Newsletter Masthead
Saturday, February 16, 2013
 

Jopin Our Mailing List 


RECENT
PASSINGS

 

Sister Noreen Linane CSJP, 89, a native of Co. Kerry, died January 9 in Bellevue. 

Obit Notice

 

Rita Shratt, 93, a native of Dublin, died in Port Townsend on January 9. 

Obit Notice

 

Elizabeth Pullin, 99, a native of Dublin, died in Lynnwood on January 4. 

Obit Notice

 

Patricia Forhan Taft, 88, the daughter of immigrants from Co. Kerry and a longtime member of the Irish Heritage Club, died in Seattle on January 4. 

Obit Notice

 

Annie Blackmore, a sister of Mazie McFarland of Yakima, died in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary, on January 4

Obit Notice

 

Jerry Sprengel, 65, whose wife Teresa is from Dublin, died in Olympia on December 7.

Obit Notice

 

Teresa Marie Dziechiasz, 87, a Dublin native, died in Tacoma on December 3. 

Obit Notice

 

Edward McKibben, 79, a brother-in-law of Cathryn Quinn of Edmonds, died November 27 in Co. Down.

 

Paul Joseph Brock, 56, a Dublin native, died in Seattle on November 10. 

Obit Notice

 

Tom Kane, 85, a former President of the Friends of St. Patrick, died in Seattle last September. 

  

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

May their faithful souls rest at God's right hand

 

 

The Celtic Connection
 Read the Seattle News in the most recent issue of the Celtic Connection newspaper, the voice of Celts around the Pacific Northwest. You can also pick up a free copy each month at your local Seattle-area Irish Pub or Restaurant! 

 

IRISH CONSULATE

San Francisco

Irish Harp

Click to visit the website of the

Irish Consulate in San Francisco

 

 

 

Irish Consul

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

Tel 425-290-7839 

or Via Email.

 

IRISH PASSPORT?

Irish Passport

Are you eligible for Irish Citizenship or for an Irish Passport?

SEATTLE'S IRISH COMMUNITY CHAPLAIN
Fr. John Madigan
Fr. John Madigan,
Chaplain to the Irish Immigrant Community of Seattle, serving emigrants of all faiths or none. Contact Fr. John at 206-937-1488 (Ext 205), 206-935-8353, or Via email.


Seattle
 Area Irish Resources

 

Click the Photos below for listings and contact information

Irish Festival

Irish Dancing Schools

 

 Fiddle

Irish Musicians, Classes 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

Facebook 

Join the Irish Heritage Club on Facebook

 

Interested in studying in Ireland?

Ireland Study
Click photo for more information

 

Should you become a US Citizen?
Green Card
Even though you have a Green Card, there are some mighty good reasons why you should become a US citizen!
  

Interested in Living or Working in Ireland?

Images of Ireland
What you need to know before you should consider moving to Ireland.

 

FAMILY VISAS 

Liberty
For information on some of the different ways to get a US Visa for family members, visit irishseattle.com.

 

 

IRISH FLAGS
Ireland_National_flag
Buy any Irish-themed flag from our Seattle partner, C. Anderson & Co. Custom Flagmakers , and they will make a donation to the Irish Heritage Club to support our activities.
Erin Go Bragh Flag

Shamrock Flag

Shamrock Pendant 



IRELAND 2013
The Gathering
A yearlong celebration of Ireland and all things Irish with thousands of events happening to welcome visitors who take the trip to Ireland in 2013.

Connect Ireland
Martin Sheen, Michael Flatley, Saoirse Ronan & An Taoiseach Enda Kenny
Martin Sheen, Michael Flatley, Saoirse Ronan & An Taoiseach Enda Kenny
  
IRISH SEATTLE
Irish Seattle Book Cover
A pictorial history of the Irish in Seattle from 1851 to the 1990s.
is a fascinating retrospective covering 150 years of Seattle history and pays tribute to the
first- and second-generation Irish who lived in the Puget Sound region during that time. In more than 200 photographs and illustrations, this pictorial history chronicles the contributions of the Irish to an area whose landscape and climate reminded them of home.  
This newsletter is mailed to you on behalf of:

The Irish Heritage Club

IrishClub.org

 

 Ceol Cascadia Irish Music Camp

ceolcascadia.org


The Seattle Galway Sister City Association

SeattleGalway.org

 

The Friends of St. Patrick in Seattle

FOSP.org

 

Seattle Irish Immigrant Support 

IrishSeattle.com

which gratefully acknowledges funding assistance provided by the Irish Abroad Unit of Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs.

 

 


 
No Charge!
 

THIS COMING SATURDAY

LEARN TO BAKE IRISH SODA BREAD!

Soda Bread Baking

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, Irish Soda Bread Cooking Class, 1 - 5 pm at St. Patrick's Church Hall, 2702 Broadway Ave E, Seattle. Intended for adults who are interested in cooking traditional Irish Soda Bread. Learn how to bake great soda bread from master Soda Bread Bakers Fionna Shriane-Travis and Mary Shriane, and learn about the nutritional value of Irish food, and especially of Soda Bread from nutritionist and author Maureen Keane. Only $10 pp. For reservations, contact [email protected] or call 206-354-7406 or 206-321-4576. More information at irishclub.org. Space is limited.
2103 Irish week Button
Marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Irish author C. S. Lewis
 
IRISH WEEK 2013

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 9, Irish Soda Bread Contest, 2 - 4 pm at T S McHugh's Restaurant, 1st & Mercer, Seattle. Contest Admission is free and Judging starts at 2 PM. Entries must be delivered to the restaurant between 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM and contest winners will be announced at 3 PM. For the Rules, sample recipes and other details, visit irishclub.org, or contact [email protected] or 206-321-4576.

1920s-Keanes.jpg

SATURDAY, MARCH 9, Irish Genealogy Workshop, 9 - 4 pm at Faith Lutheran Church, Lower level Social Hall, 8208 18th Ave NE, Seattle. The cost for the all-day Genealogy Conference is $35 per person and includes a box lunch by Classic Catering and lectures by local Genealogy Experts. For all the details, please visit irishclub.org and for reservations, contact [email protected] or 206-782-2629.

 

SUNDAY, MARCH 10, Matt Talbot Dinner, 6 pm F X McRory's, in aid of the downtown program for the homeless. Contact [email protected] or 206-256-9865.

St. Patrick

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, St. Patrick's Day Mass For Peace, 10 AM, Plymouth Congregational Church, 6th and University, Seattle. Main celebrant is Seattle's Archbishop Peter Sartain. Contact [email protected] or visit irishclub.org.

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, Mayor's Irish Week Proclamation / Irish Seniors' Luncheon, F X McRory's, Noon. Advance reservations are required at $30 pp for the Salmon Lunch. Visit irishclub.org or contact [email protected] or 206-361-1713.

