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Irish Seattle News
Dé Domhnaigh, 7 Feabhra
2016 Sunday, February 7
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Tom Davey, whose late wife Wynn was from Dublin, died in Seattle in early January
Joe Brennan, who died in Co. Leitrim on January 12, was the brother of Seattleites Ann Dolan, Seamus Brennan and Leo Brennan
Pat Keane, 81, who died near Kells, Co. Meath on January 11, was a brother of Seattle's John Keane
Patrick "Des" McArdle, 76, a native of Co. Down, died on December 12 in Bellingham. He was President Emeritus of Bellingham Technical College
Monica Clifford, 52, wife of Limerick-native Tom Clifford, died on December 10 in Bellevue
Sr. Anne Philomena Charles, OSF, 81, a native of Co. Leitrim and sister of Mary Charles of Edmonds,, died December 5 in Tacoma
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Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílse
May their faithful souls rest at God's right hand
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 The offerings and the prices are exactly the same, but if you shop at
AmazonSmile
rather than at Amazon.com, then 0.5% of the purchase price is donated to the Irish Heritage Club. Bookmark this link for AmazonSmile:
and support the IHC every time you shop at Amazon.
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 Irish-born explorer Ernest Shackleton is one of the principal figures of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Artist Austin Dwyer, a Co. Tipperary native who lives in Mukilteo, is selling 4 limited edition signed prints that have been faithfully reproduced on the highest quality archival paper. Visit
AustinDwyer.com.
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Irish Heritage Club Affiliated Programs
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Seattle Area Irish Resources
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Consulate General of Ireland,
San Francisco
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Honorary Consul of Ireland,
Seattle
Handling questions regarding Irish passports or Irish citizenship
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Seattle's Irish Community Chaplain
serving emigrants of all faiths and none
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Irish Musicians, Classes & Sessions
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Are you eligible to apply for Irish Citizenship?
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If you're an Irish citizen with a US Green Card, why wait to apply for dual US-Irish citizenship?
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Would you like to study
in Ireland?
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Living & Working in Ireland / Moving to Ireland
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Through your connections, help create jobs in Ireland and receive a reward from the Irish Government
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Irish Seattle
A pictorial history of the Irish in Seattle from 1851 to the 1990s
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The Celtic Connection Newspaper
The voice of Celts around the Pacific Northwest. Pick up a free copy each month at your local Seattle-area Irish Pub or Restaurant, or read the latest issue online for free!
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Irish Books written in the Irish Language
Books in English about small localities in Ireland
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| MISCELLANEOUS Ireland in Pictures
A concierge's guide to a legenDerry city
How Powerful Is Ireland? Splendid views from Ireland's western coast |
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Mise Éire // I am Ireland
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1916 The Lego Movie, made by 8-9 year-old schoolchildren
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Saoirse Ronan teaching an Irish accent to Stephen Colbert
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A Cartoon History of the 1916 Rising
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An Irish reporter's very dramatic weather report from Galway
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FEBRUARY EVENTS
EMMET CAHILL - After his sold out tour of the west coast in 2015, Celtic Thunder star Emmet Cahill returns to Seattle this coming Friday, February 12 at 7:30 pm to play an intimate concert at Fremont Abbey Arts Center,
4272 Fremont Ave N, Seattle. Named Ireland's most exciting young singer last year, the Man from Mullingar will treat his fans to a concert of Irish classics, Broadway hits, modern classics and much more. Tickets at
Fremont Abbey Arts Center.
 IRISH PIPERS
TIONÓL -
The 2016 West Coast
Tionól
, the annual gathering of Uilleann Pipers (the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland), will take place in Seattle this weekend, February 13 - 14. Besides all-day workshops in piping and fiddling on Saturday, there will be a concert on Saturday evening at the Doric Lodge,
619 N 36th St, in Seattle's Fremont District
. This year's featured pipers include Tommy Martin and Elliot Grasso. More details are available on the Irish Pipers Club website.
 SODA BREAD COOKING EXHIBITION / CLASS - Saturday, February 20, 1 - 5 pm, at St. Patrick's Church Hall,
2702 Broadway E, Seattle. Aimed at adults who are interested in the art of making traditional Irish Soda Bread. Admission is $10 pp, and reservations are required as room is limited. For the details and tickets, visit
EventBrite.com, or contact Mary at 206-321-4576 or
SodaBread@irishclub.org.
1916 CENTENARY CONCERT - On Saturday, February 27, 2016, at 7 pm, there's a 1916 Centenary Concert in Brechemin Auditorium at the UW (School of Music) with performances by Irish
Folklorist and musician Mick Moloney accompanied by violinist Athena Tergis. Co. Limerick native Mick Moloney holds a Ph.D. in folklore and folklife, and has recorded and produced over forty albums of traditional Irish music. In 2013, he received Ireland's Presidential Distinguished Service Award from President Michael D. Higgins. Fiddler Athena Tergis moved to Ireland when she was 18 and immersed herself in Irish traditional music. She was a featured artist in the new show Heartbeat of Home from the producers of Riverdance for their north American premier. For more information on the February 27th concert, visit
EventBrite.com.
