The Irish Diaspora » Spirit

Minnesota Irish Cultural Center

diaspora — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:50:54 +0000

In July 1838, three soldiers filed claims for land in what is now Saint Paul, Minnesota. Edward Phelan, John Hays and William Evans were all natives of Ireland and were some of the earliest settlers to the area. The first St Patricks Day parade took place in 1851, and by 1857 the Irish were the second largest foreign-born group in the region.

In the 2000 US Census 600,000 Minnesotans claimed Irish ancestry.

The Minnesota Irish Cultural Center was started in 2009 by a group of volunteers who, over a number of years, have nurtured the vision of creating a broad-based nonprofit Center dedicated to the study, preservation and celebration of Irish culture in all its many forms.

The center will provide services and facilities, and a degree of centralization, for the many clubs and organisations that promote and celebrate all things Irish in Minnesota. One of the aims is to become the local primary gateway to Ireland for all those of Irish ancestry living in the state.

Having established the center the priority now is to acquire a suitable property, in the right location, that will serve as a year-round base of operations. MICC has recently found a building along the St. Paul / Minneapolis border, near the intersection of Como Avenue and Highway 280, that meets the criteria.

Looking at the photos on the MICC website it certainly looks ideal. A variety of spaces that would cater for anything from small meetings, to dance and music classes, to conferences, and larger community events such as plays and dance evenings etc in the 3300 square foot ballroom area.

The Challenge
Local government budget cuts have created a hurdle as previously anticipated funding is no longer available. This means that the Minnesota Irish will have to ‘do it off their own backs’ and the center is calling for volunteers, donations, and corporate sponsors to help. If you live in Minnesota (or elsewhere) and can offer time or financial support this is a fantastic project to get involved in.

Here’s the link to the MICC website, and it would be great to do a follow up post in the future marking the next stage in the center’s evolution.

Steve MacSweeney & the Undocumented Irish in the US

diaspora — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:10:28 +0000

“Get The Irish Home For Christmas 2010 Without Fear…”

Steve MacSweeney, originally from Tralee and now living in New York, has started a Facebook page in support of the undocumented Irish in the US. Steve has been actively involved in lobbying and his mission statement on FB reads:

‘My Goal is to stand up and let our voices be heard on immigration and how it effects many great Irish people living in the US who came for a better life.

I support comprehensive immigration reform.

I strongly supported the effort spearheaded by Senators John McCain and Senator Edward Kennedy RIP to achieve comprehensive immigration reform. So lets get the wheels in motion towards achieving a goal we can achieve in 2010.‘

Steve’s Facebook page, as of writing, has over 7500 members and growing, and there’s also a good article at IrishCentral.com.

This is an important subject and it’s great that Steve is helping to keep attention on it. The issue remains close to the heart of many thousands and actions like this ensure the Undocumented Irish stay on the agenda of policy makers rather than getting pushed to one side.

On Facebook? – give Steve your support.

Shane MacGowan and Friends for Haiti

diaspora — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:38:29 +0000

Shane and his girlfriend Victoria Clarke had the idea, Shane’s friend Gerry O’Boyle helped pull it together, and one week later a bunch of pals were recording in a rigged up headquarters in the back of The Boogaloo, Highgate, London.

Great song and all proceeds go to Haiti relief via Concern, an international humanitarian organisation originally started by Kay and John O’Loughlin Kennedy back in March 1968 and operating in Haiti for the last 15 years.

The ladies, the gents, and the ruffians…!

Shane MacGowan – vocals
Nick Cave (The Bad Seeds) – vocals
Johnny Depp – guitar
Eliza Doolittle – vocals
Terry Edwards (The Scapegoats) – sax
Carwyn Ellis – Hammond organ and piano
Paloma Faith – vocals
Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream) – vocals
Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) – vocals
Mick Jones (The Clash) – fire hydrant!
Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) – vocals
Cait O’Riordan (Pogues collaborator) – bass
Rob Walbourne – drums

Make it Haiti charity single No’ 1 – Facebook.

Available on iTunes

Download links also at Concern and Independent Records Ltd.

Good on the lads and lasses for doing it for Haiti.

Global Irish Network

diaspora — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:58:33 +0000

A tonic for Ireland…

Following on from the Global Irish Economic Forum in Farmleigh last September, Micheál Martin, Minister for Foreign Affairs, chaired a meeting today with business, cultural and sporting figures from the Irish community in Britain.

The event took place in London, and the focus was on helping the Irish economy.

Todays activities effectively mark the launch of the Global Irish Network, and the initial aims are to identify opportunities for an export-led recovery, and to engage additional resources that will help promote Ireland’s economic, cultural and tourism interests.