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, Green Stripe Laying on 4th Ave, 7 pm. There is no charge to participate and all are welcome aboard at F X McRory's at 6:30 pm! Children welcome! Visit irishclub.org or contact [email protected].

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, Irish Flag-Raising, 12:20 pm

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, St Patrick's Day Parade on 4th Ave, 12:30 pm. The Parade travels north from Jefferson, and after passing the reviewing stand at Westlake, goes via the Monorail to the Seattle Center for closing ceremonies at the Irish Festival at 2:30 pm. For details, visit irishclub.org, or contact [email protected] or 206-412-2960.

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, Irish Week Festival, Seattle Center's Armory, Noon - 6 pm (6 hours), with booths selling Irish and Celtic products, Irish food and libations, Irish music, singing, dancing, the Irish Reels Film Festival, workshops, lectures, cultural displays, an Irish art exhibit, children's contests and activities, etc. For details, visit irishclub.org, or contact [email protected].

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, Irish Community St. Patrick's Day Happy Hour, 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm, at the Harbor Club. Join the Friends of St. Patrick, Irish Network Seattle, The Seattle Gaels and The Irish Heritage Club. Tickets are $30 per person which includes parking, two free drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Irish music, stepdancing, bagpipers, silent auction, and more. For details, contact [email protected].

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, Friends of St Patrick Banquet, 7:30 pm, Harbor Club. The 73rd Annual Banquet, a Black-Tie (optional) dinner and dance, at $120 pp ($1,000 for a table of ten) which includes parking, the Irish Community Happy Hour, wine with dinner, Irish music, stepdancing, bagpipers, auction, after-dinner dancing, and more. For details, visit FOSP.org or contact [email protected].

  Happy St. Patrick's Day

SUNDAY, MARCH 17, St Patrick's Day Dash, 8:30 am, which this year is limited to 17,000 entries. To register and for all the details, visit stpatsdash.com.

 

SUNDAY, MARCH 17, Irish Week Festival, Seattle Center's Armory, 10 am - 6 pm (8 hours), with booths selling Irish and Celtic products, Irish food and libations, Irish music, singing, dancing, the Irish Reels Film Festival, workshops, lectures, cultural displays, an Irish art exhibit, children's contests and activities, etc. For details, visit irishclub.org, or contact [email protected].

 

For more detailed information on any Irish Week event, visit irishweek.org.
PARADE GRAND MARSHALS

  

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Grand Marshal

Frank Finneran 

Frank K Finneran

Click the photo for more information

 

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Honorary Grand Marshals

Dan & Joan Flanagan 

Joan & Dan Flanagan

Click the photo for more information

 

SPECIAL GUEST FROM GALWAY

Cllr. Frank Fahy 

Deputy Mayor Frank Fahy

Click the photo for more information

OTHER SEATTLE IRISH NEWS

Marty Smyth

MARTIN SMYTH - Marty Smyth, 76, an Irish Olympian boxer, died in Seattle on November 25. Born and reared on Belfast's Falls Road, Marty won the 1955 Ulster Bantamweight boxing championship and the 1956 Irish and Ulster Featherweight titles. He represented Ireland in the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 when Ireland won 5 Olympic medals, including Ronnie Delaney's gold in the 1500 meters. Although Marty himself failed to win a medal, his winning boxing teammates included Freddie Gilroy and John Caldwell. Marty moved to the US in 1960 and moved his family to the Seattle area in the 1980s. He is survived by Maggie, his wife of forty-two years, a son Colin and two grandsons, to all of whom we extend our sincere condolences. View his Obit notice.

 

GAEL DOWN - Seattle Gaels member, Ryan "Hollywood" Newitt, recently fell ill and was rushed to the hospital after suffering heart failure. He continues to be in critical care with very serious pulmonary and respiratory problems while being cared for by his wife and fellow Gaels member, Corinne Newitt. His Seattle Gaels teammates recently organized a fundraising auction at Mick Kelly's in Burien and also online at gofundme.com. So far, over $30,000 has been raised to help with Ryan's care.

 

MORE GAELS - The Seattle Gaels Chair for 2103 is Brian White with Paul McGarry as Vice-Chair, Shane Galligan as Treasurer, Jon Choitz as Registrar and Steve Wakefield as Social Chair. Team Managers are: Hurling, Chris Culver and Patrick Hurley; Camogie, Vanessa Peterson; Men's Football, James Corcoran and Ladies Football, Katie Corcoran. The first game of 2013 will be Saturday March 2 vs Columbia Red Branch at Magnuson Park at 1 pm. That's followed by the annual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament at Finn MacCools at 7 pm. Then on Saturday March 23, the annual Open Field Day is at Magnuson Park from Noon to 3pm for all to try their hand at any of the games of Hurling, Gaelic Football or Camogie.

 

RECEPTION INVITE - Plan to join Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, City Council President Sally Clark, members of the Seattle City Council and the Seattle Galway Sister City Association at the 17th Annual Seattle Sister Cities Reception on Thursday, May 9, 2013, 6 pm at Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Ave. Enjoy food from Chongqing, China; Limbe, Cameroon; Perugia, Italy; and Tashkent, Uzbekistan. More info coming soon!

 

IMMIGRATION REFORM - Seattle's Irish Immigrant Support Group has high hopes that a path to citizenship for the undocumented will be part of the new immigration reform bill being discussed in DC. Such a bill could affect as many as 30,000 Irish undocumented living in the US. Irish citizens account for only a small proportion of the total number of undocumented immigrants but campaigners on their behalf, supported by Irish diplomatic efforts, have been an important part of the coalition backing reform.

 

IRISH-AMERICAN WINERIES - Feasts at which wine was drunk were central to life going back thousands of years in Ireland. In the 11th century the Norsemen of Limerick had to pay an annual tribute to Irish High King Brian Boru of 'a casket of red wine for every day of the year'. As the Irish emigrated over the centuries, they brought with them their love of wine and they helped develop some of the finest vineyards in the world, including in America. The Irish Heritage Club website provides a listing of some of the Irish American Wineries in the Western US including in Washington State.

 

IRISH BUSINESS - Ardagh Group, which started life in 1932 as the Irish Glass Bottle Company, has recently acquired Verallia North America, one of whose locations is at 5801 E Marginal Way, Seattle. Ardagh is a leading glass and metal packaging business which over the last decade has evolved from being an Irish-based manufacturer to a global leader with 113 manufacturing operations in 26 countries and sales of $7.2 billion a year.

