Newsletter Masthead
Friday, April 8, 2011
Celtic Cross
RECENT
PASSINGS

Tom Monaghan who died in Claremorris, Co. Mayo, on March 25, was a brother of Malachy Monahan of Olympia.

  

Norman Fahlbeck who died recently in Tacoma, was the husband of Kathleen Fahlbeck, a native of Co. Leitrim.

 

Paddy Duggan, a native of Carlow who died recently in London, was a brother of Seattle's Fr. Oliver Duggan and the late Fr. Peter Duggan.

  

Thomas Francis Walsh, 90, who died March 15 in Texas, was a native of Co. Mayo, and the father of Kathleen Stoll of Seattle.

  

Martin Kerin, 83, a native of Ennis, Co. Clare, died March 11 in Montesano (near Aberdeen).

 

Kathleen Rooney, who died in Dublin on March 6, was a sister of Sr. Carmel Little, CSJP, of Bellevue.

 

Maura Greene died March 3 in Bellevue. A native of Athlone, Co. Westmeath, she was preceded in death this past January by her husband Martin who was from Dublin.

 

Gay Hill, 89, who died in Philadelphia on February 9, was a native of Belfast who lived most of her life in the Seattle area.

 

Ar dheis D� go raibh a n-anamacha d�lse 
 

May their faithful souls rest at God's right hand

 

 

Irish Heritage Club Logo 

Dear Members

and Friends

 

The Irish Heritage Club is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization (IRS Tax ID # 94-3091691),

whose mission is to promote activities of an Irish cultural nature in western Washington. These activities include performances of Irish music, dancing, language, history, Gaelic games, and cultural exchanges with our Sister City of Galway, Ireland.

 

Our major annual activity is the organizing of the various Irish Week events, including the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Irish Festival, but we also organize Irish activities all year round.

 

We need your financial support to help us continue our mission.

 

Become a member. You can become a member using a credit card at www.IrishClub.org,

or complete and mail the application form on the same webpage. . Individual memberships are $20 per year, and Family memberships are $30 annually. Business memberships are also available.

 

Make a cash donation at www.IrishClub.org.  Any amount is welcome no matter how small, and your tax deductible donation will be used solely to support our mission.

 

Thank you for whatever you can do to help.

 

Sincerely,

 

Nanci Spieker

President

 

 

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

San Francisco

Irish Harp

Click to visit the

Irish Consulate website

 

 

 

Irish Consul Seattle

Contact John Keane, the Honorary Consul of Ireland in Seattle, for help with Irish Passports (renewal, new,  or emergency travel document), for help with obtaining Irish citizenship, or for help with any other consular service in Washington State.

 

 

Irish Week 2011 

 2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 Irish Week Luncheon 

2011 Irish Week Luncheon

2011 Irish Week Luncheon

2011 Irish Week Luncheon

2011 Irish Week Luncheon

2011 Irish Week Luncheon

Matt Talbot Dinner

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 Irish Week Luncheon

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011 Soda Bread

2011 Soda Bread

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

  
  

Seattle
 Area Irish Resources

 

Click the Photos below for listings and contact information

Irish Festival

Irish Dancing Schools

 

 Fiddle

Irish Musicians, Casses and Sessions

 

Irish Language

Irish Language Classes

 

Claddagh Ring

Irish Imports

 

Guinness Pint

Irish Pubs and Restaurants

 

Shamrock

Other Irish Links

  
Click the Photos above for listings and contact information
  

Seattle
Area Irish Resources

Join Our Mailing List!

 

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2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade

IRISH WEEK THANKS - Our Irish visitors this March, Galway Mayor Michael Crowe and his wife Sally, and Galway City Director of Services Ciar�n Hayes, were delighted with their visit to the Emerald City and, despite the rain, really enjoyed the Parade and the other festivities. Parade Day was too soggy for a High School band from near San Jose, California, which drove all the way to Seattle but then decided not to march because of the rain! But thousands still turned out for another truly great celebration of St. Patrick's Day in Seattle. We owe a sincere M�le, M�le Bu�ochas, a Thousand, Thousand Thanks to all the volunteers who helped organize everything.

