Tír na mBláth

Irish Seisiún Newsletter

Thanks to our past editors - Mary Gallacher and Bill Padden

Sunday May 5, 2024

Editor Tommy Mac

This week's Seanfhocal (proverb)

The man who has luck in the morning

has luck in the afternoon.

Next Sunday is Mothers Day but the newsletter comes out on Monday so to all our wonderful Mothers (Mam)

Happy Mothers Day

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha

May he rest in peace.

Jimmy Hassan's surgery went well on Tuesday but sadly he passed away from complications the following day.

We send our sympathies and ask for prayers for Jimmy and his family.

He has been a friend and fellow session player for many years.

I visited Jimmy at the hospital after our Sunday session and I gave him a card signed by the players. He was very appreciative.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha

May he rest in peace.

.

Jim and his wife Bridget (Patsey) at one of the Finnegan sessions.

I gave the family a mass card from all the players

If you would like to send a rememberence you can email them to me and I will print them here next week.

Send them to me at Fireny@aol.com

Jimmy's daughter will be monitoring the newsletter and showing it to Jimmy's wife.

Jimmy's photo has also been added to our Memorial Page.

Players note:

Correct music added to Wandering Minstral Set

Also the Tarbolton set is now in the correct order.

1 Tarbolton

2 Longford Collector

3 Sailor's Bonnet

Thanks to Bob and Rosemarie for the corrections

Tá dúil ár n-anama sa cheol againn.'

(Music is our soul's desire.)

Sunday's Seisiún

May 5, 2024

Thanks again to

Bob Murphy, Pat Quinn, Randy Powell, Art Jacoby, and Kevin Westley

for supplying photos and info about our sessiuns.

.......Good times - Good tunes

Tom,

We had a fine session today, this being the last for Noreen and Tom, the final holdouts of snowbirdism. So, we played all the Noreen tunes we could think of and a generous dose of reels for our favorite bodhran player. Noreen gave us her blessing, and Tom told us to save his seat, safe travels to both of you!

We got news that Jimmy, our spoon player, is due for some serious surgery, so our thoughts and prayers are with him now. We are all hoping for the best possible outcome and his happy return to the session.

On fiddle was Seamus, Caroline, Bob, Pat and Art, Tom on Bodhran, Noreen on Accordion, Bob and Seamus on guitar. Due to a request, Bob had to croak out a couple of songs, including a hastily thought up verse for "Irish Eyes are Smiling" which included words pertaining to sitting in an Irish pub quaffing a Guinness. Hmmm....what was the inspiration for that?

Some of the tunes were: The Ugly Duckling / Green Fields of Woodford, Hole in the Hedge / Gan Ainm,Ne Ceannabhain Bhana, Gan Ainm / John Brennen's, Knotted Cord, Tinkers Daughter / New Mown Meadow, Devaney's Goat, Galway Rambler, London Lasses / Anthem, Oakum / Donegal reel, Miss Monaughan's / Silver Spear, Cooley's reel, Star of Munster / the Pear on the Plate / Trip to Darrow, Sligo Maid, Banshee / Morning Lark, Cooley's Jig / Down the Broom, Gatehouse Maid / Humours of Tullycrine, George Rowleys, Off to California / Master Crowley's / Lark in the Morning, Connaughtman's Ramble and many others.

Bob M.

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Arts photo

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Click any of the above logos to go to that site

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"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

E-Mails Received

Fireny@aol.com

Hi Tom,

Sorry I missed today's session...some unexpected family activities kept me busy all day. I'll be heading back to Pennsylvania later this week and will be missing the sessions for a while...I'm coming back to Florida sometime in late December...I'll definitely be joining in on the musical festivities then. Please keep me on the newsletter distribution list...I really enjoy reading it. Have a great summer...see you down the road! Cheers, George

Safe travels George. See you in December....Tommy Mac

Another great newsletter! Thanks, Tom. Randy https://roaringkelly.com/

Thanks Randy

Old Ireland

Each week I will post a (new) OLD photo of what Ireland was like years ago. The photos are taken from a great website called Ireland in the Rare Auld Times. I highly recommend this site. You can sign up at https://www.facebook.com/groups/889110974518793/

If you have any photos of what things were like in old Ireland please send them in and include a story about it if appropriate.

Please don't send things from the above web site. I already have those.

Embroidering linen.

Loughries, Newtownards, Co Down.

early 1900s.

Ireland Travel

Note: Whenever clicking on a link you will be brought to another web-site. To return here you must click on the BACK arrow.

Ireland's best woodland walks for a stroll

These are the picturesque and naturally beautiful walks in Ireland you cannot miss out on

IrishCentral Staff @IrishCentral Dec 23, 2023

Walking in the Gap of Dunloe in Killarney National Park in Co Kerry. GETTY IMAGES

Whether you're a local or exploring the beautiful Irish countryside for the first time, Ireland has much to offer for everyone when it comes to exploring the outdoors.

It could be that you're after a laid-back stroll through Burren National Park or you fancy a visit to the holy mountain of Croagh Patrick in Co Mayo.

But, whatever you choose, it's safe to say there will be much to discover along the way in Ireland this winter.

With the help of Betfair Bingo, here is a definitive list of the best woodland walks in Ireland. The popularity of each walking spot was measured by a unique index score based on the number of hashtags and views each location has racked up on Instagram, as well as Trip Advisor rankings - with the lower the overall index score the higher the ranking.

Killarney National Park, with a TripAdvisor score of five out of five and a Google rating of 4.8 out of five, was the clear winner of the recent study. Ireland's first-ever national park, Killarney National Park stretches out over 100 sq km and features lakes, mountain peaks, and woodland. It is also home to the only herd of red deer in Ireland.

Walking through the Gap of Dunloe in Killarney, Co Kerry. (Ireland's Content Pool)

Croagh Patrick in Co Mayo was named the second-best winter walking route in Ireland, receiving a score of 4.8 out of five on Google and 4.5 out of five on TripAdvisor.

Croagh Patrick overlooks Clew Bay on the Mayo coast and is popular among pilgrims and walkers alike.

Walkers on Croagh Patrick, near Westport, Co Mayo. (Ireland's Content Pool)

The hugely popular Howth Cliff Walk in Co Dublin completed the top three, ranking joint-second in the recent study. The Howth Cliff Walk, which received a Google score of 4.9 and a TripAdvisor rating of 4.5, is a 7km trail that offers stunning vistas of Ireland's east coast.

Howth Cliff Walk, Howth Head, Dublin, Co Dublin. (Ireland's Content Pool)

The Beara Peninsula in Co Cork was in fourth place, with the Burren National Park in Co Clare and Glendalough National Park in Co Wicklow placing in joint fifth.

Beara Peninsula, Co Cork. (Getty Images)

The Powerscourt Estate in Co Wicklow also made the list alongside Lough Key Forest Park in Co Roscommon, Ards Forest Park in Co Donegal, Torc Mountain in Co Kerry, and the Ballycotton Cliff Walk in Co Cork.

Powerscourt House and Gardens, Co Wicklow. (Ireland's Content Pool)

Belleek Woods and the Cong/Clonbur trail, both in Co Mayo, and Portumna Forest Park in Co Galway completed the recent list.

Belleek Woods, Ballina, Co Mayo. (Ireland's Content Pool)

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Travel Quiz

Can you identify this site and it's location in Ireland?

Answer in next week's Newsletter

Last weeks Travel Quiz answer

St. Peter's Church,

Drogheda, Co Louth

Irish Language

Learn some basic Irish with these useful words and phrases

Learn some key words as Gaeilge before you next visit Ireland or check how much Irish you know.

IrishCentral Staff @IrishCentral Jan 24, 2024

Get your Irish on!? Conas a ta tu? Ta me go maith. GETTY

Learning a new language can be a daunting task, but it can also be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.

If you're considering learning a new language, why not try learning Irish, or Gaeilge, as it's known in Ireland? Not only will you be able to communicate with the Irish people in their native language, but you'll also gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the rich culture and history of Ireland.

One of the first things you'll notice about the Irish language is its unique pronunciation and spelling. However, once you get the hang of it, you'll find that Irish is actually quite simple and easy to learn.

In fact, you can start by learning just a few key phrases, such as "Dia dhuit" (hello) and "Go raibh maith agat" (thank you).

Using a few Irish phrases while you're in Ireland can go a long way in building rapport with the locals, especially in the Gaeltacht regions where Irish is the primary language spoken. The Gaeltacht regions are scattered throughout the country and are known for their stunning scenery, rich culture, and strong sense of community.

The Irish people are proud of their language and culture, and they'll be delighted and grateful if you make an effort to speak Irish, even if it's just a few words. It shows that you have an interest in their culture and heritage, and it's a great way to break down cultural barriers and connect with the locals.

If you're serious about learning Irish, there are plenty of resources available to help you. You can start by taking a course at a local community center or college, or you can find online courses and tutorials that cater to all levels of learners.

There are also plenty of Irish language immersion programs available throughout Ireland, where you can live with an Irish-speaking family and immerse yourself in the language and culture. This is a great way to fast-track your learning and gain a deeper understanding of Irish culture and history.

Here are ten short Irish language lessons from IrishCentral:

Dia duit

"Dia duit" is a common greeting in the Irish language, which means "God be with you" in English. If you're visiting Ireland, using "Dia duit" to greet locals can be a great way to show respect and interest in Irish culture.

Dia is muire dhuit

"Dia is Muire duit" is a response to the Irish greeting "Dia duit", meaning "God and Mary be with you". It is a polite response to someone who greets you with "Dia duit".

Conas atá tú

"Conas atá tú" means "How are you?" in English.

Tá mé go maith

"Tá mé go maith" is a common response to the Irish greeting "Conas atá tú", meaning "I'm good" in English.

Is mise... (your name)

"Is mise" is an Irish phrase that means "I am" in English. This phrase is often used when introducing oneself in Irish.

Agus

"Agus" is a common conjunction in the Irish language that means "and" in English. This word is used to link two nouns, verbs, phrases, or clauses together in a sentence.

Go raibh maith agat

"Go raibh maith agat" means "thank you" in English.

Ná habair é

"Ná habair é" means "don't say it" or "don't mention it" in English.

Agus tú féin?

"Agus tú féin?" means "and you too" in English.

*Originally published in March 2023. Updated in January 2024.

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 either to participate privately or to meet at Tim Finnegans at 12:00 prior to the regular Sunday session.

Hope to see you there!

slan go foill. Le dea ghui,

Anita

click below to register

Bread and Butter -

"Patrick's home" upside-down cake recipe

"Aside from my older brother's great company, we long for his visits back to Ireland for the ritual pineapple upside-down cake that is baked in jubilation at his return."

