Teachable Moment: How the Irish Saved Western Civilization

Finnian of Clonard imparting his blessing to the "Twelve Apostles of Ireland"

 1. Who Saved Civilization? The Irish, That's Who!
http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/09/bsp/irish.html 

2. Hearts And Minds Aflame For Christ: Irish Monks—A Model For Making All Things New in the 21st Century
http://www.cslewis.org/journal/hearts-and-minds-aflame-for-christ-irish-monks%E2%80%94a-model-for-making-all-things-new-in-the-21st-century/ 

THE REAPPEARANCE OF THE TEXTS OF THE
CLASSICS http://www.tertullian.org/articles/clark_reappearance.htm

3. It Takes a Monk to Save a Civilization
http://chalcedon.edu/research/articles/it-takes-a-monk-to-save-a-civilization/ 

4. Europe and the Irish Monks
http://www.saint-brendan.org/news.asp?p=europe-and-the-irish-monks-by-enzo-farinella 


5.  St. Columbanus, Missionary to Europe

http://www.netplaces.com/irish-history/arrival-of-christianity-in-ireland/st-columbanus-missionary-to-europe.htm

St. Brendan, from German manuscript

6. St. Brendan: Did An Irish Monk Come To America Before Columbus?

http://www.gadling.com/2012/05/16/st-brendan-did-an-irish-monk-come-to-america-before-columbus/

6a. Did the Irish Discover America?

 http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/exploration-of-north-america/videos/did-the-irish-discover-america

7. Irish Monastic Schools

http://www.libraryireland.com/SocialHistoryAncientIreland/II-VII-2.php 

Plus, who else but a remarkable group of people could keep a wonderful sense of humor while painstakingly copying scripts for years and years? Meet Pangur Bán, the Irish cat.

Two Translations of a Poem from the Old Irish

 http://homepages.wmich.edu/~cooneys/poems/pangur.ban.html

We Brought The Summer With Us

Samhradh Samhradh

The song was first heard of in Dublin 1730, a song written for the Gaelic festival known as Bealtaine that marks the beginning of summer, celebrated April 30 to May 1.

During the festival there is the lighting of bonfires and making of flower decorations.

This song is a perfect summer tune to listen to during a road trip through the country side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4LtHaAoimI

Samhradh, samhradh, bainne na ngamhna
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn
Samhradh buí na nóinín glégeal
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn

Thugamar linn é ón gcoill chraobhaigh
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn
Samhradh buí ó luí na gréine
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn

Samhradh, samhradh, bainne na ngamhna
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn
Samhradh buí na nóinín glégeal
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn

Tá an fhuiseog ag seinm ‘sag luascadh sna spéartha
Áthas do lá is bláth ar chrann
Tá an chuach is an fhuiseog ag seinm le pléisiúr
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn

Samhradh, samhradh, bainne na ngamhna
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn
Samhradh buí na nóinín glégeal
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn

Summer, summer, the calves milk

We brought the summer with us

Yellow daisies Summer glégeal

We brought the summer with us

We brought it from leafy woods

We brought the summer with us

Yellow summer from sunset

We brought the summer with us

Summer, summer, the calves milk

We brought the summer with us

Yellow daisies Summer glégeal

We brought the summer with us

The lark playing 'sag swinging in the skies

Pleased to day flower tree

The cuckoo is the lark singing with joy

We brought the summer with us

Summer, summer, the calves milk

We brought the summer with us

Yellow daisies Summer glégeal

We brought the summer with us

In my family, the last immigrants were Irish, arriving in the USA in 1880. From Cork and Dublin, they passed stories, humor, generosity and spirituality down through the decades, and I find the resources of modern life to learn more about them is an amazing boon to my understanding of who we are and what we give to the world. I especially like that our Irish language flourishes.

As I love my garden--the concept of summer (flowers),  birds, and leafy woods bring summer with them is precisely how I feel.

Irish Blessing #12

We Brought The Summer With Us

Samhradh Samhradh

The song was first heard of in Dublin 1730, a song written for the Gaelic festival known as Bealtaine that marks the beginning of summer, celebrated April 30 to May 1.

