In the News...

A lot has been going on here over the last few weeks. I thought that I would take a few moments just to catch up on a few of the events in Ireland.


- Rain... rain.... rain... and then more rain. We have had an over abundance of rain the last few weeks. In fact - during a two week period - parts of Ireland received the average rainfall for four months. As you can imagine - that is a lot of rain! Much of the west and south are flooded and have been for weeks. Thankfully, however, it looks like the worst of it is over.

- Mary - Two self proclaimed visionaries predicted that Mary - the mother of Jesus - was going to appear in Knock, Co. Mayo this past weekend. The village of Knock became world famous for an apparition that took place there in the 1800's, and has been a place of pilgrimage ever since. The visionaries predicted Mary's apparition would take place three times. The second - which took place a couple of months ago - brought out thousands of people who stood at the sacred sight and stared into the skies hoping to see Mary. Although no sighting was confirmed, several people reported seeing the sun "dance in the sky". Authorities are now saying that the dancing was an effect of retina damage (caused by staring at the sun). There were no reported sightings over the weekend.
Read the full story here.


- Abuse - Several reports into child abuse have been released by the government over the last few months. These reports revealed that there was a systematic cover up of abuse, and even revealed the the current bishop of Limerick was involved in the cover up.
Read the full story here.



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Change is in the wind...

I usually get the same answers when I ask Americans what they think of when they think of Ireland...

Green fields
St. Patrick
Farms
Sheep
Leprechauns
Dancing/music
The potato
Immigration

Most people don't realize just how different modern Ireland is to these stereotypes. Don't get me wrong... you do still see all of these (with the exception of the leprechauns), but there is so much more to life in Ireland than just the green fields.

You probably know that in the mid 1990's a new wind, called Technology, blew through Ireland. Almost overnight Ireland became a major hub for IT companies doing research, development and manufacturing. The young, highly educated, English speaking population here was a perfect place for the technology boom to take place... and it did! Ireland had an explosive economy known as the "Celtic Tiger" and led Europe as the second best performing economy in Europe. For about 10 years Ireland's economy grew and grew and grew and grew......

Today, however, things are changing. With the global economic downturn and with cheaper workforces in Eastern Europe coming into the European Union - Ireland finds itself in a real crisis. In fact, they are now saying that Ireland has the second worst-performing economy in Europe with only Latvia performing worse. Unemployment has doubled in the last year (now over 10%), and many of the large IT companies (like Dell) are pulling out and moving to Poland.

Recession is the word of the hour... and it is the word on everyone's lips. I don't know what lies ahead in Ireland's future, but everyone here is starting to brace themselves.... only time will tell what is in store for the emerald isle...

Happy Birthday - Irish Rain!

Don't know if you have noticed... but we have passed a big milestone around the ol' website.


This month marks the 5th anniversary of our Irish Rain website! I can't believe that I have kept this going for SO long!

Over the past 5 years the website has had over 34,000 visits! Who are you people?

Over the past year we have had visitors from all over the world. Here is a map that shows all of the visitors locations in 2008:





This last year we had an average of 100 visits per day:






Thank you to everyone who drops in from time to time... and especially those of you that check on us every day! I can't tell you how much we appreciate you coming by the website! Stay tuned... I'll keep posting!




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In the News... (here)

- EU foreign ministers are divided over the question of boycotting the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. The ministers began two days of talks in Slovenia today and are discussing sending a strong message to China over Tibet.

- Millions of tourists may have kissed the wrong Blarney Stone in an effort to get the gift of the gab, according to a new study. The authenticity of the Blarney Stone, kissed by about 400,000 tourists each year, has been questioned by Mark Samuel, an archaeologist and architectural historian, and Kate Hamlyn in a new book. According to legend, kissing the stone at Blarney Castle, Co Cork, endows the person with the gift of gab, but the authors say the present stone only came into use in 1888 for health and safety reasons. Up until then, visitors wishing to kiss the stone had to be dangled from the castle by two people holding their ankles. Today visitors lie on their back, holding on to an iron railing and lean backwards to kiss the stone.