IrishCentral Staff @IrishCentral Feb 26, 2023

'Patrick's Home' Upside-Down Cake. CIARA MCLAUGHLIN

This collection of home-baking recipes, handed down through Ciara McLaughlin's family, brings cakes and bakes from Granny's stove to your table.

From hearty potato bread to comforting crumble, from the warmth of fresh-baked scones to the joy of a well-stocked biscuit tin, from sticky puddings to foraged-fruit jams, these recipes make a lot from a little and combine seasonal ingredients with classic flavors.

Share in the secrets of traditional Irish baking and create your own memories with delicious recipes for every occasion.

'Patrick's Home' Upside-Down Cake

Aside from my older brother's great company, we long for his visits back to Ireland for the ritual pineapple upside-down cake that is baked in jubilation at his return. With its tropical flower-power petals of pineapple, the cake has a groovy flair, and the juices from the canned fruit burst with tang that seeps into the fluffy sponge when it gets cowped at the end. Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

- 1 small can (220g) pineapple rings

- 7 glacé cherries

- 170g self-raising flour

- 170g margarine

- 170g caster sugar

- 3 eggs.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4 and lightly grease an 8 inch/20cm cake tin. Drain the juice from the pineapple and lay the rings flat on the base of the cake tin, then pop a glacé cherry into each ring.

2, Sift the flour into a baking bowl, then tip in the margarine, sugar and eggs and beat with an electric mixer until a smooth batter is formed.

3. Gently spread the mixture over the layer of fruit, making sure each of the cherries is just submerged.

4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the sponge is springy to the touch.

5. Allow to cool for a few moments, then slide a butter knife around the circumference to loosen the cake from the tin. Place a wire cooling rack upside down on the cake tin and, using oven gloves, sandwich your hands around both, then, with a swift flick of the wrist, flip the cake upside down so that the pineapple layer beams upwards.

6. Leave on the rack to cool a little before slicing and serving. Try an apple and cinnamon alternative by using sliced rings of a cored apple tossed in 2 tbsp each of cinnamon and brown sugar. You can even dot some blackberries in place of the cherries for an autumn harvest feel.

Recipes from Bread and Butter - Cakes and Bakes from Granny's Stove by Ciara McLaughlin Published in February 2022 by The O'Brien Press. Updated in February 2023.

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

ANY WOMAN

by Katharine Tynan (1859 - 1931)

I am the pillars of the house;

The keystone of the arch am I.

Take me away, and roof and wall

Would fall to ruin me utterly.

I am the fire upon the hearth,

I am the light of the good sun,

I am the heat that warms the earth,

Which else were colder than a stone.

At me the children warm their hands;

I am their light of love alive.

Without me cold the hearthstone stands,

Nor could the precious children thrive.

I am the twist that holds together

The children in its sacred ring,

Their knot of love, from whose close tether

No lost child goes a-wandering.

I am the house from floor to roof,

I deck the walls, the board I spread;

I spin the curtains, warp and woof,

And shake the down to be their bed.

I am their wall against all danger,

Their door against the wind and snow,

Thou Whom a woman laid in a manger,

Take me not till the children grow!

.

Stories and Tales

Tommy Mac here -

Each week I have posted in the "ThisWeek In Irish History" segment taken from the "Wild Geese" website.

I have explained in the past that the wild geese were Irish citizens who fought with armies of foreign governments.

The "Flight of the Wild Geese" refers to the 12,000 Irish Jacobite soldiers who left Ireland for France in 1691.

The soldiers believed their exile would be temporary, but the English ignored the treaty. In 1692, the new Jacobite army on French soil numbered 15,000.

The Wild Geese formed Irish settlements in continental Europe.

Some members of the Irish Brigade of France served as Marines with John Paul Jones, and others were at Yorktown with Rochambeau.

The Hibernia regiment of Spain fought the English at Pensacola, Florida in 1781.

France's Irish Brigade:

Part 2 of 5: 'Who Stood the Victors Crowned'

Posted by The Wild Geese on January 19, 2013

"So failed Eugene's advance,

So failed all foes of France!

(Shout, boys, Erin's the renown!)

Let her praises still resound,

And while the world goes round,

To their praise too redound,

Who stood the victors crowned

In Cremona town" --

'Cremona' by Emily Lawless

A legend of the Irish Brigade has it that Louis XIV once complained to an officer of the Brigade that the Irish caused him more trouble than the rest of his army put together. The quick-witted officer was said to counter: "Please, your Majesty, your enemies make the same complaint about them."

1701, with much of Europe arrayed against him, Louis XIV once again called on the "Irlandais" to cause trouble for both him and their mutual enemy. He had quickly cast them aside when he signed the Treaty of Ryswick, by which he had also recognized William as the English king. Now he renounced that, recognizing the Stuart claim again. Exiled from their native land as they were, there were few options open to the Irish. They again rallied to the cause of France.

The ensuing conflict was called the "War of Spanish Succession." It would last 13 years and be waged all over Europe. Parts of the Irish Brigade would take part, in every corner of the continent, from Italy and Spain to Flanders and Germany.

Laft Austrian Archive of the State, War Archive and Card Collection (Wikipedia Commons) Imperial troops crossing the Alps under the commnd of Prince Eugene in the year 1702.

Most famous would be their adventure in the town of Cremona, in northern Italy. The campaign in Italy in 1701 began poorly for the French, with a defeat at Chiari in September. The French retreated to Cremona and expected that there would be no further action until spring. But the allied commander was Prince Eugene of Austria, one of the finest soldiers of his day. Finding a hidden way into the bowels of the city by way of a large drainage pipe, he infiltrated several hundred soldiers into the town and sprung his trap on the slumbering French on the morning of February 1, 1702.

With the French totally surprised, his men were able to open one of the city gates to allow entry to Eugene and many thousands more allied soldiers. Wrote an Italian historian describing the scene: "Confusion, terror, violence, rage, flight and slaughter were everywhere!" The French were panicked and running for theit lives, if someone did not make a stand they were sure to be run out of the city. But the men of Dillon's and Burke's regiments of the Irish Brigade were stationed near the Po gate, through which the second part of Eugene's attack was to enter. Eugene's other wing would never see the inside of Cremona. Led by the indomitable Daniel O'Mahony, the Irish would hold the bridge on the outside (eventually burning it) and the gate from the inside against repeated assaults. Eventually the bulk of the French army rallied and returned to help them drive Eugene out of the town. 'Lord Clare, you have your wish, there are your Saxon foes.'

King Louis XIV had no doubt who had been the heroes of Cremona. He raised the pay of all the Irish regiments after the battle, even those who hadn't been there. The English were also sure it was the Irish that had thwarted their ally Eugene. In the House of Commons, an Englishman observed that if the Irish had been allowed to keep their property and remain in Ireland they would surely have caused the Crown fewer problems.

The Irish would later fight in France's futile battles against the seemingly invincible Duke of Marlbourgh. The Brigade would fight well in many of the engagements, including Blenheim in 1704 and Ramillies in 1706, though they were all calamitous defeats for the French. But in each battle the Irish upheld their reputation as some of the finest troops on the continent.

At Blenheim, they held their part of the line through out the battle. When the rest of the French line collapsed and it appeared they would be surrounded and captured, they cut their way out of the trap and covered the French retreat.

Left Photo by Tomás Ó Brógáin. Reenactors Tomás Ó Brógáin in the uniform of Clare's Regiment.

At Ramillies it was Clare's regiment that covered the French retreat before another onslaught by Marlborough. So well did they perform this duty that they captured two enemy colors, one belonging to the regiment of Marlborough's brother. Those were the only two colors captured by any French units on that inauspicious day. Lord Clare was killed while commanding his regiment during the retreat.

Still, though Marlborough was ever successful in the Low Countries, the French were eventually successful in Spain, under the command of the Duke of Berwick, with help from Daniel O'Mahony of Cremona fame. Mahony had recruited several Irish regiments from the prisoners taken in Spain and commanded them with great skill during the battles there. Thus, though they could never defeat Marlborough, the French goal of putting Philip of Anjou on the Spanish throne succeeded.

The Brigade would continue in French service, with a steady stream of young men with no future in British-occupied Ireland arriving in France, most from the west of Ireland. In 1740, another of the numerous wars over royal successions would engulf Europe. This one was over the throne of Austria and would thus be called the "War of Austrian Succession."

It was during this war that they would achieve their most famous victory at the aforementioned battle at Fontenoy. Young Irelander Thomas Davis' would later commemorate the victory at Fontenoy thus:

"Lord Clare" he says, "you have your wish, there are your Saxon foes," The Marshal almost smiles to see, so furiously he goes! How fierce the look these exiles wear, whose wont to be so gay, The treasured wrongs of fifty years are in their hearts today."

A year later some of the Brigade would be in Scotland, fighting with "Bonnie Prince Charlie" in the last hurrah of the Jacobite cause. Charles would arrive in Scotland accompanied by seven advisors who came to be known as "The Seven Men of Moidart," so named for their landing place in Scotland. Of the seven, four were Irish "Wild Geese": George Kelly, Thomas Sheridan, John MacDonnell and John O'Sullivan. Kerryman O'Sullivan was the most influential with the young Prince, and as a result remains one of the most controversial figures of "The '45," as the rising would eventually be known.

Right Wikimedia Commons Flora MacDonald's farewell to Bonnie Prince Charlie, depicted by George William Joy.

The French were unsure how much support to lend to the "Bonnie Prince" at first. Though nearly captured on the way, Prince Charlie arrived in Scotland in mid-July. The Highlanders rallied to his cause and began to sweep the English out of Scotland. The French decided to send help, and elements of the Irish Brigade were among them. A larger number of them were captured by the British navy, however, and others turned back. Only a few hundred would get through, along with part of the Royal Scots regiments of the French army.

With such small numbers present their impact could not be decisive, but by all accounts they performed well. In the disaster of Culloden in April, it was the members of Irish Brigade and the Royal Scots who formed the rear guard that held off the English. That rear guard was commanded by General Walter Stapleton of the Irish Brigade, who was mortally wounded, a fate that also befell any hope of restoring the Stuarts to the British throne.

A small number of officers and men of Fitzjames' cavalry unit of the Irish Brigade were used as the "Bonnie" Prince's bodyguard and helped him safely depart the field. As the prince went into hiding, he ordered his troopers to surrender to the English. This they did, as did the remnants of the brave Stapleton's rear guard, and all were later exchanged.

Left New York Public Library A soldier of Dillon's regiment.

