First Feature:
Irish Book Review
New Feature
A Word from
our Sponsor:
Metro Acura
Letter from the Publisher:
Jim McDonough
Irish Public Service Announcement
Wells of Life
Pub of the Week:
Featued Pubs
NEW YEAR'S Eve
Celebrations in
Southern California
Upcoming
Irish Events
RIVERDANCE
Contest
Details in our
Calendar Section
EnterToWin
Irish Christmas
Traditions
ALL THREE PARTS
All Things Irish Blog
Please PATronize
Our Advertisers
|
Links:
Forward this Issue...
Click Here
Shop the
TUDOR HOUSE
ONLINE
www.tudorhouse.com
Irish Whiskey Cakes
Beef & Lamb
Irish Stews...
Just a click away...
|
caledoniankitchen.com
www.MagnersCider.com
|
|
|
Calendar Preview
O'Brien's
Santa Monica
The Harp Inn
Costa Mesa
King's Head in
Santa Monica
Theater Listings:
Los Angeles Area
At The Pantages
Riverdance
Returns in JANUARY
Every Monday
and Special Events
Celtic Arts Center
N. Hollywood
Got Listings??
E-Mail Us at celticlistings@aol.comOr Drop Us
a line atIRISH NEWS
BOX 882
Pasadena, CA 91102
|
|
We have
developed a
Digital Media Kit.
If you are interested
in receiving
advertising rates, testimonials
and details about
marketing and promoting your
business or event
with our
Link$
and
On-Line
or
In Print Publications
Please
contact us.
We will respond promptly.
We are now in
our 17th Year
as the premier
source for
information
in the
Irish-American Community!
Remember,
Irish Networking
is good for all
of US!Jim's Cell: 785-341-6923
Direct E-mail:
jmcdonough44@gmail.com
|
|
|
|
First Feature
"A Sudden Gift of Fate"
-- the new novel by Mary
Pat Hyland --
|
...tells the story of
Irish newlyweds
who are given a run-down 
Finger Lakes winery
to manage
as a wedding gift.
It is the
sequel to
"The Cyber Miracles,"
Hyland's debut novel. This book
includes Gaeilge,
the Irish language.
Cost: $20.
Available at Amazon.com.
For
more information,
visit the official blog: giftoffate.wordpress.com.
Look for a complete review of A Sudden Gift of Fate
in the January issue of the IRISH NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT
Starting with our January Issue of the Irish News USA E-Missive
and the IRISH NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT;
we will be reviewing an Irish/Celtic Music CDs
and/or an Irish Interest or Irish Authored book each week.Submissions are invited. E-mail us for guidelines:irishnewsusa@aol.com
|
|
Happy New Year to Everyone!!
Special Thanks to All Our Customers and Friends
and IRISH NEWS USA Readers for making
2009 another great year!
Terry McCartan, Sales Manager
Looking for a NEW ACURA
Why buy
anywhere else but METRO ACURA/HONDA? 
All our New Acuras and Hondas
COME WITH A
LIFETIME
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY
AVAILABLE on SELECT USED Cars TOO
! Unlimited Mileage and Unlimited Time of Ownership ! Get your BEST
VALUE HERE! No other Acura or Honda Dealer in So Cal offers this
Protection! Special Holiday Offer EXTENDED;
Make a great deal and we will give you a
Special Celtic Christmas Gift Pack as an added Bonus!!*Call and make your appointment TODAY. Ask for Terry McCartan
909-447-6000 tmccartan@metroacura.dealercrm.com
www.metroacura.com
*Offer Good Through 1/15/2010
|
SAVE THE DATES...
Saturday and Sunday
March 6 & 7 |
The first weekend in March has been set for the
SEVENTH ANNUAL Los Angeles County
IRISH DAYS AT FAIRPLEX
Details and Information will be posted
starting next week.
For details and information;
participants and vendors can contact:
Pageantry Productions
11904 Long Beach Blvd.
Lynwood, CA
Ask for Beth at
310 537-4240
Click here...
www.Irish Village and more
|
|
|
|
|
| Letter from the Publisher
Dear IRISH NEWS USA Readers,
With this issue, we are finishing up the year and our appeal to you to help us get a fresh water well drilled in Uganda.
