Tír
na mBláth
Irish Seisiún Newsletter
Thanks to our past editors - Mary Gallacher
and Bill Padden
Editor Tommy Mac 
............
....Today's date and new proverb
Attentin Session Players
No summer break for you...
A new set has just been posted for this week
Also,
There will be NO session on the 15th due to Fathers Day
Sunday's Seisiún
for June 8, 2025
‘Tá dúil ár n-anama sa cheol againn.’
Music is our soul’s desire.
.......Thanks again to
Bob Murphy, Pat Quinn, Randy Powell, Art Jacoby, and Kevin Westley
for supplying photos and info about our sessiuns.
Tom,
We had a fine time today at the session. Playing the new sets and had a couple of old ones.
Two occasional players popped in to add to the spice and catch up on the news. Summertime plans were discussed and dissected, especially the ones that involved going to Ireland.
We are expecting lots of new tunes, Caroline!
On fiddle were Seamus, Dave, Art, Bob, Fran and Caroline, Randy on Bouzouki, Rosemarie on whistles and flutes. Randy sang a few for us, thanks!
Some of the tunes played: Lads of Laios, Earls Chair, Musical Priest / Milky Way, Crock of Gold, Green Mountain / Garech's Wedding, Fig for a Kiss, Farewell to Whalley Range / Father Kelly's, Reconciliation, Mountain Road, MacArthur Road / Lakes of Sligo, Gurteen Cross, Port Lairge Polka / Tatter Jack Walsh, Ships in full Sail, Old Joe jig / Dusty Windowsills, Rakes of Kildare, Humours of Kiltyclogher / Wandering Minstrel, Humours of Ennistymon / Tarbolton, Longford Collector, Sailor's Bonnet / the Broken Pledge, the Shoemaker's Daughter / Father Kellys 1 and 2, Rediganns / the Rolling Wave, Lark on the Strand, Banks of Lough Gowna / Whistler at the Wake, Old Flail, Sliabh Russell / Garrett Barry's, Micheal Hynes, Boys of the Town, and our parting set, Lark in the Morning, Connaughtman's Ramble, and since Fran was able to remember it, Stan Chapman's to finish off.
Bob Murphy
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Below Ronan is attempting to show his dad how to hold the bow
Also notice his pint is not as far down in his glass as his Dad's
...........
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Click any of the above logos to go to that site
.
"That’s
How I Spell Ireland"
Saturdays at 7 to 8 PM EST.
You can listen on 88.7FM or WRHU.org.
For a request please text me on 917 699-4768.Kevin and Joan Westley
Note: Show will be preempted whenever the NY Islanders have a Saturday game
Finnegan's Events
Check out their calender
They support us - Let's support them
E-Mails Received
Continuing with stories about the Claddagh in a previous newsletter, I just received this from our own Bob Murphy.
Tom,
You asked for Claddagh ring stories after that article about the same. A few years after our twins (Seamus and Caitlin) were born (on St. Patrick's day!) My wife was looking for a Claddagh ring.
I kept telling her to hold off and meanwhile had a double Claddagh ring representing the twins made and gave it to her on the kids birthday.
My daughter now has it and she has a son, so not sure where it will wind up or be used as was explained in your article, but it's a special ring to us.
Bob Murphy
Fireny@aol.com
Old Ireland
Police guarding pigs during a dispute between farmers and bacon producers.
Waterford, County Waterford circa 1900.
Ireland Travel
FAVOURITE PLACES IN IRELAND
Loop Head Peninsula, County Clare.
Our journey along the Wild Atlantic Way today takes us to the Loop Head Peninsula in County Clare.
This dramatic headland on Ireland's west coast offers breathtaking clifftop views, the historic Loop Head Lighthouse (dating from 1854), and some of the country's most spectacular Atlantic sunsets.
It's a hidden gem for those seeking rugged coastal beauty and much less crowded than the neighboring Cliffs of Moher!
Read more about the peninsula's lesser-known sights here, or listen to this soothing rendition of 'The Waves of Kilkee', inspired by the town that serves as entryway to the peninsula.
Note: Whenever clicking on a link you will be brought to another web-site. To return here you must click on the BACK arrow.
Travel Quiz
Can you identify this site and it's location in Ireland?
Answer in next week's Newsletter
Last weeks Travel Quiz answer
Ardmore Round Tower •
Waterford
Irish Language
Submitted by our own Anita
“Tir gan teanga is ea tir gan anaim“ (cheer gan changa sha cheer gan anam)
“A country without a language is a country without a name”
This map shows the native speaking population but a large proportion of non native speaking citizens do speak and understand irish since they learn it throughout their school years.
Slam go foill,
Anita
Free Irish Classes
The classes are over zoom and are held at 12:00 eastern time the 1 st Sunday of every month.