"The '45 of "Bonnie Prince Charlie" has become legend. One "what-if" that has often been mentioned is "what if more of the Irish Brigade and the Royal Scots regiments had made it to Scotland?" Though the Highlanders were fierce fighters, they had no trained, cohesive, veteran fighting units to match the Scottish and Irish regiments in French service. Charles would later claim in a letter to King Louis VX that if he had another 1,200 French regulars he could have won the battle. Like all such questions, it will remain unknowable.

The Irish Brigade was in the thick of the last great battle of The War of Austrian Succession, a French victory at Lauffeld in Holland. Though it was a French victory, the Irish Brigade suffered heavy casualties, including the commander of Dillion's Regiment, Colonel Count Edward Dillon, who was mortally wounded.

The treaty that ended the war included the French accepting the Hanover succession to the throne of England. The Stuart cause had run its course, and died on the field at Culloden. The Irish Brigade survived this, but would never again be the same force as took the field at Fontenoy and Lauffeld. The officers would continue to be mainly men of Irish birth or ancestry, but with the prospect of "liberating" Catholic Ireland by restoring the Stuarts now gone, fewer and fewer young Irishmen followed the call to glory in France, and the rank and file would become less and less Irish.

The "Old Brigade" was gone, but not without leaving a record as glorious as any military organization of its time. And altered though it might be, it would yet make a mark under its Irish commanders, in places thousands of miles from the poverty of western Ireland.

Part 3: 'Fighters in Every Clime'

Posted by The Wild Geese

THE THATCHED COTTAGE

AS A SYMBOL OF IRELAND

May 13, 2015 by Irish American Mom

The thatched cottage with whitewashed walls is a powerful symbol of Ireland, often featured on postcards. This quaint, traditional image immediately represents Ireland for many people throughout the world.

Traditional Irish Cottage in Bunratty Folk Park

I love thatched cottages so I made a short video to accompany this blog post, as a tribute to the rural homes of my ancestors. I hope you enjoy it .

Every time I see one on television, on the internet, or smiling at me from the pages of a magazine, I think of the "old place" in County Cork. That's what my father calls the thatched house where he grew up.

The Old Place the house where my father grew up in County Cork

I'm afraid that house now lies in ruins, but I'm happy to report there still are about 2,500 thatched cottages dotted around the Irish countryside. Today's post is dedicated to these iconic symbols of Ireland. I would safely say that after shamrocks and harps, the thatched cottage might just be third in line when it comes to the title of iconic symbol of Ireland.

WHAT IS THATCHING?

First let's define what exactly thatching is. It is a skilled craft that involves building a roof over a structuere using dry vegetation. This can be straw, water reed, flax, sedge, rushes, or heather.

The custom of thatching roofs dates back for millennia. In fact it can be traced back to the Bronze Age in Ireland. Our ancient Celtic forebears needed to build shelters using locally sourced materials. The walls of some of their buildings could not bear the weight of a heavy stone roof.

Thatched Cottage, Raheny, Dublin

Lighter weight vegetation was the solution, plus it provided insulation. As our world progressed those with money moved away from the common thatch and started using slates and stones to create the roofing for their larger brick homes.

Thatched roofs became a symbol of poverty by Tudor times. But the clock is coming full circle as the world becomes more climate aware. More and more people are relooking at the advantages of natural roofing as a solution to warming temperatures and in trying to decrease their carbon footprint.

IRISH THATCHED COTTAGE DESIGN:

The Irish thatched cottage is based on a simple rectangular plan.

The walls were built with stones found locally, pieced together in interlocking fashion, then covered with a mud plaster before being white washed. As you all know, there was no shortage of these stones in the west of Ireland.

Adare Thatched Cottage

Cottages were usually built with a door to the front and back, and usually oriented to the north and south.

It has been said that these two doors were necessary to prevent mother-in-laws and daugher-in-laws from using the same door. Many sons brought their new brides home to live beneath the thatch with their beloved mothers, and peace did not always reign.

Separating the women was one good reason for this door positioning, but the most likely reason was to ventilate the room.

Burning turf was smoky business and not all chimneys were up to the task of keeping a small room smoke free.

Pink Thatched Cottage in Bunratty Folk Park

Irish thatched cottages boasted few windows. This helped limit heat loss in winter and kept the interior of the cottages cool in the summer months.

However, one of the main reasons for this limited number of windows was the infamous "window tax" imposed by the British government from 1799 to 1851.

This ludicrous tax was imposed on any homeowner whose house had more than six openings. This penalty came to be called the "typhus tax" because of the increased incidence of respiratory problems related to poor air quality in these thatched cottages.

Thatcher at Work

The thatched roof is the feature we associate most with the Irish cottage. A skilled thatcher uses domestic cane to create these beautiful roof lines.

The walls of an Irish cottage were made with stones, or with mud strengthened by mixing it with straw and reeds and animal matter.

The roof line was built with timbers that were then covered with overlapping sods of turf. This turf layer was placed beneath the thatch to create a layer of insulation. Today, a layer of aluminum has replaced the turf layer as a fire precaution.

The straw thatch was made using a variety of materials that were locally available such as wheat straw, flax, or cane. It took close to 5000 sheaves of straw to thatch one little cottage.

Wheat Straw for Thatching

The thatched roof is the feature we associate most with the Irish cottage. A skilled thatcher uses domestic cane to create these beautiful roof lines.

This cane plant grows well in moist soils, in temperate and fresh climates, making it easily available in Ireland. This cane plant grows well in moist soils, in temperate and fresh climates, making it easily available in Ireland.

An Irish Thatcher

In years gone by sods of turf were placed beneath the thatch to create a layer of insulation. Today, a layer of aluminum has replaced the turf layer as a fire precaution.

COMPARISON WITH ENGLISH THATCHED COTTAGES

Thatched cottages are found all over the British Isles, but in Britain their design tends to be a little more complicated than the humble Irish abode.

In Ireland the cottages had only one to two rooms, with a loft. In England two storey country cottages were seen more frequently.

This is simply related to the fact that there was great poverty in Ireland in the 19th century.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage is located in Shottery, Warwichshire, England. It's just west of Stratford-upon-Avon. Anne was the wife of William Shakespeare, and as a child she lived in a 12 room thatched farmhouse. A far cry from the simple Irish cottage.

English Thatched Cottage

Thatched roofs are synonymous with the English countryside. They're often depicted in photographs and paintings of places in the south of England such as The Cotswolds, Hampshire, Dorset and Devon.

In Northern England and Scotland you'll find heather roofs on some old buildings and in East Anglia the thatch was made with Norfolk reed from sea marshes.

The type of roofing material chosen to cover a thatched cottage was dependent of the availability of materials in local regions.

In Norway grass roofs are very common, but there are more thatch roofs in the British Isles than anywhere else in Europe.

A BIT OF IRISH HISTORY

The Irish census of 1841 reported that 40% of the population lived in a one room cottage.

That meant about 3 and a half million people were cramped into tiny, dark, smoky rooms.

Dollys Cottage Strandhill County Sligo

Not only did most families have six or seven children, they also shared their living quarters with a pig, and a dresser full of hens or chickens.

Not exactly the cozy, romantic thatched cottages we have grown to love.

The pig often slept in a corner of the home, and was referred to as "the gentleman who pays the rent."

Adare, County Limerick

These little houses weren't full to the rafters with charm, but were quite literally full to the rafters with humans and animals.

Our Irish ancestors who were thatched cottage dwellers did not own their homes.

They built them with their own hands, but they did not own the land upon which they were built.

Eviction Scene at the Doagh Famine Museum, Donegal

Rent had to be paid to a landlord, or sometimes to a middle man, who subleased lots from a bigger plot of land he controlled.

Money was not always exchanged in lieu of rent.

Cottagers or cottiers often paid their land rent by working in the fields, or wherever they were needed.

If work was in short supply the cottagers were at the mercy of their land owner, and eviction sometimes ensued.

Evictions were cruel affairs and after the famine many landlords decided to clear their lands of small holdings.

Anyone whose rent was in arrears was thrown off the land.

Many had to emigrate and that's how so many Irish ended up in America.

Thatched Cottage in Adare, County Limerick

A LITTLE PIECE OF OUR HERITAGE:

Many of Ireland's surviving thatched cottages are privately owned, and I wish to express my gratitude to those who are preserving these cottages, recognizing that they are an important piece of our Irish heritage.

I hope that more and more people will recognize how important it is to preserve these cottages while we can.

As the old adage goes, "when they're gone, they're gone."

Irish Thatched Cottage Spiddal Co Galway

But ownership of these cottages poses some challenges.

Insurance premiums are significantly higher than for houses with regular tile roofing. Underwriters believe a thatched roof poses a greater risk of fire.

And so, the owner must pay a premium to ensure their home. This financial stumbling block often deters people from buying and owning a thatched cottage.

Plus it also can be difficult to find a skilled thatcher for maintenance of the roof.

I hope the Irish government recognizes the importance of preserving these little cottages, as a national treasure, and a piece of our heritage that must be handed down through the generations.

Bunratty Folk Park, County Clare

The thatched cottage may be a romanticized symbol of Ireland, but if they were to vanish, we would soon realize their importance. I hope that day shall never come.

CELEBRATING THE THATCHED COTTAGE AT CHRISTMAS TIME

Christmas has always been a very special time of year in Ireland.

The thatched cottages of rural Ireland came to life at this time of year as people prepared for Christmas.

The walls of the cottage were white washed in the days before Christmas as part of the ancient rural Christmas time traditions in Ireland.

On Christmas Eve candles were lit in cottage windows to light the way for the Holy Family on their way to Bethlehem.

The home was decorated with holly and ivy.

A goose was cooked in the bastible over the open fire for Christmas dinner.

And above all, the family gathered around their cottage fires to pray and celebrate the holiday together.

Belleek Thatched Cottage Ornament from Gifts of Ireland

Writing about an Irish country Christmas makes me nostalgic.

I have always loved thatched cottage ornaments on my Christmas tree.

I fell in love with the Belleek thatched cottage ornament which is available from Gifts of Ireland.

Such a lovely work of art, with its old Irish bicycle laying against the cottage wall - I think I would display it all year long.

THATCHED COTTAGE DREAMS:

I hope you enjoyed this little collection of thatched cottage images from around Ireland.

Many small villages in Ireland are home to these iconic symbols that only add to the charm of rural Ireland.

Does your heart sing when you see a thatched cottage?

The Thatch and Thyme Restaurant, Kildorrery, County Cork

Can't you just picture smoke meandering from the chimneys of thatched cottages in lazy spirals?

Oor perhaps you would enjoy leaning on a half-door watching the sun set over the Atlantic?

Thatched Cottage in Glenroe Farm, County Wicklow

These pictures of warmth and coziness, must surely have been the dream of home every Irish emigrant carried in his or her heart to America.