- Dr. Diarmuid Martin, The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, has announced that Dublin is now a 'mission territory' for the Roman Catholic Church. "A few years ago, many would have thought that type of affirmation somewhat exaggerated, but today, so many of those who were baptised as Christians no longer really know Jesus and their way of living demonstrates that the message of Jesus touches their lives only in a marginal way... our consumerist world needs an injection of idealism and generosity. Our world needs God" he said.



- The weather forecast for Ireland:
Rain will spread to all areas early tomorrow, turning heavy and persistent. Brighter weather with showers will follow. Continuing windy, with highest temperatures of 46 to 52 degrees F.







Source: http://www.rte.ie/

In the News....

It is time to straighten up and fly right!

I don't know if this has made the news in the USA, but it is all over the news here. The pope has added to the infamous 7 deadly sins. The original list has been around for a long time and consisted of such things as:
lust
gluttony
avarice
sloth
anger
envy
and pride.

These sins are considered to be mortal sins – the gravest kind, which threaten the soul with eternal damnation unless absolved before death through confession or penitence. Sitting here and looking at that list I wonder (and you might also) what else can be added? These really cover a lot... most of which are matters of the heart... Well, because you asked... The new list consists of:
polluting
genetic engineering
being obscenely rich
drug dealing
abortion
pedophilia
and causing social injustice

I am not trying to be sarcastic... after all... these are all things that I am against! But there is part of me that does not really understand a couple of them. After all.... what does it mean to "pollute"? Does having a SUV now damn people to an eternal hell? Or is someone who works at a polluting factory guilty of the sin.................? "Genetic engineering"........? I'm not sure if I could commit this sin even if I wanted to! "being obscenely rich"....? I'm not sure that I understand this one too...... after all... I have been to Rome...... I have seen the obscenely rich treasury of the Vatican..... I have seen the millions of dollars tied up in their art collection.... I've seen the extravagance of St. Peter's...... Is this not obscenely rich? if not... what is???? These are just a few of the questions that a friend and I came up with over coffee this morning... Is there anyone else out there that is as confused as I am?

In the News...

If you were ever wondering what is going on over here.... here are a few exerts from the news here.


It is being said that this week is the most depressing week of the year. The lull after the holidays mixed with the depths of winter darkness makes this week the week where most people suffer from depression on varying levels.



Will Farrel has been seen around Ireland. He is here researching his family roots. We have not seen him.



Irish movie "Once" staring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova has been nominated for an Oscar. The movie, about an Irish street musician and a Czech immigrant who strike up a friendship based on their mutual love of music, has been nominated for Best Original Song. Dee and I both bought this movie for each other for Christmas. We love it!! And the soundtrack!!



Grey's Anatomy's star Patrick Dempsey (Dr. McDreamy) is said to be looking to buy a home in Ireland.

Ireland is the world's friendliest country, according to a survey drawn up by the Lonely Planet travel guide group. Ireland beat the US and Malawi as the friendliest travel destination in Lonely Planet's 2008 Bluelist. Irish people have 'a deliciously dark sense of humour' and 'a welcoming attitude towards strangers,' Lonely Planet said. 'The famous ability of the Irish to find craic or fun times with convivial company, in boom or bust times means you're always in for a treat,' the survey added.

The Archdiocese of Dublin has approved a new school enrollment policy, which will see schools for the first time setting aside a quota of places for non-Catholic pupils. Until now all schools belonging to the Archdiocese were obliged to enroll Catholic applicants first. Last year, an emergency school had to be set up to take in the non-Catholic children they could not accommodate and most of these were the children of immigrants.

Voting has opened for the first ever world edition of the board game Monopoly. The manufacturer of Monopoly, Hasbro, has set up a website where people can vote for cities from a prepared list or nominate a city to feature in the game. Just 22 cities will make it on to the new game, which traditionally listed street names in each spot on the board. Dublin is the only Irish location to appear on the list and it stands alongside other major cities like New York, London, and Tokyo. Dublin is currently ranked 6th on the leader board with 2% of the total vote. Paris and London jointly lead with 2.9%, followed by New York, Paris, and Rome.

The most popular children's names (2007) in Northern Ireland are Jack and Katie. The most popular names in Scotland are Lewis and Sophie.

