Another September,Thomas Kinsella

---

 Dreams fled away, this country bedroom, raw
 With the touch of the dawn, wrapped in a minor peace,
 Hears through an open window the garden draw
 Long pitch black breaths, lay bare its apple trees,
 Ripe pear trees, brambles, windfall-sweetened soil,
 Exhale rough sweetness against the starry slates.
 Nearer the river sleeps St. John's, all toil
 Locked fast inside a dream with iron gates.

 Domestic Autumn, like an animal
 Long used to handling by those countrymen,
 Rubs her kind hide against the bedroom wall
 Sensing a fragrant child come back again
 - Not this half-tolerated consciousness
 That plants its grammar in her yielding weather
 But that unspeaking daughter, growing less
 Familiar where we fell asleep together.

 Wakeful moth wings blunder near a chair,
 Toss their light shell at the glass, and go
 To inhabit the living starlight. Stranded hair
 Stirs on still linen. It is as though
 The black breathing that billows her sleep, her name,
 Drugged under judgement, waned and - bearing daggers
 And balances--down the lampless darkness they came,
 Moving like women : Justice, Truth, such figures.

http://www.irishwriters-online.com/kinsella-thomas/

Thomas Kinsella reads some of his own poetry....enjoy

---

 

The Mourne Mts. County Antrim

The  Mournes are one of Northern Irelands most popular destinations It is a recognised area of outstanding natural beauty and it isn’t hard to see why with dozens of granite peaks squeezed into an area only 15 miles by 8 all giving outstanding views.

Tollymore Forest at the foot of the Mourne  Mts. County Antrim This location has been used in the HBO series "Game of Thrones"






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4M_0Bvk10Q
  

Take the time to listen to Don McLean's version of The Mts of Mourne

Lake Coumshingaun from the slopes of Stookanmeen

Irish Poet and short story writer Brendan Behan

The Auld Triangle" is a song written by Dominic Behan for his brother Brendan Behan and is featured in Brendan's play The Quare Fellow.

The song is used to introduce the play, a story about the occurrences in a prison (in real life Mountjoy Prison where Behan was held) the day a convict is set to be executed. The triangle in the title refers to the large metal triangle which was beaten daily in Mountjoy Prison to waken the inmates ("The Auld Triangle goes Jingle Jangle"). The triangle still hangs in the prison at the centre where the wings meet on a metal gate. It is no longer used, though the hammer to beat it is mounted beside it.
The song has taken on a sort of life of its own and has gone beyond its identity as a song in a play, developing into a modern Irish anthem.



Take the time to listen to this recording by Luke Kelly and the Dubliners

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa7birRBmNM

Irish Porter Cake Recipe

• 450 g plain flour
• 1 tsp grated or ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 225 g butter
• 225 g light soft brown sugar
• 450 g sultanas or raisins, or a mixture of both
• 75 g chopped mixed candied peel
• 2 eggs
• 300 ml bottle Guinness         

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the sides and base of a 20cm high-sided round cake tin (the sides should be about 7cm high) with baking paper.

2. Sieve the flour, nutmeg, mixed spice, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter, then stir in the sugar, sultanas or raisins and the candied peel.

3. Whisk the eggs in another bowl, add the porter or stout, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and bake for about 2 hours. If it starts to brown too quickly on top, cover it with foil or baking paper after about 1 hour. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow it to sit in the tin for about 20 minutes before turning out and cooling on a wire rack. 