During the festival there is the lighting of bonfires and making of flower decorations.

This song is a perfect summer tune to listen to during a road trip through the country side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4LtHaAoimI

Samhradh, samhradh, bainne na ngamhna
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn
Samhradh buí na nóinín glégeal
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn

Thugamar linn é ón gcoill chraobhaigh
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn
Samhradh buí ó luí na gréine
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn

Samhradh, samhradh, bainne na ngamhna
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn
Samhradh buí na nóinín glégeal
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn

Tá an fhuiseog ag seinm ‘sag luascadh sna spéartha
Áthas do lá is bláth ar chrann
Tá an chuach is an fhuiseog ag seinm le pléisiúr
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn

Samhradh, samhradh, bainne na ngamhna
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn
Samhradh buí na nóinín glégeal
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn

Summer, summer, the calves milk

We brought the summer with us

Yellow daisies Summer glégeal

We brought the summer with us

We brought it from leafy woods

We brought the summer with us

Yellow summer from sunset

We brought the summer with us

Summer, summer, the calves milk

We brought the summer with us

Yellow daisies Summer glégeal

We brought the summer with us

The lark playing 'sag swinging in the skies

Pleased to day flower tree

The cuckoo is the lark singing with joy

We brought the summer with us

Summer, summer, the calves milk

We brought the summer with us

Yellow daisies Summer glégeal

We brought the summer with us

In my family, the last immigrants were Irish, arriving in the USA in 1880. From Cork and Dublin, they passed stories, humor, generosity and spirituality down through the decades, and I find the resources of modern life to learn more about them is an amazing boon to my understanding of who we are and what we give to the world. I especially like that our Irish language flourishes.

As I love my garden--the concept of summer (flowers),  birds, and leafy woods bring summer with them is precisely how I feel.

Teachable Moment: Danny Boy, The Soul of Melancholy, The Soul Of Ireland

Danny Boy - Finbar Wright 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlzWRQ5e4qg

 Oh Danny boy, the pipes, 
the pipes are calling.
From glen to glen, 
and down the mountain side.

The summer's gone, 
and all the flowers are falling.
'Tis you, 'tis you 
must go and I must bide.

But come ye back 
when summer's in the meadow,
Or when the valley's hushed 
and white with snow.

And I'll be here
in sunshine or in shadow.
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy,
I love you so.

But if you come, 
and all the flowers are falling.
And I am dead, 
as dead I might well be.

You'll come and find 
the place where I am lying.
And kneel and say 
an "Ave" there for me.

And I will hear, 
though soft your tread above me.
And all my grave 
will warmer sweeter be.

And you will bend 
and tell me that you love me.
And I shall sleep
in peace until you come to me. 

But if I live,
and should you die for Ireland,
Let not your dying thoughts 
be just of me.

But say a prayer to God 
for our dearest Ireland.
I know she'll hear
and help to set her free.

And I will take your pike 
and place my dearest,
And strike a blow, 
though weak the blow may be.

T'will help the cause 
to which your heart was nearest 
Oh Danny Boy, Oh, Danny boy 
I love you so.

 

Two Irish Mums Won the Nobel Peace Prize

The Peace People Rally, Ireland, Betty Williams and  Maireed Corrigan 

'The Troubles' in Ireland are well know, conflict between two demographics (Catholic and Protestant) that share the same religous root: Christianity. Its been going on since Cromwell. But a lesser known fact is that two Irish mums won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize for beginning a Peace Movement in Northern Ireland to combat the carnage.

To quote the Nobel Committee in 1976: We admire Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan for tackling so fearlessly the perilous task of leading the way into no-man's land, in the cause of peace and reconciliation.