IRISH ARTS IN SEATTLE

Helen O'Toole Painting 

O'TOOLE SHOW - Helen O'Toole, a native of Co. Mayo who is currently an Associate Professor of Art at Seattle's University of Washington, has a new show of her works entitled Between the Rural and the Void through March 2 at the Linda Hodges Gallery, 316 First Ave S, Seattle. Helen received a BFA from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, and in 1988 gained an MFA at the Art Institute of Chicago. O'Toole's work has been exhibited internationally and reviewed in numerous publications.

 

ART EXHIBIT - An exhibit entitled Weaving, fiber art, quilts and quilt-themed artwork ias open through March 3 at the Blindfold Gallery, 1718 E. Olive Way, Suite A, Seattle, featuring works by among others Seattle-based Irish artist Maura Donegan.

 

F�ILE!- On Sunday, February 24, at 1 pm in Shoreline Center Auditorium, 18560 1st Ave NE, enjoy an afternoon of music and dance featuring groups like Story Road, vocalist and bodhran player Colleen Raney, fiddler John Weed, guitarist, mandola player, and singer, Stu Mason, acclaimed Northwest musicians Pam and Philip Boulding of Magical Strings, and The Tara Academy dancers. F�ile! A Celebration of Ireland in Music and Dance! Visit Brown Paper Tickets or call 206-286-6619.

Sean Griffin Painting 

GRIFFIN PAINTINGS - Acclaimed Seattle actor and artist Sean Griffin will be exhibiting some of his paintings at Seattle's Irish Festival at the Seattle Center on March 16 - 17. A native of Co. Limerick, Sean has appeared in 6 Broadway shows, several motion pictures, many network television shows, and countless national and local commercials. His paintings can be seen throughout the US including in New York, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Laguna Beach, Indianapolis and Seattle.

 

IRISH WEEK POETRY - Kieran O'Malley, the former Seattle resident who founded and directed Seattle's Wild Geese Players, has published A Sun's Eye!, a book of poetry inspired by W B Yeats line 'Look up in the Sun's eye'. On Monday March 4 at 7 pm, Kieran will be back in Seattle reading his poetry at Elliott Bay Books on Capitol Hill and he hopes to reconnect with his friends in Seattle's Irish community.

 

MARTIN HAYES - Ireland's greatest fiddler and former Seattle resident Martin Hayes returns to Seattle on March 9 for two shows at the Triple Door with his Masters of Tradition On Tour - Celebrating Irish Music in its Purest Form. Along with Martin, the other performers are David Power on uilleann pipes, Cathal Hayden on fiddle, M�irt�n O'Connor on the accordion, Seamie O'Dowd on guitar, Dennis Cahill on guitar , and vocals with Iarla � Lion�ird.

 

DANCING COMPETITIONS - Irish dancers and their families from all over the Western US and Canada are coming to the Pacific NW Irish Dance Championships Feis, March 9-10, at the Hilton Seattle Airport Conference Center. If you enjoy Irish dance, or are considering lessons for yourself or your family, this is a great opportunity to watch and learn more, and it's free! The Hilton Seattle Airport is across International Boulevard from Sea-Tac Airport and the Sound Transit light rail station.

 

John Doyle Bishop 

DOYLE BISHOP PRESENTATION - Born in March 1913, John Doyle Bishop was a Seattle fashion icon and shop owner from the 1940s through his death in 1980. Annually on March 17, he painted a green stripe on 5th Avenue outside his downtown Seattle store and he was Grand Marshal of Seattle's first official St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1972. On Sunday, March 24, 1-3 pm, Seattle's Museum of History & Industry will have a presentation about Bishop's life and his contributions to the fashion industry in Seattle. $5 admission (down from $10) to Irish Heritage Club members. For details, visit mohai.org.

  Ceol Cascadia Camp Casey

IRISH MUSIC CAMP - Registration is now open for the first Cascadia Irish Music Week, August 11-16, 2013 at Camp Casey Conference Center, near Coupeville on Whidbey Island. This exciting new event is organized by a group headed by Randal Bays and is operating as a program of the Irish Heritage Club. Ceol Cascadia offers a full week of Irish music classes, concerts, sessions and more, featuring some of the world's finest Irish traditional musicians, in a beautiful seaside location in the Pacific Northwest.

 

HISTORICAL NOVEL - Seattleite Nancy Blanton has a new historical novel, Sharavogue, which tells the story of an Irish girl fleeing Oliver Cromwell and his army in 1649, only to be thrust into a life of indenture on a West Indies sugar plantation. A compelling tale of one girl's incredible journey.

MISCELLANEOUS 

 

** The Irish Book Club's next meeting on March 5 will discuss Troubles by J.G. Farrell. "A Hilarious and heartbreaking work by a modern master of the historical novel." For meting details, email [email protected].

 

** The next Carrigaline First Sunday C�ili is Sunday, March 3, from 4 pm to 8 pm at the Doric Lodge in Fremont. No experience necessary. For information, visit carrigalinecelticband.com.

 

** Irish Tune Learning Class with Randal Bays, Tuesday evenings in Northeast Seattle. For details, visit randalbays.com.

 

** Best wishes to former Irish Heritage Club President Melissa Estelle who is currently teaching in Shandong Province, China. If interested in being a pen pal with her 16-19 year old Chinese students, email [email protected].

 

** Welcome to another Irish Pub in Seattle, A Terrible Beauty Irish Pub on Lake Union at 1001 Fairview Ave N. For more information, visit aterriblebeauty.com.

 

** Congrats to Eileen Harte, daughter of Sean and Helen, who is the new Events Coordinator at Seattle's University Book Store. Bookselling is in Eileen's blood as her mother runs an antiquarian Irish books business.

 

** The Seattle Vikings Rugby Club has a trip planned to Ireland and Wales in late March, early April, with games against Blackrock College RFC in Dublin and Galwegians RFC in Galway.

 

** 92 year old Irish actress Maureen O'Hara has moved from her home in Cork to Boise, Idaho to be near her only grandson, Conor.

 

** Seattle's Busch (now spelled Bush) Hotel which was opened in 1915, was where Irish revolutionary leader Eamon de Valera stayed when he visited Seattle in November 1919.

 

** A Galway woman was recently found guilty in Ireland of the manslaughter of Kevin Joyce, 59, a native of Cleveland and former Seattle resident who died in Galway in 2011.

 

For the latest information on any Irish or Celtic events around the Pacific Northwest, visit Hoilands.com.

NEWS FROM IRELAND

 

MAGDALENE LAUNDRIES - A recent Irish government report found that, between 1922 and 1996 when the last Magdalene laundry closed, about 10,000 women and girls had spent an average of six months to a year locked up in one of ten workhouses around Ireland that were lonely and frightening places for many. Despite their reputation, the report found no evidence of systemic sexual or physical abuse, and no evidence of profiteering by the nuns in charge. Routine shaving of women's heads did not take placeand there was "no evidence" to support the perception that "unmarried girls" had babies in the laundries or that many of the women were prostitutes.