  

Connemara and Grace O'Malley Pirate Queen

Grace O'Malleys Castle Achill Island

The story of Gráinne Ni Mháille, known as Granuaile (pronounced Granya Wale) or more simply, Grace O'Malley, begins nearly 500 years ago along the shores of Clew Bay on the rugged western coast of Ireland in what is today County Mayo. Born in 1530, she was the only daughter of Owen Dubhdara ( Black Oak ) Ni Mháille (O'Malley) and his wife Margaret.  Dubhdara was chieftain of the territory of Umhall, the Barony of Murrisk, on the west coast of Ireland.  When she was 15 years old her father arranged a marriage for her to Donal-an-Cogaidh (Donal of The Battles) O'Flaherty, chieftain of Ballinahinch in Connemara, to whom she bore three children, Owen, Murrough and her daughter Margaret.     Donal O'Flaherty was killed defending Ballinahinch (Cock's) Castle  in Lough Corrib against the Joyce clan, which gives rise to another story of the courage and bravery of Granuaile.  With the death of Donal, the Joyce's thought the castle would be theirs for the taking, but they had not reckoned on Donal's wife!  Granuaile, leading the O'Flaherty clansmen, regained the castle, showing such courage that it was renamed Hen's Castle, the name it still bears to this day! Taking many of her husband's followers along with her she returned to her ancestral lands of Umhall and settled on Clare Island at the mouth of Clew Bay.  It was from here that the legend of Granuaile, Pirate Queen of Connacht, was born. Please take time to listen to Rita Connolly's haunting song "Ripples in the Rockpoool"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_2Dhb4mQto

The Deers Cry

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Slendour of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock

A feature of early Irish verse is its passion for nature


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGHWiAGpIP0

Please follow the link to hear this ancient prayer being sung by Rita Connolly.This prayer has been attributed to Saint Patrick
Enjoy

Partial Eclipse of the moon,The Papal Cross,Phoneix Park Dublin

Just in case!

During the coming week I will be rationalising this blog at the moment its a bit all over the place.
Each day will be dedicated to a different aspect of Ireland culture,food,folklore,modern Ireland and my local area.Just in case you might think that the whole of Ireland is covered in mountains and lakes
here is a photo of Dublin the capital city


 

The Comeragh Mts

The Nire Valley walking festival takes place in October this year it is one of the longest established walking tours in Ireland There is such a variety of natural beauty in the Nire Valley and the Comeragh Mountains from its awesome corrie lakes, to the valleys and the cascading streams, and the walks are designed to take in most of the highlights.

"She Moved Through the Fair" Probably one of the most ancient of Irish Folk songs

She Moved Through the Fair

My young love said to me,
"My mother won't mind
And my father won't slight you
For your lack of kind."
And she stepped away from me
And this she did say:
"It will not be long, love,
Till our wedding day."

As she stepped away from me
And she moved through the fair
And fondly I watched her
Move here and move there
And then she turned homeward
With one star awake
Like the swan in the evening
Moves over the lake.

The people were saying,
No two e'er were wed
But one had a sorrow
That never was said
And I smiled as she passed
With her goods and her gear,
And that was the last
That I saw of my dear.

Last night she came to me,
My dead love came in
So softly she came
That her feet made no din
As she laid her hand on me
And this she did say
"It will not be long, love,
Till our wedding day."

By Padraic Colum, © 1908,

Origins of She Moved Through the Fair

Padraic Colum

The song is undoubtedly very old but it wasn’t widely known outside the Irish oral tradition until it was first collected by Padraic Colum from Donegal at the start of the 20th century. It was then published in 1909 by Boosey and Hawkes.
Colum was a poet and writer as well as a collector of traditional songs, and it’s likely that he rewrote and edited the original to make it more appealing (in his eyes) to contemporary audiences.
The fact that he was a writer might also have made it impossible for him to resist the temptation of “improving” it and putting his own stamp on it. This could also account for why some verses may have been removed.

 

 

Please take the time to listen to this song beautifully sung by Fergal Sharkey

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFZhC7fgkCA

 

 

lack of kind – I think that the most likely meaning for this is “lack of kin”, ie the narrator has no family to support him (perhaps he is an orphan, a foundling or his family are so unspeakable that he has forsworn them).

 

 

the fair – the market

 

 

one star awake – early evening. Just one star is showing in the sky (probably Venus).