It is basic conversational Irish and open to learners of all ages, especially beginners.
All are invited.
Hope to see you there!
slan go foill. Le dea ghui,
Anita
click here to register
..
Traditional Irish Potato Soup
A simple, easy to make but deliciously tasty soup.
Prep Time: 20minutes minutes Cook Time: 30minutes minutes Total Time: 50minutes minutes Servings: 6 Calories: 286kcal
Ingredients
1 large onion
3 medium potatoes
2 ounces butter
4 cups chicken stock use vegetable stock for a vegetarian soup
½ cup cream
salt and pepper to season
parsley to garnish
Instructions
1. Peel and dice the onion and potatoes.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
3. Add the onion and cook for one minute coating completely in butter.
4. Add the potatoes and toss well with the onion and melted butter.
5. Cover the saucepan and sweat the vegetables for 10 minutes, shaking the pot every few minutes to prevent sticking.
6. Pour in the stock and simmer the soup for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
7. Turn off the heat and allow to cool, Purée the soup using a hand held blender or in batches in a blender.
8. Add the cream and mix well together.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Reheat to serve, and garnish with a swirl of cream and parsley.
Enjoy
If you have a cherished family Irish recipie share it with us.
And if there's a story that goes with it.....even
better! mail click here
Fireny@aol.com
filíocht pronounced FILL-ee-uhkht meaning Poetry
June
by Francis Ledwidge
Broom out the floor now, lay the fender by,
And plant this bee-sucked bough of woodbine there,
And let the window down. The butterfly
Floats in upon the sunbeam, and the fair
Tanned face of June, the nomad gipsy, laughs
Above her widespread wares, the while she tells
The farmers' fortunes in the fields, and quaffs
The water from the spider-peopled wells.
The hedges are all drowned in green grass seas,
And bobbing poppies flare like Elmo's light,
While siren-like the pollen-staind bees
Drone in the clover depths. And up the height
The cuckoo's voice is hoarse and broke with joy.
And on the lowland crops the crows make raid,
Nor fear the clappers of the farmer's boy,
Who sleeps, like drunken Noah, in the shad
And loop this red rose in that hazel ring
That snares your little ear, for June is short
And we must joy in it and dance and sing,
And from her bounty draw her rosy worth.
Ay! soon the swallows will be flying south,
The wind wheel north to gather in the snow,
Even the roses spilt on youth's red mouth
Will soon blow down the road all roses go.
Francis Ledwidge was an Irish poet known for his
lyrical depictions of nature and rural life. His poetry reflects a deep connection
to the land and its people, often drawing inspiration from the landscapes and
folklore of his native County Meath. Ledwidge's style is characterized by its
musicality, evocative imagery, and the use of traditional poetic forms.
Writing during the turbulent early 20th century, Ledwidge's work offers a poignant contrast to the modernist trends of the time. His poetry harkens back to the Romantic tradition, emphasizing emotion, beauty, and a reverence for the natural world. While he was developing his craft amidst the upheaval of the First World War, Ledwidge's poems often focused on themes of peace, tranquility, and the enduring power of nature.
Ledwidge's contemporaries included other Irish poets like William Butler Yeats and Padraic Colum, who also drew inspiration from Irish folklore and the natural world. His work shares similarities with the Georgian poets of England, who valued clarity of expression and a focus on rural themes. However, Ledwidge's poetry retains a distinct Irish sensibility, rooted in the specific landscapes, legends, and rhythms of his homeland. Even today, his poems continue to resonate with readers who appreciate his sensitive portrayals of nature and his celebration of the enduring spirit of rural life.
Stories and Tales
"seanchaí"
(pronounced "shan-a-key")
comes from the Irish words "sean" meaning old and "caí" meaning to tell.
How the weather report from a Co Mayo lighthouse
changed the D-Day invasion
The weather forecast delivered from Blacksod Lighthouse on the coast of Co Mayo convinced General Dwight D. Eisenhower to delay D-Day.
IrishCentral Staff @IrishCentral Jun 06, 2025
Blacksod Lighthouse, Mullet Peninsula, Co Mayo Ireland's Content Pool
On this day, June 6, 1944, the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France took place using the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes, and vehicles to breach Adolf Hitler's defenses in western Europe.
81 years on, a look at how a weather report from a lighthouse in Blacksod on the coast of Co Mayo impacted how the day played out.
On June 3, 1944, Irish Coast Guardsman and Blacksod Lighthouse keeper Ted Sweeney and his partner, Maureen Flavin, delivered a weather forecast by telephone from Co Mayo’s most westerly point.
The report convinced General Dwight D Eisenhower to delay the D-Day invasion for 24 hours, potentially averting a military disaster and changing the course of World War II.