2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade 

PARADE VIDEOS/PHOTOS - To view photos from the different Irish Week events, visit IrishClub.org. Or watch videos of the Laying of the Green Stripe; the pre-Parade National Anthems; the St. Patrick's Day Parade: the Seattle Center Irish Festival or a shorter version of the Irish Festival. Lastly, here's a link to Seattle Times Parade Photos.

Irish Network Seattle 

IN-SEATTLE SEMINAR - Irish Network Seattle invites you to the University of Washington this Tuesday, April 12, Reception and Networking 6 pm, Panel Discussion 7 pm, UW's Paccar Hall (Lot N5 Parking off the 45th St entrance). Hear Irish Entrepreneurs and Innovators share their advice and real-life experiences of what it takes to launch a successful business in the Seattle/Northwest area. The panel discussion leader is David Smith, Enterprise Ireland, and panelists include: Timo Bauer, Americas GM, NewBay Software; Liam Scanlan, Founder, Bocada Data Protection Services; Pat Coyne, Founder, Paddy Coyne's Pubs; and David Weir, President and CEO, Mobile Workforce Inc. They will discuss what works and what doesn't, and the role Irish Network Seattle can play in supporting emerging Irish Entrepreneurs and Innovators. Click Here for reservations and more information. 

 

SISTER CITIES RECEPTION - Seattle's annual Sister Cities Reception will be at Seattle City Hall, 4th and James St, on Thursday evening, April 28, 6-8 PM. All are invited to join Mayor Mike McGinn, City Council President Richard Conlin, and members of the Seattle City Council at the 15th Annual Seattle Sister Cities Reception which this year especially honors the Seattle Galway Association on the 25th anniversary of the Seattle Galway relationship. Hors d'œuvres, no-host bar, raffle, silent auction. Tickets $15 in advance, $25 @ door. Email [email protected].

Frank Finneran

TOURISM AWARD - The northwest tourism industry's highest honor, the Tourism Leadership Award, was recently presented to Frank K. Finneran at the annual meeting of Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau. Of Co. Roscommon extraction, Frank is a Board Member of the Seattle Galway Sister City Association and a regular visitor to Ireland. He is widely credited with transforming the Seattle area's tourism landscape over the course of his three decades in hotel management, development and consultation, convention center stewardship and a broad spectrum of group and leisure travel leadership. He has served on the Washington State Convention Center's board of directors since 1988, and since 2003 has served as Chairman and CEO. Congratulations on receiving a well-deserved honor!

 

SEATTLE GAELS - The Seattle Gaels Hurlers and Footballers are organizing City Leagues and new players are especially welcome. The first hurling competition is the Columbia Gorge Cup on April 16, in Vancouver, WA, while the Green Lake games, an all-day Gaelic games tournament, will be held on Saturday, June 4, at Green Lake Park in the heart of Seattle, with Hurling, Camogie, and Gaelic football teams from out of town scheduled to participate. For more information, visit SeattleGaels.com.

 

SEAN-N�S DANCE - Sean-n�s is a fun, easy form of old-style Irish step dancing and Sean-n�s Dance workshops will be held on the Mondays of May, 6:30 pm at the Washington Hall, Lodge Room, 153 - 14th Ave, Seattle. Beginning students will learn the basic movements, steps, and rhythms, while Intermediate students focus on more complex steps. Contact Alicia Guinn at [email protected].

 

BOOK CLUB - The Irish Book Club meets in north Seattle on
Tuesday, April 12 at 7 pm, to discuss Brooklyn by Colm T�ib�n. For the location and other details, contact [email protected].

Oak Harbor Parade 

OAK HARBOR - The Oak Harbor Irish Wildlife Society had their annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 17 - see photo above. Read a Whidbey Examiner article about an Irish meeting held in Oak Harbor on March 14 and about the 1860s Whidbey Island headstone that has an Irish language inscription in medieval Gaelic script.

 

GREAT CRAIC - The Seattle Great West Coast Craic show comes to Seattle's King Cat Theatre on May 14th. The Seattle show features The Young Dubliners from Los Angeles, CA, Ockham's Razor from Seattle, WA, The Whiskey Dicks from Vancouver, WA and Amadan from Portland, OR. For more details, visit greatwestcoast.com.

