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Willa
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My family is going to Ireland this summer!
My husband's parents are celebrating their 55th anniversary by bringing their whole clan -- children, childrens' spouses and grandchildren.
I wanted to try to do some kind of unit study to prepare (Chari's idea!). Could you share your ideas for:
Books?
Activities?
Information?
Movies?
Music?
Anything else?
I have some resources from all the years I've been part of this large Irish family, which I will try to get together and share in some sort of organized form, but would love your suggestions 
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Willa
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Erin
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Hilda Van Stockum's Bantry Bay series from Bethlehem come straight to mind, cottage at Bantry BayFrancie on the Run and Pegeen.
Movie that I'm thinking of is Darby O'Gill and the little people. There is also a book of the same title.
What fun, I'd love to hear of some good history books for Ireland. I do have a VERY ancient 1917 'history of Ireland' by 'Miss Corner'  but too much for children I enjoyed it though.
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Kelly
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One of our family's favorite books was an old OOP book called "Ireland: The South and the West of It" Can't remember the author, but we all fought over it- ages 14 and up. Another book, "Red Hugh of Donegal" is good, and published by Bethlehem Books. Another children's book, about St. Columba, is "The Man Who Loved Books" by Jean Fritz. Noel Streatfield's book, "The Magic Summer" takes place in Ireland, too, for children. For bigger kids (and you probably have this one on your list, already)there's "How the Irish Saved Civilization" by Cahill. Frances Parkinson Keyes wrote a book called "The Heritage", about a girl who marries an Irishman-I liked it but it's classic FPK, longwinded paragraphs, a bit oppressive in parts, but interesting about life in Ireland a century ago. On a lighter note, there's the book (and BBC adaptation) of "The Irish RM".
The movie "My Left Foot" with Daniel Day Lewis takes place in Ireland.
Isn't "The Silent Man" with John Wayne about a fellow who goes back to the Auld Sod and marries an Irish gal?
"Darby O'Gill" is a fun movie for the kids.
Music: we always liked Tom Clancy and the Clancy Brothers. Also, there is a recording called "Faith of our Fathers" that is old,traditional Irish hymns---we always play it on St. Patrick's Day. 
I'm sure there will be piles more of ideas coming your way. What a great opportunity for your clan!
Kelly in FL
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Rachel May
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Kelly wrote:
Isn't "The Silent Man" with John Wayne about a fellow who goes back to the Auld Sod and marries an Irish gal?
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The Quiet Man is what you're thinking of. Great movie! For some reason my family thinks it is a Christmas movie....
We love Finn McCoul by Tomie dePaola which could take you into geography and the Giant's Causeway.
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Dawn
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Willa, what an exciting opportunity for your family! 
I wanted to let you know that in the Fall 2006 issue of Heart & Mind there is a unit study entitled - Ireland: Land of Saints and Scholars. I would be happy to mail it to you if you think it would be useful.
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Lissa
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Great suggestions above! I want to go!
The King of Ireland's Son by Padraic Colum is a rollicking good read-aloud for your younger children.
Gimme Some Elbow Room is a fun music CD my kids ADORE--we first heard about it from Chari years ago on the CCM list! At least I'm almost positive it was Chari. Chari, was it you? The "Oh What a Hurry-Burry" song is a frequent refrain around here...(it describes a chaotic scene from the life of what appears to be a large family)...
Another fun CD is the Clancy Children's So Early in the Morning.
Don't forget about St. Brigid of Ireland! (My confirmation name saint, btw, and a most inspiring person.)
What about that movie The Secret of Roan Inish? I haven't seen it...have always heard good things about it. Anyone know?
We are big fans of The Quiet Man. I loved Darby O'Gill as a child but haven't shown it to my kids yet...glad y'all reminded me of it. A song from that movie is one of the special songs for our family...when each of my children is a newborn I make up or adapt a little song just for him or her. Erin's song is "My Darling Irish Girl" from Darby O'Gill.
I also always remember Sean O'Connery and the young woman, what was her name, standing at the top of a hill looking down at the valley and imagining that raiders were attacking. "Who is it? The VIkings or the Danes?" she asks. That one little bit of dialogue stayed with me vividly and was the first time I really grasped the scope of history, if you know what I mean. I was a little girl, watching this OLD movie about even OLDER times, and THOSE characters were talking about older times still!
For older kids, Local Hero takes place in Ireland but it has been so long since I saw it (decades) that I honestly don't recall whether it is appropriate or not. It used to be one of Scott's favorite movies, I remember. Something about an American corporate guy sent to a little Irish fishing village on a company mission...they wanted to buy up the land, something like that? And of course he gets wrapped up in local relationships and has to choose between his job and his heart. Maybe you could look up reviews to see if it contains unsuitable content. Or Steve Greydanus might know!
