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teachingmom
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MacBeth wrote:
And while we may not all live here, I know that there are Irish folks on CCM  (and maybe even here...) who might be willing to share a tale or two.
Anyone out there? |
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Well, MacBeth, I'm not sure if you meant Irish, as in born in Ireland or currently living there, or as in of primarily Irish descent. I am the latter, of course. Two of my grandparents and two of my great-grandparents came over from Ireland, so that makes me 3/4 Irish.
One of my prized possessions is a book about my grandmother's childhood in Ireland that was handwritten by one of her sisters. My second cousin convinced her grandmother to write down her memories back when I was college aged or so. My great-aunt knew that I was very interested in our Irish geneology, so she wrote out a second copy of her memories just for me, changing some of the stories to focus more on my grandmother than herself. It's all written in one of those small fabric-covered journals.
What a gift that was! One of my favorite stories shows just how thrifty my grandmother was. I knew her to be this way to an extreme and always thought it was due to living through the great depression. For my grandmother, however, it seems that it was an inborn character trait. Every week or two when my grandmother and her 6 siblings would walk to the village for confession on Saturday afternoon, they were each given a penny (or the Irish equivalent). Her brothers and sisters promptly put theirs to good use buying treats in town. They never understood what my grandmother did with hers though. She never bought herself anything. Then one day when they were out walking, the hem of her dress burst open and out onto the road fell all those pennies she had been diligently saving!
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Mary G
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WJFR wrote:
One that I read and enjoyed, but it is definitely for older people, was "How the Irish Saved Civilization". I forget the author. There was at least one part in it that I think I'd have to black out before I gave it even to a teenager. But it was interesting to read.
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My almost 14 yod, coming home for high school, is very interested in Ireland, Celtic heritage and learning "Irish" (the Gaelic dialect spoken in Inreland). I am going to use "How the Irish Saved Civilization" (by Thomas Cahill) as the "spine" for her history course ... a little different slant from the usual Western Civ text!
Blessings,
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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MacBeth
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teachingmom wrote:
Well, MacBeth, I'm not sure if you meant Irish, as in born in Ireland or currently living there, or as in of primarily Irish descent. |
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I know there are MANY of us on the BB with Irish heritage, but I also know there are several real live Irish out there (you know who you are!!).
Irene, I think we can all add our stories here, and maybe comes up with a nice collage of immigrant tales as well as some great history resources. This new format will keep it all together nicely, allowing for easy access for all!
(But I still wish for a spell checker!!!!)
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
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Kelly
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I have been pretty disappointed by so many Irish History or Irish Experience books, too.
A really fun book about Ireland that I read when I was fourteen (and loved the book) was called "Ireland: the South and the West of It" though I can't remember the author. Even though this book takes place in the late fifties and sixties, and LOTS has changed since then, it is a very enjoyable read. I remember all my family fighting over who got to read it! Of course, it's out of print. Sigh.
Kelly in FL
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alicegunther
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MacBeth wrote:
I know there are MANY of us on the BB with Irish heritage, but I also know there are several real live Irish out there (you know who you are!!).
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Dear MacBeth,
I forwarded this entire exchange to Caroline, our mutual friend and favorite "real live Irish" homeschooling mom. She said not to miss the "Francie" series by Hilda van Stockum, available through Ignatius Press. Caroline and her children love the stories, and she says the portrayals, including the way the people speak, are completely authentic.
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Love, Alice
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alicegunther
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teachingmom wrote:
One of my prized possessions is a book about my grandmother's childhood in Ireland that was handwritten by one of her sisters. My second cousin convinced her grandmother to write down her memories back when I was college aged or so. My great-aunt knew that I was very interested in our Irish geneology, so she wrote out a second copy of her memories just for me, changing some of the stories to focus more on my grandmother than herself. It's all written in one of those small fabric-covered journals.
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This is an incredible treasure. One of my deepest regrets is that my father never did this before he died. He was always full of a million funny stories about our family, and his knowledge of Ireland and Irish geneology was matchless. He could tell you, based on last name alone, exactly what town in Ireland your family originated in, and he could usually tell you something of your family history--right off the top of his head! He was forever finding second cousins and other relatives everywhere we went.