 

MEMORIAL DAY MASS - An open-air Mass will be celebrated at the Seattle area's Irish Pioneer Cemetery, St. Patrick Cemetery in Kent, at 10:30 am on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30. Established in 1880 by Richard O'Connell from Co. Limerick, St. Patrick Cemetery is located 1/2 mile east of I-5 on Orillia Rd at 204th Street, just east of Sea-Tac Airport. For more information, visit St. Patrick Cemetery. 

 

IRISH RACE DAY - Irish Day at Emerald Downs in Auburn is Sunday, June 26, 2-6 pm. Unlimited coupons for Free Admissions and Free Race Programs are available from the Irish Heritage Club - contact [email protected]. The $50,000 Irish Day Handicap features spectacular Thoroughbred Racing with a backdrop of Irish Music, Irish Stepdancers, and Free Kids Activities (Free Pony Rides, Free Inflatable Slide, Free Face Painters), etc. For information on Emerald Downs, visit EmeraldDowns.com. For Seating and Dining Reservations, call 253-288-7711.

Divine 

DIVINE MARIGOLDS - The Divine Marigolds, the Seattle based television show about an Irish-American family in West Seattle, completed their first phase of show production with the shooting of the show's pilot episode in November. To keep in touch with Seattle's Irish community, the show's cast marched in Seattle's St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 12. Photo above shows the cast at the Seattle Center's Irish Festival with Galway Mayor Michael Crowe. For more information, visit TheDivineMarigolds.com.  

 

NEW TDS - Brian Walsh, who visited Seattle twice in 2006 while Mayor of Seattle's Sister City of Galway, is a newly elected TD (D�il Deputy) following Ireland's General Election. Just missing out on being elected TD was former Galway Mayor and 2005 Seattle visitor Catherine Connolly who lost her race by just 17 votes! Retiring from the D�il was former Galway Mayor and 1993 Seattle visitor, P�draic McCormack, who has been a TD since 1989.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

        Irish textile artist Maura Donegan will exhibit her works through April 30 at the Catherine Person Gallery, 319 Third Ave South, Seattle. For more information, visit catherineperson.com.

        Gerry O'Beirne from Ennis, Co. Clare, a renowned singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, performs this Sunday, April 10, 7 pm, at Seattle's Empty Sea Studios, 6300 Phinney Ave. Tickets: $16 advance, $20 at the door.

        Saturday, April 16, 7:30 pm, Grammy Award winning Irish musician Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul at the Pantages Theatre in Tacoma.

        Raising Hope, a Concert Series organized by Irish flute player Hanz Araki and other Irish musicians to Benefit the Relief Effort in Japan, Friday, April 22, at 7 pm at The Seattle Art Museum.

        The next Irish Hooley at the Des Moines North Hill Community Center is April 16th, and because it is also tax night, it's FREE. The 5 pm Potluck is followed by a jam session and Irish dancing till 10pm. For the latest information on all the Irish / Celtic events and concerts in the Seattle area, visit Hoilands.com.  

        Three Irish historical novels by Tacoma man James Francis Smith are available on Kindle at $9.99 each.

        The Irish Times writes about Butte, The most Irish town in America?

        Seattle's Irish Heritage Night at the Seattle Mariners is Friday evening, July 15, 7:10 pm, vs. the Texas Rangers. Enjoy great baseball along with pre-game Irish dancing and bagpipers, a free Irish Night Mariners cap, AND reduced price tickets - visit Mariners.com/Irish for more details.

        Seattle's Irish Community Picnic is Sunday, July 24, at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah. All members of Seattle's Irish community are welcome to attend at no charge for a great day of family fun and socializing. Contact [email protected] for more details.

 

        Watch GAA games live online from Ireland using Overplay's Virtual Private Network.

NEWS FROM IRELAND

  

GENERAL ELECTION - Following Ireland's General Election on February 25, Fine Gael become Ireland's largest political party for the first time ever and Labour the second largest party, also for the first time. After negotiating a deal with Labour to form a coalition, Enda Kenny from Co. Mayo is Ireland's new Taoiseach. The Government Coalition now has 112 TDs (members of the D�il) while the Opposition totals 53 TDs. 25 women TDs were elected, an increase of three on 2007.