 

no two were e’er wed – no two people were ever married.

a sorrow that never was said – this is ambiguous. I read it as an unfortunate open secret (perhaps she has had a child out of wedlock; perhaps it is his dreadful family). Others have read it as referring to a disease – TB (tuberculosis )

her goods and her gear – a long and poetical way of saying “the things she is carrying”. Things she has bought or is selling; equipment or tools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•  

Skyfest St Patricks Day at the Rock of Cashel

The Rock of Cashel Tipperary

The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. In 1101, the King of Munster, Muirchertach Ui Briain, donated his fortress on the Rock to the Church.Although the site itself is much older, most of the buildings here today are from the 12th and 13th centuries. The oldest and tallest structure is the round tower (pictured here on the left) which is 90 feet tall and dates from app 1100.

The Irish hare in the Comeragh Mts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TQBlp9VyoI






This is the Irish Mountain hare take the time to follow the link above to watch them in action in my native Comeragh Mts. recently

Slievenamon,close to my home and part of everyone who comes from Tipperary

Slievenamon is a mountain of history and mystery of lore and legends. Its name means the ‘Mountain of the Women’ and the story is told how all the fairest women raced to the top to claim the hand of the warrior, Fionn Mac Cumhail. Fionn secretly fancied Grainne, the daughter of the High King of Ireland, so he advised her how to win the race!
Although it looks like a solitary height, Slievenamon is surrounded by a series of lower heathery humps. Some of these, like the main summit, are crowned by ancient burial Cairns. The highest cairn is said to mark the entrance to the mysterious Celtic underworld.

According to the Celtic myths, the Celtic deities and the fairy folk lived in the spiritual domain that was generally called the “Otherworld”. These domains were usually hidden from mortal eyes, though not always. Sometimes, human beings are admitted, sometimes against their will or better judgement.
In Irish myths, the Otherworld could be an island, such as Glastonbury, or a dun or hill-fort. Sometimes, the Otherworld was called Sidhe, the fairy hill-fort (dun) or pal


Take the time to listen to what is the Anthem of the people of Tipperary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gii7MPWC9w

 

 

 

 

Like Loading...

Child of Our Times Eavan Boland

Yesterday I knew no lullaby
But you have taught me overnight to order
This song, which takes from your final cry
Its tune, from your unreasoned end its reason;
Its rhythm from the discord of your murder,
Its motive from the fact you cannot listen.

We who should have known how to instruct
With rhymes for your waking, rhythms for your sleep
Names for the animals you took to bed,
Tales to distract, legends to protect,
Later an idiom for you to keep
And living, learn, must learn from you, dead.

To make our broken images rebuild
Themselves around your limbs, your broken
Image, find for your sake whose life our idle
Talk has cost, a new language. Child
Of our time, our times have robbed your cradle.
Sleep in a world your final sleep has woken.

This poem was written by Eavan Boland 'to commemorate a baby killed in the Dublin bombing'. In fact, two baby sisters, Jacqueline and Anne Marie O'Brien were killed as well as Baby Doherty.


Another atrocity tonight this time in Boston when will we ever learn

Ardfinnan Castle

St Stephens Green Closing Time Jack B Yeats

Cahir Castle Co.Tipperary

Think we can all learn something from this

Mirror in February

The day dawns, with scent of must and rain,
Of opened soil, dark trees, dry bedroom air.
Under the fading lamp, half dressed -- my brain
Idling on some compulsive fantasy --
I towel my shaven jaw and stop, and stare,
Riveted by a dark exhausted eye,
A dry downturning mouth.It seems again that it is time to learn,
In this untiring, crumbling place of growth
To which, for the time being, I return.
Now plainly in the mirror of my soul
I read that I have looked my last on youth
And little more; for they are not made whole
That reach the age of Christ.Below my window the wakening trees,
Hacked clean for better bearing, stand defaced
Suffering their brute necessities;
And how should the flesh not quail, that span for span
Is mutilated more? In slow distaste
I fold my towel with what grace I can,
Not young, and not renewable, but man.

Mahon Falls today at 5pm






Couimshinaun, Comeragh Mts