In the 18th and 19th centuries, Irish Catholic children attended school to learn English and arithmetic. In densely populated areas, school might be held in an abandoned barn or building, but in the country, the children literally sat in front of the hedgerows that separated one small croft from another. There were few, if any, … Continue reading The Hedgerow Schools of Ireland
Ireland
Irish Trivia: The Land of Saints and Scholars
Ireland is often referred to as The Land of Saints and Scholars. During the Dark Ages in Europe, much of the continent was overrun by barbarian tribes. Irish priests and scholars were responsible for keeping many ancient texts intact, and for creating new art and literature. Of primary note is the Book of Kells, an … Continue reading Irish Trivia: The Land of Saints and Scholars
1998 – Paddy Clancy, Irish folk musician dies.
A great singer with a great song…
Paddy Clancy, was an Irish folk singer best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. In addition to singing and storytelling, Clancy played the harmonica with the group, which is widely credited with popularising Irish traditional music in the United States and revitalising it in Ireland. He also started and ran the folk music label Tradition Records, which recorded many of the key figures of the American folk music revival.
Clancy was one of eleven children and the eldest of four boys born to Johanna McGrath and Bob Clancy in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary.
Clancy died at home of lung cancer at the age of 76. He was buried, wearing his trademark white cap, in the tiny village of Faugheen, near Carrick-on-Suir.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilis.
‘The Wild Rover’
I’ve been a wild rover for many’s the year
I’ve spent all me money…
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St Patrick & the Slave Trade
This post first appeared on giffordmacshane.com on 3/17/15
Read any biography of Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, and you’ll find that he was born in the late 4th century somewhere on the island of Britain. Patrick was kidnapped while still in his teens, and sold as a slave in Ireland. Some histories place the blame on Irish pirates, while others blame the Romans who had conquered the island centuries earlier. Whoever was responsible, for six years Patrick was a slave, and then he escaped back to Britain.
Twelve years after his escape, having studied at a monastery and being ordained, Patrick returned to the Emerald Isle as a bishop and missionary. After twenty years, he left behind an organized church under the authority of the See of Armagh, and an island that was nearly completely converted to Catholicism.
Little did Patrick know that, over a thousand years later, those conversions would be the justification for a new…
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Irish Trivia: The Transatlantic Crossing
In the mid-19th Century, most transatlantic crossings were still done by sailing ship, although steamship passage was available for those who could afford it, primarily through the Cunard Line of Britain and the Inman line of the US. A steamship would routinely make the voyage in 11 to 13 days, but until 1860, most steamships … Continue reading Irish Trivia: The Transatlantic Crossing
Irish Trivia: The History of Potato Crop Failures
Many people consider the Great Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1852 to be an unprecendented occurrence, and believe it caught the country's government by surprise. However, the failure of the potato crop that began in 1845 was no stranger to Ireland's inhabitants. Crop failures had plagued Ireland in both the 18th and 19th centuries prior to … Continue reading Irish Trivia: The History of Potato Crop Failures
Irish Trivia: ELLIS ISLAND
15-year-old Annie Moore arrived from Ireland on January 1, 1892, and became the first person to enter the United States through Ellis Island. Over 12 million people entered the United States through the Ellis Island immigration center from 1892 to 1954. Contrary to what you may think, Ellis Island was only one of many ports … Continue reading Irish Trivia: ELLIS ISLAND
The Quakers and The Great Irish Famine
I’ve mentioned before that The Society of Friends (also known as the Quakers) provided an immense help to the native Irish during the Great Potato Famine in the mid-19th century by running soup kitchens to feed the starving populace. However, once the British Government took over that job, the Quakers continued giving support to those … Continue reading The Quakers and The Great Irish Famine
Irish Trivia: Irish Dancing
Ever wonder why Irish dancers keep their hands totally still at their sides when they dance? Many sources attribute this custom to the Traveling Dance Masters of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. For a fee, this Dance Master would teach Irish children jigs, reels and hornpipes. Accompanied by a fiddler and/or piper, the Dance Master … Continue reading Irish Trivia: Irish Dancing
Irish Trivia: The Irish Gaelic Language
History has shown us over and over again that a society cannot be suppressed if their customs and language are allowed to flourish. It’s a lesson exemplified by the colonies’ treatment of black slaves, and of Elizabeth I's conquest of Ireland. One of the first things Elizabeth did was to order was the elimination of … Continue reading Irish Trivia: The Irish Gaelic Language
Gifford MacShane, Author 