 

MARCH 17 NEWS - During his St Patrick's Day meeting at the White House with Taoiseach Enda Kenny, President Obama confirmed that he will visit Moneygall, Co. Offaly, this May. Moneygall was the home of Obama's ancestor Falmouth Kearney who emigrated to Ohio in 1851. The length of the President's stay in Ireland has not yet been decided, but he may also visit Shinrone, Co. Offaly, where many of his ancestors, including at least 15 Kearneys, are buried in the local Church of Ireland cemetery.

 

PARADES ABROAD - Despite Russian authorities banning the St Patrick's Day parade because of cost, about 2,000 people turned Moscow's main pedestrianised street, Stary Arbat, green for the day. Meanwhile, the St. Patrick's Day parades in the Chinese capital of Beijing and in Shanghai were cancelled by the authorities to prevent opportunities for protests. There are about 350 Irish people living in Beijing, with a slightly larger number in Shanghai.

 

N I MURDER - A young Catholic man who had recently completed his training with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, was killed last week by a car bomb in Omagh, Co. Tyrone. The attack was blamed on dissident republicans opposed to Northern Ireland's peace process, and swift condemnation of the murder came from all sides of the political and religious divide, including from former IRA leaders Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams.

 

MORIARTY TRIBUNAL - After 14 years of investigations, Ireland's Moriarty tribunal has ruled that a former government minister received secret payments in 1996 and 1999 totaling over $700,000, and other financial benefits, in connection with the awarding of a cellular telephone license, one of the most sought-after commercial licenses ever granted by an Irish government.

 

QUEEN'S VISIT - Britain's Queen Elizabeth will visit Ireland from May 17-20, the first British monarch to visit Ireland since the foundation of the State in 1922. In Ireland, she will visit the National Stud in Kildare, the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary, and a number of locations in Cork and Dublin. In Dublin, she will lay a wreath at Ireland's Garden of Remembrance to honor the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rebellion against British rule, and will also visit Croke Park, where in 1920, British troops killed 14 people during a Gaelic football game on what is still called Bloody Sunday.

 

MONACO VISIT - Prince Albert of Monaco and his fiancee were in Ireland this week for a three-day State visit. The visit took place 50 years after the prince's late father and mother, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, also visited Ireland. While in Ireland, Prince Albert visited Galway and his mother's ancestral home in Newport, Co. Mayo.

 

IRELAND'S IMAGE - Ireland's international reputation has been significantly damaged over the past two years as a result of the fiscal and banking crisis. Now the new Irish government is recalling all ambassadors to Dublin to consult on how to sell Ireland abroad, and there are plans for a major international marketing campaign to repair Ireland's image and to encourage inward investment.

 

EMIGRANT NUMBERS - The director of the Employment Research Centre at Trinity College Dublin claims that politicians and the media have wildly exaggerated current Irish emigration rates. He argues that the widely quoted 1,000 per week emigration figure includes a large proportion of non-Irish people returning home and says that if only Irish-born people are considered, an estimated 27,700 left Ireland in 2010.

 

IMMIGRANT NUMBERS - Over 13,000 Irish people moved back to live in Ireland in 2010, motivated by a desire to be closer to elderly parents, to bring their children up in Ireland, a longing to return to the community where they grew up, by a relationship break-up, or because they lost their jobs and exhausted their savings abroad.

 

DUBLIN GUIDES - Visitors to Dublin can now request a personal guide to tell them about the city over a cup of tea or coffee, or a pint of Guinness. The service is free, including the tea, coffee or Guinness which will be supplied by one of the scheme's sponsors. The City of a Thousand Welcomes scheme starts on Bloomsday, June 16, and over 1,000 hospitable Dubliners have volunteered and been vetted by garda� (police). The organizers will try to assign guides who have something in common with their visitor(s).

 

HOTEL RATES - Ireland has the cheapest hotel rooms in western Europe, according to figures from bookings made through Hotels.com at 130,000 hotels worldwide. Ireland had the sixth cheapest hotels out of 44 countries surveyed with an average room rate of €79 ($112) and Dublin is now one of the world's least expensive major cities.

 

BLOOM SOLILOQUY - British Singer Kate Bush, whose mother is from Co. Waterford, has been given permission to use Molly Bloom's famous soliloquy from Ulysses in a song she will release in May. Bush originally approached the Joyce estate in 1989 looking for permission but was denied, and has spent the last 22 years trying to get them to change their minds. The Joyce estate has been notoriously protective of the writer's work, but the copyright on Ulysses expires in 2012, 70 years after the author's death.