According to Met Éireann, Ted Sweeney's mother Margaret, who ran the post office in Blacksod, took over responsibility of the local weather station in 1922 after the British Coast Guard withdrew.
In 1939, a secret agreement was reached for the exchange of weather data between Ireland and Britain.
With the onset of World War II, the demand for up-to-date weather observations grew, leading Margaret and her son Ted to search for extra help and advertise for a post office clerk.
Maureen Flavin, a native of Co Kerry, answered the posting. As part of her role, she recorded weather reports.
As Met Éireann notes, in the 1940s, "weather forecasts were made subjectively by analysing the current weather based on weather observations and then extrapolating the state of the atmosphere at a future time.
"Forecasts depended much on the skill and experience of the forecaster in question and were only considered reliable for one to two days."
On June 3, 1944 - her 21st birthday - Maureen took the hourly weather reading at 1 pm, which showed a steady wind and increasing rain as the pressure continued to drop. This indicated unsettled, stormy weather that would affect the English Channel on June 5, the planned date for the D-Day landings, known as Operation Overlord.
On this day in 1944, the D-Day landings took place. Three days prior, 03/06/1944, a report from the weather station at Blacksod Lighthouse, Belmullet, Co. Mayo, highlighted a brief period of settled weather during a storm, which allowed the landings.
"That report was sent from here on the 3rd June, and the following morning, there was a query at around 11 o'clock. And then was a second query," Maureen recalled in a 2014 recorded interview with her grandson, Fergus Sweeney.
"A lady with a distinct English accent requested me to 'Please Check. Please Repeat!' "We began to look at the figures again. We checked and rechecked, and the figures were the same both times, so we were happy enough then."
Maureen said: "Eisenhower was making up his mind about whether to enter France or not.
"He was very divided, but when he saw the report from Blacksod Point, it confirmed he made the right decision."
Thanks to Maureen's weather report from Co Mayo, D-Day was moved to June 6, likely saving thousands of lives and helping ensure victory for the Allies in World War II.
In a 2006 interview for RTÉ's Nationwide programme, Maureen chuckled: "They could arrange everything but they couldn’t pre-arrange the weather!
"They had it all worked out to the nearest detail, but our weather report put the first spoke in the wheel.
"They would have gone ahead and the invasion would have been a complete disaster. There they were with thousands of aircraft and they couldn't tolerate low cloud. We're delighted we put them on the right road. We eventually had the final say!"
Maureen and Ted married in 1946. It was more than a decade after their fateful weather report that they learned of its significance.
Maureen's grandson Fergus explained to RTÉ News that in 1956, Met Éireann established a new weather station in Béal an Mhuirthead.
"The one in Blacksod (An Fód Dubh) was going to be closed down, and some of the staff from Dublin had come to relocate equipment," he explained.
"When they did, that's when they informed Ted and Maureen that their readings were the crucial ones for D-Day."
In June 2021, Maureen, then 98 years old, was awarded a special honor by the US House of Representatives.
On the 77th anniversary of the D-Day landings, US Congressman and retired 3-Star Admiral Jack Bergman (Michigan First District) Jack Bergman wrote that he was “honored to recognize the service of Maureen Flavin Sweeney."
He wrote: “Her skill and professionalism were crucial in ensuring Allied victory, and her legacy will live on for generations to come."
A letter was also read out from the World War II museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The special recognition, which has been awarded since 1789, entitled Maureen to receive a proclamation noting her accomplishments, which has been placed in the US Library of Congress for perpetuity.
Maureen died at Tí Aire nursing home in Belmullet, Co Mayo on December 17, 2023. She was 100 years old.
*Originally published in 2016. Last updated in June 2025.
Céad Míle Fáilte
and welcome to your Letter from Ireland
The humble yet magnificent Aran sweater
Céad Míle Fáilte - and welcome to your Letter from Ireland for this week. Summer is in full swing here in County Cork, with long evenings stretching gloriously towards 10.30 pm. The hedgerows are bursting with wildflowers, and there's a particular vibrancy to the countryside that you only find with June in Ireland. It's a beautiful time of year indeed! How are things in your part of the world today?
I'm enjoying a cup of Lyons' tea as I write, and I hope you'll join me with whatever you fancy as we start into today's letter. Now, despite the warmer weather outside today, I'm thinking about something that keeps us warm when the Atlantic winds blow harsh across our island - the humble yet magnificent Aran sweater.
The thought was sparked yesterday when I came across an old family Aran sweater, now nearly forty years old but still as sturdy as the day it was knitted. The wool yellows slightly with age, but the patterns are as pronounced as ever - each cable, diamond and bobble tells their own story. I held it up, and despite being the summer, I couldn't resist trying it on. Immediately, I was transported back to winters, springs and summers -and being out in all weathers. How does one piece of clothing give such a strong sense of time and place?