PORTLAND PLAY - Saturday, February 20 is the opening night performance in Portland, OR, of Corrib Theatre's production of CHAPATTI by Christian O'Reilly. Chapatti is a love story between two Dubliners who have given up on the possibility of love. Dan lives alone in a Dublin flat and spends his time with his dog, Chapatti, while Betty also lives alone - with her nineteen cats. Visit
www.corribtheatre.org for all the details.
 THE IMMORTAL IRISHMAN
- Tim Egan, the Seattle-based Pulitzer-prize winning author and New York Times columnist, launches his newest book at Seattle Town Hall
on March 1. Called
The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero
, the book is about Irish patriot
Thomas Francis Meagher who was exiled to Tasmania after the failed Young Irelander Rebellion in 1848. Meagher later escaped from Tasmania and made his way to the US where
he led the Irish Brigade from New York in many of the fiercest battles of the US Civil War. Meagher's dream was that Irish-American troops, seasoned by war, would return to Ireland and liberate their homeland from British rule. He was acting Governor of Montana when he died in 1867. Author Egan is very proud of his Irish heritage, and is descended on his mother's side from the Galway Lynches. Tickets at Town Hall.
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Irish Week 2016
in Seattle
1916 CENTENARY THEME
Seattle's Irish Week 2016 marks the Centenary of the 1916 Rising.
On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, a group of Irish patriots rose up in armed rebellion in an attempt to end British rule in Ireland. Though initially unsuccessful, their actions provided the inspiration that led to the Irish War of Independence and the founding of the Irish Free State in 1922. The design of the Irish Week Button is based on the Irish Republic flag that flew over Dublin's GPO during Easter Week 1916.
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Seattle Area
1916 CENTENARY Events
CENTENARY CONCERT - At 7 pm on Saturday, February 27, Mick Moloney and Athena Tergis in concert at the UW's Brechemin Auditorium. Visit EventBrite.com for tickets and more details.
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Cumman na mBan members including Lily Kempson (front center) with Ina Connolly (James Connolly's daughter)
front left.
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James Connolly & Lily Kempson in 1914
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IRISH FESTIVAL LECTURES - Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13, there will be Talks and Exhibits on the 1916 Rising during the Irish Festival at the Seattle Center, with special emphasis on Lily Kempson McAlerney, a combatant during the Rising in Dublin who died in Seattle in 1996. A native of Co. Wicklow, Lily joined Cumman na mBan, the republican women's paramilitary organization, in 1914, a time when she was living with James Connolly's family in Belfast. In 1916 during the Rising, she was involved in the takeover of St. Stephen's Green and later of the College of Surgeons. She escaped capture after the Rising collapsed and came to Seattle where she married Matt McAlerney. When she died in Seattle in 1996 aged 99, she was the last surviving 1916 combatant.
WEEKEND CENTENARY PROGRAM - April 23-24, a weekend 1916 Centenary Program is being planned at Antioch University in downtown Seattle. The program will include lectures, panel discussions, art exhibits, Irish music, poetry readings, and other cultural activities that highlight the prelude to Irish self-determination.
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All Irish Heritage Club members on the club's postal mailing list will be mailed a copy of the 1916 Proclamation suitable for framing. To receive your free copy, send your name and postal mailing address (including Zip Code) to Proclamation@irishclub.org.
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Irish Week 2016
in Seattle
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29:
SATURDAY, MARCH 5:
FRIDAY, MARCH 11:
SATURDAY, MARCH 12:
SUNDAY, MARCH 13:
THURSDAY, MARCH 17
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
SATURDAY, MARCH 19:
SUNDAY, MARCH 20:
PROGRAM ADS
The Irish Week 2016 Program goes to print this coming week and 10,000 copies will be printed and distributed at the Irish Festival, in the Seattle area's Irish Pubs and businesses, and via direct mail to Irish Heritage Club members. To place your ad, contact Leilani McCoy at Pacific Publishing at 206-461-1293 or pacsales@nwlink.com .
An Irish Week Mailing Party is being held on
Friday
evening, February 19, from
6 - 8 pm
, in the back room at
F X McRory's
,
419 Occidental Ave S
,
(north of the Centurylink Field parking lot), Seattle. We would love to see some new people volunteering to help with the mailing and possibly also with some of the Irish Week events. Call 206-853-6577 or email
MeaganM@irishclub.org
.
For all the details on Irish Week 2016, visit
irishweek.org
or call 253-237-2811
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IRISH FLAGS - Buy any Irish-themed flag from our Seattle partner, Seattle Flagmakers, and they will make a donation to the Irish Heritage Club to support our activities.
