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Volume 2, Issue 6
A culture that has given the world so much and asked so little
As a result of writing this column, I have spent more time than usual in the past year researching many things Irish via assorted media but primarily through the Internet. The plethora of Web sites devoted to things Irish is amazing and gives any surfer a pantheon of subjects about which to become conversant.
Culturally speaking, the Web often provides more than one outlet for information about matters ranging from language to poetry to music to theater to dance, art, crafts and on and on. And within these sites there are countless links divulging even more information down to the shoe size of any cultural star. These sites are created in the United States and Ireland as well as the UK, Australia and places as unlikely as Taiwan and Romania.
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Volume 2, Issue 6
Irish Lace Cookies
By Margaret Johnson
Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup McCann's Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
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Volume 2, Issue 6
Chocolate Pots with Irish Cream Liquor and Irish Oatmeal Cookies
by Margaret Johnson
Ingredients:
- 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Irish Cream Liqueur
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Volume 2, Issue 6
Knot meaning and significance
By Barbara Wynn Malatesta
They left behind a richly textured, complex legacy and heritage that is reflected in their evocative, mysterious and imaginative artifacts. The artwork of the Celts evolved from primitive spiral, step and key patterns of the Bronze Age to intricately laced plait work patterns and unbroken knots of the Christian period (See Celtic Art by J. R. Allen).
While many of the Celtic clans were independent groups loosely connected to one another, they all shared a common religion based on nature, which was passed on through the oral tradition. Much of the meaning ascribed to Celtic artwork, particularly to the intricately woven knot and circular patterns found in manuscripts, artifacts and stone carvings, derives from their deeply held spiritual beliefs and wisdom.
The Celts believed in the interconnection of all things and viewed existence as a seamless weaving of the physical and supernatural realms. While no reliable historical source can tell us exactly what the knot patterns meant to the Celts, it is highly likely that through artistic expression and representation, they communicated their fiercely held convictions.
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Volume 2, Issue 5
Joy to the world and a dash of peace, too
Well, as the year 200 draws to a close, we can be relieved to have gotten through a year painted with the direst of predictions. The world did not end. The sky did not fall. The looming Y2K bug turned out to be a buzzing gnat swatted down moments after midnight on January 1. Now the world is resting easy from a routine year of extraordinary events affecting ordinary lives.
To be sure, government fell. Tyrants were deposed. Olympians excelled. The Middle East erupted. Humanity's worst and best traits surfaced on a daily basis the world over, as usual. Now we come to Christmas and a moment to consider what it all means.
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Volume 2, Issue 5
Heartfelt map of the Irish soul ... in installments
With offerings ranging from feature stories on attractions throughout the island of Ireland, to historical treatises and biographical articles, Ireland of the Welcomes presents a panorama of Irish arts, crafts, music, dance and theater.
Each edition provides a microcosmic window on all that is Ireland, north and south. But to truly get the total benefit of the magazine one must fully read each of the 6 issues published annually. A year's worth of reading will undoubtedly create a desire for more and may lead the reader to the magazine's comprehensive archives service.
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Volume 2, Issue 5
Fond Mem'ries: A child's Christmas in Dublin
by James J. McAuley
If my maternal grandfather, Pappy McCarthy, were to find himself caught up in this feverish season of gross materialism, hype, and Disneyfication - he'd have a conniption fit. Pappy, a tall, deceptively jovial Corkman with a splendid mustache, conducted himself with the dignity befitting a descendant of the great McCarthy clan. As a devout Catholic, confronted with the naked greed that counts off the Shopping Days of Christmas, he would be quick to scarify the souls of all within range of his voice.
My Mammy - Maureen, Pappy's oldest daughter - brought me and my sister Anne to spend Christmas in Pappy's Victorian redbrick terrace house on Rathdown Road, off Dublin's North Circular Road, when I was small. For Pappy, Christmas was the second holiest season of the liturgical year, next to Holy Week itself. Nothing remotely resembling a pile of gift-wrapped goodies under a Christmas tree could be seen. But there was a large crib on a sideboard in the back parlor, with Mary and Joseph, and baby Jesus in a manger, and some animals and shepherds, and a big silver star above the stable, which had a straw roof and a mossy floor. (The three wise men were not added until January 6, "Little Christmas".) The crib stayed on the sideboard until February 2, the Feast of Saint Brigid, the ancient Irish herald of spring.
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