From Island Necessity to Cultural Icon
The true home of the Aran sweater lies about 30 miles off the coast of County Galway, on the three Aran Islands - Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer. These remote rocks in the Atlantic, with a stark beauty and resilient community, gave birth to what became one of Ireland's most recognisable cultural exports.
Originally, these sweaters were purely practical garments as the fishermen of the Aran Islands needed clothing that would protect them from the harsh Atlantic weather while they worked at sea. The natural lanolin in their unwashed wool made the garments water-resistant - crucial for men whose livelihood depended on heading into the wild west sea in uncovered boats.
What many don't realise is that the Aran sweater we know today is relatively young in terms of Ireland's long textile history. While the islands have a knitting tradition dating back generations, the distinctive style we now recognise as "Aran" only developed in the early 20th century, possibly influenced by the "ganseys" worn by fishermen across the British Isles.
Patterns with Meaning
The main visual cue of the Aran sweater comes through the meaning woven into its patterns. While many romantic stories of the sweater have been embellished over time, the symbolism in the garment weave shows the deep connection between the islanders and their environment.
For example, the cable stitch (resembling a fishing rope) represents tools of the trade and prayers for a safe catch. The diamond patterns remind us of the small fields of the islands, fields created by generations of farmers who transformed barren rock into fertile ground by hauling seaweed and sand up from the shore. The zigzag stitches evoke the winding boreens across each island, while the tree of life pattern symbolises family unity and continuity.
Perhaps you've heard the claim that each family had their own distinct pattern, allowing for the identification of drowned fishermen washed ashore? While this makes for a good story, it is considered more folklore than fact. However, like all good legends, it contains a kernel of truth about the dangers faced by island communities and the relationship between craft, survival, and identity.
The Clancy Brothers & The Sullivan Show That Changed Everything
So how did this practical garment from remote Irish islands become a global fashion statement? For that, we can largely thank four young men from the town of Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary and one concerned Irish mother!
The Clancy Brothers - Tom, Paddy, Bobby (replaced by Liam), and their friend Tommy Makem (from County Armagh) were established as folk singers in New York by the late 1950s. In 1961, they were booked to perform a short segment on The Ed Sullivan Show - America's most popular television program. As the story goes, worried that her boys would be cold in the American winter, Mrs. Clancy sent over a package of Aran sweaters from Ireland.
The group appeared on the Sullivan show on March 12, 1961, and wore matching white Aran sweaters - and something magical happened! Against the black backdrop of the television set, those intricately patterned sweaters stood out dramatically. The visual impact, combined with their rousing rendition of "The Rising of the Moon," captured America's imagination. Suddenly, everyone seemed to want an authentic Irish Aran sweater.
The Clancys would go on to wear their trademark sweaters on album covers, during concerts, and for numerous television appearances. And so, almost overnight, what had been a practical garment worn by island fishermen became both a fashion statement and a powerful symbol of Irish identity.
A Living Tradition
What I find most remarkable about the Aran sweater is how it has remained both attractive and relevant across generations and cultures. It's a garment that somehow manages to be both timeless and contemporary, traditional and modern.
Looking at my old family Aran sweater yesterday, I was struck by how something so rooted in practical necessity has become such a powerful symbol of Irish identity worldwide. Like so much of Irish culture, it has traveled onwards to our diaspora, carrying with it stories of home and heritage.
The next time you see or wear an Aran sweater, take a moment to appreciate the history knitted into each intricate pattern. Think of the skilled hands that created it, the islands that inspired it, and the journey it has made from this most western edge of Europe to the world's stage - with a little help from four singing Irishmen in their Sunday best on The Ed Sullivan Show!
How about you - have you ever purchased an Aran sweater for yourself or a loved one? What attracted you to that particular piece? Do email me at Fireny@aol.com and let me know.
That's it for this week,
Slán for this week,
Mike.
Bloomsday
Tom
I don't remember you writing anything about James Joyce. But on Monday, June 16th, the whole world will be celebrating Bloomsday. "Ulysses" (my edition has 783 pages) takes place on one day, June 16, 1904. In it we follow Leopold Bloom as he wanders through the streets of Dublin.
For several years I went to Symphonyspace for "Bloomsday on Broadway" and listened to Malachy McCourt, Robert MacNeil, Marin Ireland and others reading from Joyce's works. It ran from about 11:00 in the morning until past midnight.
I even had the same lunch as Bloom. Your readers might be interested to learn about Bloomsday.
Bernie
Thanks Bernie. I was never able to finish that book. In fact I stopped reading after the second chapter. But I do know all the attention the book and that special day receives around the world.
I found this srory in our favorite website, "Irish Central"....Tommy Mac
Celebrating the genius of James Joyce on Bloomsday
James Joyce could hardly have imagined the popularity of his novel "Ulysses" celebrated throughout the world this Bloomsday, June 16.
