Nick's Bytes: Ireland

Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

The Irish have a lot of songs

Tá bheannaigh Lá Fhéile Pádraig, fiú má tá tú aon fhuil Gaeilge i agat

May you have a blessed Saint Patrick's Day. You may not have a drop of Irish blood running through your veins, but that isn't the point of this day! To me it celebrate the land an people of Ireland--their hopes, joys, struggles, loves, justice and freedom.

The Irish have a lot of songs--a whole lot of songs...I shall let the music tell the story.

A Song for Ireland ~ Mary Black

A Song for Ireland

Walking all the day, near tall towers where falcons build their nests

Silver winged they fly, they know the call of freedom in their breasts

Soar Black Head against the sky, between the rocks that run down to the sea

Living on your western shore, saw summer sunsets, asked for more

I stood by your Atlantic sea, and sang a song for Ireland

Talking all the day with true friends, who try to make you stay

Telling jokes and news, singing songs to pass the night away

Watched the Galway salmon run like silver dancing darting in the sun

Living on your western shore saw summer sunsets, asked for more

I stood by your Atlantic sea, and sang a song for Ireland

Drinking all the day in old pubs, where fiddlers love to play

Someone touched the bow, he played a reel, it seemed so fine and gay

Stood on Dingle beach and cast - in wild foam we found Atlantic Bass

Living on your western shore, saw summer sunsets asked for more

I stood by your Atlantic sea, and sang a song for Ireland

Dreaming in the night, I saw a land where no man had to fight

Waking in your dawn, I saw you crying in the morning light

Lying where the Falcons fly, they twist and turn all in you e'er blue sky

Living on your western shore, saw summer sunsets asked for more

I stood by your Atlantic sea, and I sang a song for Ireland

Gaelic song - Ar Éirinn Ní Neosfainn Cé Hí ~ Maria McCool

May you have -
Walls for the wind
And a roof for the rain,
And drinks bedside the fire
Laughter to cheer you
And those you love near you,
And all that your heart may desire

~ A Gaelic Blessing

Lord of the Dance ~ Michael Flatley

The Lord of the Dance

I danced in the morning when the world was young

I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun

I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth

At Bethlehem I had my birth

Dance, dance, wherever you may be

I am the lord of the dance, said he

And I lead you all, wherever you may be

And I lead you all in the dance, said he

I danced for the scribes and the Pharisees

They wouldn't dance, they wouldn't follow me

I danced for the fishermen James and John

They came with me so the dance went on

Dance, dance, wherever you may be

I am the lord of the dance, said he

And I lead you all, wherever you may be

And I lead you all in the dance, said he

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame

The holy people said it was a shame

They ripped, they stripped, they hung me high

Left me there on the cross to die

Dance, dance, wherever you may be

I am the lord of the dance, said he

And I lead you all, wherever you may be

And I lead you all in the dance, said he

I danced on a Friday when the world turned black

It's hard to dance with the devil on your back

They buried my body, they thought I was gone

But I am the dance, and the dance goes on

Dance, dance, wherever you may be

I am the lord of the dance, said he

And I lead you all, wherever you may be

And I lead you all in the dance, said he

They cut me down and I leapt up high

I am the life that will never, never die

I'll live in you if you'll live in me

I am the Lord of the dance, said he

Dance, dance, wherever you may be

I am the lord of the dance, said he

And I lead you all, wherever you may be

And I lead you all in the dance, said he

Sunday Bloody Sunday ~ U2

TO SOME I HAVE TALKED WITH BY THE FIRE
    ~ William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

            WHILE I wrought out these fitful Danaan rhymes,
            My heart would brim with dreams about the times
            When we bent down above the fading coals
            And talked of the dark folk who live in souls
            Of passionate men, like bats in the dead trees;
            And of the wayward twilight companies
            Who sigh with mingled sorrow and content,
            Because their blossoming dreams have never bent
            Under the fruit of evil and of good:
            And of the embattled flaming multitude
            Who rise, wing above wing, flame above flame,
            And, like a storm, cry the Ineffable Name,
            And with the clashing of their sword-blades make
            A rapturous music, till the morning break
            And the white hush end all but the loud beat
Of their long wings, the flash of their white feet.