I hope these thatched roof cottages with whitewashed walls will always be a feature of the Irish countryside for centuries to come.

SLÁN AGUS BEANNACHT,

(GOODBYE AND BLESSINGS)

IRISH AMERICAN MOM

Hi there,

Today, I want to share with you one of my personal favourite resources for anyone passionate about Irish traditional music—The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA).

Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting to explore, this website is an absolute treasure trove. It’s packed with everything from old recordings and detailed articles to music videos that trace the rich history and origins of our beloved Irish tunes. It's also a great way to pick up new tunes to play or hum along to.

Why not give it a visit and see what catches your fancy? You’re bound to learn something new or even find a new favourite tune to play. Just click the link below to take a look:

Visit ITMA Website >

Slán go fóill,

“The Irish Republic” at Seventy-Five

The Ireland Act of 1949

Ancient Order of Hibernians

Feasachán Staire - History Bulletin April 2024

submitted by Lawrence Mahoney

The British legislative response to the Republic of Ireland Act was the Ireland Act of 1949. Early drafts had in fact changed the name of "Northern Ireland" to Ulster, but the final version retained the "Nothern Ireland" name.

The Act, among other things, specifically declared that Eire "ceased to be part of his Majesty's dominions" on April 18, 1949 and affirmed, as requested by the Unionists, the British claim to the six counties, specifically stating that Northern Ireland would remain in the U.K. unless and until the Northern Irish Parliament voted otherwise, something that was thought at the time, on the basis of population, to be impossible.

The Northen Irish Parliament of that time, of course, was legislatively abolished by the British in 1973, eventually to be replaced by the Northern Ireland Assembly and the ironclad "Unionist veto" of 1949 has given way to time and demographic and political changes that have drawn the 32-county republic of 1916 into sight.

Tommy Mac here....The Republic of Ireland's 75th anniversary was on April 18, 2024. The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 came into effect on this day in 1949, ending Ireland's Dominion status and declaring the state a republic. On April 19, 1949, crowds gathered on Dublin's O'Connell Bridge to celebrate the event.

A few days ago, we headed west to the village of Ballydehob in West Cork travelling on to the townland of "Foilnamuck" where my father was born.

The name "Foilnamuck" comes from the Irish for "Cliff of the Pigs" (it loses something in translation).

So, I thought, let's make that the subject of today's letter - the origins and meaning of the Irish term "Townland".

CLEARING THE CONFUSION -

THE ORIGINS OF THE IRISH TERM "TOWNLAND".

Des Dineen from Melbourne in Australia, sent on the following during the week:

"Hi Mike, I have been fortunate to locate the townlands for many of my Irish ancestral lines. Looking at all my fellow members in the USA and even in other states of Australia I realise that my success is mainly due to being born in the state of Victoria, Australia. Our records give a place of birth which often contain the Irish county and townland. These records have provided the following townlands for my various Irish ancestors:

Corrigan - "Dunaree" Townland, Co Monaghan

Walsh - "Oola", Co Tipperary

Brennan - "Muckalee", Co Kilkenny

McKeown - "Killough", Co Down

Donohoe and Fitzpatrick - "Kilfenora", Co Clare

Fox - "Ballygastell", Co Clare

Harkin and Dillon - Ballyteige, Co Clare

As you can see from the above list, numerous names like Walsh, Brennan would have been impossible to trace to the townland if I didn't have the wonderful BDM certificates here in Victoria, Australia.

On a final thought, it’s amazing that the town of Dromana (just south of Melbourne) where we have spent our summer holidays for many years has such a strong link with the Irish townland of the same name and our Irish Fitzgeralds. Sláinte, Des Dineen."

How lucky you are indeed, Des - you have some great ties back to the homeland there! Now, apart from Des reminding us of the wonderful Melbourne weather he also pointed out his interesting ancestral links between a suburban Australian beach town and a small townland in the south of Ireland.

Maybe you have heard the Irish term "townland" before? If you have examined most Irish record sets - you will notice that Ireland is divided administratively into:

Counties Then:

Civil Parishes Then:

Townlands (or streets if in a city or town!)

However, the thing that most confuses people is the misleading word "Townland". You see, it has nothing to do with a "Town"! So, how did the word "townland" come about? Well, a "townland" is a slight mistranslation from the original Irish - "baile fearainn" (pronounced "bal-ya far-in") which is more appropriately translated into English as "home land" or "home territory". "Baile" can mean either "town" or "home" in English. So, you could say that "Townland" is a mistranslation of the term "baile fearainn". However, we are stuck with it at this stage!

Many townland names (such as the ones that Des supplied above) have been used in Ireland for well over a thousand years. In fact, the Normans, and later the English, adopted townland boundaries for use in their administrative boundaries and then rolled up groups of townlands into civil parishes. The use of townland names has prevailed in Ireland from earliest times right up to today. Ask one of your ancestors where they came from and they would often give the county, the nearest town or city and the actual townland name where they lived.

The name of my father's townland "Foilnamuck" - meaning "cliff of the pigs" usually describes an long-forgotten feature of the landscape contained within that townland. For example, "Dromana" comes from the Irish "drom eanigh" translating to English as "ridge over the marshes". This is a classic descriptive name for an Irish townland - one that explicitly spells out a feature and makes a place recognisable in conversation.

It also shows the extraordinary reach and longevity of these townland names. Dromana made its way from being an ancient "homeland" in Ireland and was carried over to Des Dineen's Australian backyard during the gold rush of the 1830s.

Thanks again, Des for sharing those townlands within your own Irish Ancestry - and for prompting us to chat about townlands in general. How about the rest of our readers? Do you know the Irish townland or origin for your Irish ancestors?

That's it for this week,

Slán for now,

Mike.

A timeline of Michael Collins' death in August 1922

An hour-by-hour account of the fateful final hours of Michael Collins's life.

Joe Connell @IrishCentral Aug 19, 2021

Michael Collins was killed in an ambush in Co Cork on August 22, 1922 GETTY IMAGES

An hour by hour look at Irish revolutionary Michael Collins and the events that lead to his death on August 22, 1922, in Co Cork, Ireland.

Michael Collins departed Dublin on August 20, 1922, beginning what would become his fateful final hours alive.

When Michael Collins left Dublin on August 20, 1922, he was ill and feverish, and his doctor recommended that the trip be postponed. Had he merely been going on an inspection trip, it could have been delayed, but it appeared Collins had something more in mind.

August 20, 1922

Collins's convoy left Portobello (now Cathal Brugha) Barracks, Dublin, at 5:15 am on Sunday, August 20, and made its first stop at Maryborough Jail (now Portlaoise Prison), where Collins discussed transferring some of the prisoners there to Gormanstown camp to relieve the overcrowded conditions. He also spoke with some of the prisoners, including Tom Malone, about ending the Civil War. He asked if Malone would attend a meeting to "try to put an end to this damned thing." As he left, he slapped one fist into his hand and said, "that fixes it-the three Toms [Malone, Tom Barry, and Tom Hales] will fix it."

Then the convoy headed to Roscrea Barracks for an inspection and breakfast. At Limerick Barracks, the Officer/Commanding (O/C) of the Southern Command, General Eoin O'Duffy, met Collins and discussed his belief that the Civil War would soon be over and understood that Collins wanted to avoid any rancor. The convoy then headed through Mallow and spent that night in Cork City, where he stayed at the military HQ in the Imperial Hotel.

That evening, Collins met his sister, Mary Collins-Powell, and her son, Seán, and the rest of the evening was spent in consultation with the O/C of the area, Gen. Emmet Dalton. Dalton felt that "normality and law and order would not be too far off. We were in possession of the principal towns in County Cork. Michael Collins and I discussed this on the journey through West Cork." Most of the escort spent the first evening in the Victoria Hotel.

A photograph of Michael Collins (RollingNews.ie)

August 21, 1922

On Monday, August 21, Collins again visited with his sister, and then he and General Dalton went to the Cork Examiner to discuss the general Free State position on publicity with the editor, Tom Crosbie. Collins also visited some local banks in an effort to trace republican/IRA/anti-Treaty funds lodged during their occupation of the city.

First, they visited the Hibernian Bank, then the Bank of Ireland, then the Land Bank, and finally other smaller institutions to try to recover the funds. During July, the IRA collected £120,000 in customs revenue and had hidden this money in the accounts of sympathizers. At each bank, Collins told their managers to close the doors, and they would allow the banks to be reopened only if the managers cooperated fully. Collins had the bank directors identify the suspicious accounts, then he concluded that "three first-class men will be necessary to conduct a forensic investigation of the banks and the Customs and Excise in Cork." He told William Cosgrave to consider three people but "don't announce anything until I return."

He and Dalton then traveled the thirty miles to Macroom where Collins met Florence O'Donoghue, who was in the IRA and was one of its leaders in County Cork in the War of Independence, but who was neutral in the Civil War. The first phase of the Civil War was ended, O'Donoghue later wrote. He and many others recognized at this point that the IRA/Republicans could not win the war and that Collins came south searching for peace. Collins was desperately trying to bring the War to a close, as well as trying to give some face-saving agreement to the leaders on the other side. It is thought that he asked O'Donoghue how to stop the War and to mediate for him. After lunch at the Imperial, they headed out to review the military in Cobh, and then returned to Cork in early evening.

Michael Collins at the wedding of Commander Sean McKeown (The Blacksmith of Ballinalee) and Miss A Cooney in June 1922 (Getty Images)

August 22, 1922, The Fateful Day

Collins's party left the Imperial Hotel, Cork, at 6.15 am on Tuesday, August 22.

That day the convoy included the following:

A motorcyclist, Lt. John 'Jeersey' Smyth.

A Crossley Tender under the command of Cmdt. Seán (Paddy) O'Connell, Capt. Peter Conlon, Sgt. Conroy, Sgt. Cooney, John O'Connell, and eight riflemen, Gough, Barry, Carmody, Coote, Edmunds, Murray, Caine, and McKenna.

Collins and Emmet Dalton in a yellow Leland Thomas Straight Eight touring car.

The driver was Private Michael Smith Corry and the reserve driver was M. Quinn.

A Rolls Royce Whippet armored car (A.R.R. 2), the Slievenamon. Capt. Joe Dolan was riding in the car. Jim Wolfe was the driver, Jimmy 'Wiggy' Fortune the co-driver. The Vicker's machine-gunner on the armored car was John (Jock) McPeak. (He deserted on December 2, 1922, with Billy Barry and Pat and Mick O'Sullivan and took the armored car to the IRA; he said he did it for a woman. He was arrested in Glasgow in July 1923 and was imprisoned in Portlaoise where he went on a hunger strike). Cooney and Monks were the other members of the armored car crew.