Irish Voice Editorial @IrishCentral Jun 16, 2024
A celebration of all things Joyce on Bloomsday in Dublin. Photocall
From Dublin to Dubai and Cork to Caracas, there will be Bloomsday readings, with Dublin itself becoming the focus of a major new international trend to honor Joyce’s memory.
Yet, it is the celebration of a book that is difficult, complex, and has been read by only a fraction of the millions who have claimed to have done so.
But unlike many works of art, this is no obscure and deliberately difficult work lacking any real merit except to academics who delight in its difficulty.
The story of Leopold Bloom and his wanderings around Dublin on one 24-hour odyssey is a tale full of obscure references, nonsequiturs, blind alleys, and genuinely beautiful and passionate language.
Many reject it as too obscure, yet Molly Bloom’s parting remarks at the very end of the book stand as one of the English language’s greatest.
Molly Bloom is the concert singer who married the advertising agent Bloom, and their marriage has not been consummated for about 10 years. She has taken a lover, Blazes Boylan, but still loves Leopold.
She reminisces about her night with him when he proposed, back when love was young and life was full of promise:
"...I was a flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another, and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.”
Many years ago, the legendary Irish actress Siobhan McKenna recited the entire monologue, giving one of the greatest theatrical experiences ever. Though long past her prime, McKenna delivered the sexiest rendition imaginable on stage. Fionnuala Flanagan is another Irish actress who can make the words of Molly Bloom dance.
Listen to Siobhan McKenna perform the Soliloquy of Molly Bloom here:
Joyce never lived to see the full flowering of his masterpiece and it is hard to know what he would have made of it.
He had his own Molly Bloom in his wife and lifelong lover Nora Barnacle, and many hear her voice in the plaintive pleading of Molly to have her sexuality understood and nurtured.
The book is set on June 16, 1904, the day Joyce first met Barnacle outside the hotel where she was a chambermaid. Their love affair would last until his death in 1941, although they only got married in 1931. His book would long outlast them both.
Around the world these days there are thousands of Joycean scholars who make their living parsing and reparsing the great man who, perhaps much to his chagrin, if he were alive, has become a symbol of all things Irish to millions.
So celebrate this Bloomsday and if nothing else, read some of Molly’s soliloquy. It is there that the greatness of Joyce can be seen and the celebration of his masterwork is well deserved.
Happy Bloomsday.
* Originally published in 2011, updated in June 2024.
“One and the Same People”
The North Strand Bombing, 1941
submitted by Lawrence Mahoney
The presence of German aircraft over Dublin in the early morning hours of May 31, 1941, was not particularly alarming, at first, to those below who either happened to be awake or were charged with watching the wartime skies of neutral Ireland.
Across the Irish Sea, denizens of London and other major British cities had been spending their nights in “blackout” conditions for months as a defense against the Nazi Blitz, which by May was winding down, as Hitler turned his attention to the Eastern Front.
The people of Belfast, which had recently been targeted by the Germans in what came to be known as the “Belfast Blitz,” likewise slept under a defensive cloak of darkness.
No such precautions were deemed necessary in the Twenty-Six Counties, and the German pilots had the additional benefit of what is generally described as an exceptionally clear and bright night as they surveyed the city below.
As more and more German planes began circling the city, tricolor flares were fired to put the pilots on notice that they were in neutral Irish airspace. Undeterred, the German planes continued circling until the first of four bombs fell at 1:28 a.m. on North Circular Row. The second bomb fell a minute later, just outside 44 Summerhill Parade. Three minutes later, the third bomb fell at Phoenix Park, stampeding animals at the nearby zoo and blowing out the windows at Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of Ireland’s first President and founder of the Gaelic League, Douglas Hyde.
Ireland’s ill-equipped and barely trained anti-aircraft batteries engaged at 1:35 a.m. and the German aircraft meandered off, save one, which remained, undeterred, on station above the now fully alert city below.
Finally, at 2:03 a.m., the fourth and final bomb, a 500 pounder, landed in the North Strand with devastating effect.
This was not the first time German bombs had been dropped in Ireland in the course of the war, but none of the prior incidents had approached this level of devastation.
The official casualty list stands at 28 dead, although subsequent scholarship suggests that there were additional victims whose bodies were essentially vaporized and never recovered, so severe was the fourth blast. Many others were wounded to varying degrees, and some 300 habitations were destroyed.
De Valera’s government reacted immediately, summoning the German ambassador, Eduard Hempel, to Iveagh House for an explanation. Hempel was apologetic, adamantly denying that the bombing had been intentional, and the post-war German government would eventually finalize restitution payments in 1958.