We are working with Wells of Life to make something that is truly needed a reality. We know it is a tough time to ask and we would not be involved if we did not believe in this project. We can not pull this off without the support of our readers.
Please read the feature just below this letter and if you can; join us in this effort.
*************************************
We are working on the annual
Irish News & Entertainment's YEAR IN REVIEW issue.
If you have jpegs of an Irish or Celtic Event that you would like to share with our readers; please E-mail the photo file to us. Send along a caption telling us the who/what and details. We will give you a photo credit AND an Irish Music CD. Send submissions to:
celticlistings@aol.com
*********************************************************
We also want to call your attention to a recap and reprinting of ALL THREE PARTS of our First Feature
series on IRISH CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS. We received over 100 requests for missing parts and copies from readers who had either heard of the feature and had missed it or folks who wanted us to send them a single part they missed. We figured a reprint of the entire series was the most efficient way to answer all the request.
Finally, I want to thank all of our readers for your comments and support of this new Irish Interest E-Missive and for your readership, patronage of our advertisers and support of the print editions of the Irish News & Entertainment for many years.
*********************************************************
E-Missives of Irish Interest is a FREE service provided by the Irish News & Entertainment.
Let us know how we can better serve your interests by contacting us by E-mail or regular mail.
A new or renewal subscription to our print edition
can be obtained by mailing $20 to:
Irish News
Box 882
Pasadena, CA 91102
You will receive 8 issues per year mailed
First Class US Mail
You also receive a FREE Irish Music CD
with your first copy.
Overseas postage is $12. more per year.
May You All Have A Happy,
Healthy and Prosperous 2010!
Jim McDonough,
Publisher
|
Irish News USA Public Service Block WELLS OF LIFE
Recently we profiled Nick Jordan and Wells of Life,
a 501C3 Non Profit Foundation, as our First Feature.
We have spoken to Nick Jordan, the co-founder of
Wells of Life, again since we published that small story
and he gave us a great challenge and goal for our
Weekly Irish E-Missive Readers and Friends of the
Irish News & Entertainment.
Nick Jordan and Children in Uganda
this weekly and our paper to drill and dedicate an
IRISH NEWS USA READERS WELL in Uganda.
We are working on Nick's challenge. We have made this our Christmas Project. The program is an astonishing bargain.
A well to reach precious water and to change the lives of hundreds of people costs only $3000. The foundation has a matching funds program with one of their corporate sponsors so that our advertisers, readers and staff can act together to raise the remaining $1500 and we will be able to help drill a specific well in Uganda. By "specific" we mean that a particular well will be dedicated to our efforts and it will be known as the IRISH NEWS USA READERS WELL.
Your donation is tax deductible. It is Christmas and it is near the end of the year. It is a perfect time to do this.
We need your help. Wells of Life has set up a
separate account to track all donations from us or our readers.
Please mention that you are part of the Irish News USA Readers Group. You can talk to Luanne at Nick Jordan's office for details. (contact info follows this story)
When we finish this appeal; we will run a Full Page
Thank You ad in the Irish News and we will gratefully acknowledge your contribution. Later, as the project progresses, we are going to run a feature in the
Irish News Weekly here and in our print edition about the actual drilling of the well; so you will see your good
deed in action. You can help a lot by simply sending this story on to your list too; VIRAL MEDIA IS REMARKABLE!
Your forward may end up being seen by hundreds of viewers. We have picked up readers to this service from around the world since we started less than three months ago by folks like you sending it on.
This is a worthy project so please help.
Make a check to WELLS OF LIFE for any amount
and send it to:
WELLS OF LIFE
1278 Glenneyre Stree, #60,
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Phone: 949 584-6166
Email:
info@wellsoflifeafrica.org
Hours:
8:00am - 8:00pm (PST)
You can also donate OnLine. In all cases; make sure you mention our group so we can include you in the acknowledgment features.
If you can afford to do so; please send in the entire
amount of $1500 for a well dedicated to whoever you choose and we will still include you in our list of donors to our designated IRISH NEWS USA READERS WELL.