 

MORE MAGDALENE FACTS - Their numbers were mainly composed of young girls who had grown up in institutional care, unmarried mothers and their daughters, women and girls who had been sexually abused, women with mental or physical disabilities, and women who were unable to live independently. The average age at the time of entry of the women was 23.8 years, although the youngest girl admitted was 9 years old while the oldest woman was 89. One third of the women stayed for less than three months while 61% stayed for less than a year and 7% for longer than 10 years. Education was not provided and they received no pay for the harsh and physically demanding work.   

 

MAGDALENE PROJECT - Researchers at the Women's Studies Centre in the School of Social Justice at University College Dublin are seeking interviewees for a Magdalene Oral History project. The main objective is to contribute towards a better understanding of the Magdalene Laundry system through the first-hand accounts of those with direct or indirect experience of it. If you are a Magdalene survivor, relative, member of one of the religious orders, a regular visitor to an institution, or just have a memory or experience to share, contact the project at [email protected].

 

EU PRESIDENCY - Ireland assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1st January, and will serve in that role until the end of June. The presiding country advances the EU's ongoing work agenda, and has an opportunity to shape and influence EU policy and legislation. The Presidency also represents the Council in its dealings with other EU Institutions.

 

DEBT RESTRUCTURING - The Irish government has reached a deal with the European Central Bank that gives the country more time to repay some of the bailout loans that it received in 2010. The interest rate on the new debt is expected to average about 3%, instead of rates above 8% that were being charged. The debt restructuring is seen as an important step in Ireland's recovery.

 

IMPORT-EXPORT -Ireland's exports reached $124 billion in 2012, the highest level in a decade. The US remained the top market for Irish exports with 20% of the total, while Belgium and Britain accounted for 15%, and 8% went to Germany. At the same time, 31% of Ireland's $66 billion in imports during 2012 came from Britain with 13% from the US and 7% from Germany.

 

ANGLO-IRISH FORCE - Irish and British troops will soon form a joint contingent in war-torn Mali. Eight of the 24-person joint team will be from the Irish Army with the rest from the British Army's Royal Irish Regiment, mostly soldiers recruited on the island of Ireland. The EU training mission, authorized by a UN Security Council Resolution, will be providing military training and advice to the Malian armed forces.

 

BEST COUNTRIES - Ireland is one of the best countries in the world in which to be born in 2013, according to London's Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) which ranks Ireland 12th among 80 countries evaluated, ahead of the USA (16th) and the UK (joint 27th). The EIU used 11 different indicators to evaluate countries, including prosperity, life expectancy, quality of family life, trust in public institutions, health, education, crime and contentment, gender equality, job security (as measured by unemployment data), violent crime rates and climate. The USA was in 1st place in the EIU's 1988 rankings.

Dublin's St. Patricks' Festival  

DUBLIN PARADE - As part of 'The Gathering Ireland 2013' and for the first time ever, Dublin's St. Patrick's Festival is inviting up to 8,000 people around the world to march in Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 17. Aer Lingus is now offering marching passes as part of a six-night Dublin vacation package that includes round-trip airfare, six nights in a Dublin hotel and all taxes and fees.

 

GATES VISIT - Seattle's best-known billionaire, Bill Gates, was in Ireland last month where he met with Taoiseach (PM) Enda Kenny and invited him to visit Seattle. While in Dublin, Gates praised the quality of the Irish workforce and the attractiveness of Ireland as a place to live. Gates said that the original decision by Microsoft to set up in Ireland in 1985 was not just about the corporation tax rate but also because there were a lot of "smart people" available.

 

CHANGING NORTH - The 2011 census recorded Northern Ireland's population total as 1,810,900, with 45% reporting as either Catholic or brought up as Catholic, and 48% belonging to or brought up in Protestant or Christian-related denominations. In 2001 the figures were 53% Protestant and 44% Catholic. Education statistics show that there were 120,415 Protestants and 163,693 Catholics in schools in 2010/11. An additional 37,609 classified themselves as "other Christian" (8,282), "non-Christian" (1,726) and 27,601 others.

GAA HELPERS - Brian Williams of NBC News recently devoted a "Making a Difference" segment (above) on his daily news broadcast to a story about Irish hurling and football players traveling from Ireland to help the Breezy Point, NY, area rebuild after Superstorm Sandy. The players helped repair the community center and basketball court. Household names in Ireland like Lar Corbett, Brian McGuigan, Ollie Canning, Ciaran Duff, Donal �g Cusack and Pat Gilroy were among the group who got their hands dirty helping out.

BONO TRADITION - In what is becoming an annual tradition, U2's Bono and Glen Hansard busked on Dublin's Grafton Street on Christmas Eve in aid of homeless charities. The two were joined by Lisa Hannigan for several tunes.

 

SCHOOLS' RANKING - Ireland's school system was ranked 11th in the world in a new global top 50 ranking. To compile a ranking, the Learning Curve Report considers government spending, school entrance age, class size, teacher salaries, and the degree offered by the school. Literacy levels and graduation rates as well as unemployment and prison rates are also taken into consideration.

 

FEELING GOOD! - Gallup asked about 1,000 people in each of 148 countries in 2012 if they were well-rested, had been treated with respect, smiled or laughed a lot, learned or did something interesting and felt feelings of enjoyment the previous day. In Ireland, 80% of respondents reported positive emotions and were ranked 15th in the world with the USA in 33rd place.

 

GENEROUS IRISH - Ireland was the second most generous nation in the world in 2012 after Australia, followed by Canada, New Zealand and the USA. Ireland was the country with the biggest proportion of people giving money, with 79% having donated money in the previous month. The 2012 edition of the World Giving Index, the largest study into charitable behavior across the globe, surveyed 155,000 people in 160 countries to measure three different 'giving' behaviors: donating money, volunteering time, and/or helping a stranger.

 

TRAVEL RECOMMENDATION - Fodor's Travel Guide has Ireland on its List of 25 Places to Go in 2013. "Visitors can track their genealogies, explore the villages of their forebears, and mingle with current residents. More than just a celebration for those with Irish blood, The Gathering offers music festivals, pub crawls, and public gatherings in all corners of the country for those who are Irish in spirit as well."

 

GOLD COINS - 81 gold coin Guineas dating to the 1600s and bearing the profiles of Charles II, James II and William III, were found recently while digging in the basement of Cooney's Bar in Carrick on Suir, Co. Waterford. The coins look to be hand-hammered ones made between 1660 and 1662. They will be displayed at the National Museum in Dublin and the construction workers will receive a finder's reward. Until 1816 one guinea was valued at twenty-one shillings, but on the open market today, the value of the 81 coins is estimated to be near $350,000.