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Grand Marshals & More
GRAND MARSHALS -
Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole and Dan O'Toole are the Grand Marshals of Seattle's 2016 St. Patrick's Day Parade. Massachusetts natives, both served in the Boston Police Department where Dan retired in 1988 after 22 years with the force. Kathleen became Boston Police Commissioner in 2004. She had
also served in 1998 on an international panel on policing in Northern Ireland and in 2006 she and Dan moved to Ireland so she could serve as Chief Inspector of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, a body responsible for reforming Ireland's 17,000 member police force. They moved to Seattle in 2013 when she was confirmed as Seattle's Police Chief and immediately got involved in Seattle's Irish community. Kathleen's grandparents were born in Athlone, Co. Westmeath and Dan's grandparents were from Cong, Co. Mayo, and they have one daughter, Meaghan. We are delighted and proud to have Kathleen and Dan O'Toole serve as our 2016 St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshals.
 HONORARY GRAND MARSHAL - Casey McNerthney is the Honorary Grand Marshal of Seattle's 2016 St. Patrick's Day Parade. With this being the 1916 Centenary and Casey being a great-grandson of Lily (Kempson) and Matt McAlerney, Casey is representing in the parade all of the McAlerney descendants. When she died in Seattle in 1996, aged 99,
Lily Kempson McAlerney was the last surviving 1916 combatant. Casey got to know Lily well, as did many of her other great-grandchildren, and he loved hearing stories about her life in Ireland and her escape to Seattle after the 1916 Rising collapsed. Casey is an
Executive Producer
at KIRO 7 television in Seattle and previously was a reporter at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. We're delighted to recognize Lily Kempson McAlerney by having her great-grandson as Honorary Grand Marshal.
 GALWAY MAYOR - Galway Mayor
Frank Fahy will be in Seattle for Irish Week 2016 for the various events on the weekend of March 11-13. Fahy was first elected a member of the Galway City Council in 2011 and was elected Mayor in 2015. He lives in
an area of Galway called
Menlo Village
,
a Gaelic speaking area where his
family
ha
s
lived since 1640. Gaelic
i
s his first language and
he
promotes the
speaking of Irish
when
ever he can and especially
on civic occasions. Fahy visited Seattle in March 2013 as Deputy Mayor and in September 2014 hosted a Seattle delegation in Galway that included the Seattle Police Pipes and Drums Pipe Band as well as Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. On this Seattle visit he will be accompanied by his wife Gerardine, Galway City Executive Joe O'Neill, and Joe's wife Kay.
PARADE INVITES - Seattle's St Patrick's Day Parade Committee invites interested groups to apply to march and/or perform in the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 14. The Parade is a family-friendly event which celebrates the Irish in us all. For more detailed information, contact
Parade@irishclub.org.
PATRICK & THE PIRATES -
St. Patrick was originally brought to Ireland by Irish pirates around 400 AD. Over 1,600 years later, the Pirates of the Emerald Isle will duplicate that event by taking him to the Emerald City, bringing him ashore at South Lake Union (near MOHAI) at 6 pm on Friday evening March 11.
All are welcome to help the Pirates in this free event by climbing on board the Ride the Ducks' Boat at F X McRory's at 5 pm for the trip to South Lake Union. The Ducks Boat will travel back to McRory's by 6:30 pm for the Green Stripe Laying. No admission fee and kids are welcome.
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Seattle Area
Irish News & Events
ALASKAN QUEEN
-
The residents of Rosmuc, Co. Galway, on Friday last unveiled a headstone over the grave of a Seattle woman in Rosmuc graveyard. The headstone inscription is in Gaelic, but translated reads:
In memory of Bridget Mannion Aylward, Turloch and Seattle, February 1, 1865 - January 7, 1958. Bridget Aylward, Queen of Alaska
.
Bridget Mannion was born in Turloch, near Rosmuc, Co. Galway, and after coming to Seattle, worked as housekeeper for Seattle Pioneer Henry Yesler from 1888-1892. In 1892, she went to Alaska where she met and married Kilkennyman Frank Aylward and they mined for gold together. In 1896, the Seattle Star wrote a story about her under the headline
The Queen of Alaska
. Bridget later lived in Seattle for over 40 years, until 1948 when she moved back to Rosmuc where she died in 1958. P
hotos from Friday's unveiling can be viewed at
seanomainnin.com
and see the Gaelic speaking TV channel report at
TG4.ie
(report starts at the 13:20 mark).
IRISH MUSIC WEEK
-
Registration is now open for Cascadia Irish Music Week 2016 which runs from from July 17-23 at The Evergreen State College in Olympia. Registration and more details at
cascadiairish.org
.