But why had the bombing occurred in the first place? Was it truly an accident, or had the Germans been sending a message of some sort, perhaps warning neutral Ireland against providing non-lethal support to the Allies?
One theory even posits that the Germans’ navigational systems had been misdirected by the British in an effort to draw Ireland into the war. The notion that Germany was sending a message to Dublin is bolstered by the timing of the raid, coming as it did just a month or so after Irish fire brigades had rushed across the border in response to a desperate call for assistance from the Stormont government in the aftermath of the devastating German bombing of Belfast.
In the early morning hours of April 16, 1941, with much of Belfast in flames, John MacDermot, Minister for Public Security, called Basil Brooke, the hardcore Unionist Prime Minister of Northen Ireland, seeking permission to request assistance from Dublin.
When the telegram requesting assistance reached Dublin, Dev’s response was instantaneous, as he gave the order to “go ahead and give every assistance possible.”
Within the hour, firefighters from Dublin, Drogheda, Dun Laoghaire and Dundalk were speeding toward the border, where they would be met and escorted to Belfast. The crews worked without rest for three days, until relieved by crews arriving from Liverpool and Clydeside. Some of these men, we are told, were hospitably treated at the AOH Hall in Newry.
Speaking to the Irish people on April 19, 1941, de Valera explained the rapid response of his government to the request for assistance in words that remain relevant today, as we look to fulfil the promise of the Good Friday Agreement and see the end of partition:
"I know you will wish me to express on your behalf and on behalf of the Government our sympathy with the people who are suffering there (in Belfast). They are all our people, they are one and the same people, and their sorrows in the present instance are also our sorrows."
To hear a witness to the bombing click here
To read more, visit: The North Strand Bombing, 1941 – A Dublin City Council Oral history project
https://northstrandbombing.ie/
5-Tune Friday
Hi Thomas,
Paraic here with this week’s Five Tune Friday!
This week’s batch of tunes leans into playful energy and session favourites. You'll catch some brilliant performances from familiar faces, too.
Whether you're looking to polish your technique, learn something new, or just sit back and enjoy, there’s something here to keep the weekend lively.
Let's give a listen...
"The King of the Pipers" – Jig
We start with "The King of the Pipers", an unusual and exciting jig played by the ever-talented Fergal Scahill on his trusty fiddle. This tune features plenty of movement between the low and high registers, making it a brilliant one for working on scale runs and control.
"The Lads of Laois" – Reel
A cheeky, rambunctious reel that lives up to its name! "The Lads of Laois" is full of bounce and character, capturing the energy of a group of lads. This performance by Sarash O’Gorman on fiddle was recorded for the 2020 Cork Folk Festival on TG4.
"The Spirits of Wine" – Reel
A perfect reel to represent the perfect wine weather of summer! Played on mandolin by Aidan Crossey, this tune has a flowing, cheerful rhythm that should help with tapping into that relaxed summer vibe.
"Munster Buttermilk" – Jig
Also known as "The Boats of Killaloe", "The Bridge of Athlone", "Carty’s", and a few others! "Munster Buttermilk" is a lighthearted, uplifting jig that adds freshness to any session. This week’s version is brought to you by The Whistler, whose channel is a brilliant resource for learning Irish tunes at your own pace.
"The Concertina Reel" – Reel
We’re finishing strong with a classic trad reel, played by none other than the legendary Noel Hill and Tony McMahon. Two giants of Irish music. This version of "The Concertina Reel" is the first in a set including "Come West Along the Road" and "The New Mown Meadow", recorded for RTÉ. This is pure Irish trad at its finest.
Hey Randy, Rosemarie, and Bob.....
What do you think about making this (below) one of our sets?????
Let me know...Tommy Mac
That’s all for this week, folks! From scale practice and cheeky reels to summer sips and big names, I hope these tunes give you plenty to enjoy and explore.
As always, if you’re looking for sheet music, instruments, or a good trad tune to learn, you know where to find us.
Have a good weekend!
Slán go fóill,
Paraic McNeela
McNeela Instruments
I bought my Bodhran from Paraic and I am very satisified with the quality and the service.
If you visit the store please let Paraic know you heard about it
from Tommy Mac and the Tír na mBláth. Tim Finnegan's Pub, Irish Seisiún Newsletter
Fancy a cuppa?
A history of tea in Ireland Irish people have a relationship with tea that transcends the ordinary and it dates back to the early 1800s.
IrishCentral Staff @IrishCentral Jun 04, 2025
The Irish love their tea and its history stretches back to the early 1800s. Getty
Timeline of Tea in Ireland The Irish people have a relationship with tea that transcends the ordinary.
Meet an Irish person on the street or visit an Irish person in his or her home and they will have their tea preference clearly stated, tea needs to be strong, milk and sugar optional.
We are snobby about it. It’s a tradition, the average person in Ireland drinks four to six cups of tea** daily. We have carried this sacred ritual with us wherever we washed up.