 

GAELIC DICTIONARY - Foras na Gaeilge has unveiled its new online free English-Irish Dictionary adapted to work both on desktop computers and on mobile devices. This is the first national English-Irish dictionary since 1959. Foras na Gaeilge is the body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the whole island of Ireland. Among the new Gaelic words and phrases in the dictionary are Tarrth�il (bailout) and S�sra Cobhsa�ochta Eorpach (European Stability Mechanism).

 

KENNEDY ANNIVERSARY - The "happiest four days of John F Kennedy's life" was how White House aide David Powers recalled JFK's visit to Ireland in June, 1963. A Kennedy family reunion will take place in Wexford this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the visit. The event, which is part of The Gathering, is expected to be led by the President's daughter Caroline Kennedy and his sister, former US ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy-Smith. A new visitor center will be opened at the ancestral Kennedy homestead in Dunganstown and the Irish government remains hopeful that President Obama might even visit as part of the celebrations.

 

LEABHAR M�R - University College Cork has paid $1 million to acquire the Great Book of Ireland, or Leabhar M�r na h�ireann. Compiled between 1989 and 1991, the vellum manuscript contains the work of nine composers, 121 artists and 143 poets, all in their own handwriting. Among the contributions is a poem by Nobel laureate Samuel Beckett who died a short time later. The book has been described as 'the Book of Kells of the second millennium', and is something of an artistic 'time capsule' of Irish creativity towards the end of the 20th century.

 

ROBERT KEE - British broadcaster, journalist and writer Robert Kee, 93, known for his historical works on World War II and Ireland, died on January 11. In the 1970s, Kee published The green flag / a history of Irish nationalism, The green flag / The most distressful country and The green flag / Bold Fenian men. In 1980, he wrote and presented the critically acclaimed 12-part BBC documentary series Ireland - A Television History, and that same year published Ireland: A History. He was also admired in Ireland for his campaigning for the release of the Guildford Four, the Maguire Seven and the Birmingham Six, all of whom were eventually deemed to have been wrongfully imprisoned in England.

 

"PECKER" DUNNE - Folk singer, storyteller and balladeer Patrick "Pecker" Dunne has died at the age of 80. A member of the Traveler community, he came from a long line of musicians and was known for his powerful singing voice. His best known song was O'Sullivans John. Dunne also played a part in the 1996 film Trojan Eddie along with Richard Harris and Stephen Rea.

 

GOLF CAPTAIN - Dubliner Paul McGinley will be the first ever Irish captain of a Ryder Cup team. He will be in charge of the European team for the 2014 match against the Americans in Gleneagles, Scotland. In 2002, McGinley won the Ryder Cup for Europe when he holed a 10 foot putt on the 18th hole to defeat Jim Furyk at The Belfry. McGinley best finish at one of the Majors was to tie for 6th at the US PGA Championship in 2004.

 

NEESON HONOR - Actor Liam Neeson, a native of Ballymena, Co. Antrim, was honored recently with the freedom of his hometown. During an interview, he said he would be interested in playing firebrand preacher and loyalist community figurehead Rev. Ian Paisley in a biographical movie. Paisley was infamous for his "Ulster says "No!'" stance on the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement. Neeson played the role of Oskar Schindler in "Schindler's List" and the role of Michael Collins in the film "Michael Collins". He started his acting career at Belfast's Lyric Theatre and later at Dublin's Abbey Theatre.

 

VOLTA AWARD - At the 2013  Jameson Dublin International Film Festival later this month, Danny DeVito will receive a Volta Award for special lifetime achievement. The Volta awards are named after Ireland's first dedicated cinema, the Volta Picture Theatre, which was established by James Joyce in 1909. 

 

IRISH STEREOTYPES - Although the Seattle Times got the story right (Ireland won't ease drunken-driving law for farmers), much of the world didn't and instead dove head first into the Irish stereotype. Many, like ABC News, wrote about the Irish Legalizing Drunk Driving, something that did not happen. This prompted an Irish Times story: Dear World. Don't believe Irish stereotypes. It's a timely reminder as we approach St. Patrick's Day!

MORE NEWS FROM IRELAND

 

GENEALOGY MAGAZINE - Irish Lives Remembered is a free monthly digital magazine dedicated to Irish genealogy. The January issue has 23 pages dedicated to helping you trace your Westmeath ancestors and it just happens to carry an interesting article on Rosemount on Page 40! Just click the arrows at the bottom of the screen to turn the pages.

 

CHINESE FINNEGANS- A 755-page Chinese translation of Irish author James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake sold out its first printing in China within a month of being published on December 25. Joyce's final work is significant for its experimental style and reputation as being fiendishly difficult to read. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, portions first began appearing in print in 1924, and the full book was published in 1939. Joyce most famous novel, "Ulysses", sold more than 85,000 copies when it was first translated into Chinese in 1994.

JOYCE'S FINNEGAN - Listen to a recording of James Joyce reading from Finnegans Wake in 1929, ten years before it was published. Joyce had to memorize the text as he was half-blind at the time. Joyce also worked the names of 500 of the world's rivers into the text, many in the form of puns, and he did likewise with the names of hundreds of cities.

 

PRESS FREEDOM - Ireland was ranked in 15th place on the 2013 World Press Freedom Index, a global survey of press freedoms in 179 countries around the world. Compiled by Reporters Without Borders. Canada was ranked 20th, the UK 29th and the USA 32nd. In 2009, Ireland was  tied for first in the world, but dropped in the rankings in 2010 after the introduction of laws which could lead to fines for blasphemy.

 

BOOMTOWN RATS - Dublin punk band, The Boomtown Rats, are reuniting for an appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival on June 16. The Boomtown Rats were one of the most successful Irish bands of the late 1970s, early 1980s, scoring nine consecutive Top 20 hits in the UK and becoming the first Irish band to hit the UK No 1 in 1978. Formed in 1975 in D�n Laoghaire, they played their final gig in 1986 at Self-Aid in the RDS, Dublin.

 

KELLS APP - All 680 pages of the Book of Kells can be explored on a new app for the iPad.The Book of Kells for iPad was designed and developed by X Communications, a campus company, in collaboration with Trinity College Library. It allows users to scroll through the 1,200-year-old manuscript page by page. High resolution images of the most highly decorated pages are included at up to six times their original size.

 

IRISH SPORT SCHOLARSHIPS - Sport Changes Life provides a Scholarship Program for US students to attend either the University of Galway or the University of Ulster while creating international educational opportunities for both student-athletes and students with an interest in the management of sport. Closing date for applications for the 2013-14 Academic year scholarships is May 10. Visit Sportchangeslife.com for details.