 

AOSD�NA ELECTIONS - Author Joseph O'Connor, who recently read in Seattle from his novel Ghost Light, was one of five new members elected to Aosd�na, a body established 30 years ago to honor outstanding artists born or living in Ireland. Aosd�na is restricted to 250 members and a maximum of seven new members are elected annually by a vote of existing members. Aosd�na members are also eligible to receive a Cnuas (payment) currently totaling about $25,000 annually.

 

IMRO ACADEMY - Bill Whelan, the composer of Riverdance, and Brendan Graham, the co-writer of You Raise Me Up, are the first artists inducted into the Imro Academy, set up to celebrate songwriters and composers who have made a significant cultural impact in Ireland and internationally.

 

WHOOPS! - English Rugby authorities have been red-faced and apologetic over a Nike commercial and 5,000 T-shirts heralding England as Grand Slam champions. The problem is that on March 19 Ireland denied England the Grand Slam by beating them 24-8.

 

COFFIN-SHIP DOCUMENTARY - In 1849, the ship Hannah with an English crew of 12 and carrying 180 Irish emigrants fleeing the famine, hit an ice reef off the coast of Newfoundland. The captain took flight in the ship's only lifeboat leaving his passengers to drown or freeze to death. Seventeen hours later, the survivors were rescued off the ice by another famine ship. In 2010, Canadian TV made a documentary about the event which can be viewed online by Canadian residents and also by those who subscribe to Overplay's Virtual Private Network.

 

APRIL FOOLS ANNOUNCEMENTS - For the duration of the Queen's visit to Ireland next month, Counties Laois and Offaly will officially revert to their historical names of King's County and Queen's County! The pub in the D�il (Irish Parliament) is being converted into a juice and smoothie bar! Ryanair will introduce child-free flights on all major routes! Those and other jokes made the April 1 rounds this year in Ireland, but the best April Fools gag still is the one from a few years ago when Dublin radio station, 98fm, recruited "Little Becky" to call a demolition company about her school. Here's a Radio station replay.

 

AIRLINE COMPENSATION - EU law requires that airlines cover the reasonable expenses of passengers delayed for reasons beyond an airline's control. Claims in 2010 due to the Icelandic volcano, summer air traffic controller strikes, and airport snow closures cost Irish airline Ryanair $142 million, money it now plans to recoup from passengers via a $2.85 booking fee.

 

EXTREMIST SUMMIT - Fifty former violent extremists, including neo-Nazis, Islamic fundamentalists and Latino gang members, will attend a summit from June 26 - 29 in Dublin. The "Summit Against Violent Extremism" aims to generate new and innovative ways to address the threat posed by radicalization. Dublin was chosen as the location because of its experience dealing with violent extremism in Northern Ireland.

 

GENEALOGY RECORDS - April 12 is the 150th Anniversary of the battle of Fort Sumter which marked the start of the American Civil War. In celebration, the National Archives and Ancestry.com will provide the general public online access to newly digitized Civil War era records for FREE through April 14. The new Civil War collection is highlighted by the Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registration Records, 1863-1865.

 

HERITAGE DATABASE - DIPPAM (Documenting Ireland - Parliament, People and Migration) is a large online and searchable database of documents and sources relating to the history of Ireland mainly in the 1700s and 1800s. It has statistics relating to population, emigration and other subjects. It contains 15,000 official government publications about Irish affairs between 1800 - 1922 when the UK was the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It includes more than 33,000 records drawn from a number of collections, including many private donors, with letters to and from emigrants plus interviews conducted with migrants from Ulster with participants from all backgrounds and religions.

 

MORE ARCHIVES - The Irish Archives Resource enables researchers to search online for publicly accessible archival collections in Ireland. The website includes material from government agencies, landed estates and societies as well as records from political and religious organizations, much of it dating back to the 17th century. Repositories include the Boole Library at University College Cork, records from the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and local government files from Dublin, Cork and Donegal. Users can even search the business records of the Guinness and Murphy breweries, dating back to the early 1800s.

 

TITANIC PHOTOS - "Titanic 100" is an exhibition at Belfast City Hall of photographs of the Titanic taken by the official photographer of its Belfast ship makers, Harland and Wolff. The exhibition focuses on the construction of the ship, but also provides an insight into the life of the men who worked at the shipyard. The laying of the ship's keel was on March 31, 1909 and the ship was launched on May 31, 1911.