MORE FRIENDLY - Seattle's Friends of St. Patrick was a male-only organization until 1989, but the Philadelphia chapter of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick this year will finally induct their first female member, Irish Ambassador to the US Anne Anderson. The Friendly Sons was founded in Philadelphia in 1771 to provide relief to newly arrived Irish immigrants. The group has always welcomed both Catholics and Protestants, and included as members General George Washington as well as signatories of the US Declaration of Independence. The Seattle group's annual dinner is this year being held on St. Patrick's Day, March 17. Visit fosp.org for details.
WASHINGTON GENEALOGY - The December issue of Irish Lives Remembered, the free online Irish genealogy magazine, has an article on Tracing your Irish ancestors in Washington State. Among the articles is one on Teresa Lapin Eldridge, the woman from Co. Armagh who became known around Bellingham as the "first pioneer woman of northwest Washington", and also an article on the Irish ancestry of Seattle's Mayor, Ed Murray. Check out pages 38-47 online at
Irish Lives.
PORTLAND 1916 CONCERT - On March 6, at the Sherwood Center for the Arts in Sherwood, OR, Téada presents "reAwakening". Téada is a traditional Irish music band with a truly worldwide reach. Inspired by the remarkable artistic flourishing of the Irish at home and abroad in the 100-year period from 1916 onwards, reAwakening sets historic musical and song material beginning from the early 20th century to a backdrop of archival video footage and still images from the 1916 Rising. Visit brownpapertickets.com for tickets and details.
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MISCELLANEOUS
- The next Irish Book Club meeting is February 23 with the location to be determined. Contact hudit@comcast.net for meeting details
- One of the films being shown at the Irish Reels Film Festival at the Seattle Center in March is a documentary on the 2014 trip to Ireland by the Seattle Police Pipes Pipe and Drums Pipe Band
- This could be the last St. Patrick's Day for Seattle's premier Irish import store, Galway Traders, at least in its current location on 15th Ave NW at 75th St in Ballard
- Thursday April 14th the Tacoma Rangers will be hosting the 2nd Annual Irish Night with the Tacoma Rainiers at Cheney Stadium
- Congratulations to South Sound Irishman Tom Quinlan who is running for a position on the Pierce County Superior Court
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1916 Centenary
Events in Ireland
EVENTS CALENDAR - In Ireland during 1916, there will be a
series of State commemorative events, including a parade from Dublin Castle to Parnell Square on Easter Sunday 2016 and a special State Reception for relatives. There will also be a
remembrance ceremony for all those who died during the events of 1916 held in the Garden of Remembrance. The Irish Times
has a listing of the major Centenary events in 2016.
CASTLE CEREMONY - The commemorative program for the centenary of the 1916 Rising had its first event on New Year's Day, a flag-raising ceremony at Dublin Castle. From 1171 until 1922, during the
Lordship of Ireland (1171-1541), the Kingdom of Ireland (1541-1800) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801-1922),
Dublin Castle was
the center of England's colonial administration in Ireland
. It was also
the focus of Anglo Irish social life often with lavish parties that usually included participation by the powerful ascendancy class. On January 16, 1922, Irish rebel leader Michael Collins accepted the handover of the Castle from the last Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the British monarch's official representative.
1916 FILM - "1916: The Irish Rebellion
," the documentary produced by the University of Notre Dame and narrated by Irish actor Liam Neeson, has been picked up by a record number of TV stations across the US. The three part series- which will also be turned into an 80 minute feature film - is set to be shown on RTE-TV in Ireland, in the US on PBS, on the BBC in Britain, in Australia, Canada and all around the world to mark the centenary of Ireland's Easter Rising, which paved the way for Irish independence. The film will be screened in Seattle on
KCTS-TV, Channel 9,
but the screening date is not yet confirmed.
GOOGLE'S DUBLINRISING - Google, with the help of historians and experts from the Ireland 2016 and Century Ireland teams, provides a groundbreaking online tour
providing an impressive glimpse into the Dublin of 100 years ago, with the history of each site being narrated by actor and Dublin native Colin Farrell. The website offers the world an opportunity to take part in Ireland's 2016 commemorations, turning the everyday into the extraordinary and honoring the incredible history of the capital by sharing a look into its past.
 1916 CENTENARY ONLINE - The Century Ireland project is an online historical newspaper
that tells the story of the events of Irish life a century ago
.
It
includes
a wealth of visual, archival and contextual material to facilitate an understanding of the complexities of Irish life in the years between 1912 and 1923. Some of the archive material comes from Irish Radio & TV archives. Century Ireland is produced by a team of researchers at Boston College Ireland and the project is Irish government funded.
ARGENTINIAN CONNECTION - Two flags flew over the GPO during the 1916 Rising, an
Irish Tricolor and a green Irish Republic flag. One of them was raised by Eamon Bulfin who was born in Argentina in 1892 to a father who was originally from Co. Offaly. Bulfin came to Ireland in 1908 and joined the Irish Volunteers who stationed him in the GPO for the Rising. Following the insurrection he was condemned to death, but his death sentence was commuted because of his Argentinian citizenship. Deported to Buenos Aires, from there he coordinated fundraising and arms shipments in support of the Irish War of Independence. He returned to Ireland in 1922 and died in 1968.