 

CARBON NEUTRAL? - The New York Times says that Carbon Taxes Make Ireland Even Greener. Over the last three years, Ireland has started charging households and businesses for the environmental damage they cause. As a result, Ireland has seen its emissions drop more than 15% since 2008.

 

NEWGRANGE LOTTERY - Each year, 20 people are chosen by lottery to enter the Newgrange monument on the morning of the Winter Solstice to be there as the rising sun illuminates the inner chamber. There were over 30,000 applications submitted in 2012, and you can now apply for the 2013 drawing. See the rules and how to enter at Newgrange.com.

 

JUST SAYING - A video short shot in Dublin called "Just Saying" is a poignant film on emigration from Ireland. It features a modern-day Leopold Bloom strolling through the city's deserted streets by night with a commentary on the confusing mix of poignancy and anger felt by young Irish people faced with difficult times and the issue of whether to emigrate or not. "I'm just saying, you might get sick of it all but you might miss it too and there's ten good reasons to go but a thousand tiny ones not to". Read the video script.

 

CLIFF DIVING - Watch video of the Cliff Diving World Series 2012 held last August on Inis M�r on the Aran Islands. The competition had world-class divers jumping from an 89-foot-high platform into a naturally occurring, perfectly-rectangular blowhole known as the Serpent's Lair.

HORSE RACING - There are 26 racecourses in Ireland, more per head of population than in any other country around the world. The Curragh Racecourse www.curragh.ie in Co. Kildare is the most famous. The first recorded race there was held in 1727 although it was used for races before then. The first Irish Derby was held there in 1866, and in 1868 an act of the British Parliament officially declared the Curragh to be a horse racing and training facility.

 

GUINNESS STATS - In 1827, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout was first sold in Sierra Leone, Africa. The first Guinness brewery outside Ireland or the UK was in Nigeria in 1962! Africa now accounts for 35% of global Guinness sales with all of the Guinness brewed in Africa. Nigeria is the world's No.2 Guinness market behind Great Britain with Ireland in 3rd place.

 

COFFEE TABLE SHIPS - An illustrated book entitled Warships, U-Boats & Liners - A Guide to Shipwrecks Mapped in Irish Waters, 12 years in the making, features stunning shots of wrecks on the Irish seabed including the Lusitania off the Cork coast and US army tanks on the seabed 17 miles off Donegal. Many of the 300 shipwrecks featured in the book were not known about before this survey. The book includes details on the background of the vessels, the loss of like alongside the photograph and sonar images.

 

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 aired a documentary about the event that is linked above.

 

CASEMENT DOCUMENTS - A final letter from Roger Casement on the eve of his execution and handwritten observations on his 1916 trial are part of a cache of newly released papers written by the Irish revolutionary. Materials include portraits, documents relating to the degradation of his knighthood and touching letters to his family in the final days before his execution.

 

SMALL WORLD - In the 4th, 5th & 6th centuries, the powerful U� Ne�ll clan based in Counties Derry and Antrim, expanded across the sea to colonize the western coast of Scotland (then called Pictland). The colonized area was called D�l R�ata and at the time was even considered as being part of Ulster. The Latin name for the Irish was Scotti, which led to the Irish Gaelic-speaking colony in Pictland becoming known as Scotland, Land of the Irish.

 

OFFALY HEROINE - 2013 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Kate Shelley in Co. Offaly, who emigrated to the US as a baby. On the afternoon of July 6, 1881, 18-year-old Kate is credited with heroic actions that saved the lives of about 200 people on a passenger train in Iowa. The Kate Shelley High Bridge near Boone, Iowa, one of North America's tallest double-track rail bridges, is named for her. The Boone County Historical Society maintains the Kate Shelley Railroad Museum. Read some of the news articles written in Iowa newspapers in the years afterwards.

 

WISTORICAL - If you enjoy historical stories, you should frequent Wistorical's Facebook page. The site resurrects the past through word and illustration. The aim is to alert people to the vast wealth of history that is all around us, be it in Ireland or elsewhere. Likewise, if you have good stories, you are invited to share them.

 

FRUGAL EMIGRANTS - The Journal of American History says that New York's Irish famine immigrants saved much more money, and did so more quickly, than historians' gloomy portrayals of the famine immigrants would lead us to believe. Records from the New York's Emigrant Savings Bank show that nearly 40% of Irish immigrants were able to save the equivalent of $10,000 in today's money, often in less than 10 years.

 

STEEPLECHASING - A Steeplechase is a horse race with fence and ditch obstacles on the course which the horse and rider must clear during the race. The steeplechase originated in Ireland in the 18th century as a cross-country horse race from church steeple to church steeple, hence "steeplechase". The first steeplechase was the result of a bet in 1752 between Cornelius O'Callaghan and Edmund Blake who raced four miles cross-country from Buttevant Church to St. Leger Church in Doneraile, in Cork. The most famous Steeplechase today is the Grand National which is run annually at Aintree in Liverpool.

 

OSCAR CONNECTION - Dublin Zoo was the birthplace of Slats, the lion who served as the first lion mascot of MGM (then Goldwyn Studio) and whose roar was heard at the beginning of all MGM films made between 1924 and 1928. Slats may have been brought to Hollywood because of Cedric Gibbons, the studio's Dublin-born art director who is credited with designing the Oscar statuette. Gibbons himself received 39 Academy Award Nominations and won the Oscar 11 times (second only to Walt Disney).

 

INSIDE MOUNTJOY - Mountjoy is a medium security prison in Dublin which has Ireland's largest prison population. Built in 1850 with 500 single-capacity cells, it was originally intended as the first stop for men sentenced to transportation. 46 prisoners (including one woman) were executed within its walls, including 1916 patriot Kevin Barry. The Fenian poet, John Keegan 'Leo' Casey, author of the popular song "Rising of the Moon", was imprisoned there during the 1860s and the 20th century playwright and IRA activist Brendan Behan was also imprisoned there.

 

IRISH SLAVES - The Irish slave trade began when James II sold 30,000 Irish prisoners as slaves to the New World. His Proclamation of 1625 required Irish political prisoners be sent overseas and sold to English settlers in the West Indies. By the mid 1600s, the Irish were the main slaves sold to Antigua and Montserrat. At that time, 70% of the total population of Montserrat were Irish slaves.

 

WHITE CARGO - During the 1650s, over 100,000 Irish children between the ages of 10 and 14 were taken from their parents and sold as slaves in the West Indies, Virginia and New England. That same decade, 52,000 Irish (mostly women and children) were sold to Barbados and Virginia. In 1656, Cromwell ordered that 2,000 Irish children be taken to Jamaica and sold as slaves to English settlers. These figures come from a 2008 book called White Cargo.