 

GRAVE-DIGGING CERTIFICATION - In rural communities around Ireland, the tradition from time immemorial has been for neighbors to both dig and fill the grave when a member of the community dies. Now Cork County Council has issued regulations requiring graves to be dug by registered grave-diggers with qualifications that include training in first-aid and risk-assessment. One community responded with the notice: "In Myross, we dig for our own, we shoulder our own and we inter our own. Our traditions and customs. Your respect required."

 

AMERICAN-IRISH HERITAGE - Donegal's Ulster Scots / Scots Irish Heritage and Education Centre is organizing a "Heritage Tour of America" to trace the journey of more than 200,000 people who left Ireland's northern counties in the late 1700s headed for America. The tour this October will take them from Dublin to locations in the states of Georgia and Tennessee.

 

SCOTS DIVIDE - Nowadays Scots of Irish descent have the same voting patterns as the rest of the Scottish population. Scotland's "Orange vote" that traditionally supported the Conservative Party's position on Northern Ireland has disappeared, but the sectarian divide still exists at Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers games.

 

GAELIC MACBETH - An Irish translation of Macbeth, An Bron-Chluiche Macbeit, was recently published as an e-book by Cl� Litriocht, an Irish publishing company that helps authors deliver their Irish language books in eBook format. Popular titles include Tom�s Mac Siom�in's "An Tionscadal", Maidhc Dainin O'Shea's "Idir dh� Lios" and an Irish translation of "Alice in Wonderland". The books are available for download from Litriocht.com, the world's largest online Irish language bookshop.

 

APPALACHIAN IRELAND - Ireland is being included in the International Appalachian Trail (IAT). The original trail stretches from Georgia to Maine, a distance of 2,181 miles, and an extension continues from Maine to the top of Newfoundland, another 1,926 miles. Though Newfoundland and Ireland are now separated by thousands of miles of ocean, they were once part of the same landmass. The IAT will now include a stretch of Ireland from the 1,971 ft high Slieve League cliffs in Co. Donegal, eastwards along the Bluestacks Way, then the Ulster Way, and finally the Causeway Coast Way terminating in Ballycastle, Co Antrim.

 

1916 ARTIFACTS - A sword and hat belonging to Roger Casement was recently presented to Ireland's National Museum by London's Metropolitan Police. Casement wore them in 1911 when he was knighted by King George V in recognition of his work as British Consul in Africa and South America, but they were confiscated following his arrest in 1916. Casement was hanged by the British for his role in the 1916 Irish Rebellion.

 

DEV LETTER - A personal letter from �amon de Valera on official Department of the Taoiseach notepaper, was sold at auction recently. Dated March 27, 1947, de Valera wrote the family of a woman who had recently died saying she had "made tea for us on the evening of the Howth Gun-running" and expressed regret that he had not called to see her since "to tell her how much I appreciated her kindness on that evening". De Valera was a member of the Irish Volunteers who smuggled a shipment of arms to Howth in 1914 which were later used in the1916 Rebellion.

 

FISHING RIGHTS - An Irish judge must examine laws and charters predating the Magna Carta to settle a dispute over Dublin City Council's right to lease out fishing rights on the river Liffey. Since the time of Henry II, who died in 1189, the citizens of Dublin and its city council have claimed title to the water and bed of the river.

 

GIANT GULLIVER - An Irish businessman is planning to erect a giant statue of a reclining Gulliver near the real-life Lilliput on the shores of Lough Ennell, Co. Westmeath. When measured from head to toe, the statue will be 150 feet tall, and tourists will be able to climb up inside to take in the panoramic view. Gulliver was the literary creation of Jonathan Swift in his 1726 book "Gulliver's Travels". Swift spent many summers near Lilliput, and in his book he immortalized the area as the "land of little people".

 

MOLLOY CLAN - The O'Molloy Clan Association will hold a worldwide clan reunion in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, on August 12 - 13. The events include lectures, access to local genealogical records, tours of O'Molloy castles, homes and burial sites, music, dance, storytelling, and dinner at Charlevelle Castle.

