Irish Culture & Customs News for this fortnight

Irish Culture & Customs newsletter which is published every fortnight
or so and sent out to going on 4600 readers all over the world. You are receiving
this newsletter because you signed up for it - God Bless you! If you'd like 
to read past issues, they are archived at:
http://www.ymlp58.com/pubarchive.php?Herself

Greetings and blessings to all,
We hope this edition finds you and yours in fine fettle and fit as a fiddle. And
if this is your first newsletter, many thanks for signing up; we hope you enjoy 
our musings and meanderings and will forward them on to your family and friends.

Meanwhile...

Our prayers go out to all of you who may be affected by the terrible floods along
the Mississippi. God willing, things will improve for you soon. We’ve had some pretty
rough weather here in our Ohio Valley as well - but nothing like other regions of
the midwest. The good news for other parts of the country  is that while we’re three
weeks into hurricane season, it has been remarkably quiet. May it stay that way.
The bad news for out west has been the terrible heat and subsequent fires. We hope
and pray any readers out there are safe as well. Russell’s mother once told us she’d
read that the USA has the worst climate in the world. Maybe so.

FROM THE MAILBAG


In an answer to Patty’s question, Patricia writes:
God made the Italians for their beauty. The French for fine food. The Swedes for
intelligence. The Jews for religion. And on and on until he looked at what he had
created and said, "This is all very fine but no one is having fun. I guess 
I'll have to make me an Irishman."
An Englishman thinks, seated; a Frenchman, standing; an American, pacing; An Irishman,
afterward.
http://www.mdirish.org/theirish.html


 LINKS

Irish Blessing
A lovely slide show of Ireland accompanied by Joanie Madden playing Down by the 
Sally Gardens. This one has been sent to us several times - this last one was from
Joe McTiernanan. Go raibh maith agat, Joe and to everyone else who has shared it
with us.
http://www.e-water.net/viewflash.php?flash=irishblessing_en

Mary’s Public Gallery - Ireland
Here’s a collection of beautiful photographs. Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/Zagsalbum

The Irish Page from Jack & Vivian
It seems that Jack & Vivian think we might be in need of  some relaxing humor
as their previous articles have been a bit on the serious or poetic side. Herewith
a joke in Irish and English: 
http://www.irishpage.com/jokes/go2heavn.htm
  

 QUIPS, QUOTES, PROVERBS & TOASTS

A Toast for a bachelor:
 May you have nicer legs than yours under the table before the new spuds are up.
__________________________________________________________________
A BIT OF THE WIT
Sign in an Irish  village store:
Take cabbage from top of stack, or heads will roll!
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JOKE OF THE WEEK
Newlywed Repairs

A man came home from the office and his new bride met him at the door looking a 
wee bit apprehensive. "I feel terrible," she told him. "I was pressing
your suit and I burned a big hole in the seat of your trousers." "There,
there,”consoled the husband. "Remember that I've got an extra pair of trousers
for that suit."  "Yes, I know,” she said, brighteining up. “And isn’t 
it  lucky for you that you have!" "I was able to use a piece from them
to patch the hole!"
__________________________________________________________________
DID YOU KNOW
1. The preserved body of an 8 foot tall Crusader may be seen at St. Michan's
Vaults, Dublin where, due to unique atmospheric conditions, bodies do not decompose?
2. The late Michael 'Butty' Sugrue from Killorglin, Co Kerry was Ireland's
strongest man? Among his feats of strength was the pulling of a passenger-laden 
double decker bus.
3. Ireland’s oldest mother was Mrs. Mary Higgins of Cork City, who was born on 7
January 1876, gave birth to a baby girl on St. Patrick's Day 1931 when aged 
55 years and 69 days?
Source:  'The Mercier Book Of Irish Records' by Padraic O'Farrell
__________________________________________________________
KNOW YOUR IRISH WRITERS
First off,  the answers to our last quiz:
1. The Dying Breed -  Declan Hughes 
2. Taking Pictures -  Anne Enright 
3. The Secret Scripture -  Sebastian Barry

A round of applause and pints for the following Irish literary sleuths:

Helen Dowd:
Please come browse a wide  assortment of writings including  bible quizzes, devotionals,
inspirationals,stories  and more.
http://www.occupytillicome.com

Hartson Dowd
Hartson gave us a quartet of Fiddle links
http://www.Fiddle.com  Fiddler magazine based in Cape Breton
http://www.CathalHayden  -  One of Ireland's most influential fiddle player
http://www.FrankieGavin   -   The official website for fiddler, Frankie Gavin
http://www.KerryFiddles.com  (the name says it all) Fiddle holidays for complete
beginners and intermediates
 He also included a bunch of fiddle one-liners like the following:
What's the difference between a fiddle and a violin?
No-one minds if you spill Guinness on a fiddle.
Thanks for the giggle, Hart!