 

LINCOLN GRAFFITI - In 1861, Jonathan Dillon, a DC watchmaker originally from Co. Waterford, was finishing the repair of Abraham Lincoln's gold watch when he was told that the Confederacy had fired on Fort Sumter, the first shots of the US Civil War. Dillon went back and unscrewed the dial, and scratched on the metal underneath: "Jonathan Dillon April 13- 1861 Fort Sumpter was attacked by the rebels on the above date. J Dillon. April 13-1861 Washington thank God we have a government. Jonth Dillon." The watch's history was revealed in 2009 and it is now on display at the National Museum of American History in DC.

 

CITIZENSHIP LIMBO - An Irish-born woman living in Chicago since 1923, found out in 2001 that she wasn't a US citizen. The issue came to light when she was trying to arrange public assistance for her grandchildren after their mother was killed. She had no birth certificate, no passport, no voter registration card. She never had a driver's license. After twelve years of searching records, she has now finally been permitted to apply for citizenship.

 

1913 PHOTOS - In 1909 the millionaire French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn wanted to create a color photographic record of the peoples of the world. He used his vast fortune to send photographers to more than fifty countries around the world, including Ireland. Images representing the first ever color photos taken in Ireland, were taken in 1913 by two French women who recorded life and historic sites on their two month journey through Ireland from Connemara to the Boyne Valley.

 

MISERY HILL- A small street in Dublin's Docklands, on the south side of the river Liffey between Sir John Rogerson's Quay and Pearse Street, derives its name of Misery Hillfrom a time when the corpses of those executed at Gallows Hill (near Upper Baggot Street) were carted here and strung up to rot as a warning to other would be troublemakers. Two of Irish patriot Robert Emmet's accomplices were hanged at Misery Hill on September 17th 1803.

 

IRISH BRIGADE - Some 140,000 Irishmen served in the Union Army in the US civil war, and they dominated at least 20 regiments, according to a historian in the New York Times. 7,715 men served in the Irish Brigade, of whom 961 were killed or died from their wounds, approximately 3,000 more were wounded and 11 were awarded the Medal of Honor.

 

DUBLIN MUMMIES - St. Michan's Church in Dublin has five long burial vaults containing the mummified remains of many of Dublin's most influential 17th, 18th and 19th century families. The church dates from 1095 but was rebuilt in 1685. Because of the dry atmosphere created by its limestone walls, centuries-old bodies interred here remain remarkably intact. Bram Stoker, creator of the "Dracula" stories is believed to have visited the vaults. Guided tours today lead visitors into a stone tunnel lined with burial chambers, where some of the dusty corpses can be viewed, including those of a nun, a man missing a hand and both feet, and a Crusader who had to be sawn in half to fit into the coffin.

 

GREATEST FAMINE -The Irish famine of 1740-41 was more intense and proportionately more deadly than the 1845-1852 Great Famine. Over 310,000 died of starvation, fever and plague out of a population of 2� million. In 1845, the Irish population was about 9 million and one million died. The 1740 famine was caused by the Great Frost which remains to this day the longest period of extreme cold in modern European history.

 

GRANT VISIT - Two years after leaving the White House in March 1877, Ulysses S. Grant made a five day tour of Ireland. He landed in Dublin on January 3, 1879, staying at the Shelbourne Hotel, still one of Ireland's toniest lodgings. He received the Freedom of the City, then visited Derry and Belfast before returning to Dublin from which he left for India. Grant's grandfather had been born in Co. Tyrone, and he immigrated to America in 1760.

 

BRUCKLESS BAY - The two hundredth anniversary of the Bruckless Bay Disaster, one of Ireland's worst fishing disasters, was commemorated last week in Co. Donegal with the unveiling of a monument to remember the people who drowned on February 12th, 1813 when more than 200 small open boats capsized. The currach-type were following a shoal of herring that moved out to sea when a sudden storm capsized most of them. Records indicate between 46 and 80 people drowned.

 

SIGNAL TOWERS - 81 signal towers were built around Ireland's coast between 1804 and 1806 as part of a communication system established to warn of a Napoleon-led invasion of Ireland. Square two-storey buildings about 30 feet high with a flat roof and parapet, the towers were large enough to house up to 12 soldiers. They were located in remote coastal locations with each tower being built in line of sight to the towers on either side of it which were between 5 and twenty-five miles away. The signaling system involved the raising and lowering of various flag combinations, and when complete a signal could be sent almost 700 miles around the coast of Ireland.

 