Mr Martin also announced his intention to hold similar meetings in other parts of the world, and the network will draw from a diverse group of achievers who have a strong connection to Ireland. It will be managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, with ambassadors directing and organising the members in their respective countries.

It’s also good to see enthusiasm coming from regions such as Argentina – for example here’s the English translation of an article in The Southern Cross that explores some possibilities.

In summary this is starting to look like it has a solid structure and the early indications are positive. 300 influential people around the world have accepted the Minister’s invitation to participate, and it will be interesting to see how things develop over the coming year.

It would also be good if the Global Irish Network website had an open access area where progress and achievements could be made publicly available. In the meantime we’ll try and keep up with it as much as we can here. (Maybe a GIN and tonic category!)

Associated posts on diaspora.ie:

Farmleigh Global Economic Forum
Global Irish Economic Forum – Pt II

South Side Irish Parade

diaspora — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:24:51 +0000

The Chicago South Side Irish Parade has a great history, and as of last year was one of the largest neighbourhood parades outside of Ireland. Started in 1979 by George Hendry and Pat Coakley, it grew from 17 children marching around the block to an event hosting over 15,000 marchers and 250,000 spectators each year.

In fact it got so big it moved away from having that local feel, and in 2009 the numbers made it difficult to control. This year it’s re-inventing itself and the organising committee have decided to steer it back towards it’s original community roots.

The celebrations are being renamed as the South Side Irish Parade Family Fest, and will take place on Saturday, March 13. The parade itself won’t be on the schedule, but there are a whole range of family activities planned, topped off with a live performance by the Hothouse Flowers in the evening.

South Side Irish

On the Sunday (March 14) St. Cajetan Catholic Church will hold its annual Irish Mass, and residents are invited to the Beverly Arts Center afterwards for a blessing and reception. As is the tradition everyone is encouraged to continue the celebrations in their homes that afternoon with family and friends.

The festival is also part of a 10 day event that includes the return of the Chicago Irish Film Festival (March 5-10), and the Chicago Rose of Tralee contest.

Can one become two?

Many Chicago Irish will miss the parade and the large occasion that grew around it, but it’s also understandable why the committee had to have a rethink. Whether this will lead to a new parallel event waits to be seen.

George Kelleher from Evergreen Park has started a Facebook page inviting everyone to come along on Sunday 14th. The suggestion is to have a pub crawl which will either be a farewell party for the parade or, if problem free, could be the start of something new?

Whichever way you look at it, Irish spirit is definitely alive and kicking in Chicago!

If you’re from the South Side what do you think, and what would you like to see in future years?

Amhran na bhFiann

diaspora — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:40:23 +0000

Amhrán na bhFiann, ‘The Soldier’s Song’ is Ireland’s national anthem. The music was originally composed in 1907 with 3 verses and a chorus by Peadar Kearney (who also wrote the English lyrics) and Patrick Heeney.

It was used as a marching song by the Irish Volunteers and was sung by rebels in the General Post Office (GPO) during the Easter Rising of 1916. Translated into Irish in 1923 by Liam Ó Rinn it remained popular with the national army and became the country’s official anthem in 1926.

In 1928 the Army band started playing just the chorus to encourage people to join in, and in 1929 an official musical arrangement, titled ‘The Soldier’s Song’, was produced by Colonel Fritz Brasé, director of the Army band.

The Soldier’s Song
English Version	Irish Version
Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to Ireland, Some have come from a land beyond the wave, Sworn to be free, no more our ancient sireland, Shall shelter the despot or the slave. Tonight we man the “bearna baoil”, In Erin’s cause, come woe or weal, ’Mid cannon’s roar and rifles’ peal, We’ll chant a soldier’s song	Sinne Fianna Fáil, atá faoi gheall ag Éirinn, Buíon dár slua thar toinn do ráinig chughainn, Faoi mhóid bheith saor Seantír ár sinsear feasta, Ní fhágfar faoin tíorán ná faoin tráill. Anocht a théam sa bhearna baoil, Le gean ar Ghaeil, chun báis nó saoil, Le gunna scréach faoi lámhach na bpiléar, Seo libh canaig amhrán na bhFiann
(‘bearna baoil’ means gap of danger)

Enjoy…

Fastnet Line – The Julia

diaspora — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:36:21 +0000

What a great ferry!

Just before Christmas we had the pleasure of being shown around the Julia by Pat O’Neill. We weren’t sure what to expect and I guess our thoughts were of trips on the previous ship.

The Julia is a classier lady and Pat made us very welcome as we wandered the decks and the various bars and restaurants. Bernadette also had a good scan of the cabins and I think she made a mental note of the West Cork Suite! – fortunately they all looked inviting. She’s a marked improvement on her predecessor with higher levels of comfort and facilities, and just has a more pleasing feel about her. Definitely looking forward to travelling on her as a passenger.