Just before our wedding, my father and Chris's grandmother were having an animated conversation at the rehearsal dinner. My father came over looking elated and said, "Chris' mother's family lived a stone's throw from our family in Ireland. They . . . ." "Stop right there, Dad," I said. "If Chris is my cousin, I don't want to know!"
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
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teachingmom
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alicegunther wrote:
| Just before our wedding, my father and Chris's grandmother were having an animated conversation at the rehearsal dinner. My father came over looking elated and said, "Chris' mother's family lived a stone's throw from our family in Ireland. They . . . ." "Stop right there, Dad," I said. "If Chris is my cousin, I don't want to know!" |
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That is hysterical, Alice!!!
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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teachingmom
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Kelly wrote:
I have been pretty disappointed by so many Irish History or Irish Experience books, too.
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I read a very interesting book a few years back. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it, so maybe someone else here has read it and can tell me. It was about a young American couple who decided to move to Ireland permanently. They had one toddler daughter. I remember that they kept a goat for milk. They wrote about making friends with their neighbors and the social life of the community. It was so interesting and read like a novel. I may even have read a sequel. It's hard to believe that my memory is as bad as it is. And I'm not that old!
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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MacBeth
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| Posted: March 04 2005 at 1:08pm | IP Logged
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Has anyone read Frank Delaney's Ireland ?
From the back of the book:
One evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller arrives unannounced at a house in the Irish countryside. In exchange for a bed and a warm meal, he invites his hosts and their neighbors to join him by the wintry fireside, and begins to tell formative stories of Ireland's history. Ronan, a 9-year-old boy, grows so entranced by the storytelling that, when the old man leaves abruptly under mysterious circumstances, the boy devotes himself to finding him again.
Ronan's search for the Storyteller becomes both a journey of self-discovery, long unspoken family secrets, and an immersion into the sometimes conflicting histories of his native land.
A sweeping novel of huge ambition, Ireland is the beautifully told story of a remarkable nation. It rings with the truth of a writer passionate about his country and in full command of his craft.
It sounds good, but you never know...I'll check the library today and see if it's in.
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
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Mary Chris
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MacBeth,
Ireland sounds intriguing. Let us know what you think. I might be biased if I read the book since I have a leprechaun named Ronan of my own !
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Blessings, Mary Chris Beardsley
mom to MacKenzie3/95, Carter 12/97 Ronan 3/00 and wife to Jim since 1/92
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alicegunther
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MacBeth wrote:
Has anyone read Frank Delaney's Ireland ?
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I listened to the preview of this book at Audible's website and almost purchased it--the writing is extremely good, and the plot drew me in right away. Still, I decided to do a bit of checking before making the $25 purchase and was disappointed to find this article:
"THE broadcaster and writer Frank Delaney grew up the son of devout Roman Catholic parents in southern Ireland. Looking back, he bitterly attacks what he sees as the hypocrisy of his Church. 'It has improved now, but in my early twenties I remember businessmen giving large donations to the Church in order to get annulments. I found that pretty ropey.'
"'As far as I can see, the Church changes its policy when it wants. If agreeing to contraception would give it more members, it would agree to it. It doesn't agree because where you don't have ...'" (See How Power Has Poisoned the Pulpit, Me, and My God: Frank Delaney Talks to Frances Welch.)
Now, unfortunately, I could not read the entire article without subscribing to "highbeam.com," but I quote the opening lines here as a point of interest for you. They were enough to make me want to spend my $25 elsewhere.
It might also be worth visiting Frank Delaney's website for further information on this author.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
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MacBeth
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alicegunther wrote:
Looking back, he bitterly attacks what he sees as the hypocrisy of his Church. 'It has improved now, but in my early twenties I remember businessmen giving large donations to the Church in order to get annulments. I found that pretty ropey.'
"'As far as I can see, the Church changes its policy when it wants. If agreeing to contraception would give it more members, it would agree to it. It doesn't agree because where you don't have ...'" |
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Blah blah. Just as I had feared. Oh well! I'll keep looking!
Thanks, Alice. 
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
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Kelly
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teachingmom wrote:
Kelly wrote:
I have been pretty disappointed by so many Irish History or Irish Experience books, too.