The military detail was far too small for the protection of the Free State Commander-in-Chief, especially as they would be traveling through some of the most active anti-Treaty areas of south Cork.

The convoy went through Macroom towards Béal na mBláth about 8 am where it stopped to get directions, then through Crookstown, then to Bandon.

In Bandon, Collins briefly met in Lee's Hotel with Major General Seán Hales, O/C of the Free State forces in West Cork. It is thought that Hales was informed of a meeting Collins had intended with Civil War neutrals in Cork that evening and that he had met with O'Donoghue and others the day before and discussed how an end to the War could be achieved.

At Clonakilty, the convoy stopped for lunch at Callinan's Pub.

In the afternoon the convoy went to Roscarberry and Collins had a drink in the Four Alls Pub (owned by his cousin Jeremiah) at Sam's Cross where Collins declared: "I'm going to settle this thing. I'm going to put an end to this bloody war." But there is no sign he was open to compromise. Clearly, any hope he had of settling the Civil War would not be done at the expense of the Treaty. Collins told his brother, Johnny, that he would "go further with the British government once there was peace here." His principal aim was to end the Civil War. He said "The British have given up their claim on us. When we begin to work together we can help those in the northeast."

On the way back, Collins's party passed by the burnt remains of his childhood home, Woodfield, and Collins pointed to the rugged stone walls. "There," he said to Dalton, "There is where I was born. That was my home." Still, Collins was as happy as Dalton had seen him. "He was able to let himself go, and also I think he felt things were now moving his way. He didn't say much as we traveled along the flat road towards Bandon, he appeared lost in the myriad thoughts of a crowded and successful day."

The convoy left the Eldon Hotel in Skibbereen at 5 pm and headed back to Cork. Collins met his great friend John L. Sullivan on this journey. The convoy detoured around Clonakilty on the way back because of a roadblock. It stopped at Lee's Hotel in Bandon for tea. (It has never been fully explained why the convoy returned this same way they came out in the morning, however when the anti-Treaty forces left Cork city they blew up most of the bridges and cut most of the roads, so there were few passable ways to travel in County Cork.) There, again, he met Hales, who was the brother of Tom Hales, by coincidence a member of the ambush party. "Keep up the good work! 'Twill soon be over" was Collins's parting salute to Hales.

On the road out of Bandon, Collins said to Dalton; "If we run into an ambush along the way, we'll stand and fight them." Dalton said nothing.

In the early morning of Tuesday, August 22, the ambush party met in Long's Pub (owned by Denis "Denny the Dane" Long, the "lookout" who spotted Collins's party as it passed through Béal na mBláth).

The men who assembled at Béal na mBláth were not a column, but officers trained in guerrilla warfare who gathered to hold a pre-arranged important staff meeting. When Florence O'Donoghue met with the surviving members of the IRA/Republicans in 1964, they said they were unaware that Collins was in the area until that morning. The plan to ambush the party was decided as part of the general policy of attacking all Free State convoys, not as a specific plan to ambush this convoy. They saw the opportunity to overpower an enemy convoy on its return journey and they decided to take up the challenge and ambush it.

The IRA/Republicans stopped a Clonakilty man, Jeremiah O'Brien, who was taking a cartload of empty mineral bottles to Bandon. They commandeered his cart and took off one of the wheels, blocking the road. In combination with the mine they were placing in the road, the ambush party knew the convoy would have to stop abruptly. The ambush party remained in place all day, but there was no action. In the late afternoon, a message was received that Collins's party was in Bandon, but as it was thought unlikely that the convoy would come through Béal na mBláth a second time, they began to disassemble the mine and evacuate the position.

Michael Collins (Getty Images)

The ambush of Michael Collins

Originally, the ambush party numbered between 25 and 30, according to varying sources. Some men stayed all day, others came and went as the day went on.

The ambush took place at Béal na mBláth (between Macroom Crookstown, about ten miles short of Bandon) just before sunset, at 7.30 pm. When the first shots were fired, Dalton ordered: "Drive like hell."

Collins countermanded the order just as he had predicted and yelled: "Stop, we'll fight them."

Collins and Dalton first fired from behind the armored car, and then Collins shouted "there-they are running up the road." The Lewis machinegun in the armored car jammed several times, and when it did the IRA/Republicans took advantage of the lull in firing to move their positions.

Then, Collins ran about fifteen yards up the road, dropped into a prone firing position, and continued shooting at the IRA/anti-Treatyites on the hill.

Dalton said then he heard the faint cry "Emmet, I'm hit." Dalton and Commandant Seán O'Connell ran over to where Collins was lying face-down on the road and found a "fearful gaping wound at the base of his skull behind the right ear. We immediately saw that General Collins was almost beyond human aid. He could not speak to us. …O'Connell now knelt beside the dying, but still conscious, Chief whose eyes were wide open and normal, and whispered into the ear of the fast-sinking man the words of Act of Contrition. For this he was rewarded with a light pressure of the hand. …. Very gently I raised his head on my knee and tried to bandage his wound but owing to the awful size of it this proved very difficult. I had not completed this task when the big eyes quickly closed, and the cold pallor of death overspread the General's face. How can I describe the feelings that were mine in that bleak hour, kneeling in the mud of a country road not twelve miles from Clonakilty, with the still bleeding head of the Idol of Ireland resting on my arm."

Later Dalton said: "it was a very large wound, an open wound in the back of the head …and it was difficult for me to get a First-Field-Aid bandage to cover it, you know when I was binding it up. It was quite obvious to me, with the experience I had of a ricochet bullet, it could only have been a ricochet or a dum-dum."

Michael Collins at the Curragh Barracks in Co Kildare with Col Dunphy, Major General Emmet Dalton, Comdt-Gen P MacMahon, and Comdt-Gen D O'Hegarty in July 1922 (Getty Images)

After the ambush

The ambush was over in approximately thirty minutes, and before it ended, darkness had fallen so it was impossible to get off an aimed shot. No one in the anti-Treatyite party fully knew that Collins had been shot or that the convoy suffered any casualty. It was only when Shawno Galvin came back to Béal na mBláth that they got the first report of any casualties.

Collins's body was first placed into the armored car, then transferred to the touring car for the sad trip back to Cork City. On the way into Cork City, Dalton stopped the convoy at a church in Cloughduv. Dalton asked where was the priest's house? Getting directions there, they knocked on the door and the curate, Fr. Timothy Murphy, came to the railing. Seeing Collins was beyond hope, he turned to get the sacred oils, but Cmdt. O'Connell misunderstood this to be a refusal of his ministry. O'Connell pointed a pistol at him, but Dalton knocked it away.

As they approached Cork City they stopped at the Sacred Heart Mission at Victoria Cross. Here Fr. O'Brien administered the Last Rites to Collins.

Then the convoy headed back to the Imperial Hotel, where Dalton, Cmdt. O'Connell, Sgt. Cooney and Lt. Gough went into the Hotel to inform Maj. Gen. Dr. Leo Ahern and asked him to take charge of the body.

Dr. Ahern first examined Collins's body when it was brought to the Imperial Hotel, and then at Shanakiel Hospital. He was the first doctor to examine the body and pronounced Collins dead. His examination found a large, gaping wound "to the right of the poll. There was no other wound. There was definitely no wound in the forehead."

From the hotel, Collins's body was taken to Shanakiel Hospital in Cork, where Dr. Michael Riordan was detailed by Dr. Ahern to examine and prepare the body, and they conducted the autopsy. Dr. Christy Kelly was present during a thorough second examination later and confirmed a huge wound on the right side behind the ear, with no exit wound. In contrast, Dr. Patrick Cagney, a British surgeon in the British army during the war who had a wide knowledge of gunshot wounds and who examined the body still later confirmed there was an entry wound as well as a large exit wound.

Eleanor Gordon, Matron of Shanakiel Hospital, and nurse Nora O'Donoghue cleaned and attended to Collins's wounds and also later testified to the nature of the wounds. His body was first taken to room 201, then to room 121 after the autopsy where Free State soldiers guarded it until taken to the ship for transport to Dublin. In the afternoon, Cronin & Desmond Funeral Service performed their duties. Fr. Joseph Scannell, Army chaplain, and Fr. Joe Ahern recited the funeral prayers.

Michael Collins (Getty Images)

Back home to Dublin

The steamship SS Classic left Penrose Quay in Cork and brought Collins's body from Cork to Dublin.

General Dalton sent this handwritten telegram from the Cork GPO to the Dublin HQ: CHIEF OF STAFF DUBLIN COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF SHOT DEAD IN AMBUSH AT BEALNABLATH NEAR BANDON 6.30 [sic] TUESDAY EVENING WITH ME, ALSO ONE MAN WOUNDED. REMAINS LEAVING BY CLASSIC FOR DUBLIN TODAY WEDNESDAY NOON. ARRANGE TO MEET. REPLY DALTON.

As the vessel sailed down-channel from Cork, it passed the assembled remaining British vessels, upon the decks of which the British sailors mustered, saluted, and the Last Post played.

Michael Collins in October 1921 (Getty Images)

The Éamon De Valera factor

Though he was within a few miles of Béal na mBláth on the day Collins was killed, Éamon de Valera had hoped to meet him, but no plan had been made. Moreover, de Valera was not involved in the ambush; he had little political influence on the IRA at the time and no military influence at all. By this time, de Valera was trying to bring the Civil War to a halt, as well.

Liam Deasy spoke with de Valera the night before and de Valera's position was that having made their protest in arms, and as they could not now hope to achieve a military success, the honorable course was for the IRA/Republicans to withdraw. Deasy explained that there were over a thousand men in the area and they would not agree to an unconditional ceasefire.

The next day, de Valera went to Long's Pub, and his efforts at a ceasefire were rejected again. The most reliable evidence indicates when de Valera went to Long's Pub he also tried to prevent the ambush but was rebuffed by the IRA/Republicans. Liam Lynch, O/C of the IRA in the south-west, specifically had given orders that de Valera's efforts to cease hostilities should not be encouraged.

Again, Deasy met with de Valera and explained to him that the men billeted in this area would consider Collins's convoy as a challenge that they could not refuse to meet.

Despite rumor and innuendo, there is no evidence that de Valera was involved in the planning or the ambush being laid for Collins.

Later de Valera was quoted: "A pity. What a pity I didn't meet him." And "It would be bad if anything happens to Collins, his place will be taken by weaker men."