Did anyone mention the picture book about the Book of Kells? The Sailor Who Captured the Sea by Deborah Norse Lattimore. Which could lead to an exploration of the Book of Kells itself, and Celtic knotwork, all the symbolism there, the amazing patterns...gosh, I'd kind of like to pursue that rabbit trail myself.
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kingvozzo
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Willa, what a great trip you'll be taking! I'm very jealous  . My dad is from Ireland, with all his family still over there, and my mother's parent's were as well, but I've still not ever had a chance to get over there...
Here are some quick thoughts...
There are many great books about the mythology of Ireland, as well as the Church's strong influence. Besides St. Patrick, you could read up on St. Brigid, St. Kevin, St. Brendan, St. Ciaran
A History trail might include the potato famine, including the political factors that contributed to so many starving even though the country was producing food...The influence on immigration, and how America was changed when millions of Irish came here in the 19th century, what they went through when they got here.
Some silly books would be the Jamie O'Rourke books by Tomie DePaola.
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aussieannie
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Willa, how wonderful! Does your husband have alot of siblings? Sounds like it will be a great family reunion.
Erin mentioned the book from the movie "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" and I second that! There are two - Darby O'Gill and the Good People and Darby O'Gill and the Crocks of Gold - what is unusual but great about these books, they read like the accent the Irish have, quite thick too! So it will take a little bit to get in the swing of it but the children would love it!
I second The Quiet Man - “Sir!...Sir!...Here’s a good stick, to beat the lovely lady!” for more memorable quotes from the movie look here.
Music-wise I really love Clannad (most are siblings to Enya) famous for the song, Theme from Harry's Game and their lead singer Maire Brennan (sister to Enya) wrote & sung on her own a few Christian CD’s in recent years – I have two and highly recommend them! Perfect Time and Whisper to the Wild Water. These links allow you to hear a little of each song, one is to Saint Patrick called "A Light on the Hill" here are it's beautiful lyrics:
Low Ro Ho Ro
Glór na Gael
Low Ro Ho Ro
Éist le glór Dé
A sea journey takes him across
Takes our hero across
With the word in his heart
Lonely he prayed on the hill
Night and day a hundred times
A hundred times and more
And the voice
He heard calling
To plant the light of life
The light on the hill
Low Ro Ho Ro
Glór na Gael
Low Ro Ho Ro
Éist le glór Dé
Low Ro Ho Ro
Glór na Gael
Low Ro Ho Ro
Éist le glór Dé
A mission of faith sounds the bell
Brought a holy man with dreams
With his dreams for this Island
Letters he left to declare
This was his promised land
It's the land that was chosen
The voice
And his message
Still lives a thousand years
A thousand years and more
Low Ro Ho Ro
Glór na Gael
Low Ro Ho Ro
Éist le glór Dé
I hope you all enjoy your unit study and more especially this lovely, up-and-coming trip to Ireland!
God Bless, Anne
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aussieannie
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Another suggestion, if you have access to EWTN is to see what documentaries they may be showing in March (around St Patrick's feast) as they have had some lovely ones about St Patrick, Irish music with Dana (lovely Irish scenery) and a good doco on the Skellig Islands (Clannad sing a haunting song about it) and it's ancient history of the monks there - here is an internet link with information and photos of the Skellig Islands.
Like mighty ships that sail atlantic foam
The skellig isles parade the kerry coast
Its a strange place
With a needles eye
Where shipwrecks lie
Chorus
Where the king of the world
Rested for a while
And a place for the pilgrim
A sanctuary of time
Fourteen steps to nowhere
Out of solid stone
Dont lead us to the heavens
Or lead us to the sea
The vikings came to plunder and destroy
But to this day the holy relics stand
In a blind mans cove
Where the wailing woman sighs
And the seagulls cry
Chorus
A journey to these islands so rare
The sound of screaming souls that fill the air
A thousand wings
Against the sky
And grey seals disguised
Chorus
If you have never heard Clannad, (folk-style and Celtic - many of their songs are in the Gaelic language) here is small samplings from their Clannad Greatest Hits including, 'Harry's Game' and 'Skellig.'
God Bless, Anne
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Willa
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Oh, thank you all!
I especially loved how you all personalized your ideas -- some of the resources I already know about have new meaning because you have shared your memories and some of the new ones will have a bit of familiarity already.
Annie -- I love those lyrics you posted. I think my husband has a verrry old Clannad album -- way back before CDs.