More information at:
www.wellsoflifeafrica.org
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This
part of the newsletter is provider at no cost
to non-profits and/or
groups or businesses that
are promoting Celtic Cultural, Educational or
Humanitarian Projects. To submit an idea for
a featured listing; E-Mail us at:
celticlistings@aol.com or call:785 341-6923 |
Pubs of the Week:
Sponsored byPubGuide.comThe Pubs Featured this week are all doing
something special for New Year's Eve & Day!
Come see ALL the Games in HDTV Live Music most days! Join us for your Holiday Party... The Harp Inn is available for parties, fundraisers and functions. We can cater for
any occasion and provide food and music. Our Annual New Year's Party is fast approaching. Call Now! 130 E. 17th Street Costa Mesa, CA 92627 949646-8855 www.harpinn.com The King's Head Pub
and ShoppeJoin us for Happy Hour; Monday thru Friday from 4:00 to 7:00 PM Drink and Appetizer Specials in the Pub ONLY !You are invited to join in on our double New Year's Eve Fun, British New Year at 4:00pm PST. Count down all evening for our Midnight Celebration! 116 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 310 451-1402 yeoldekingshead.com
Muldoon's PubDrop by anytime in December and enjoy a great lunch or dinner and top it off with a glass of Muldoon's authentic Wassel!
*NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY* NO COVER - LIVE MUSIC -
PARTY FAVORS & NOISE MAKERS - MAKE RESERVATIONS NOW!!!! Muldoon's Pub & Celtic Bar 202 Newport Center Dr. Newport Beach, CA 949 640-4110 www.muldoonspub.comStudio City/Hollywood Adjacent
 Maeve's Residuals is a traditional Irish Pub in Studio City with a Bohemian, eclectic and friendly atmosphere and patrons. Maeve's Residuals 11042 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, CA 818 761-8301 www.maevesresiduals.com
In the HEART of the
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY
Robin Hood Pub
Ring in the NEW YEAR with your friends at one
of the most authentic and best British Pubs in
SoCal. Always a great Celebration!
Call for details...
Robin Hood Pub
13640 Burbank Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA
818 994-6045Are you back East or Planning a Trip?
Connolly's Pub
BLACK47 in person
The annual Connolly's New Year's Eve Celebration in Times
Square. Tickets still available online at:
www.black47.tickets.musictoday.com
where tickets are available for Saturdays Feb. 13/20/27.
TICKETS FOR NEW YEARS EVE ALSO ON SALE AT CONNOLLY'S
45th St. btwn.
B'way & 6th Ave.
New York City
ONLY $20!! As ever, the best value and
closest music venue to the heart of Times Square. (Enter at 45th
St./6th Avenue with your ticket. No hassle! Doors open at 8pm. Come
early and ring out the old decade.
Times Square is the crossroads of the world, and on New Year's Eve it
becomes the eye of the hurricane. Since 1989, Black 47 has played within
shouting distance of the dropping ball. We wanted to catch the
excitement and the thrill of the various New Years' we've spent in
Connolly's of 45th Street. IF YOU CAN'T MAKE NEW YEAR'S 2009AT CONNOLLY'S, then you should have this DVD
Our Banner....
Athbhliain faoi Bhliain go léir
Happy New Year To All!!
|
If you have a
favorite pub that you would like us to list and profile; please
contact:jim@pubguide.com Have you missed an issue of IrishNews USA E-Missive? If so; click here for a past issue:
IrishNews USA #8 |
|
|
Irish News USA CALENDAR
|
Listings By Date...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Cleary Irish Dancers will be performing at Disneyland!
Details online at:
www.clearyirishdance.com
Friday, January 8, 2010
8:00pm |
JOHN McCUTCHEON in concert;
presented by the California Traditional Music Society.
Encino Community Center
Encino, CA
Tickets $22.00-$30.00
Phone: 818 817-7756
www.ctmsfolkmusic.org
Special Offer...
GIVE THE GIFT OF LIVE MUSIC!
Free tickets and discounts available if you act now!
Concert tickets make excellent gifts for your family
and friends!
With any online order you place through us before December 25th we will automatically send you a
free pair of tickets to use for one of our upcoming
concerts (tickets will be mailed to you and restrictions
do apply). Be sure to use the codes below while
ordering online.