WOMEN'S INVOLVEMENT - Cumann na mBan, an Irish republican women's paramilitary organization, was founded in 1914 in response to the establishment of the male-only Irish Volunteers, and
in 1916 it became an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers
. Led by Countess Markievicz, who was also a member of James Connolly's Irish Citizen Army, Cumann na mBan members played a vital role in the Easter Rising, fighting alongside members of the Irish Citizen Army and the Irish Volunteers. After the Rising collapsed, 79 women were among those imprisoned by the British.
BOTH SIDES - A man from Co. Wexford was awarded the Victoria Cross fighting for the British and a War of Independence medal for fighting against them. Martin Doyle enlisted in the British army in 1909 and was a company sergeant-major in the Royal Munster Fusiliers when his bravery earned him the Victoria Cross in 1918 during WW-1 and he went to Buckingham Palace to receive the medal. Two years later he joined the IRA and during the War of Independence was an intelligence officer for the mid-Clare IRA brigade.
SOMME COMMEMORATION - 1916 Commemorations in Ireland this year will also include commemorations of the Battle of the Somme, which lasted from July to November of 1916 and in which over 3,500 Irish soldiers died. It is estimated that over 200,000 Irishmen, from both traditions, fought in World War I and about 50,000 lost their lives. The leaders of all main churches in Ireland have issued a joint appeal calling for the 2016 commemorations to be used to strengthen people's resolve to live together in harmony on the island.
 1912 COVENANT - Heather Humphreys, the Irish government minister responsible for coordinating the 1916 Centenary commemorations across Ireland, is the grand-daughter of a man who signed the Ulster Covenant in 1912 opposing Home Rule for Ireland. The Covenant
was an oath whereby the Protestant people of Ulster, the northernmost province of Ireland, pledged to defend their way of life from the growing threat of 'Home Rule' - a devolved parliament in Dublin.
Ulster's mainly Protestant population feared Home Rule was a first step to an independent, Catholic Ireland and
the document was signed by 471,414 Irish people in 1912
.
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MISCELLANEOUS
- The Taoiseach (Irish PM) has invited British PM David Cameron to visit Ireland during the 1916 centenary commemorations
- See period photos, paintings and drawings that illustrate the 1916 Rising
- Éamonn Ceannt, one of those executed by the British in 1916, was such an accomplished uilleann piper that he played for the pope in Rome in 1908.
- See selected images from Irish artist Fergal McCarthy's playful cartoon story of the Easter Rising
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News from Ireland
FEBRUARY ELECTION - Under the headline "
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny Calls Election for February",
the Wall Street Journal Online
writes that the election is expected to return the Taoiseach to office, "albeit likely at the head of a more diverse and fragile coalition". The article comments that "a victory for Mr. Kenny would make Ireland the first eurozone country to give an austerity leader a second term in office." The General Election will be held on February 26.
COMEBACK KIDS - Calling Ireland The Eurozone Comback Kid
, the Wall Street Journal
reports that while Ireland's banking bust did a lot of damage, the rebound has been sharp. "The speed of Ireland's recent growth-which is mainly being driven by investment-is working wonders for its public-finance statistics. The National Treasury Management Agency now forecasts debt will be 97% of GDP at the end of 2015, down from 120% in 2013, and falling below 100% a year ahead of schedule. Ireland is set to beat its budget deficit target for the fifth year running."
VENTURE CAPITALISTS - According to Silicon Republic, Enterprise Ireland is ranked third worldwide among top venture capital investors. Ireland's state agency provides seed capital to start-up companies
who decide to locate in Ireland
and have been the third most prolific seed round investor since 2010, with 196 deals over the past five years.
CONGRESS' FAULT - USA Today carries an editorial on the Pfizer merger headlined "
Turning Pfizer Irish: Our view"
. The editorial places the blame for the merger with Congress, noting, "If Congress wants to do something constructive for a change, the simplest and most obvious thing to do is to fix the corporate tax code so that it collects a reasonable amount of revenue but doesn't encourage companies to engage in elaborate schemes to lower their bills. The 35% top federal rate is too high. And the code's myriad tax breaks encourage companies to focus time and energy on tax avoidance instead of their core businesses".
APPLE'S TAXES - An 18-month investigation into Apple's tax affairs in Ireland is set to conclude in the coming months and Apple's
CEO recently met with the EU Antitrust Chief as a "potential $19B Irish Tax Bill Looms", according to the International Business Times
.