And that's about all the random news I can come up with for now.

Source for news: www.rte.ie

Interesting...

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't  mttaer
in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht
frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl
mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not
raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

In the News...

It was reported today that the dreaded 'Foot and Mouth' disease has been found on a farm in England. You might remember that back in 2001 the United Kingdom had a major outbreak of the disease which resulted in more than 3.5 million sheep, cows, and pigs being slaughtered in an attempt to contain the disease. The disease does not spread to humans, but means a complete loss for any farm showing traces of the highly contagious disease. Ireland has no history with the disease and has banned all animal/meat imports from the UK. Everyone is waiting to find out if this is an isolated case or if this will be another breakout of the dreaded disease.

Talamh an Éisc / Land of the Fish

Talamh an Éisc is the land some 1800 miles to the west of Ireland is sometimes better known by it's English name: Newfoundland, Canada. Talamh an Éiscis or the fishing ground is the only place outside Europe with its own distinctive name in the Irish language. Now - you might be thinking, "big deal". Well... It is a big deal. It has been described as the most Irish place in the world outside of Ireland. Irish settlers first came to this land in the early 1500's, and they have left a heritage of culture that is distinctively Irish. The Irish brought their surnames and place names, their Gaelic games (which later created ice hockey), their folklore, music, and religion.... but most importantly their language. This language is still alive in this area of Canada, and as of June 16th, 2007 the Canadian Government has established an official Gaeltacht (any region where the government recognizes that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home). This Gaeltacht is the only Gaeltacht to be recognized outside of Ireland. It is now known as Gaeltacht Bhuan Mheiriceá Thuaidh (or the Permanent North American Gaeltacht).

Work...

We have a very welcomed change in work this week. We have a small film crew here making an educational documentary on Ireland - it's culture, language, and how it is changing. We are working as Joel B's personal assistant/guide while filming is going on. To be honest with you, it has been really refreshing because it has made me step back and look at Ireland with new eyes and to re-appreciate the people here. I'll post more as the week goes on...

Making History...

As you know, Northern Ireland has had some major problems over the years. The deep divides between Catholics and Protestants goes back centuries but the wounds are extremely fresh. You have to remember that many areas in Northern Ireland are still deeply divided and hatred can been seen in large murals painted on the sides of homes and in the large wall that divides Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in Belfast. Today, however, was a major step forward for a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. As Tony Blair put it, today was a day to "escape the heavy chains of history" and to "make history anew". Today the Northern Assembly (or Parliament) was restarted. This "devolved government" is still under the watchful eye of England, still a part of the United Kingdom (The rest of Ireland is a free republic), but is made up of a power sharing coalition. Representatives of the Protestant party (the DUP) and the Catholic party (Sinn Féin) who once swore never to sit down together have now entered into a partnership that promises peace and equal treatment under the law. This latest step is just one of many over the past few years. In recent times militia groups on both sides (including the IRA) have destroyed or laid down their weapons in the hopes of peace.

Will this peace last? Only time will tell... but as long as these parties can work together the people of Northern Ireland will have a government of their own.

Where in the World????

Do we have any "Today Show" fans reading the blog today? If so you might have seen me today! Dee and I took a little field trip this afternoon to visit a friend that is in the hospital. Dee had to run a few errands and I wanted a quiet place to read for a little while (that is another post). I never would have guessed that I would end up in the middle of a Today Show live broadcast! Matt Lauer has a segment each summer where he travels around the world to interesting and random places. Today was day two of his trip... and he was in Ireland. I came upon the broadcast as I investigated the sounds of traditional music and dancing echoing off of buildings. At first I didn't know what was going on, but I saw several TV cameras, and one of them had the NBC peacock..... I turned around and to my surprise I was standing right next to Matt!!! I grabbed my camera and started to take pics.... I then grabbed my phone and called Dee... and then called my parents in the states (they were already watching the show)! I don't know if you saw me... but I was the crazy Amercian waving at the camera! I'm such a tourist on some days! Today was definitely one of those days where I just have to sit back and count my blessings to live in such an amazing place among such amazing people!

Me and My friend Matt!

Bloody Sunday...