HOLIDAY DISCOUNT CODES:
Expires 12/31/09 at midnight
Reserved tickets for $25.00 (Code: REJOHNM)
General Admission tickets for $15.00 (Code: GAJOHNM)
For more information, visit:
http://panioloproductions.com
Riverdance Returns
January 12 to 24, 2010
RIVERDANCE, the thunderous celebration of Irish music,
song
and dance that has tapped its way onto the world stage thrilling
millions of people around the globe, is returning for ONLY 16 Farewell
Performances in
Los Angeles at the historic Pantages in Hollywood.
"A Phenomenon of Historic Proportions!" raves the Washington Post (6/10/07).
Discover why nothing in the world compares to
"The Original International Phenomenon!"
Whether it's your first time or your fifth, you won't
want to miss these great performances of RIVERDANCE.
Riverdance/Pantages
Saturday, January 30, 2010
8:00pm
Ken O'Malley in solo concert
"ALL THEIR WARS ARE MERRY AND ALL THEIR SONGS ARE SAD: A MUSICAL JOURNEY THROUGH TIMES OF TROUBLES
AND TIMES OF PEACE" This is a special Irish Music Concert at the college and the public is welcome; the event is a fundraiser for students'
educational travel to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Occidental College
(Eagle Rock area) 1600 Campus Rd.
Los Angeles, CA.
Tickets: $15.
More information call 323 259 2621
or check out this link:
www.oxy.edu/x9334.xml
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Chieftains in Concert
The Chieftains are largely credited as one of the earliest Irish bands to
promote international appeal for Celtic music. They have also collaborated with
industry icons
Van Morrison, Rolling Stones and Sting to name but a few.
The group has been nominated 19 times for Grammys and
have won six Grammy Awards, including "Best Traditional Folk Album" for Long Journey Home, The Celtic Harp, and An Irish Evening - Live at the Grand Opera House.
The ensemble's
performances are rich with
"extraordinarily beautiful solos and Irish
New Age music," ...The New York Times
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12700 Center Court Drive,
Cerritos, CA
Ticket office: 800 300-4345
E-Mail: TicketOffice@CerritosCenter.com
www.cerritoscenter.com
Your business or event could be
featured here...
Contact us for details...
IrishNewsUSA MediaKit
ON-Going...
An Claidheamh Soluis
The Celtic Arts Center
EVERY MONDAY NIGHT WORKSHOPS & SEISIÚN
Please join us Monday nights at our new meeting place...
T. U. Studios or Theatre Unlimited
10943 Camarillo Street
North Hollywood, CA
Please continue the website for any possible class .and
event schedule adjustments.
CelticArtsCenter.com
FIRST TUESDAY of EVERY MONTH
at 9.45 am
Friends of Ireland
Informal
meeting of folks who love All Things Irish. and enjoy breakfast and
meeting socially. Each guest pays for their own meal. No dues. At the January
Breakfast, the Friends are collecting Hard Candy and Non-Perishable Snakes to send to US Troops overseas.
Group meets at the
Katella Deli
4470 Katella Ave, Los Alamitos Ca
Info: pbeireanua@att.net
Phone: 714 557-8983 .
This Irish/Celtic Calendar is a free service
to our readers. Please send suggestions
and submissions to:
celticlistings@aol.com
|
Irish Christmas Traditions
The Candle In The Window
The placing of a lighted candle in the window of a house on Christmas eve is still a common Irish Christmas tradition practiced today. It has a number of purposes but primarily
it was a symbol of welcome to Mary and Joseph as they
traveled looking for shelter. In some rural areas, the candle also indicated a safe place for priests to perform mass as
this was not allowed. A further element of the tradition is
that the candle should be lit by the youngest member of the
household and only be extinguished
by a girl bearing the name 'Mary'.
Overall, the Irish Christians, both Catholic and Protestant
lit candles to symbolically express their cherished belief that Jesus is the light of the world and the
light that we should see and follow.
At Christmas, this great tradition
became the most common ritual
among all the people of Ireland.
In the homes of the rich or poor, tradesmen, shopkeepers and almost every office in the
land, a candle was placed in at least one window of every building or house.
The custom has been part of the Christmas traditions in Ireland and the British Isles to various degrees for
hundreds of years. It was so universally revered that
English and Irish settlers brought the custom to Colonial America. Today, it is not as common but it is always nice
to see the random candle in the window and to reflect on
a bygone time.