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I read a very interesting book a few years back. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it, so maybe someone else here has read it and can tell me. It was about a young American couple who decided to move to Ireland permanently. They had one toddler daughter. I remember that they kept a goat for milk. They wrote about making friends with their neighbors and the social life of the community. It was so interesting... |
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I'd love to find the name of this book! When I was fourteen, my parents and four of the eight of us children moved to Ireland. While we didn't have a goat for milk, we DID have neighbors who believed the suds in our sink were snow (they didn't have running water) and were convinced that Mr. Spock and Scotty were real "little people" being kept prisoner in our telly. I have equally vivid memories of little lighted shrines in my friends' houses (something unheard of to my then- Protestant sensibilities), riding horses along the Kerry beaches, or watching my little sister's friends spontaneously launch into Irish jigs when they heard my father practicing his violin. My father's middle name was "Otto", good Swiss German that he was, and to this day I get mail addressed to my supposed maiden name, "O'Kuersteiner" [sic] :-)
We have many wonderful memories from our time in Ireland. The Irish are lovely people. I would really like to read about someone else's happy Irish experiences there as "transplants".
Kelly "O'Kuersteiner" in FL
PS. The "Francie" series are great read alouds. My "real" Irish friend here in town loved them, too.
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MEBarrett
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Hi:
I asked my dad to talk to his cousin in Ireland (hehas about 40 cousins living there and the all speak on a weekly basis) about books for children and history books. His reply,
"Most of my books from my childhood were in Gaelic. We didn't have the money to buy books anyway. The tales and history of Ireland were handed down by mouth and the old Shanachee.
The remaining history was taught in school by teachers in Gaelic. "
He did suggest a
bookshopthat is located in Galway and has links to amazon and different publishers you can order from. I looked at the books in Irish Christianity, Irish Childrens Books and Irish History. There seemed to be some good selections. The Frank Delany book was prominent on the history page but if you scrolled down there was a better selection.
I am probably going try some of them from the library first.
I also want to share this
site where you can listen to Catholic prayers in Gaelic. I sent the link to my dad and he got such a kick out of it. He used to pray the rosary every night in Gaelic with his mother (it was a requirement in his household) and he had long forgotten pronunciations. He was so happy to hear it in Gaelic again and bring back the memory.
Slan agat
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Mary Ellen
Mom to seven beautiful kids
Tales from the Bonny Blue House
O Night Divine
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alicegunther
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One of my favorite Irish cultural resources is Faith of Our Fathers, Volume I and II, Best Loved Hymns of the Irish People, by Frank Patterson and others. These lovely CDs are a "must have" for all Catholics, not just the Irish, and available through Ignatius Press.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
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MEBarrett
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A friend just sent me this link to Whippersnapper Books which has some lovely Irish picture books. It is a Catholic book company and seems like a great site. I found a book about Saint Kevin, not an easy thing, that will end up in my Kevin's Easter Basket.
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Mary Ellen
Mom to seven beautiful kids
Tales from the Bonny Blue House
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alicegunther
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MEBarrett wrote:
| A friend just sent me this link to Whippersnapper Books which has some lovely Irish picture books. It is a Catholic book company and seems like a great site. I found a book about Saint Kevin, not an easy thing, that will end up in my Kevin's Easter Basket. |
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Thanks for the treasure trove, Mary Ellen. What a great website--I think it may put me in the poorhouse, but it's worth it!
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
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chicken lady
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I'm chimimg in on this topic late, I feel rather challenged with this board....computer challenged that is!!LOL!!
Anyways in case these were'nt mentioned the Bantry Bay series by Hilda Von Stockum are wonderful family read alouds.
Also one note on How The Irish Saved Civilization, it starts off good, however 1/3 through you can clearly see that Thomas Cahill is confused about the church and true historical accuracies. IMO another mislead angry about something CAtholic!!! Very dissappointing as the title is wonderfully captivating and of course there is much truth in the title.
Then again you might say we are a tad Irish here, both my husband and I, and find Irish history books often slanted....
Molly McGovern, mom to Flannery, Liam, Seamus, Siena and Francesca
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: Gotta start somewhere - Ireland?