Four Green Fields ~ Tommy Makem

Four Green Fields

'What did I have?' said the fine old woman

'What did I have?' this proud old woman did say

'I had four green fields, each one was a jewel

But strangers came and tried to take them from me

I had fine strong sons, they fought to save my jewels

They fought and died, and that was my grief' said she

'Long time ago' said the fine old woman

'Long time ago' this proud old woman did say

'There was war and death, plundering and pillage

My children starved by mountain valley and sea

And their wailing cries, they shook the very heavens

My four green fields ran red with their blood' said she

'What have I now?' said the fine old woman

'What have I now?' this proud old woman did say

'I have four green fields, one of them's in bondage

In stranger's hands, that tried to take it from me

But my sons have sons, as brave as were their fathers

My fourth green field will bloom once again' said she

Finnegan's Wake ~ The Clancy Brother and Tommy Makem

from Finnegan's Wake ~ James Joyce

End here. Us then. Finn, again! Take. Bussoftlhee, mememormee! Till thousandsthee. Lps. The keys to. Given! A way a lone a last a loved a long the riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.

Irish Blessing

God bless you on this day of Saint Patrick! Enjoy!
The Kitty Kids and I are.

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

Thursday, May 01, 2014

May Day: The Twilight Between and Betwixt

The first day of May is a special day to many. For the world proletariat, it is a day to celebrate the working class as International Workers Day. The Celtic festival of Beltane and the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night, as well as other northern European pagan festivals, celebrate the First of May as between and betwixt—the twilight time when Winter ends and Summer begins.

As with the other great festival of the Celts, Samhain (the Celtic New Year: November 1^st), May Day is a time of between and betwixt—not only of the seasons of the year, but also between mortals and immortals, the living and the dead, fairies and humans.

Beltane is a time when everything normal is suspended. The veils between the worlds are lifted creating a time outside of time when morality doesn’t count and sexual unions allowed for carnal pleasure are the rule. Thus, the month of May was seen as unlucky for weddings so that June became the wedding month.

It was a time when shamans moved easily between normal existence and the spirit world. It was a time of healing and joy and love. For example, unmarried young folk would sleep out-of-doors, making love and then returning to their village just before dawn, leaves and flowers intertwined in their hair, bringing with them a young sapling that was to become the Maypole.

The dance of the Maypole celebrated shamanic and Druid principles. A circle was formed around the pole with each person holding the end of a ribbon that was attached to the poll. Usually, girls were separated by a boy and, when the dance began the girls would go in one direction and the boys in the other. As the poll was decorated by the colored ribbons, it came to represent the world tree—the cosmic shaft connecting earth and sky.

Beltane—this twilight moment between and betwixt—was a sacred time for the Celts. Any child conceived during Beltane was considered holy, the issue of the God of Fertility and the Goddess of Spring.

These ancient rites and rituals have, for the most part, been lost to modernity. In Great Britain, May Day is still associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility of the soil, livestock, and people and revelry with village fetes and community jamborees.

In Finland, youth celebrate on May Day Eve, known as Vappu, from the Swedish term. Folks, especially students, party outside and wear colorful caps.

Germany

, Walpurgisnacht celebrations of pagan origin are held on the night before May Day with bonfires and the wrapping of a Maibaum (Maypole).

Ireland

, where Celtic feast of Bealtaine was celebrated centuries before the coming of Christianity, there remain little of the ancient Celtic traditions.

The mystical/Celtic time of between and betwixt seems to be a remnant of ages past. However, today there is an awakening of ancient beliefs, rituals, and shamanic practices. Who knows what the future will bring as humans again investigate the twilight—the time between and betwixt.

For more information, I suggest:

Monday, March 17, 2014

Too Bad It's Monday on Saint Paddy's Day

Two Irishmen move from Dublin to London to make their fortune. When they get there they decide to split living costs. Paddy pays the rent and Seamus buys the food.

The first day in their new flat Paddy comes home after work and says to Seamus " I paid the landlord. Did ye get the food Seamus. Seamus replies "Sure I did Paddy. Its in the fridge."

“Dats great " says Paddy, "Oim starvin"

So he opens the fridge and there's about 50 bottles of Guiness in there. Then he sees at the bottom corner just half a loaf of stale bread.

"Are we having some kind of house warmin tonight" says Paddy.

"No, sure we're not" says Seamus.

"Then what's all the bread for?"

Do you think it’s OK to drink green beer while you’re pregnant if you’re planning on giving up the baby for adoption? ~ Chelsea Handler

Paddy goes for a job at a chemical factory, the factory manager asks, "Have you worked with chemicals before?"

"Yes!" Paddy replies.