Ireland has gained hugely from its relationship with Apple, a company which employs 5,000 in Ireland and is planning major new investments in Cork and Galway. But, the Irish Times writes
, "the idea that Apple is going to end up paying Ireland billions of euro in back-tax is fanciful. The tax rules on which it is all based come from US law - it is a system with which successive US governments have been entirely complicit".
WHAT BORDER? - People living near the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have the option to go to whichever hospital is closest and may send their children to the school of their choice, regardless of whether those hospitals or schools are in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland.
ANTI-BREXIT - An overwhelming majority of Irish voters, 75%, want the UK to remain in the European Union. And regardless of whether or not the UK decides to leave the EU (a/k/a BREXIT), the same percentage believes that Ireland should remain in the EU. Only 13% say they would like to see the UK leave.
UK diplomats have been trying to win support from the other 27 EU countries for a new deal for Britain ahead of an "in-out" referendum in the UK scheduled to be held by the end of 2016.
NI & BREXIT - Many economists and politicians warn that Brexit would fracture the Northern Irish peace by further isolating it from the Republic of Ireland and cutting off local communities from international funding.
The International Business Times
says that Northern Ireland remains one of the poorest economic regions in Britain, and relies heavily on subsidies from both the EU and UK. From 2007 to 2013, the EU spent $2.6 billion on peace projects in Northern Ireland. If the majority of citizens in England voted "yes" to a Brexit while Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all voted "no," the "yes" vote would still probably win.
IRISH CLOUD COMPUTING - Data Center Frontier says The combination of energy efficiency and renewables, along with a favorable tax environment and skilled IT workforce, has established Ireland as Europe's leading hub for cloud data centers. The article claims that the western suburbs of Dublin is one of the best places in the world to use fresh air to cool servers which is why it is home to a cluster of huge data centers that bring cloud services to European users. The area has server farms for companies such as
Amazon, Digital Realty, Equinix/Telecity, Dataplex, Digiweb, Google, Microsoft, Eircom and Citidel100.
LEASING CAPITAL - Ireland is the world's leading location for aircraft lease corporations to operate from.Leasing companies buy aircraft from manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing and then leases them to airlines. Leasing companies based in Ireland accounted for 21% of total global sales income, totaling $8.7bn in 2015.
BUSY DUBLIN - Almost 4.5 million passengers in 2015 made the one hour 10 minute flight from Dublin to London, making it the second busiest air-route in the world. The world's busiest route is from Hong Kong to Taipei in Taiwan. Within Europe, the busiest routes were Dublin to London,
Amsterdam
to London and London to Milan. A
record 25 million people passed through Dublin Airport in 2015.
 NOBEL PRIZE - Irish-born scientist William C Campbell was one of those sharing the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine 2015, recognized for his treatment of parasitic diseases. Born in Derry and raised in Donegal, Campbell studied at Trinity College Dublin and in the US, where he developed drugs that killed roundworm larvae and, the Nobel foundation said, had saved hundreds of millions from serious disease.
Campbell is the second Irish scientist to win a Nobel Prize, after Ernest Walton won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1951.
CLIMATE CHANGE - Ireland is ranked in 12th place in a survey of climate change performance. On the basis of standardized criteria, the index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 58 countries that are, together, responsible for more than 90% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. The Climate Change Performance Index compares countries in the areas of emissions trends and levels, expansion and use of renewable energies, energy efficiency and climate policies and thus provides a comprehensive view of the current efforts of more than 58 states analyzed.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS - The New York Times writes that
increasing numbers of non-Catholic families in Ireland are resentful about what they see as discrimination based on religion in Irish schools. "
Almost all state-funded primary schools - nearly 97 percent - are under church control, and Irish law allows them to consider religion the main factor in admissions. As a practical matter, that means local schools, already oversubscribed, often choose to admit Catholics over non-Catholics".
FAST FERRIES - Stena Line operates the largest catamarans in the world, the Stena HSS class, between the UK and Ireland. These waterjet-powered vessels, displacing 19,638 tons, are larger than most catamarans and can accommodate 375 cars and 1,500 passengers. The high-speed Stena (HSS) is the world's largest fast ferry, traveling at a speed of 46 miles per hour (74 km/h), although it is capable of doing over 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). In 2015 Stena Line ended the fast ferry service between Holyhead, Wales, and Dún Laoghaire, Ireland.
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JUST IN CASE - Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs suggests that Irish citizens living outside of Ireland and the UK should register their contact details with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in order to
allow the department to provide assistance if there is an unforeseen crisis such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, etc.
GALWAY FRIENDLY -
Galway has been voted the world's friendliest city
and Ireland is the
world's
friendliest country, according to the
annual reader survey of Travel + Leisure
magazine
,
the
major US travel magazine based in New York
.
Dublin and Cork also made it into the top four
coming in 3rd and 4th.
ANY PUNTS? - Since the euro was introduced in 2001 to replace the Irish punt, there is still almost $257 million in Irish punts that has not been converted to Euro.
