With the passage of time Irish Catholics eventually did become part of the fabric of Australian society. With the coming of each generation, they moved along and some of them, up the social scale. But their ascent was neither rapid nor easy. Continue reading
Filed under Irish Culture …
British Espionage after The Rising
The Intelligence authorities found it difficult to accept that parents whose eldest adult child had been executed for his role in the Easter Rising, and who moreover had two more sons Volunteers (initially sentenced to death but commuted to 10-year sentences), were not actively involved in the Rising. Continue reading
The McCarthy who kept the Normans out of Munster
Kevin McCarthy has made his surname known in America. Here is one of his ancestors. Continue reading
Feisty Irish Women and Irish National Foresters
Susan has had international recognition with her interview on The Ryan Tubridy Show on RTÉ Radio1…The Irish National Foresters were a Friendly Society that commenced in Ireland and then started in Melbourne in 1886 … Continue reading
What’s on in December 22 – February 23: Irish language and music summer schools, Brigidfest, Films
2-7 January 2023: Lake School in Koroit Join the Lake School of Celtic Music Song and Dance in Koroit VIC January 2-7 2023. You can learn fiddle, whistle, bodhran (irish drum), harp, concertina , guitar, ukulele to mention but a few of over 100 classes, workshops, sessions, dances and concerts. Extensive program for Kids and … Continue reading
Community Gatherings in Ireland Old and New part one
. To this day, we have a saying in Irish ‘Bhí togha gacha bí agus rogha gacha dí le fail ann’, The finest of every food and the choice(st) of every drink was to be had there. This is believed to originally date from bards of one to two thousand years ago. As a chieftain or king, one’s reputation had to be maintained, or enhanced and these ‘songs of praise’, so to speak, were pivotal in this regard. Continue reading
Based on truth and story: the Irish ballad tradition and its relevance to today.
The other songs cut straight to the chase of the reality of war. Mrs McGrath and Johnny, I hardly knew you. They give a heartbreaking perspective on the horror and futility of war and although tinged with humour they give a firsthand account of the injuries and lifelong disabilities inflicted. Continue reading
Colcannon
. At a charity event, in the Wicklow mountains, Martin Byrne was faced with the task of feeding 1,500 people (no, that’s not a typo) with Colcannon. What did he do? Well, I’ll tell you. Continue reading
What’s on in November and January: A Course, Symposium, Commemoration, and Irish language and music summer schools
12 November 22: Ulysses for everyone – a guided tour This interactive course, a mix of presentation and discussion of text, assumes no prior knowledge of Ulysses, although having read the five chapters we recommend (1, 4, 6, 13, 18, or as many as you can manage), will certainly help to make the day a richer reading experience … Continue reading
English exam board removes works of Irish writers to promote diversity
Heaney’s poem ‘Punishment’ will also be removed from the OCR’s GCSE poetry anthology from September 2022. GCSEs are the basic level of qualification in British education, while A-levels are taken by secondary school students aged between 16 and 18. Continue reading