Doing the guy thing I asked if we could get into the engine room but sounds like you need to be a bit of a ladder monkey so we passed on that one. Pat quickly made up for it though and we were soon heading upwards, through some heavy steel doors, and into the Bridge area.

It’s quite a thing to stand at the helm of such a vessel, and before you could say ‘ahoy there’ Bernadette was organising a quick conflab about how she handled at sea…

Well one thing lead to another and it wasn’t long before she’d got her head round the port and starboard thing. All it took now was to find the ignition key and the steering wheel! Ok Pat – how about taking her for a spin?

10 minutes later we’re gingerly doing a 3-point turn as Bernadette whizzes the wheel in one direction and then the other. Pat’s holding his breath and I know what he’s thinking…!

Well it was a lovely little cruise, we kept her below 4 knots, Bernadette got her stripes, and it was sunset before we moored up again…

Great afternoon, and I don’t think anyone even noticed!

(Ok, we didn’t really but it’s nice to day dream! She’s a great credit to everyone who’s had the drive to make her a reality. Something to be very proud of.)

The Story

The latest from the BBC

and from RTE….

GIY

diaspora — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:42:33 +0000

A strange article for diaspora.ie? maybe not…

Last week we had the pleasure of listening to Michael Kelly talk to a room full of people whilst waving a vegetable in the air. That was the day I realised a Cork grown Irish garlic wouldn’t be a strange thing at all!

Michael worked for ten years in the IT industry in Dublin, but these days lives life as a freelance writer, bestselling author and broadcaster. One of his books, ‘Tales from the Home Farm’, is a guide to producing food in your back garden, and it was the passion he expressed about self-sufficiency that caught me.

GIY Ireland was started by Michael and it’s all about bringing people together and giving them the confidence and ability to grow their own food. The website is a focal point for sharing information, and the story centres round the 40 GIY groups that have already established themselves in various parts of Ireland over a few short months.

It’s a great venture that benefits everyone who gets involved, and i’d recommend you visit the GIY website and have a read yourself.

Here? well i’m already been doing a bit of learning and 2010 will see the advent of prize winning Ballydehob garlics!

And the diaspora..?

Michael is racing round Ireland helping groups get set up so jumping on planes could be tricky (but hey, you could always ask him!). What you might do though is see what he’s up to and think about whether it’s a model that could work where you are.

Well done Michael, and I suspect if you thought 2009 was busy….!

Irish Flag

diaspora — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:36:46 +0000

The national flag of Ireland is a vertical tricolour of green, white, and orange, and it’s proper proportions are 1:2 (the width is twice the height). It has no formal meaning in the Irish Constitution however is generally perceived as the green representing Catholicism, the orange Protestantism, and the white an enduring truce between the two.

It was presented as a gift to Thomas Francis Meagher in 1848 by a group of French women sympathetic to the Irish cause, however it was not until the 1916 Easter Rising when it was raised above the GPO in Dublin that it came to be regarded as the national flag.

It was adopted in 1919 by the Irish Republic during the war of independence, and subsequently by the Irish Free State (1922–1937), and gained official status under the 1937 Constitution of Ireland.

The Department of the Taoiseach takes responsibility for the flag in an advisory role and specifies the guidelines for it’s use. They also specify the exact colours however you occasionally see different variations of the green and the orange!

The Irish Flag as it should be…

For those of you who use image editors the hex codes for the colours are as follows:

Green – #009B48 (Pantone: 347)
White – #FFFFFF
Orange – #FF7900 (Pantone: 151)

Feel free to copy and use wherever you like.

The Green Flag and the Irish harp.

The Irish harp first appeared on a green flag in 1642 when Eoghan Rua O’Neill, leading the armies of Ulster, was waging a rebellion against English rule. The Society of United Irishmen proclaimed the harp as Ireland’s national symbol through its use in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and with the passage of time the green flag and the golden harp became a symbol of the Irish nation.

And if you’d like to know more… Wikipedia Flagspot.net

Fields of Athenry

diaspora — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:12:04 +0000

For everyone who loves this great Irish ballad…

By the lonely prison wall I heard a young girl calling
Michael they have taken you away
For you stole Trevelyan’s corn
So the young might see the morn
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.

CHORUS:
Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It’s so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

By a lonely prison wall I heard a young man calling
Nothing matters Mary when you’re free
Against the famine and the crown
I rebelled they cut me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.

REPEAT CHORUS

By a lonely harbour wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she’ll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It’s so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

REPEAT CHORUS

History
Written by Pete St. John in the 1970s and set during the Great Irish Famine of 1845-1850, the Fields of Athenry is about a fictional man named Michael from Athenry, County Galway, who was sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay in Australia for stealing food for his starving family.

It’s a great song, popular with Irish rugby and football fans, and well known around the world.