Dawn -- thanks so much for the offer to send the Heart and Mind unit. I just got it in the mail, it turns out, and it looks good and extremely serendipitous
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Willa
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vmalott
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Music: Can't believe nobody else mentioned the Chieftains!!! The Chieftains are Ireland's premiere group for traditional Irish music, as opposed to the "folk" music of the Clancy Brothers and other such groups. Absolutely beautiful stuff with Celtic harp, bagpipes, tin whistle, flute, fiddles, and bodhran (that round side drum). They play everything from jigs and reels to more haunting melodies that you've no doubt heard in some movie or other.
Movies: I have personal interest in those Irish freedom fighter movies like "In the Name of the Father" and "Michael Collins" and they might be interesting for older children (you may need to screen for violence, etc.). One movie I absolutely loved was "The Secret of Roan Innish". "Waking Ned Divine" was quirky, but rather funny and had very lovely scenery.
What part of Ireland will you be visiting? What a fantastic opportunity! I can hardly wait for the day we get to visit the country. My mother's parents and father's grandparents all come from Ireland (Cork, Kerry, and Limerick) and there is something deep inside me that keeps beckoning.
Valerie
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Erin
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vmalott wrote:
| Movies: I have personal interest in those Irish freedom fighter movies like "In the Name of the Father" and "Michael Collins" and they might be interesting for older children (you may need to screen for violence, etc.). |
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Michael Collins is my grandmother's absolute favourite I'll give you one guess, yep we're descendants. Valerie you mention you have a personal interest, could it be that you are too?
On a tangent, one night a couple of years back I was talking to a new mum at a Nursing Mothers (La Leche) dinner, she was from Ireland (the youngest of 19 actually) here in my own little town in Australia and it turned out that she also was related to Michael Collins We were so thrilled.
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Karen E.
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Lissa wrote:
For older kids, Local Hero takes place in Ireland but it has been so long since I saw it (decades) that I honestly don't recall whether it is appropriate or not. It used to be one of Scott's favorite movies
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I love Local Hero! What a great movie.
I haven't seen it for a long time, so from a parent's perspective, can't remember whether anything is inappropriately portrayed ... Here's an Ebert review.
Oh, Willa! What an exciting time! Prayers for an amazing trip and an amazing unit study!
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Karen E.
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I put up a post around Labor Day about an Irish Fest in KC with lots of links to Irish Musicians we heard and enjoyed. The whole weekend made me feel like I was back in a Dublin Pub. 
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nissag
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Lissa wrote:
| What about that movie The Secret of Roan Inish? I haven't seen it...have always heard good things about it. Anyone know? |
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Lissa, Secret of Roan Inish was wonderful! It's based on the book "The Secret of Ron Mor Skerry" by Rosalie Fry. I need to rent it again because I'm wracking my brain trying to remember the blessing that went with the banking of the coals.
And St. Brigid is the subject of my current writing project. She's wonderful!
"Real Lace" was an interesting non-fiction read, and "Under the Hawthorn Tree" by Marita Conlon McKenna was heartbreaking - about the Irish Famine. One summer I listened to an Irish friend read it to her daughter poolside, while the rest of our children took lessons. It is the first in a trilogy.
Angela's Ashes and 'Tis are way too intense for kids - even a lot of teens I know. There is some pretty raw content and not always flattering to the Catholic church. Lots of harsh language and really ugly situations. HOWEVER, if you can stomach reading them, you may be able to extract an acceptable picture to pass on to your children.
BTW, CS Lewis was from Ireland. It could lead down a rabbit trail!
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Willa
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I compiled all the resources you mentioned and put in a few of my own and it's on my blog with credit given to all of you.
Ireland
Thank you SO much!
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Willa
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Cay Gibson
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Willa,
Your unit is lovely...just like you.
I came across a darling picture book last month that addresses the potato famine and the strength of family. I fell in love with the book right away. It's called Small Beauties: The Journey of Darcy Heart O'Hara.
And don't forget about the poems of Fr. John O'Brien.
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aussieannie
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Wow! That is a fabulous looking study unit. I know where to come back to when we get round to Ireland..
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KellyinPA
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My husband and I MAY be going to Ireland this summer too! He's in sales and has to win the trip but so far, he tells me it's looking good I'm trying not to count my chickens so I don't want to do any research until I know for certain, but when I do now I know where to go, thanks Willa
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vmalott
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Erin wrote:
| Valerie you mention you have a personal interest, could it be that you are too? |
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No, I don't think we are related. However, my grandfather was in the Irish Civil War, enlisting the very day Michael Collins was killed. His discharge papers state he was stationed at Portobello Barracks, which was Collins' HQ. Our family has reason to believe grandpa knew Collins, but didn't officially enlist in the National Army until his death on August 22, 1922.
After the war had ended and commission was up, he emigrated to Canada, then to the US. So, that whole time period is of great interest.
Valerie
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Topic: Preparing for Ireland Study??