 

HARE TROUBLE - Researchers warn that the Irish hare is being threatened by the European or brown hare which is becoming prevalent in parts of Ulster. The Irish Hare represents an evolutionary unique lineage as it has been restricted to the island of Ireland for 30,000-60,000 years, since before the last glacial period.

 

KENNEDY PAINTING - A painting called Farewell to Ireland by Patrick Hennessy is being offered for sale at $98,950 (€72,000). It shows John F Kennedy climbing the steps of Air Force One at Shannon Airport on June 29th, 1963. The artist was born in Cork and died in Portugal in 1980.

 

GUEVARA ICON - The Che Guevara image that became an icon of the anti-Vietnam war protests worldwide and that even today graces thousands of t-shirts, posters and other items, was created in May 1968 by Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick has never received any royalties for his design, but he now plans to claim royalties and donate them to Guevara's family and the Cuban people.

 

STRONGBOW'S MARRIAGE - The Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation program is sponsoring the restoration of The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife, one of the most popular painting exhibits in the National Gallery of Ireland. The large canvas (10ft x 16ft) painting dates from 1854 and depicts the marriage of Norman invader Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, to Aoife, daughter of Dermot McMurrough, the King of Leinster. That event is traditionally regarded as the start of 800 years of British rule in Ireland.

 

POIT�N MISSIONS - In the 1920s and 1930s, Redemptorist priests held special "Poit�n missions" in the west of Ireland, with particular attention on Connemara, in an attempt to banish the "worms" - spiral copper pipes and other paraphernalia used in Poit�n-making. Poit�n is the Irish version of moonshine and was first outlawed in Ireland in 1661.

 

IRISH SCHOOLS - In September 1831, the British House of Commons voted a sum of �30,000 "to enable the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to assist in the education of the people." By 1869, there were over 6,500 elementary schools throughout Ireland, with about million pupils enrolled.

TID BITS
  

        President Obama officially declared March 2011 as Irish American Heritage Month, to recognize "the countless Irish Americans whose leadership and service have steered the course of our Nation."

        See the details of President Obama's Irish roots.  

        Watch a St. Patrick's Day Irish Dancing Flashmob in Sydney, Australia.

        In Galway's St. Patrick's Day parade, a theater group acted out the tale of deities Krishna and Buddha making a historic visit to Ireland to bring a "fiery dragon" to St. Patrick to help him hunt down the snakes.

        Among the invitees to the White House on St. Patrick's Day were Dublin Gaelic Footballer Bernard Brogan and Tipperary Hurler Eoin Kelly, invited in recognition of the role played by Gaelic games in contemporary Ireland.

        'Corned beef and cabbage' was the top-rated search term for St.Patrick's Day this year according to Google.

        See photos from Dublin's 2011 St Patrick's Day Parade.

        Read the Irish Times Coverage of Ireland's General Election.

        Ireland's General Election was conducted using Proportional representation: what it is and how it works.

        Applications for Irish birth, adoption, death and marriage certificates cost from $15-$20 at www.certicates.ie.

        Irish Twitter users name 50 things they love about Ireland.

        Ireland's Passport Service processed over 675,000 applications in 2010. Irish Passport processing time is currently running about 8-10 weeks.

        Researchers in the monthly Journal of Food Science, after sampling 103 pints in 71 pubs in 14 countries, and after all other variables are discounted, report that Guinness really does taste better in Ireland!

        An Irish government Minister says that Irish citizens living abroad may be allowed to vote in next November's Irish presidential elections.

        The New York Times profiles Samantha Power, the Dubliner who is President Obama's influential National Security Council member.

        Over 23 percent of the oil used in Ireland comes from Libya.

        There are 115 direct flights to Ireland weekly from eight US airports. That includes American Airlines resumption of its daily flight between Chicago and Dublin.

        Ireland's largest fundraiser is the JP McManus pro-am golf tournament which is staged every five years and where all of the pro-players participate for free. Last year's two-day tournament raised $58 million.

        A Cork woman died recently in New York from apparent exposure. A talented artist who emigrated to the US in 1993, she became homeless after developing addiction problems.

        Ireland's Central Bank will issue a €15 coin later this year carrying an image of the Irish salmon. The salmon first featured on the pre-decimal Irish florin in 1928 and later the 10 pence coin.

        NetJets, owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, has ordered 50 Global jets from Bombardier in Belfast with an option for a further 70 aircraft as part of a $2.7bn deal.