But where does this affinity come from and how did the Irish become one of the heaviest consumers of tea in the world? Tea has a rich and varied history, having been consumed as far back as 1,000 BC.
How tea was first discovered is lost to the mists of time. The origin of tea is somewhere in Southeast Asia. Here in Ireland we take our tea very seriously. In fact, we consume more tea per capita than any other country in the world, apart from Turkey.
Tea arrived in Ireland in the early 1800s and was classed as a luxury product - drunk by upper class wealthy people. Tea was expensive to import, it arrived on Irish shores from far off India, transported by the renowned tea clipper boats.
Tea parties became gatherings of wealthy people. Tea rapidly became more accessible and popular and soon every every house in Ireland had a teapot and regular tea parties to go with it.
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The quality of tea in Ireland is the highest in the world. Tea can cure ills, offers a pick me up, it’s a remedy for coping with all kinds of ailments and digesting news. Irish tea is different.
This is due in part to difficulties Irish people faced importing tea during the Second World War. When war broke out the British government were forced to limit the amount of tea Irish merchants could buy, which led the Irish to go directly to the source, India.
The Irish taste buds for tea then took a different route to the British. Irish tend to drink their cuppa’s with lots of milk, as a result this requires a very strong tea, so strong in fact a fork could stand upright in a cup of proper Irish tea. After WW2 the Irish started importing tea from Kenya which provided good strong tea.
Nothing like a cup of tea
Tips for brewing the perfect Irish Cuppa
1. Warm the cup by pouring in some boiling water and leave for 5 minutes.
2. Always use loose tea leaves.
3. Always brew with Irish spring water
4. Use a teapot to brew tea
5. Leave tea to stew for 3.5 minutes in teapot before pouring.
6. Enjoy
Tommy Mac here.
For years I have been asking my readers to submit
some of their own memories on various subjects.
But, I have only had a handful of replies over all those years.
Come on now!
I'm sure many of you have recipies, memories of your own,
or stories handed down that would be of interest.
Please.....
Send in some of your actual memories of family stories to share with everyone.
If you don't want your name to appear the let me know.
Send them to me, Tommy Mac at Fireny@aol.com
News of Interest,,,,,
Edward Walsh confirmed as new US Ambassador to Ireland
Edward Walsh, a New Jersey businessman with close ties to US President Donald Trump, has been confirmed as the next US Ambassador to Ireland.
Kerry O'Shea @kerry_oshea Jun 04, 2025
Edward Walsh is the new US Ambassador to Ireland.
Edward Walsh was confirmed as the next US Ambassador to Ireland in a roll call vote in the US Senate on Wednesday evening, June 4. Walsh's nomination was confirmed by a vote of 57 to 38.
The vote comes after the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee held Walsh's confirmation hearing on May 1 and approved his nomination 12 - 0 on May 8.
All ambassadorial nominations must be confirmed by the US Senate.
US President Donald Trump announced Walsh as his choice to be the next US Ambassador to Ireland in December.
"Edward is the President of the Walsh Company, a very successful nationwide construction and real estate firm," Trump said in his December 14 announcement on Truth Social.
"He is a great philanthropist in his local community, and previously served as the Chairman of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority Board.
"He is also a Champion Golfer, a very good asset for the Ambassador of Ireland to have.
"Do well Ed!"
Walsh is a resident of Bedminster, New Jersey, where the US President's Trump National Golf Club, of which Walsh is a member, is located.
According to the Washington Post, Walsh donated $25,000 to Trump's 2024 election campaign, while his wife Lynn Walsh also donated $25,000. Introducing Walsh during his confirmation hearing on May 1, Senator Lindsey Graham made note of Walsh's friendship with Trump.
"He's a very close friend to President Trump, so to our friends in Ireland, you're getting one of the closest friends that President Trump has, and that will benefit you because when Ed picks up the phone, President Trump will answer."
He went on to reiterate: "To the people of Ireland, again, you'll be getting one of the closest friends that President Trump has and in this business, that matters."
Later in the confirmation hearing, Walsh was pressed several times on how he would manage Ireland's stance on Israel.
"I look forward to working constructively to engage on the issues that are contributing to the tensions between Israel and Ireland," Walsh said in response at one point.
Meanwhile, in the testimony he submitted ahead of his confirmation hearing, Walsh said that one of his "foremost priorities will be to enhance the economic partnership between the United States and Ireland."
He also said that he would be "committed to expanding the cultural and educational exchanges" between the US and Ireland.
After noting the recent anniversaries of Ireland-US diplomatic relations as well as the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, Walsh said: "And still, there is much work to be done."
He added: "I am also fortunate that I can exercise diplomacy from the green lawns of Ireland’s golf courses."