15 years later, people a
re still welcome to exchange pounds for euro. In the foyer of the Central Bank's headquarters on Dublin's Dame Street, a safe-like machine takes coins, issues a receipt, which can then be presented to a teller for payment of the equivalent in euro. However, punt notes must be handed in at the counter.
ASH HURLEYS - 450,000 hurleys are produced in Ireland every year and 80% of those are made from imported ash. Around 22,000 hectares of ash is grown in Ireland, with 75% of that privately owned and the remainder owned by Coillte, the government forestry company. Of the imported ash most comes in from Holland and eastern Europe. Ash is still by far the preferred choice, being strong and flexible and having a good capacity for shock absorbency. And Irish ash is more favored because of the country's mild and damp climate.
CÚLTEC HURLEYS - Cúltec hurlleys are made from a composite of synthetic epoxy, nylon and some graphite. They are more durable than ash and have a generous sweet spot which makes for better and more consistent striking. In 2015, about 22,500 Cúltec hurls were sold, around 8-9% of the market. The Chinese-manufactured Cúltec hurley has satisfied rigorous safety testing standards set out by the GAA.
BRAWL SCALE - A lighthearted
Beaufort-type measuring scale has been proposed for reporting on the different types of incidents that might occur during Gaelic Football and Hurling games. The terms that are defined on the rating scale range from Typical Ulster Fare, to Handbags, Schemozzle, Disgraceful scenes, Mass brawl, and end with those requiring
Bishops' encyclicals.
GRADUATED PENALTIES - The Road Safety Authority
of Ireland (RSA) has called for wealthy drivers to face higher fines when they are caught speeding. The RSA is submitting a proposal on graduated fines as part of a wider series of measures designed to combat drivers who repeatedly breach road traffic laws. RSA's research shows that more affluent drivers have a higher than average predisposition to violate road safety rules. The proposal is to escalate the fine significantly based on the extent to which a person exceeds the speed limit and also on the basis of ability to pay.
HARDEST WORKERS - The advocacy group ONE,
campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease particularly in Africa,
describes Ireland as the "hardest worker" among rich donors. They say that Ireland is 13th in the world in international funding on Aids despite ranking 44th among countries in nominal GDP.
IRISH THREAT - Fox News host Bill O'Reilly has promised to flee to Ireland
if Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wins the White House.
A Washington Post article
about the threat
says that, if he does, "He's in for a shock". The article says that even though Ireland is a conservative country by West European standards, it's far, far to the left of US conservative preferences on many key issues.
MIDDLE EASTERN ANCESTRY- A team of Irish geneticists has unraveled the DNA of ancient Irish remains for the first time, and their study suggests
that the first Irish people started out as immigrants.
The team analyzed two sets of remains, those of an older woman who lived near Belfast around 5,200 years ago, and those of three men from around 4,200 years ago and who lived on Rathlin Island off the coast of Co. Antrim.
Their research suggests that t
he woman had ancestry that could be tracked to the Middle East, where agriculture was invented. About a third of the men's ancestry led to the
Pontic
-Caspian
steppe
, a
vast steppeland stretching northeast from the Black Sea
.
 NEW DeLOREANS - The DeLorean DMC-12, made famous in the 'Back to the Future' movie trilogy, is coming back to the future.
The iconic car was originally manufactured near Belfast between 1981 and 1982 and about 9,000 DMC-12s were sold before the company went bankrupt. There are about 6,500 still in existence, some of which will be in Seattle's St. Patrick's Day Parade and also exhibited at the Seattle Center during the Irish Festival on March 12-13. The DeLorean company was re-established in 1995 in Houston, Texas, and is now planning to build about four new cars a month, for sale at about $100,000 starting in 2017.
RUGBY JERSEY - An Irish rugby jersey from 1899 - the oldest known international rugby jersey in the world - is about to go on auction. Once a vibrant green, the 117-year-old jersey has long since faded into a cream color, but the Irish shamrock crest remains distinctive. Carefully handwritten on the jersey's Lynch of Dublin label is the name "W.G. Byron". William 'Billy' Grant Byron was a native of Co. Derry and played 11 times for Ireland. He last wore the jersey during Ireland's Triple Crown win over Wales in 1899.
WALES DONATION - Prince Charles has donated £2,000 to St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Belfast that has been the focus of bitter marching disputes involving Protestant loyal orders. Some parading loyalist bandsmen have been accused of provocative and sectarian behavior while passing by the church, playing tunes with anti-Catholic lyrics, etc. Earlier this year Charles and Camilla paid an historic visit to the church.