As you may know... the Irish don't like the English very much. In fact, most /all of the Celts don't like the English. When you think of all the historical baggage (700 years of occupation) and abuses ( kicking people off of their land and letting them starve during the famine), it is easy to understand how there could be a few hurt feelings.

All of these ancient wounds were brought to the surface this week because of a Rugby match. England and Ireland played yesterday in Dublin. This is not the first time that the two have played, but it was the first time that they had ever played at Croke Park.... and it was the first time that "God Save the Queen" (the English national anthem) was played there.

I know that you have never heard of Croke Park, but this field is sacred ground to the Irish. It is the sight of the November 21st, 1920 massacre known as "Bloody Sunday". It was on this date that English troops occupying Ireland raided a Gaelic football match. 10,000 men, women, and children sat in the stadium watching the Gaelic game when the English troops begin firing pistols and machine guns into the unexpecting crowd. The casualties included Jeannie Boyle, who had gone to the match with her fiancee and was due to be married five days later, and 14-year-old John Scott, so mutilated that they thought he had been bayoneted to death. Another two victims were aged 10 and 11. Two players were killed and one man was killed as he performed the last rites. The soldiers kept shooting for about ninety seconds and as the spectators streamed out, an armored car fired its machine guns over the heads of the crowd, trying to halt them.

Major-General Boyd, the officer commanding Dublin District, said that in his opinion, "the firing on the crowd was carried out without orders, was indiscriminate, and unjustifiable, with the exception of any shooting which took place inside the enclosure." The findings of the courts of inquiry were suppressed by the British Government and have only recently come to light.



All of these old wounds began to ache as the English national anthem was about to play. In the end the 80,000 Irish fans treated the team and the anthem with respect... and the Irish rugby team went on to whip the English by a score of 43-13!!!! What a game!

In The News II

The last couple of weeks have been especially brutal. The weather here has really been unrelenting, and there has hardly been a day where we have not had gale force winds, freezing rain, so much hail that it looks like snow on the ground, or some combination of all three. I know that the bad weather made the news in the states... Only because of the boat that has wrecked off the English coast. To be honest with you... I am a bit peeved that the US news only talks about the bad weather hitting "England". What about poor Ireland & Wales - both of which get the brunt force of the storms before England does. Ireland especially has had a hard time with the storms. In one week here three fishing vessels sunk off of the Irish coast with many of the men lost at sea. The weather has been so bad that the search and rescue boats and helicopters were not able to go out and search for them for a week.

Things now - thankfully - have calmed down. In fact, we are having spring-like weather. It is as if someone flicked a switch and turned off the clouds! February 1st is the first day of spring here... And we are so grateful that it has come a bit early this year! The farmers have been working hard to bring up all of the animals from their winter fields... And we have discovered our little road alive with new cows, horses, and that same ol' donkey that wakes me up each summer's day!

Ah... how I've missed that old donkey!

In the News I

I have to start by saying that I am not a big fan of the reality TV show "Big Brother"... but it really has people talking around here. The British reality show (which has been spun off in the states) is on the air almost all day on one of many channels. There are shows where people sit around and talk about "Big Brother" and there are even updates on the radio. For those of you who have never seen the show... the show is based around a small apartment where contestants are locked away from the world and are filmed constantly by hidden cameras 24hours a day. Big Brother is the show's producer who controls the actions of the contestants. He prepares games with rewards, security from the outside world, and a place to privately confide to Big Brother's camera. Currently there is a Celebrity Big Brother being broadcast. The celebrities are: Derk (aka Face from the A-Team), Jermaine Jackson (From the Jackson 5), Shilpa Shetty (an Indian movie star), and eight other British stars that I had never heard of before. Now... you might be asking - "Why is everyone talking about it?". Well, There seems to be a bit of racism going on in Big Brother's House. Several of the British girls have ganged up on Shilpa and are harrassing her. It really echos something that you would see on a playground. Bullies picking on the new kid. The amazing thing is that these are adults who have singled her out for no apparent reason other than the fact that she is different. The crazy thing to me is that these are people who were at one time famous and have come on this show to be in the public spotlight once again. Talk about doing something to ruin your career! As I said in the beginning... I am not a fan... but it does have people talking around here.