Harry Boland, Michael Collins, Eamon de Valera, and Eamon Duggan in February 1922 (Getty Images)

The funeral of Michael Collins

On the morning of August 23, Richard Mulcahy, as Free State Army Chief of Staff, issued the following message to the Army:

"Stand calmly by your posts. Bend bravely and undaunted to your task. Let no cruel act of reprisal blemish your bright honor. Every dark hour that Collins met since 1916 seemed but to steel that bright strength of his and temper his brave gaiety You are left as inheritors of that strength and bravery. To each of you falls his unfinished work. No darkness in the hour: loss of comrades will daunt you in it. Ireland! The Army serves-strengthened by its sorrow."

Michael's sister, Hannie Collins, with whom he lived when he first went to London in 1906, had long planned a holiday to Ireland in August. On the morning of August 23, she went to work at the post office in West Kensington. As she was about to enter her office she was stopped, taken into the superintendent's room, and told there was a rumor that her brother had been killed. She said she was not surprised-during the night she had had a premonition he had been killed. "I know how unhappy he had been for so long-At the moment of death the load went…from his mind, so it went from mine."

She went to see her friends, John and Hazel Lavery, but they were not home, so she went to board the Irish boat train at Euston Station. (The Laverys had already gone to Ireland where Sir John was painting.) Winston Churchill, having been told of Hannie's distress by the Laverys' butler, reserved a compartment for her and paid her travelling expenses. A newspaper reporter at Euston recorded that "Miss Collins, dressed from head to foot in black, was seen off by a lady friend. She was a calm but pathetic figure. She traveled alone."

George Bernard Shaw wrote to Hannie:

"Don't let them make you miserable about it: how could a born soldier die better than at the victorious end of a good fight, falling to the shot of another Irishman-a damned fool but all the same an Irishman who thought he was fighting for Ireland-'a Roman to a Roman'…I met Michael for the first and last time on Saturday last, and I am very glad I did. I rejoice in his memory and will not be so disloyal to it as to snivel over his valiant death.

"So, tear up your mourning and hang up your brightest colors in his honor; and let us all praise God that he had not to die in a snuffy bed of a trumpery cough, weakened by age, and saddened by the disappointments that would have attended his work had he lived."

In Dublin, Collins's remains were taken to St. Vincent's Hospital where Dr. Oliver St John Gogarty embalmed the body and had Sir John Lavery paint Collins's portrait. Albert Power sculpted the death mask.

The death mask of Michael Collins (Getty Images)

Collins's body was taken to the chapel in St. Vincent's on Thursday, August 24, then in late evening to Dublin City Hall for the public lying-in-state until Sunday evening.

Michael Collins laying in state in Dublin (Getty Images)

On Sunday evening, his body was removed to the Pro-Cathedral where it remained under guard overnight. His funeral Mass was said in the Pro-Cathedral on Monday, with Dr. Michael Fogarty, Bishop of Killaloe, the principal celebrant assisted by several other Bishops.

The gun carriage on which the casket was transported to Glasnevin Cemetery had been borrowed from the British and used in the bombardment of the Four Courts in June. The Free State Government specially purchased four black artillery horses from the British to pull the caisson to Glasnevin.

The funeral procession for Michael Collins (Getty Images)

Collins's death was never officially registered, there was no inquest, and there was no formal, independent autopsy. When the Fianna Fáil government was to take over in 1932, it was said that many papers relating to Collins's killing were taken from Portobello Barracks and burned by the order of the Minister for Defense, Desmond FitzGerald.

Collins died intestate, leaving an estate of £1,950.9s.11d, which passed to his brother Johnny.

Michael's brother Sean Collins at Michael's coffin (Getty Images)

Praise for the fallen Michael Collins

The British press acknowledged Collins's part in the struggle for Irish freedom.

The Daily Chronicle called him a "young and brilliant leader." The Evening Press described his death as a "staggering blow." The Daily Telegraph wrote: "He was a bitter and implacable enemy of England while the English garrison remained in Ireland and Ireland was not free to govern itself in its own way. …The dead man, without a doubt, was the stuff of which all great men are made."

The London Daily Sketch editorialized: "The hand that struck down Collins, guided by a blinded patriotism, has aimed a blow at the unity of Ireland for which every one of her sons is fighting. Collins was probably the most skilled artisan of the fabric of a happier Ireland. Certainly, he was the most picturesque figure in the struggle; and in the rearing of a new State a popular ideal serves as the rallying point to draw the contending elements. The death of Collins leaves the ship of the Free State without a helmsman.

"Other sons of Ireland have risen from lowliness to eminence in the struggle, but Michael Collins, by his valor, his sufferings, his elusiveness during the more turbulent periods of the past, and by his own personal charm, bound a spell round the popular imagination and wove a romance which endeared him to his friends and inspired respect in his foes.

"Since the historic hour in the early morning of December 6…the progress of the new State has been dogged and delayed by a malignant Fate.

"The next phase in the life of the Free State is veiled by the tragedy of the present. The helmsman has gone at a moment when no haven can yet be decried.

"What is to happen now?"

Seven years later, Winston Churchill would pay homage to his one-time military enemy and political ally. He admired Collins but evidently continued to be ignorant of the ideals that had driven and permanently separated the two men: "He was an Irish patriot, true and fearless. His narrow upbringing and his whole life had filled him with hatred for England. His hands had touched directly the springs of terrible deeds. We hunted him for his life, and he had slipped half a dozen times through steel claws. But now he had no hatred of England."

Shane Leslie wrote the following lines:

What is that curling flower of wonder

As white as snow, as red as blood?

When Death goes by in flame and thunder

And rips the beauty from the bud.

They left his blossom white and slender

Beneath Glasnevin's shaking sod;

His spirit passed like sunset splendor

Unto the dead Fianna's God.

Good luck be with you, Collins,

Or stay or go you far away;

Or stay you with the folk of fairy,

Or come with ghosts another day.

Brendan Behan's mother, Kathleen, nicknamed Michael Collins her "Laughing Boy." She and her first husband had both served in the Rising. In 1935, when he was twelve years old, Brendan wrote a lament to the "Laughing Boy:"

T'was on an August morning, all in the dawning hours,

I went to take the warming air, all in the Mouth of Flowers,

And there I saw a maiden, and mournful was her cry,

'Ah what will mend my broken heart, I've lost my Laughing Boy.

So strong, so wild and brave he was, I'll mourn his loss too sore,

When thinking that I'll hear the laugh or springing step no more.

Ah, cure the times and sad the loss my heart to crucify,

That an Irish son with a rebel gun shot down my Laughing Boy.

Oh, had he died by Pearse's side or in the GPO,

Killed by an English bullet from the rifle of the foe,

Or forcibly fed with Ashe lay dead in the dungeons of Mountjoy,

I'd have cried with pride for the way he died, my own dear Laughing Boy.

My princely love, can ageless love do more than tell to you,

Go raibh maith agat for all you tried to do,

For all you did, and would have done, my enemies to destroy,

I'll mourn your name and praise your fame, forever, my Laughing Boy.

A statue of Michael Collins in Co Cork (Ireland's Content Pool)

*Originally published in August 2018, updated August 2021.

*Joe Connell served in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division, the NFL, and received a degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. His interest in Ireland, and particularly in its history, reflects his Irish heritage. In time he came to concentrate his research/interest on early 20th century Ireland-with a focus on the period prior to the Easter Rising up to the founding and early days of the Irish Free State. He is the author of the eponymous Dublin in Rebellion, Dublin Rising 1916, Who's Who in the Dublin Rising 1916 and his most recent book, Michael Collins, Dublin 1916-1923. Connell is a columnist in History Ireland and has written several books for Kilmainham Tales. He is available to speak to groups in the U.S. and can be reached at Jeac7140@gmail.com.

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Decimal Day

submitted by Colum Smith

Decimal Day (Irish: Lá Deachúil)[1] in the United Kingdom and in Ireland was Monday 15 February 1971, the day on which each country decimalised its respective £sd currency of pounds, shillings, and pence.

Before this date, the British pound sterling (symbol "£") was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 (old) pence, a total of 240 pence. With decimalisation, the pound kept its old value and name, but the shilling was abolished, and the penny was revalued, such that the pound was subdivided into 100 of what were originally called "new pence" ("NP"), and later just pence ("p") when confusion was no longer likely. Each new penny was worth 2.4 old pence (abbreviated "d.").

A coin of half a new penny, a halfpenny, was introduced to maintain the approximate granularity of the old penny, but was dropped in 1984 as inflation reduced its value. An old value of 7 pounds, 10 shillings, and sixpence, abbreviated £7-10-6 or £7:10s:6d. became £7.52 1 / 2 p. Amounts with a number of old pence which was not 0 or 6 did not convert into a round number of new pence.

The Irish pound had the same £sd currency structure, and the same decimalisation was carried out.

Read more here

Never Too Young To Start

2 year old Irish Dancing The 3 Tunes at family gathering

click below to watch

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This Week in the History of the Irish:

April 28 through May 4

Posted by The Wild Geese

DOMHNAIGH -- On April 28, 1916, as the rebels in Dublin were being squeezed harder and harder by the British and nearing the end of their resistance, outside the city the rebels were achieving a small victory. Led by Thomas Ashe, a group of Irish Volunteers ambushed a 40-man unit of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in Ashbourne, Co. Meath. The two sides battled each other for several hours, until finally the police began to run short of ammunition and surrendered to Ashe's men. Eight policemen had died and fifteen were wounded. Ashe would eventually spend time in jail for his role in the uprising, and in 1917 he would be jailed again. He began a hunger strike on Sept. 20, demanding POW status and died after just five days from injuries while being force-fed. The manner of his death outraged the Irish population. (By the way, Ashe has a famous American cousin: actor Gregory Peck). Learn more about "The Easter Rising's Forgotten Battle."

LUAIN -- On April 29, 1916, surrounded and driven from their position in the GPO, with James Connolly severely wounded, and having little hope of help from outside the city, Patrick Pearse and the leaders of the Rising were faced with a decision. All of them were more than ready to die fighting for a Republic themselves, but Pearse had just watched a family of three shot down in the street while waving a white flag. Hanging on the wall was a picture of Robert Emmet standing in the dock; glancing at that hero, whose epitaph Pearse dearly wished to write, he knew what they had to do. When Pearse made his decision to surrender, Tom Clarke, the old rebel who had been given the honor of placing his name first on the Republic proclamation, turned his face to the wall and wept. He had vowed to die before he ever spent another day in the British prison, but his stay in one this time would be brief. Their dreams of an Irish Republic were coming to an end, but their sacrifice gave new life to the violent struggle that would lead to that republic. Read more about the Easter Rising HERE.