Rita T Roche
Baltimore, MD
Still don't have a favorite Irish website

John Laney
Just finished reading Red Branch by Morgan Llywellyn. She really takes you into 
ancient Celtic lives and minds.
ED. NOTE: To learn more about Morgan and her work, please click
http://www.celticcafe.com/archive/Books/llywellyn/
.
 Want to see your name and favorite web site in our next newsletter? Who wrote:
1. Charles Trevelyan and the Great Irish Famine
2. Medieval Ireland c. 1170-1495
3. The Priory of Llanthony Prima and Secunda in Ireland, 1172-1541: Lands, Patronage
and Politics
Send in your answers to Bridget at:
bhaggerty@irishcultureandcustoms.com
__________________________________________________________________
RIDDLE
To begin with, the answer to our last Mind Messer: 
 Mr. Moody grumbles about  trains keeping time  from morning till night! On one 
particular morning he was quite justified. His train left on time for the one hour
journey, to Dublin, and it arrived 5 minutes late. However, Mr. Moody 's watch
showed it to be 3 minutes early, so he adjusted his watch by putting it forward 
3 minutes. His watch kept time during the day, and on the return journey in the 
evening the train started on time, according to his watch, and arrived on time, 
according to the station clock.
Q. If the train travelled 25 percent faster on the return journey than it did on
the morning journey, was the station clock fast or slow, and by how much?
A. The station clock is 3 minutes fast.
The morning journey took 65 minutes, and the evening journey therefore took 52 minutes,
and the train arrived 57 minutes after it should have left, that is, 3 minutes early.
This one proved to be a bit more of a challenge for our Riddle People as we didn’t
get many correct answers; an honorary mention goes to John Laney who thinks  Mr.
Moody should stop his grumbling and just enjoy the trip!.Congrats go to Tim Murphy
from Florida who was first in. Well done, Tim!

And now for our next head-banger: 
Out of smpathy for our daughter whose car was totalled  by an egit running a stop
sign, we thought the following might be an appropriate choice:
Four cars come to a four way stop, all coming from a different direction. They can't
decide who got there first, so they all go forward at the same time. They do not
crash into each other, but all four cars go.
Q. How is this possible?
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THE WEEK THAT IS
1. Article: St. John’s Eve - Part I
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StJohnsEve.html
2. Article: St. John’s Eve - Part II
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StJohnsEve2.html
3. Article: Only a Fortress Could Hold Such Treasures
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StJohnsEve2.html
4. Article: Surf Ciulture in Ireland - A Brief Introduction
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Atravel/Surfing.html
5. Article: How to Savour Ulysses this Summer
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/AWriters/Ulysses.html
6. Article: A Taste of Ireland -Soda Bread
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/aSodaBred.html
7. Article: Who was Behind the Doors of Dublin?
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ALandmks/DoorsofDublin.html
8. Book Review: The Traditional Crafts of Ireland
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Libr/zTraditionalCrafts.html
9. The Irish Kitchen: Fraughan Fool
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/rDessert1.html#FraughanFool
10: Basic Irish - Going on Holiday
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/3Focloir/1Home.html
11: Kids’ Ireland - Old Whiskers Wins a Wife
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/1Kids/OldWhiskrs.html
12: Music Review: William Ramoutar reviews Karan Casey’s Ships in the Night
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/AMusic/Ramoutar/KaranCasey.html
13. June Trivia Contest. Just a week or so left to enter! All entries must be in
by midnight, June 30 whatever time zone you're in.  http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/TriviaContest.html
 14. Circle of Prayer : The second Novena in this cycle ends on June 22 and the 
third one begins on June 23rd. Since our last edition, we have had a special request
for military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who are enduring stifling
heat on top of risking their lives. Please pray for them and all those serving their
countries throughout the world. Please also pray for Char whose mother passed away
yesterday, for our daughter Catherine recovering from injuries in a car crash; the
family and friends of the McTiernans, Pauline Dewberry, Cyndi Matyi, Mickey, Hartson
and so many others. Whatever your spiritual leanings, please remember them in your


  
So that’s the long and the short of it until we write again. This will be our last
edition until we get back from vacation on July 14, so let us be the first to say
pinch, punch, first day of the month White Rabbit for July Ist, a safe and happy
Independence Day to all of our readers in the USA on July 4th, and if you're
celebrating a birthday, anniversary or other important event between now and our
next issue, we hope it's an occasion filled with joy and happiness.

We’ll take our leave with this blessing edited and adaptedfrom one by Fr. Andrew
Greeley

Whichever hemisphere you reside in...
May the sun shine bright on your joyous days’
And the rain refresh you through peaceful nights
May summer (or winter) show you God’s wondrous ways
And prepare you for heaven’s great delights.

...And as they say in Ireland, mind yourself.

Slan agus beannacht!

Bridget & Russ

Get down on your knees and thank God you're still on your feet!

Celtic Blessing - sung by the St. Coca's Choir, from Kilcock, Co. Kildare

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrS3kYW6du4prayers and meditations.

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Blessings/CirclePrayer.html