BLOODY SUNDAY - On November 21, 1920 in Dublin during the Irish War of Independence, Michael Collins arranged for the assassination of the 'Cairo Gang' - a team of undercover British intelligence agents working and living in Dublin. In reprisal later that afternoon, British forces opened fire on the crowd at a Gaelic football match in Dublin's Croke Park, killing fourteen civilians and wounding at least sixty. That evening, three IRA prisoners in Dublin Castle were also beaten and killed. One British intelligence agent had avoided assassination because he had spent the night in a brothel!
WOUNDED KNEE - The last surviving soldier from the Battle (or massacre) of Wounded Knee on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota on December 29, 1890, was an Irishman from Co. Down. Born in Castlewellan, Co Down, in 1870, Hugh McGinnis died in 1960 believing that what had happened at Wounded Knee was a massacre caused by some of his comrades going "berserk". The final death toll from that day was 153 Indians and 25 soldiers (some killed by friendly fire).
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 GALWAY RENTAL - Fully furnished townhouse for rent in Galway City, Ireland, located in Lower Salthill just 400 yards from the Seapoint Promenade on Galway Bay. 3 furnished bedrooms, sleeps six. See photos and details at montcrehan.club - email Tansymc@aol.com. |
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Tid-Bits
- Trade between the Irish Republic and the UK is worth almost $65 billion a year - $38 billion of exports from Ireland and $27 billion of imports from the UK
- 90% of chief executives of medtech firms said they believed Ireland was more competitive than other countries with 86% describing the business environment as either good or very good.
- Ireland's economy was the fastest-growing in Europe in 2014 and 2015, and is expected to repeat that performance this year.
- Reuters says Ireland's best hope is that Brexit doesn't happen
- Ireland's Top 10 favorite brands list is led by Barry's tea, Cadbury's chocolate and Tayto crisps and also includes Denny sausages, Flahavans porridge and Avonmore milk.
- Ireland's economy grew by 7% in the third quarter of 2015 compared with the same period in 2014
- In 2015 Ireland became the 7th most popular study abroad destination for US students
- Headlined Another day, another slaughter, an Irish Times editorial about Guns and the US says "the rest of the world looks on with utter bewilderment".
- Ireland's Look The Business magazine highlights the work of glass artist Róisin de Buitléar
- A "prolific" motoring offender in Dublin with 82 previous driving convictions has been banned from driving for 80 years, meaning he can't get his driving license back until he is 104 years old.
- Former Tánaiste (Deputy Irish Prime Minister) Eamon Gilmore was named by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the world's Leading Global Thinkers
- The NY Times comments on a report supporting the view that the ECB (European Central Bank) dictated policy to the Irish government in 2010 in a way that punished taxpayers while sparing investors
- The Southern Cross, an Irish newspaper published in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the oldest Irish newspaper in the world outside Ireland.
- An Irishman from Co. Louth is a trailblazer in the development of Japanese racing
- There's a 19th century Irish tradition of New Year's Day being celebrated as the Day of the Buttered Bread
- The largest Irish event in Australia, Sydney's St Patrick's Day Parade, has been cancelled for 2016 because of a lack of funding and building works in Sydney's city center.
- The most popular boys name in the Netherlands last year was the Irish name Liam
- The Irish Times writes about Steven Duggan, director, Worldwide Education Strategy at Microsoft in Redmond
- Terry Wogan, the Limerick-born star of British television and radio for decades, has died at the age of 77.
- There's more than spectacular views at Ireland's Croagh Patrick
- Read about the Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, annual match-making festival
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| Irish Heritage Club Membership
We invite you to renew your membership in the Irish Heritage Club for 2016. All 2016 Memberships expired on December 31 although members will remain in good standing with the organization until March 31, 2017. Membership is used to support all IHC activities throughout the year, including the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Irish Festival, and is open to anyone interested in "Things Irish". Dues are $20 (single membership), $30 (family membership), or $100 (business membership), and you can pay by cash, check, or Credit Card. For more information, email
Membership@irishclub.org
or visit
www.irishclub.org
.
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Seanfhocal - Proverb
John Keane
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Irish Heritage Club
P.O. Box 75123
Seattle, WA 98175-0123
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his newsletter is mailed on behalf of the Irish Heritage Club and its affiliated programs including: Ceol Cascadia Irish Music Association; Friends of St. Patrick in Seattle; Irish Heritage Players; Irish Network Seattle; Irish Reels Film Festival; Seattle Gaels Gaelic Football, Hurling & Camogie; Seattle Galway Sister City Association; Seattle Irish Immigrant Support; and Tacoma Rangers Hurling & Gaelic Football.
Funding assistance, provided by the Irish Abroad Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, is gratefully acknowledged.
Copyright © 2016 John Keane who is solely responsible for the content.
All Rights Reserved.
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SEATTLE FLAGMAKERS - Buy any Irish-themed flag from our Seattle partner, Seattle Flagmakers, and they will make a donation to the Irish Heritage Club to support Irish cultural activities in the Seattle area. Contact Carol Anderson at seattleflagmakers@gmail.com or 206.419.2297
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