LUAIN to SATHAIRN -- From April 29 through May 4, 1863, the 6th Louisiana Infantry, a largely Irish Confederate regiment, fought at the 2nd battle of Fredericksburg, during the Chancellorsville campaign.

(Left Confederate Memorial Hall, New Orleans The flag of Co. H, 6th Louisiana Volunteers.)

With its ranks filled with Irishmen from New Orleans and roundabouts, the 6th would fight in nearly every major battle of the eastern theater, from 1st Bull Run to Appomattox. The Confederate forces engaged at the 2nd battle of Fredericksburg fought against heavy odds as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, leading the Army of Northern Virginia, were fighting Joe Hooker to the west at Chancellorsville. Outnumbered more than 2 to 1, the Confederates in Fredericksburg did their best to hold the Federal forces, which were intent on getting at Lee's flank and aiding Hooker. On May 3rd they finally broke the thin rebel line at the same sunken road where so many futile attacks were made the preceding December. The 6th, posted to the right of the breakthrough, was nearly surrounded and captured, but managed to retreat. The Confederates, including the 6th, would form another line near Salem Church and the next day they would be part of Robert E. Lee's counterattack, which would drive the Federals back across the Rappahannock River. The 6th would suffer 20 killed, 68 wounded and 98 missing during the six days of the fighting around Fredericksburg.

DEARDAOIN -- On May 2, 1870, Father Francis Duffy, World War I chaplain of the 69th New York, was born in Cobourg, Ontario. Francis moved to New York at age 22 to teach at St. Francis Xavier College but quit to enter the seminary. Father Duffy became well known around the town as an editor of the Catholic New York Review and later as the chaplain of the 69th New York National Guard, the famous "Fighting 69th." When the 69th went off to France in 1917 (redesignated the 165th Infantry by the Federal government), the 46-year-old Duffy went with them.

(Left: Father Francis Duffy, at Brieulles-sur-Bar, France, on Nov. 4, 1918.)

No one who served with the 69th in France would ever forget the ubiquitous cleric, who knew no fear as he ministered to his khaki-clad congregation. Duffy was so active in his duties that it was said that Douglas MacArthur thought him worthy of commanding a combat unit. After the war, Father Duffy became pastor of Holy Cross parish, near Times Square. Everyone in New York, from the Mayor down to the shoeshine boys on the street, knew – and loved Father Duffy. When he died from a liver infection June 26, 1932, the whole city mourned and provided him with a funeral worthy of a great man. Over 50,000 stood in silence along the route to St. Raymond's Cemetery, while many of his old 69th comrades accompanied him on that final trip. In 1937, a statue of Father Duffy was unveiled in Times Square. There the good Father stands guard over his old parish to this day.

AOINE -- On May 3, 1921, the South Mayo Brigade of the Irish Volunteers, commanded by Tom Maguire, ambushed an RIC / Black and Tan supply column of a Crossley tender and a Ford car at Tourmakeady, Co. Mayo on the western shore of Lough Mask. This was the 2nd in a series of major attacks on crown forces in the county in the spring of 1921. It was all part of Michael Collins' plan to bring the revolution to every county in Ireland and convince the British government the war was unwinnable.

(Right: The South Mayo Brigade. Maguire is standing on the left.)

The Volunteers had gotten word that these vehicles were on their way from Ballinrobe to Derrypark RIC station and were lying wait for them. Maguire had perhaps as many as 60 Volunteers with him, but as was so often the case in those days, they didn’t have enough weapons, perhaps 6 or 8 rifles and some shotguns and not much ammunition for them. Maguire split his force into three sections, commanding one himself with the second under Michael O’Brien and the third under Paddy May, with May’s section blocking the road and the other two on the high ground to the west of the road. When they opened fire the four men in the Ford were killed or mortally wounded, but those in the Crossley tender were able to take cover in the nearby hotel. Expecting that help would be coming from the British military, Maguire withdrew his men west in the Partry Mountains. Some British reinforcements did, indeed, make their way into the area trying to engage the Volunteers, but how many is in dispute. The Volunteers would claim it was hundreds, while the British claimed it was less than a hundred. Whatever the true number of British that were closing in, they confronted each other in the mountains. O’Brien was killed in the skirmish there and Maguire was severely wounded in the arm. But the column snuck by the British in the dark and escaped and Maguire was able to find shelter in some local homes and avoided capture. Many homes in the area would be burned as a result of this ambush, and they also burned Maguire’s in Cross. Read more about the ambush HERE.

SATHAIRN -- On May 4, 1916, the British executed Patrick Pearse's younger brother, Willie. Willie was not one of the signers of the Proclamation; he was not one of the planners of the revolt, nor was he one of it commanders. Willie was merely one of the soldiers involved with the Dublin actions.

(Left The National Library of Ireland Willie Pearse)

No other participant in Dublin whose actions or responsibilities were similar to Willie's was executed in those dark days, save perhaps John MacBride, and MacBride's earlier service with the Boers probably marked him for death. It seems likely that the sole reason William Pearse was executed by the British government was for the crime of being Patrick's brother. It was repugnant British excesses such as this that would soon reverse the Irish people's initially negative opinion of the '16 Rising.

VOICES

National Museum of Ireland The Irish Republic flag captured by the British army in 1916. It was returned to the Irish government in 1966.

'In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the last the past three hundred years they have asserted it in arms. Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades-in-arms to the cause of its freedom, of its welfare, and of its exaltation among the nations.' -- A portion of "The Proclamation of the Irish Republic" posted on Easter Monday, 1916. Patrick Pearse

'For the sake of our fellow citizens and our comrades across this city who are likely to be shot or burned to death, I propose . . . we surrender.' -- Patrick Pearse addressing his fellow rebels Saturday, April 29, 1916.

For myself, I cannot claim any special attribute except that of being fond of people – just people.' -- Father Francis Duffy, chaplain of the famed "Fighting 69th" during World War I

News of Interest

IRISH HOUSE PRICES CONTINUE TO SURGE

The unavailability of houses and apartments to rent or buy continues to be one of the most important issues hampering Ireland's progress.

The news then that the Irish Residential Property Price Index has increased by 6.1% in the year to February 2024 probably comes as no shock to those desperately seeking somewhere to lay their head. Alas though, it is still a bitter pill to swallow.

Stories of teachers, nurses, construction workers and various other professions fleeing Ireland for a new life abroad are not new in the Irish experience. Usually it was a bad economy causing unemployment that was the root of the exodus. In the current situation though, of a relatively healthy economy, the reason to emigrate is not just for work, but also because there are just no houses or apartments to rent or buy!

This situation has been growing for over a decade and is a direct result of successive Government policies. Policies that are clearly designed to increase inequality, causing disillusionment among younger generations and an acceleration of the transfer of wealth from the many to the golden few.

It is hard to fathom sometimes, just how poorly humans allow themselves to be organized and exploited.

Ireland to complete ambitious sea mapping project by 2026

Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) has been undertaking deep-water hydrographic and geophysical survey and aims to complete Ireland's seabed mapping by 2026.

IrishCentral Staff @IrishCentral Apr 26, 2024

Mapping the Irish seabed: Gally lighthouse, Cork. TOURISM IRELAND / IRISH CONTENT POOL

Ireland is set to become the first country in the world to complete seabed mapping, providing key data for coastal and inshore developments.

Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) has been undertaking deep-water hydrographic and geophysical survey operations in Irish waters since 1996 and aims to complete Ireland's seabed mapping by 2026. GSI's Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland's Marine Resource (INFOMAR) project has been mapping Ireland's seabed in comprehensive detail, providing data for navigation charts to improve safety at sea and suggesting suitable sites for wave, wind, and tidal generators.

The data will also be used to select cable and pipeline routes, improve fishing efficiency, and aid pre-drilling site evaluations for oil and gas companies.

The data can also assist local tourism, providing shipwreck information, 3D maps, story maps, and charts in coastal areas around Ireland.

GSI is set to provide an update on its historic sea mapping project at Geopark Academy 2024, a two-day conference organized by the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark.

The conference will take place at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan on May 25 and May 26 as part of European Geoparks Network Week. Felim O'Toole, a Hydrographic Surveyor with GSI, will deliver a keynote address at the event, focusing on the mapping of the seabed off the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher.

O'Toole will also provide an update on INFOMAR's progress.

Meanwhile, Dr. Eamon Doyle, a Geologist with the UNESCO Global Geopark, will open the two-day conference next month.

Doyle said the Burren contains "fascinating clues to conditions on Earth more than 300 million years ago.

The oldest rocks visible on the Burren's surface were formed during the Carboniferous period, approximately 330 million years ago.

These limestone rocks formed in shallow, warm, tropical seas. Scientists come from all over the world to see what we have here".

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Bomb threat at home of Helen McEntee widely condemned

McEntee's husband and young children were evacuated from their family home on Wednesday after bomb threats were made over the phone, according to widespread reports.

Shane O'Brien @shamob96

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee. ROLLING NEWS

Politicians across the political divide have condemned reports of a bomb threat at the home of Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.

McEntee's husband and young children were evacuated from their family home on Wednesday after bomb threats were made over the phone, according to widespread reports. McEntee was not at home at the time.

The threat, which was reportedly made from a location in Cork, did not contain a code word and no explosives were found at the scene, the Irish Independent reports.

However, gardaí regarded the threat with "utmost seriousness", according to reports.

A number of Irish politicians have condemned the incident, including Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, who described the threat as "disgusting".

Donnelly condemned the "harassment" and "intimidation" of politicians in Ireland, adding that there has been a "sinister" shift during the lifetime of the Government.

"I think what’s going on is genuinely very sinister. And even in the lifetime of this government, we have seen a very sinister change in this country,"

Donnelly told reporters on Saturday. Donnelly also referenced recent protests outside the home of Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman, stating that "arriving to anybody’s family home in balaclavas to my mind is a direct and overt threat to their safety".

Meanwhile, Labour Party TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin described the bomb threat as a "new low" in Irish politics, stating that he is concerned by an "unprecedented level of anger" directed at Irish politicians.

"I'm standing in the European elections at the moment, and what I'm coming across is an unprecedented level of anger, violent language, abuse, which is making a lot of political parties find it difficult to find candidates," Ó Ríordáin said.

Aontú leader Peader Tóibín described the incident as "absolutely shocking" and said there was "no space" in Irish society for such threats.

Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire also condemned the incident in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing, can justify this, or the worry it would have caused her, her husband and 2 small children. There’s no excuse under the sun. Appalling," Ó Laoghaire wrote on X.

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Irish Government launches new Civil War mapping project

The Irish Civil War Fatalities Project represens the first systematic attempt to investigate the number of people killed during the Civil War.

