Just received my happy Irish Newletter, had to share it with you. Enjoy..Ana


Greetings and Blessings to all,

A very belated Pinch punch, first day of the month, white rabbit! And a happy first day of summer. Did you roll naked in the May morning dew last Thursday? Deliver surprise May baskets to the neighbours? Place primroses across your threshold to protect the house from the antics of “the good people?” You didn’t? God willing,you survived all of the mayhem!

Meanwhile, we hope our first newsletter in this merry month finds you and yours fit as a fiddle and on the pigs back; and if this is your first issue, many thanks
for joining us. We hope you will enjoy our musings and meanderings and please feel free share them with your family and friends.

As for ourselves we continue to enjoy our first spring in Tadpole Cottage. WeÂ’re taking our time with changing any of the landscaping; waiting to see what comes up - and what doesnÂ’t! A gangly looking bush to the right of the house turns out to be a Vibernum which just rewarded us with a parade of sweet-scented white blossoms.
And small shrubs that appeared dead are now leafing out nicely - much to our surprise.
WeÂ’re still wrestling with whether or not to put in a vegetable patch. A lovely doe walked right by our office window this morning and commenced breakfasting on the honeysuckle bushes along the backyard fence. We then watched her jump the fence from a standing position without any effort whatsoever. Perhaps containers of tomatoes
and peppers set on the patio close to the back door might be a smarter way to go?

Enough of the blatherÂ’ ...on with the update:

Author looking for stories about the Irish who built Britain
Ultan Cowley wrote the successful book, 'The Men Who Built Britain' in 2001.
Now heÂ’s working on a sequel and wants to hear from Irish people involved in the
British construction industry. For more details, please click
https://www.theirishworld.com/article.asp?SubSection_Id=10&Article_Id=5429

USA: NYC - A Priest and His Flock
Irish priests and the Bronx were once synonymous, but in recent times they have become more rare. However, one priest is bucking the trend. An export from, Killarney,
Co. Kerry, Father Brendan Fitzgerald, 34, took time out from his ministry to speak to the Irish Voice about his time as a priest and what he feels he was put on this
earth to do. https://www.irishabroad.com/news/irish-voice/news/Articles/
A-Priest-and-His-Flock190408.aspx

LINKS

A lovely Irish blessing
This one was sent in by Mike Horan. If youÂ’re feeling stressed out, this is really
soothing and the music is beautiful. Thanks, Mike!
https://www.e-water.net/viewflash.php?flash=irishblessing_en

The Irish Page
This time around, Jack and VivianÂ’s article has to do with Pope Benedict's
recent visit to the USA. It is a reading at the ecumenical prayer service in New
York where he met with leaders of the Protestant and Orthodox churches. The text
is given in both Irish and English. The background music is the Prayer of St. Francis
for peace.
www.irishpage.com/psalms/ephesian.htm

Rambles around the head of an Irish Senior Citizen
Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune
to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.
We stumbled on his blog and asked “Grandad” if it was okay that we share the URL
with our readers. Says he, “You are more than welcome to post a link, if you think
your readers can stomach it!” We say that as long as folks can stomach honesty presented
with more than a bit of the wit as well as the occasional f word, our readers
will thoroughly enjoy reading Rambles.
https://www.headrambles.com

Seventy Million.com
Many thanks to Kathleen OÂ’Brien-Blair who sent us this intriguing link. There are
70 million people in the world who have Irish heritage. Seventy Million is a project
to find, map and connect them and they need your help!
https://www.seventymillion.com/

Irish songs on Youtube
In looking up a Niamh Parsons video, we came a cross dozens of wonderful traditional
songs compiled by “Sporty Mike” - 97 to be exact! Here’s just a sample - there
are 96 others. Enjoy!
https://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=q1g6y-i7o4w

Cold Play free download
If you like this group, hereÂ’s your chance to download the song Violet Hill from
their latest album for free. But hurry, the offer runs out as soon as they release
the CD
https://www.coldplay.com/song.html

Around Ireland
Around Ireland is a mobile documentary project completed as part of the MSc in Multmedia
Systems at Trinity College Dublin. Four students travelled the 32 counties of Ireland,
gathering video and images on mobile phones over the course of the Summer of 2006.
https://www.aroundireland.net

Kenai River Run
Our good friend Hartson sent us this VERY addictive fishing game. Try to imagine
you’re attempting to bag ‘em in Ireland!
https://www.peninsulaclarion.com/kenairiverrun/kenairiverrun.html

A BIT OF THE WIT
Have you heard about the Irish boomerang?
It doesn't come back, it just sings sad songs about how much it wants to.
__________________________________________________________________
JOKE OF THE WEEK
Two pals from Kerry are fishing, but they haven't caught anything all day.
Then another fisherman walks by with a massive load of fish. They ask him, "Excuse
me, but where did you get all those fish?"

The other fisherman replies, "If you just go down the stream until the water
isn't salty, youÂ’ll find so many fish, theyÂ’ll be jumping into your bucket."

They thank him and go on their way. Fifteen minutes later, one fisherman says to
the other, "Fill the bucket up with water and see if the water is salty."

He dips the bucket in the stream and tastes it " Still salty." Thirty minutes later, he asks him to check again.

“Still salty." One hour later they check again. " Still salty."

"This wonÂ’t do at all," one fisherman finally says. "We have been walking for almost two hours and the water is still salty!" "I know," says the other. "And the bucket is almost empty!"
__________________________________________________________________
DID YOU KNOW

1. The pub visited by Leopold Bloom in Ulysses still exists? It's Davy Byrne's on Duke Street.
2. James Hoban, a native of Kilkenny, designed the White House in Washington D.C. This year marks the 250th anniversary of his birth.
3. If you're bashful or shy, Irish folklore says you should take a dip in the River Shannon?

A pat on the back and a tip of the hat to the following Irish bibliophiles:

Hartson Dowd
Why dopeople find Ireland such an attractive destination? The answer might be on
the site - How to arrive and thrive in ireland:
https://www.arriveandthrive.com/ire/

Helen Dowd
If youÂ’d like to read some good old fashioned Bible stories done in Series form,
I invite you to visit my web site:
https:// www.occupytillicome.com

Kathy Fiddler

Pat Edwards
I love the pictures in this site
https://www.thinplaces.net/ireland.htm
Want to see your name and favorite web site in our next newsletter?
Who wrote:

1. Recipes for a Perfect Marriage
2. Scenes from a Peceding Past
3. Over My Shoulder

THE WEEK THAT WAS
1. Article: May - the Month of Mirth & Merriment
https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/MayMonth.html
2. How to Prevent Mayhem
https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/Mayhem.html
3. Article: The May Dew - Should you roll naked in it?
https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/MayDew.html
4. Article: Beltane Bonefires & Nettle Soup
https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/Beltane.html
5. Article: Bright Flames of May
https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/MayFlames.html
6. Article: Marry in May & Rue the Day
https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/MarryMay.html
7. Article: Who was Behind the Doors of Dublin?
https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ALandmks/DoorsofDublin.html
l8. Article: Bantry Bay in May
https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/BantryMuslFair.html
9. Basic irish: Spring Cleaning
https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/3Focloir/Lessons7.html
10. KidsÂ’ Ireland: The Story of The little Bird
https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/1Kids/StoryofthelittleBird.html