Irish Mythology and Folklore. - The editors of the Donegal Diaspora e-zine are soliciting articles or items of interests from members of the Donegal Diaspora. Contact rmcbride@donegalcoco.ie. - In "Ireland: A History" (Cambridge University press) by Prof Tom Bartlett, the author claims that Queen Victoria and Irish leader Daniel OConnell had an affair. Bartlett was a visiting professor at Seattle's UW in 1997. - Headstones in cemeteries in Co Kerry in future may not be any higher than 5 feet tall and animal statues are banned. - Ireland has the highest tobacco prices in the EU, twice the EU average. - Richard Murphy, charged in New York last week with being a Russian spy, had been using a false Irish passport in the name of Eunan Doherty. - China is Ireland's seventh most important trading partner, and 115 Irish companies now have a presence in China. - Last year, more than 33,000 Irish passports were reported lost, stolen or mislaid. - Dublin's first traffic lights were installed at the junction of Merrion Square and Clare Street on August 27, 1937. - Dublin's first parking meter was installed on Wellington Quay on January 14, 1970. - The only town in the world named St. Patrick is in Missouri. - Ireland has 20 species of bumblebees. - Wicklow County Council has approved plans for a new international airport near Arklow. - More trade takes place between Ireland and the UK than between the UK and China and India combined. - Michael Crowe was recently elected Mayor of Galway, Seattle's Sister City. - Ireland's Post Office, An Post, has launched a stamp honoring Mother Teresa of Calcutta who was 18 when she joined the Loreto Sisters in Dublin in 1928. The following year, she went to India and started teaching in Calcutta. - The Gardai (Irish police) currently employ 14,670 people, of whom 2,113 are civilians. - More than 15,000 people applied last week for 100 jobs on offer in the Gardai (police force). - The number of prisoners in the Irish Republic exceeds 5,000 for the first time, with almost 1,000 released early because there was no room for them in the jails. - The most popular Boys' names registered in Ireland during 2009 were Jack, Sean, Daniel, Conor and James, while the most popular Girls' names were Sophie, Ava, Emma, Sarah and Grace. - The European Commission says that citizens of the Irish Republic are the fourth lowest taxed in the EU. - A coalition of Donegal artists is leading a project to twin Island Roy in Mulroy Bay with an island outcrop on Mars, the Red Planet.The island's native Irish name is Oileán Ruadh or Red Island. - Irish waters are attracting more jellyfish than ever before, apparently due to an increase in the average sea temperature. Since 1992, the sea around Ireland has been getting warmer by an average of 0.6C annually. - Acknowledging its role in IRA bombings, Libya has agreed to pay $3.5 billion to the families of victims. In the 1980s, tons of smuggled Libyan explosives were used in IRA bombings that killed 147 people. - Recently opened FBI files show that Sen. Edward Kennedy was the subject of a serious threat sent by Northern Ireland's " Ulster Defense group", one of many threats the Senator received for his work on Northern Ireland. - Sligo plans to provide free wi-fi in its downtown area. - Irish language schools in Ireland have outperformed English speaking schools in teaching English. - Carrickmacross, Co, Monaghan, recently set a record with the largest gathering of twins on the same day at the same location - 231 sets of fraternal and identical twins. - Up to half a million Irish Protestants emigrated to America in the 1780s and 1790s. - Starbucks has recently closed five of its Irish stores. |
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IRISH PROVERB
Síleann do chara agus do namhaid nach bhfaighidh tú bás choíche.
Both your friend and your enemy think that you will never die.
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Tomorrow on July 4th, may you experience many sparkles in your day. Have a great Independence Day Celebration!
Slán!
© 2010 John Keane. All Rights Reserved. Items may be copied by crediting SEATTLE-NEWS@IRISHCLUB.ORG ©. |
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ARE YOU A 2010 IRISH HERITAGE CLUB MEMBER? Please show support for Irish activities in the Seattle area by becoming a member. 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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2010 Members remain in good standing until March 31, 2011 |
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