The manager asks, "Can you tell me what nitrate is?"

Paddy replies,"I"m hoping its going to be time and a half.

An Irishman is speeding down a narrow mountain road, when a woman comes hurtling round the corner. He swerves to avoid her, but as she passes she leans out the window and screams 'PIG!'

Astonished, the man turns and yells back, 'BITCH!' as he reaches the bend and crashes into a pig.

The priest was waiting on Saturday afternoon for his usual parade of people coming to confession. In comes a man so drunk that he is stumbling down the aisle, bouncing from pew to pew. Finally he finds the confessional, goes in, and shuts the door.

The priest goes in his side and waits. Nothing happens. He clears his throat so the fellow might know he is there and ready. No reaction. Finally, he starts losing his patience and bangs sharply on the wall three times.

The drunk fellow in the confessional says, "It's no use knockin'...There's no paper in here either!"

Paddy the Irishman, an Englishman, a Hot Young Babe, and an Elderly Old Dear are riding together in a train compartment when the train goes through a tunnel.........SMACK!!!!!!!!

Train emerges from tunnel and finds the Englishman has been decked and is on the floor holding his smacked puss.

Hot Babe thinks, "He just felt up the old dear thinking it was me, so she decked him,"

Old Dear thinks, "He just felt up that young girl and she decked him."

Paddy the Irishman thinks, "I can't wait 'til the next tunnel so i can smack that English bollix again."

A priest and a nun are on their way back from the cemetery when their car breaks down. The garage doesn't open until morning so they have to spend the night in a B&B. It only has one room available.

The priest says: "Sister, I don't think the Lord would object if we spend the night sharing this one room. I'll sleep on the sofa and you have the bed."

"I think that would be fine," agrees the nun.

They prepare for bed, say some prayers and settle down to sleep. Ten minutes pass, and the nun says: "Father, I'm very cold."

"OK," says the priest, "I'll get a blanket from the cupboard."

Another ten minutes pass and the nun says again: "Father, I'm still terribly cold."

The priest says: "Don't worry, I'll get up and fetch you another blanket."

Another ten minutes pass, then the nun murmurs softly: "Father I'm still very cold. I don't think the Lord would mind if we acted as man and wife just for a night."

"You're right," says the priest. "Get your own damned blankets."

Lassi says "Paddy, we've been married along time. You're good lookin and I think you've slept with alotta women. I won't be mad, but I would like to know how many if any."

Paddy says," My lovely Lass, you should know I never slept with anyone but you, my Darlin. Witt all the rest I was very much awake."

A man goes to the doctor for his wife's test results.

Mr O'Shay: "I'm here for Mrs O'Shay's test results."

Receptionist: "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr O'Shay, there's been a problem. We have two sets of test results for a Mrs O'Shay and we don't know which belongs to your wife. And I'm afraid it's bad news or terrible news. One test shows Alzheimer's Disease, the other shows AIDS!"

Mr O'Shay: "That's awful! What should I do?"

Receptionist: "The doctor suggests you drop her off in the middle of town. If she finds her way home, don't shag her."

Mr. and Mrs. Clancy, a young couple, were in the honeymoon suite on on their wedding night.

As they were undressing for bed, the husband, a big burly man, tossed his trousers to his new bride and said: "Here, put these on."

She put them on and the waist was twice the size of her body.

"I can't wear your trousers," she said.

"That's right,'' said the husband, "and don't you ever forget it. I'm the one who wears the trousers in this marriage!"

With that she flipped him her knickers and said: "Try these on."

He tried them on and found he could only get them on as far as his kneecaps.

"Hell," he said. ''I can't get into your knickers!"

She replied: "That's right... and that's the way it is going to stay until your attitude changes."

McQuillan walked into a bar and ordered martini after martini, each time removing the olives and placing them in a jar. When the jar was filled with olives and all the drinks consumed, he started to leave.

"S'cuse me," said a customer, who was puzzled over what McQuillan had done. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," he replied, "my wife just sent me out for a jar of olives."

Young Mick went to a pet shop and asked how many budgies were in stock. "We have 99" replied the shop owner "Give us the lot" said the Young Mick, paid for them and left. He went to a tailors shop and had 99 pockets sewn into a jacket, put a budgie in each pocket, went up to the Post Office Tower and jumped off.

He hit the ground with an almighty smack and lay there groaning until a passer-by came and asked him what had happened. "I don't know, sur," he replied, "but that's the last time I try that budgie jumping."