Mairead (Corrigan) Maguire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mairead_Maguire

'Gandhi taught that nonviolence does not mean passivity. No. It is the most daring, creative, and courageous way of living, and it is the only hope for our world. Nonviolence is an active way of life which always rejects violence and killing, and instead applies the force of love and truth as a means to transform conflict and the root causes of conflict. Nonviolence demands creativity. It pursues dialogue, seeks reconciliation, listens to the truth in our opponents, rejects militarism, and allows God's spirit to transform us socially and politically. '

 Maireed Corrigan Maquire 

Betty Williams 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Williams_%28Nobel_laureate%29 

"That first week will always be remembered of course for something else besides the birth of the Peace People. For those most closely involved, the most powerful memory of that week was the death of a young republican and the deaths of three children struck by the dead man's car. A deep sense of frustration at the mindless stupidity of the continuing violence was already evident before the tragic events of that sunny afternoon of August 10, 1976. But the deaths of those four young people in one terrible moment of violence caused that frustration to explode, and create the possibility of a real peace movement...As far as we are concerned, every single death in the last eight years, and every death in every war that was ever fought represents life needlessly wasted, a mother's labour spurned."

Betty Williams

Irish STEM and Other Surprises for St. Patrick's Day

 'When most people think of Ireland’s cultural heritage

 they think of things like ‘The Island of Saints and Scholars’, 

The Book of Kells, our great writers,

Irish music, and so on. Ireland has little by way of a scientific 

heritage – right? Wrong.' So begins a great article by William 

Reville, University College, Cork. 

 IRELAND’S SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE

http://understandingscience.ucc.ie/pages/irishscientists.htm 

Robert Boyle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Boyle 

Lots happening in Ireland to inspire the use of good Irish minds in 

STEM, not just poetry, 

ballades and folklore.

 

Science & Technology

http://www.rds.ie/science 

Irish teens win Google science fair with bacteria-enhanced 

plant growth

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=144164404330

3616609#postsstats

Irish 16-year-olds Ciara Judge, Sophie Healy-Thow 

and Emer Hickey

Dublin Science Festival - 'The Festival of Curiosity'

http://www.rds.ie/cat_project_detail.jsp?itemID=1100297 

 What attracts big tech companies to Ireland? Hint: 

It’s not just low taxes

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2011/11/26/what-attracts-big-tech-companies-

to-ireland-hint-its-

not-just-low-taxes/ 

I am not at all surprised by discovering brilliant Irish women and men both in 

STEM areas. 

I had years of Catholic school and they were the best math teachers I ever had, Sister Gertrude, 

Sisters of Mercy, in particular.

William Rowan Hamilton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rowan_Hamilton 

 

 

Lucy Everest Boole (1862-1905)

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/life-society/science-

technology/irish-scientists/lucy-everest-boole-%281862-/ 

 

Irish politics is no surprise. I don't condone violence, Jesus said He 

'came to save mens' lives not 

destroy them.' Luke 9:46.

That being said, here is a St. Patrick's Day surprise I had this week 

while researching.

I remember the news report of Bobby Sands back in the 80s. But I hadn't watched the biographical

 movie 'Hunger' 2008 directed by Steve McQueen 

(12 Years A Slave, Oscar winner) which I did.  It is not for the feint hearted. Actor Michael 

Fassbender lost 40 pounds to portray the hunger strike in 

Maze Prison. It is critically acclaimed. Earns the R rating.

Hunger (2008 film)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_%282008_film%29 

What I didn't know was that Bobby Sands was also a poet and author, and elected to Parliament 

while on the hunger strike. Nelson Mandela references

 him as an inspiration.

Bobby Sands

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sands

Bobby Sands--Writings from Prison

 http://www.sinnfeinbookshop.com/bobby-sands-writings-from-prison/

Poems of Bobbly Sands

 http://www.poemhunter.com/bobby-sands/

 Prison Diary

http://www.bobbysandstrust.com/writings/prison-diary 

Peace Activists Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan in 1976

In 1976, two Irish mums won the Nobel Peace Prize 

for organizing a peace movement in the middle of 

 'TheTroubles' in Northern Ireland.

 Nobel Laureate Betty Williams reflects on a 

lifetime of work for 

peace and children’s rights

http://www.womanchangemaker.net/article/nobel-laureate

-betty-williams-reminisces-on-a-

lifetime-of-work-for-peace-and-childrens-rights/

Another St. Paddy's Day surprise for some of you--Rock N Roll's darlings, U2 and their mighty

 hit about 'The Troubles.' 

 

U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv5U0A10hrI