        Between 1830-1930, about fifty thousand Irish people emigrated to Argentina, mostly from Counties Westmeath, Longford and Wexford.

        The Irish Independent writes about "A wild wave of new Irish writing".

        When new drivers in Ireland go for their driving test, they must provide the examiner with a logbook, signed by a recognized driving instructor, showing that they have completed 12 hours of driving lessons.

        Aer Lingus, Ireland's national airline, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Founded in 1936, Aer Lingus flew 9.3 million passengers in 2010.

        Ireland, with a median age of 34.3, has the youngest population in Europe.

        11.3% of Ireland's population is over 65 years of age, the lowest in Europe.

        The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, which oversaw the winding-down of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland, and the Independent Monitoring Commission which stewarded the dismantling of illegal arsenals, have been dissolved.

        Ireland's High Court has struck down as unconstitutional a law making it a criminal offence for a non-national to fail to produce a passport or other identity document on demand by garda� (police).

        1,100 Irish-Americans and Irish people living in the US choose Galway as their most popular Irish destination.

        The New York Times writes about the influence of Ireland's Daniel O'Connell on American abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

        Michael Corrigan's Irish American memoir, Confessions of a Shanty Irishman, is available on Kindle. Contact [email protected] for details.

        There's a report that the Vatican may close Maynooth Seminary and move all Irish seminarians to the pontifical Irish College in Rome. There are presently 72 men studying for the priesthood in Maynooth which has been a seminary since 1795.

        Na Gaeil �ga is the first all-Irish-speaking GAA club in Dublin that is not affiliated to a school or institution.

        The British government recently apologized for the 1976 killing of 12-year-old Majella O'Hare. She was shot in the back by a British soldier 35 years ago after passing an army checkpoint on her way to church.

        46% of Dublin's waste is now being recycled; nationally the figure is 39%.

        Northern Ireland's Prison service has closed two social clubs operating illegally within Maghaberry and Magilligan prisons which were selling alcohol and conducting gambling.

        Three roadside bronze sculptures have been stolen from the sides of freeways in Ireland and broken up for scrap metal.

        The British government will allow Northern Ireland to reduce its corporation tax rate to 12.5%, the same level as in the Irish Republic. Now Scotland's Assembly wants the same authority.

        A British soldier from Ballymena, Co Antrim, has won the Military Cross, the third-highest British army award for gallantry.

        Irish adults consume an average of 4� ounces of potatoes daily. Adults under 65 prefer processed, chipped or roasted potatoes, while those over 65 prefer them boiled or mashed.

        90% of Ireland's population prefers tea as their beverage of choice.

        Over 60% of Irish adults under 65 are either obese or overweight. Obesity rates amongst Irish men have tripled over the last 20 years.

        The last Irish-born player in the US Major Leagues was Corkman Joseph Cleary, a pitcher with the Washington Senators in 1945.

        A Dublin publican who hung a 40-foot banner outside his pub barring Queen Elizabeth from entering, was ordered to take the sign down.

        Joan Burton, Ireland's new Minister for Social Protection, was adopted as a child and never met her birth mother.

        The latest Forbes list of billionaires includes five Irish passport holders.

        Pope Benedict is expected to visit Ireland in June, 2012.

        The recently deceased Hollywood film actress, Jane Russell, adopted an Irish baby boy in 1952. Now named Thomas Waterfield, he lives in Arizona.

        The birth certificate of William O'Malley, a Galway Member of the British Parliament from 1895 - 1918, recorded that he was born on February 31, 1853.

        A sample of an interactive walking DVD based around the valley of Glendalough in Co. Wicklow, can be found on Trek Ireland's website.

        6% of the population of Scotland, 150,000 people, are direct descendants of a 5th-century High King of Ireland, Niall Noigiallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), according to new DNA research!

        What the heck is a brush dance? For more information, email [email protected].

        20% of Irish households do not have a bank account.

IRISH PROVERB
 
An t� a chaillfeas a chl�, caillfidh s� a n�ire
He who loses his reputation, loses his shame

 
John Keane 
 
2011 John Keane. Items may be copied if
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ARE YOU A 2011 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 [email protected] or visit www.irishclub.org

2011 Members remain in good standing until March 31, 2012