Shane O'Brien @shamob96 Apr 29, 2024

Members of the Black and Tans, an armed auxiliary force of the Royal Irish Constabulary, and British Army privates watching fighting during the siege of the Four Courts, the Dublin headquarters of the Republican forces during the Irish Civil War. GETTY.

The Irish Government has launched a new digital mapping project, listing all of the civilian and combatant fatalities of the Irish Civil War.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin announced the Irish Civil War Fatalities Project on Monday, representing the first systematic attempt to investigate the number of people killed during the Civil War.

Historians have generally been confined to estimates when calculating the human cost of the conflict but can now avail of an academically contextualized database and interactive map.

The interactive map covers all of the civilian and combatant fatalities that occurred on the island of Ireland between June 28, 1922, and May 24, 1923, covering the period from the opening shots of the conflict until the ceasefire and dumping of arms.

The map indicates that the Civil War was most violent, brutal, and protracted in Counties Kerry, Tipperary, and Louth.

It also highlights that there were considerably fewer casualties during the Civil War than in the Irish War of Independence, primarily due to a lack of deliberate killing of civilians.

Civilians were three times more likely to be killed during the War of Independence than in the Civil War, according to the new data.

The new database also contradicts the popular belief that the major combat of the Civil War ended within two months of the beginning of the conflict, highlighting a spike in fatalities in the autumn of 1922 and again in March 1923 due to a series of reprisal killings.

The project provides new insights into one of the darkest periods in Irish history, studying the frequency, nature, and concentration of violence that took place during the Civil War.

The interactive map was developed by University College Cork in collaboration with RTÉ and the Irish Military Archives.

The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media funded the project under the Historical Strand of the Decade of Centenaries Programme 2012-2023.

Launching the program on Monday, Minister Catherine Martin described the interactive map as an "engaging, innovative, and accessible resource".

"The Irish Civil War was a great national tragedy and left a deep wound in the newly independent State," Martin said in a statement.

"The significant loss of life and the injury to the fabric of our communities, and many families, were felt for generations, even to this day.

"By exploration of the impacts and factual history of the War, UCC’s research serves to deepen our appreciation of the challenges faced and sacrifices made by the individuals and families that made those communities - and the University has done so with a very thorough, engaging, innovative and accessible new resource.

Dr. Andy Bielenberg, principal investigator of the Irish Civil War Fatalities Project and Senior Lecturer at UCC School of History, said the new tool provides fresh insights into the Irish Civil War.

"The interactive map will be an invaluable tool for researching family history, local history, and filling in gaps in our knowledge about the Civil War," he said.

Additionally, the new database includes a series of articles by invited scholars contextualizing the conflict in local areas, including Dr. John O’Callaghan on the Civil War in County Limerick; Owen O’Shea on the Civil War in Kerry; Dr. Helene O’Keefe on child victims of political violence and Professor Pauric Travers on the Civil War in County Donegal.

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On This Day:

Bobby Sands died at Long Kesh prison in 1981

Bobby Sands mounted a hunger strike in the Maze prison in Northern Ireland to protest against the withdrawal of the “Special Category Status."

Frances Mulraney @FrancesMulraney May 05, 2024

Bobby Sands mural in Belfast: The Hunger Striker who died in 1981. GETTY

On May 5, 1981, Bobby Sands died at HM Maze Prison in Northern Ireland. He was 27 years old.

Sands was born on March 9, 1954, in Rathcoole in North Belfast, a majority loyalist area. His family had succeeded in living reasonably peacefully in the area by keeping their own religion under wraps. When word spread of the Catholic Sands family, however, intimidation and threats began, forcing the family to move when Sands was just ten years old.

Intimidation followed Sands throughout his life and, at 18, he was forced out of his apprenticeship as a bus builder because of threats.

Once again, the family was threatened out of their home in 1972 and after 18 months of pressure, they relocated to the newly built Twinbrook estate on the fringe of nationalist West Belfast.

At 18 years of age, Sands joined the Republican movement, writing, “My life now centered around sleepless nights and standbys dodging the Brits and calming nerves to go out on operations. But the people stood by us. The people not only opened the doors of their homes to lend us a hand but they opened their hearts to us. I learned that without the people we could not survive and I knew that I owed them everything.”

In October 1972, he was arrested for the first time for the possession of four handguns and spent the next three years in Long Kesh prison where he was regarded as a political prisoner. During this time, Sands used his imprisonment to learn Irish and read widely. Bobby Sands in Long Kesh, 1973.

Bobby Sands in Long Kesh, 1973. (Fair Use / Bobby Sands Trust)

On his release in 1976, Sands returned to his original role with his local IRA unit as well as working to tackle the social issues that faced the Twinbrook area as a community activist.

Within six months, Sands had been arrested again. Captured by the RUC following a bomb attack and a gun battle, Sands and six others were taken to Castlereagh Detention Centre and brutally interrogated, but Sands refused to give any information other than his name and address. He was held on remand for 11 months. When his case finally came to trial in September 1977 he refused to recognize the court, as he had previously done when first arrested.

Although unable to prove Sands’ involvement in the bomb attack, he and the other three passengers in the car at the time of his arrest were each sentenced to 14 years in prison for the presence of a handgun involved in the gun battle in the car.

By this time, the “political prisoner” status of those charged with acts of terrorism had been removed, sparking five years of protest by convicted paramilitary prisoners. The withdrawal of “Special Category Status” meant that these prisoners were no longer treated similarly to prisoners of war – they now had to wear prison uniforms and carry out prison work.

The withdrawal of this special status was part of a policy undertaken by the British government to criminalize such prisoners. History facebook IrishCentral History Love Irish history? Share your favorite stories with other history buffs in the IrishCentral History Facebook group.

The protest against the withdrawal of the “Special Category Status” began with a blanket protest in 1976 in which prisoners refused to wear prison uniforms. This was followed in 1978 by a dirty protest after a number of attacks on prisoners leaving their cells to "slop out" (i.e., empty their chamber pots). Prisoners refused to wash and covered the walls of their cells with excrement. The first hunger strike began in October 1980. Seven men - IRA members Brendan Hughes, Tommy McKearney, Raymond McCartney, Tom McFeely, Sean McKenna, Leo Green, and INLA member John Nixon - were selected to take part. The number seven was chosen as it matched the number of signatories on the 1916 Irish Proclamation of Independence. On the apparent concession of the British Government to their Five Demands, the hunger strike ended after 53 days on December 18, 1980.

The Five Demands outlined were:

1. the right not to wear a prison uniform;

2. the right not to do prison work;

3. the right of free association with other prisoners, and to organize educational and recreational pursuits;

4. the right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week;

5. full restoration of remission lost through the protest.

When it became apparent that the British Government had no intention of upholding its commitment to meeting these demands, a second hunger protest began.

Sands was an influential figure within the Maze by this time, having previously been elected as the IRA’s commanding officer within the prison. He was the leader when the second hunger strike began on March 1, 1981. On that day, Danny Morrison issued a statement on behalf of the "republican POWs in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh:"

"We have asserted that we are political prisoners and everything about our country, our arrests, interrogations, trials, and prison conditions, show that we are politically motivated and not motivated by selfish reasons or for selfish ends. As further demonstration of our selflessness and the justness of our cause a number of our comrades, beginning today with Bobby Sands, will hunger-strike to the death unless the British government abandons its criminalization policy and meets our demand for political status."

Unlike the first strike, prisoners joined at staggered intervals hoping to gain more public attention and support.

Just five days after Sands began his hunger strike, the independent Republican MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Frank Maguire, died, which resulted in a by-election for the constituency. Sands stood as the Anti-H Block candidate. He won the election beating the Ulster Unionist Party candidate Harry West to gain a seat in the British House of Commons.

The desired attention was finally drawn towards H-block. Despite hopes of a compromise, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was unwilling to negotiate.

"We are not prepared to consider special category status for certain groups of people serving sentences for crime,” Thatcher said during the 1981 hunger strike. “Crime is crime is crime, it is not political."

Margaret Thatcher (Getty Images)

After 66 days on hunger strike, Bobby Sands died on May 5, 1981. Three further strikers were to die in the next two weeks: Francis Hughes, Raymond McCreesh, and Patsy O’Hara. Thatcher still refused to negotiate.

The further deaths of Joe McDonnell and Martin Hurson caused concern amongst the hunger strikers' families and ratcheted up the pressure to find a way to end the strike.

The strike began to falter on July 31 when the mother of Paddy Quinn requested medical intervention to save her son's life. More deaths followed: Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Thomas McElwee, and Michael Devine.

As more families announced their intent to allow medical intervention to save their sons, the strike was officially called off on October 3 but not before a total of ten hunger strikers lost their lives.

Despite the apparent initial failure of the hunger strike, the hunger strike's main figures, especially Sands, became heroes among the Republican movement and led to further support for Sinn Féin as a mainstream political party.

Although Thatcher seemed to have defeated the strike, she became a figure of Republican hatred and IRA recruitment was boosted by the heroic nationalism of the strike’s martyrs. Sands’ election, in particular, was seen as a massive propaganda victory for the movement.

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A Little Humor

submitted by Lawrence Mahoney

Tommy Mac here.....I remember the nuns making us write JMJ at the top for all our tests.

AND

I remember someone else who always wrote JMJ at the top....

.....Boy am I old!

The Weekly Raffle

Declan, Mick and Seamus entered their local pub's weekly raffle, and to their surprise, they each won a prize:

Declan a bottle of whisky,

Mick a large turkey and

Seamus a toilet brush.

The next week, they met again in the pub and talked about their prizes.

Declan extolled the pleasures of his smooth Irish whisky,

while Mick reported that the turkey was the most delicious he had ever tasted.

Seamus looked rather glum when asked about the toilet brush.

'It wasn't that great,' he said.

'I think I'll go back to using paper.'

From my wife Donna

Are you old enough to remember....

Only in Ireland

Welcome to

Tír na mBláth

(Land of Flowers)

Tír na mBláth is one of hundreds of branches throughout the world of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) pronounced "kol-tus kyol-tori air-in", the largest group involved in the preservation of Irish music, dance and song.

Our board and membership is made up of Irish, Irish descendants, and all those who support, celebrate and take pride in the preservation of Irish culture.

We also aim to promote good will and citizenship.

Interested in belonging to Tír na mBláth? Feel free to download our membership form

Facebook page is at Tír na mBláth

Our meetings and several events are held at Tim Finnegan's Irish Pub in Delray Beach Florida.

Well, that's it for this week.

Slán go fóill

Slawn guh foh-ill!

(see you soon)!

Fireny@aol.com

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Sláinte, Tom Guldner (Tommy Mac)

Slán agus beannacht, (Good-bye and blessings)

The Parting Glass

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