You can watch Edward Walsh's confirmation hearing on May 1 here:
Ireland's third chartered deportation flight of year
returns 35 people to Nigeria
Chartered flights can be "more appropriate" when a group of people is being deported to the same destination, Ireland's Department of Justice says.
Kerry O'Shea @kerry_oshea Jun 05, 2025
Ireland's Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) of An Garda Síochána carried out an operation removing individuals from the State to Nigeria yesterday, Wednesday, June 4.
The operation resulted in the removal of 35 individuals - 21 males, nine females, and five children. The children removed are all part of family groups, Gardaí said.
All individuals were removed on a chartered flight which left Dublin Airport last night and - after an unscheduled stop due to a "medical incident" on board - arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on Thursday morning.
An Garda Síochána says it continues to work closely with the Department of Justice in implementing immigration policy.
"Consequences for people who remain in our country without permission"
"Ireland has a rules-based immigration system. It is important that those rules are robust and enforced," Ireland's Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said on Thursday.
"The return of people whose applications have been refused and deportation orders have been issued is the foundation of any modern rules-based immigration process.
"People coming to Ireland must follow the appropriate pathways for legal migration, and these pathways must be adhered to and protected for our immigration system to work fairly and effectively. If a person’s application for international protection is refused and they are ordered to leave the State, they must do so.
"This is the third charter operation this year. Removal operations of this nature send a clear message that there are consequences for people who remain in our country without permission and underscores this Government’s intention to protect the integrity of our immigration system."
The Minister noted that last night's flight from Dublin was required to make an "unscheduled stop due to a medical incident on board." The flight was able to resume its journey, with all 35 people arriving in Nigeria on Thursday morning.
Minister O’Callaghan added: “Enforced removals are conducted as a measure of last resort when the person concerned has not removed themselves from the State or availed of assisted voluntary return measures.
"Before a deportation order is made, the person is offered assistance to return home voluntarily, which is the preferred option. There has been a significant increase in the number of people leaving voluntarily, and I continue to appeal to those who are given this opportunity to avail of it where appropriate.”
Voluntary return programme is the "preferred option"
Welcoming the flight, Ireland's Minister for Migration Colm Brophy said: “Having a modern immigration system where its laws are effective and enforced is a key priority for this Government.
"The removal of people who have no legal right to be in the State, and the enforcement aspect of our immigration laws, are essential for the system to work effectively.
"Today’s flight, the third charter flight this year, underpins the Government’s commitment in this area.
"I would like to thank members of An Garda Siochana for their ongoing hard work and commitment to ensuring that our returns system is effective and efficient.”
He added: “This Department has a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order.
"This is the preferred option, and I would encourage those who are provided the opportunity to return voluntarily to avail of it. "So far this year, 694 people have availed of the voluntary return programme.”
Chartered flights for removals
Ireland's Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration said on Thursday that charter flights are used in addition to commercial flights and can be "more appropriate" in circumstances where a group of people are being removed to the same destination.
These operations, the Department says, are conducted under a contract signed by the State in November 2024 for the provision of charter aircraft.
Minister O'Callaghan told RTÉ News on Thursday that the €324,714 spent on this latest operation was "value for money."
Two charter flights already conducted this year have removed 71 people who were subject to deportation orders. Wednesday's operation brings the number of people removed by charter flight to 106.
Additionally, 54 deportation orders have been enforced on commercial flights and 23 people subject to deportation orders are confirmed to have left Ireland unescorted so far in 2025.
1,940 deportation orders have been signed in 2025
The Department went on to say on Thursday that it has "taken action to significantly improve immigration enforcement measures and increase removals."
According to the Department, 2,403 deportation orders were signed in 2024, an increase of 180% compared to 2023. In 2024, 1,116 people departed the State under various mechanisms (that is, enforced deportation, voluntary return).
This year, 1,940 deportation orders have been signed, and 888 have departed the State under various mechanisms (that is, enforced deportation, voluntary return) up to and including June 5.
Voluntary return is an option open to people who have no legal status in Ireland, including those who are refused International Protection. Where this option is taken up, a deportation order is not issued in respect of that person. In 2024, the number of voluntary returns increased to 934 compared to 213 in 2023. This is the preferred method of removing people from the State.
A Little Humor 
Funny Headlines
A few "Funny Lines"
I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way.
So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.
You do not need a parachute to skydive.
You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
Church Bloopers
From my wife Donna
Somethings take practice
Only in Ireland
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kyol-tori air-in", the largest group involved in the preservation of
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Well, that's it for this week.
Slán abhaile
Pronunciation: slawn a-wol-ya
Meaning: Safe Home
Fireny@aol.com
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Sláinte, Tom Guldner (Tommy Mac)
Slán agus beannacht, (Good-bye and blessings)
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