TID BITS
  • Ireland's cost of borrowing money on the international markets has fallen to 1.2%, a record low since Ireland scrapped the punt and signed up to the euro.
  • A recent poll of more than a 1,000 people in Northern Ireland found that 65%, including 38% of Catholics, would vote for Northern Ireland to
    remain as part of the UK while only 17% would vote for a united Ireland.
  • A new report concludes that Ireland was one of 54 countries which helped facilitate the CIA's secret detention, rendition and interrogation program in the years after 9/11 by permitting the use of its airspace and airports for CIA flights associated with rendition operations.
  • The delegates at Ireland's Constitutional Convention have voted in favor of lowering the voting age to 17 but opposed a reduction in the term of office of the president from seven years to five.
  • Irish students at Griffith College in Dublin, Cork and Limerick can secure a fee waiver for one year if their family provides accommodation and board for an international student. The normal fees for an Irish student attending the college are about of around $6,700.
  • Sinn F�in has asked CNN to refer to Gerry Adams as Sinn F�in president and TD for Louth rather than as "former IRA paramilitary".
  • Draft legislation has been prepared in Ireland to impose large fines on both passengers and drivers for smoking in a vehicle carrying children under the age of 16.
  • Pakistani Student Activist Malala Yousafzai has been named as the 2012 recipient of the Tipperary International Peace Award.
  • Over 25,000 applications for Irish citizenship were received in 2012 compared to 16,000 in 2011 and fewer than 8,000 in 2010. The process of applying for Irish citizenship applications now starts online.
  • A monument on Scotland's Culloden Battlefield commemorates the Wild Geese of the Irish Brigade who fought and died beside the Highlanders on April 16th, 1746.
  • An average of over 383 text messages per second were sent in Ireland in the third quarter of 2012.
  • There are 4.9 million cellphones in Ireland, a country with a population of just under 4.6 million.
  • In Ireland the average person earns $24,156 a year.
  • 72% of Irish adults aged 25-64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school degree.
  • 98% of Irish people believe that they know
    someone they could rely on in time of need.
  • 94% of Irish people say they are satisfied with their current housing situation.
  • An estimated 99.8% of people in Ireland live in dwellings with private access to indoor toilets, h
    igher than the OECD average of 97.8%.
  • A first edition copy copy of
    Dubliners by James Joyce sold at Sotheby's in London recently for over $210,000.
  • The first traffic lights in Dublin were installed in 1937 and the
    first parking meter on January 14, 1970.
  • The Union Jack was first flown not in England but over Dublin, on January 1, 1801, to celebrate the Act of Union joining the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.
  • There are 407,000 Irish born people living in England and Wales.
  • 100 Garda (police) stations around Ireland are being closed, leaving 564 stations to be used by a 13,500-strong force.
  • 90% of Irish people still call themselves Catholics, but just over one third attend weekly Mass.
  • Out of 221 cities rated in the Mercer Survey of the World's Most Livable Cities In 2012, Dublin was rated in 35th place with Seattle 44th.
  • There were 214 casualties on the British side during the Easter Rebellion in 1916.
  • Canada's immigration minister visited Dublin last year to entice prospective Irish workers, and when 6,350 temporary work visas for Canada became available recently, they were snapped up within 48 hours.
  • Dublin is the 34th most expensive city in The Economist Intelligence Unit's Worldwide Cost of Living ranking of 139 cities around the world.
  • 12 dolphins were found dead on the beaches of Achill Island in January
  • The descendants of a Victorian-era Corkman who had emigrated to China in the early 1800s and who brought back to Ireland an
    album of photographs taken during his time there, recently sold the album at auction for over $550,000.
  • By the end of April, free WiFi will be available to users in 12 areas of Dublin's city center including along Grafton Street, O'Connell Street and Temple Bar. Decorative wall mosaics of 14 Dublin icons will identify the WiFi hotspots.
  • The largest and oldest bookshop in Dublin is Hodges Figgis on Dawson Street, which opened in 1768. It has more than 60,000 titles in stock.
  • Established in 1850, Kennedy's Bar on Westland Row near Trinity College in Dublin, was originally part of a grocery store that gave Oscar Wilde his first job, stacking shelves on a Saturday afternoon. Later, Wilde was known to nurse a pint there!
  • The world's first St. Patrick's Day parade occurred on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers serving in the English military.
  • President Truman attended New York's St. Patrick's Day parade in 1948.
  • Congress first proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1995, and the US president now issues a proclamation each year commemorating the occasion.
  • 34.5 million U.S. residents claimed Irish ancestry in 2011, or 11.1% of the total US population. Irish was the nation's second most frequently reported ancestry, trailing only German.
  • There were 150,990 Irish-born naturalized U.S. residents in 2011.
  • There are 13 towns or cities named Dublin in the US, the most populous of which is Dublin, California, with a population of 43,572.
  • There are 7 places in the United States
    named Shamrock, in addition to Emerald Isle, NC, and Irishtown, Il.
  • The total value of imports from Ireland to the US in 2011 was $39.4 billion
  • The total value of
    alcoholic beverages imported from Ireland to the US in 2011 was $538.1 million
  • 1.77 million people in Ireland are able to
    speak Irish Gaelic, an increase of 7.1% from 2006 to 2011.
  • The number of Polish nationals in Ireland is 122,585, now the largest non-Irish-born group living in Ireland. UK nationals are the next largest group.
  • Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has formally apologized for the IRA murder of Irish Garda (police officer) Jerry McCabe, 17 years after it happened.
  • Swimming is the most popular exercise for Irish adults, ahead of soccer, golf and Gaelic sports. Almost 7% of adults - 230,000 people - swim regularly.
  • London's Downing Street, of Number 10 fame, is named for George Thomas Downing who was born in Dublin in 1623.
  • An Irish short film entitled Irish Folk Furniture has won best short film at Cannes Film Festival.
  • There are approximately 3,300 to 3,400
    people in custody in Ireland on any one day. An average of 20 people a day were jailed for non-payment of fines in 2012.
  • The world famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is set to join a growing list of world monuments that will be donning green on St. Patrick's Day.
An Irish Journey in 9000 pictures
Dublin in 9000 pictures
MISC OTHER IRISH LINKS

'Irish generosity and warmth' have not wavered despite global headwinds, wrote Dan Rooney as he stepped down on December 14 as US ambassador to Ireland.

 

The Celtic MP3s Music Magazine is a free monthly Celtic music magazine featuring free music downloads of Celtic, Scottish and Irish music from around the world. 

 

"The Irish, still building the world" compares a photo of Irish construction workers building a tower in Perth, Western Australia, with the 1932 iconic photo taken in 1932 above the RCA building in New York.

 

A filmmaker who is temporarily moving away from Dublin after living there for five years, made a poignant video love letter  before he left.

 

Isle Magazine - Irish Style Living & Enterprise - is a free online magazine focused on promoting the island of Ireland.

 

Translating slang and phrases used by Dubliners

 

Watch the Charge of the Irish Brigade at Fredricksburg as depicted in the Movie Gods and Generals to music by Celtic Woman

 

See a panoramic view of the Cliffs of Moher

 

The Huffington Post lists Ten Reasons to visit Northern Ireland

 

A collection of stories about events in Ireland in the 1950s and 1960s

 

Dublin was third on Network World's list of  Best IT Cities to work and play, with Seattle #7. Belfast was listed as being one of the worst.

 

Watch a video of New Year's Eve celebrations in Dublin.

 

Watch some ice climbing in Donegal in January.

 

Descendants of some of the Irishmen who built the church in 1848 attended the recent re-consecration and re-dedication of St. Brigid's Catholic Church on Manhattan's Lower East Side, one of the oldest Catholic churches in NYC.

 

The History Channel deconstructs New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral.

 

The Washington Post recently highlighted an example of "Truth in Advertising" by a Dublin Caf�.

 

The Publin.ie website lists the names and facilities of Dublin city center pubs and also provides sample drink prices, events, and even a handy map to locate them.

 

Check a map with links to live webcams around Ireland and Scotland

 

Check some weather and landscape images taken around Ireland in 2012

 

Global City NYC writes about the Irish Echo newspaper and its Loyal Irish Audience

 
Older Irish immigrants in New York tell their memories of celebrating Christmas in Ireland.
Seanfhocal - Proverb
 
Is � an dias is troime is �sle a chromann a ceann  
The heaviest ear of corn bends lowest
(= Genuine talent is modest) 

Sl�n go f�ill�n, Goodbye for now!
 
John Keane 
 
2013 John Keane. Items may be copied if
[email protected]� is credited
This newsletter is sent on behalf of the Irish Heritage Club, Ceol Cascadia Irish Music Camp, Seattle Galway Sister City Association and Seattle Irish Immigrant Support.
 Irish Heritage Club Logo
PLEASE RENEW YOUR IRISH HERITAGE CLUB MEMBERSHIP FOR 2013! 
All 2012 Memberships expired on December 31 although members remain in good standing with the organization until March 31 of the following year. Membership is used to support all IHC activities throughout the year, including the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Irish Festival, and 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

2013 Members remain in good standing until March 31, 2014