Holly and The Twelve Days of Christmas
Long before the custom of Christmas Trees reached Ireland, most Irish homes were often decorated with holly.
This practice had and still has religious overtones, the green holly represents the crown of thorns and the red berries signify the drops of Christ's blood. Everything in the homes of Ireland, from banisters, mantles, tables and picture frames inside and doorways inside and out, was covered with holly. It was another sure sign that Christmas was coming. In all of the British Isles, the Twelve Days of Christmas were celebrated and Ireland still carries on the tradition to this day. The celebrations and observations start on Christmas Day and
go on till January 6, the Feast Day of the Epiphany.
Celebrating the TWELVE DAYS seems like an Irish Tradition that would be well worth reviving.
The Wren Boys and St. Stephen's Day
St Stephen's Day, December 26 is one of nine official Holidays in Ireland. In Northern Ireland and throughout the United Kingdom, the day is also known as Boxing Day,
also an official Holiday.
The Feast Day of St. Stephen commemorates the
first Christian Martyr. 
He was stoned to death by an angry mob
under the auspices
of Saul of Tarsus, who later became St. Paul.
In
Ireland, the day after Christmas is a common day
for visiting friends
and family
and hosting neighbors and family. In Ireland, in some
districts, the gentry would have
a kind of open house and offer food to
the neighbors. We have also heard of open houses at
some parishes but
we have no written source for that. We do know the custom of visiting
and being called upon by relatives and friends was very common
throughout Ireland and is carried on to this day.
The Wren Boys are also a
prominent fixture in Irish lore on
St. Stephen's Day. The practice of a
group of singing boys going around from house to house on the St.
Stephen's Day
was a long held tradition in Ireland for hundreds of
years.
The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
On Saint Stephen's Day was caught in the furze.
Up with the kettle and down with the pan,
Pray give us a penny to bury the wren.
...Traditional Irish Verse
Sometimes the boys would go around in costumes, or deck themselves in straw and blackface.
In 1840, the Mayor of Cork issued a proclamation against the
signing processions of boys on the grounds of the cruelty inflicted on
the hapless wren.
The two most common reasons for the custom are both
Irish Legends. The first is that it was a wren who inadvertently
gave away
the hiding place of the aforementioned St. Stephen, the early Christian
martyr.
The second legend of the origin of the custom goes back about 1100 hundred years to the Norse invasions. A
group of native Irish were going to counter attack a Norse stronghold
and
their hiding place was given away by a wren who pecked on a drum
that had some crumbs of bread dropped upon it.
In both versions of the
legends, the boys seek revenge on the wren for its betrayal.
For better or for worse, only
in the past 30 to 40 years is this custom fading from popular culture in
Ireland.
Here is a link to last week's Irish E-Missive.
Archive/IrishNews/E-Missive#10
Thanks for reading us. Merry Christmas! ED
|
| Enter
A pair of tickets t o
Riverdance
at the
Pantages Theater
Easy to enter!
Simply E-mail us
your name
and address...
On the subject line write,
Riverdance
E-Mail us at: irishnewsusa@aol.com
|
|
Jim's All Things Irish Blog
New post on GOALS FOR 2010!
This weekly blog
features events, news
and commentary and is written
by Irish News &
Entertainment
Publisher, Jim McDonough.
It is a lively, slightly irreverent approach
to items of Irish and Celtic interest.
You can sign up on the blog and you will be
notified when a new post is added or
if there is breaking news.
JimsAllThingsIrishBlog
There are some great offers for Irish Goods, Services
and Travel on the blog pages. Click through the ads
next to the blog text for details. Comments made on
the blog will be shared with all our readers.
I have another blog with a more somber message.
Skip A Meal and you might live longer and save a life.
Please have a look.
EconomicsOfChaos
We are now a partner with Constant Contact; we can design and help you promote your own E-mail newsletter. Click the TRY IT FREE icon below. For information on any of our media products and
services;
Please Contact...
 Jim McDonough
E-Mail: jimmcd44@aol.com
Cell: 785 341-6923
Click the TRY IT FREE icon below to find
out more about our media partner:
CONSTANT CONTACT!
|
|
|
