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Coordinator: Shirley Starke Route 2, Box 230 Valley City, ND 58072 701 - 845 - 2382 |
Newsletter of the Irish Special Interest Group of American Mensa Uimhir 80: Eanir/Feabhra 1997 Opinions expressed are those of individual authors. Mensa as a whole has no opinions. |
A chairde,
Dr. Patricia Jettie, whose information on genealogy in the September/October issue brought so much positive comment, has offered to write a regular column on the subject, and I have gratefully accepted. I haven't received the first installment yet, but look for it in the next issue!Although we haven't specified a "Dear Abby" (or "Patricia, a chara") format, Patricia has said that she would be happy to answer members' questions in her column. Write to her at P.O. Box 81554, Athens, GA 30608-1554.
Michael Halm (2062 Yoast Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45225-1480) sent a page from the catalog of the Religous Book Club, P.O. Box 7000, Peabody, MA 01961-5000, which lists books on Celtic Christianity, including books entitled Celtic Women, Celtic Christian Spirituality, and important and hard to find original source material such as The Prayers and Meditations of St. Anselm and the Confessions of St. Patrick. The catalog is worth writing for. Go raibh maith agat, a Michael!
We received a phone call and a follow-up mailing from Nacel Cultural Exchanges, 3410 Federal Drive, Suite 101, St. Paul, MN 55122, which provides educational cultural exchange tours for students and teachers. If you would be interested in hosting a student from Ireland or in studying in Ireland for a summer, semester, or year, please write to them at the above address or call 1-800-NACELLE.
Unfortunately, we don't have room in this issue for the long article by Brendan McGuinness about "Irish Israelism" that I promised last time. If I can't find room for it otherwise, I will use it between the end of Michael Greaney's 3-part series on John de Courcy and the next part of his continuing saga of the Normans in Ireland. Beannachta!
Litreacha
Paul B. Kourtz (5112 Brentwood Farm Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030) writes, "Thanks for printing Tom Culhane's excellent article about the monument to the Irish slaves in newsletter #79. I've heard tales of such happenings, but it's nice to see some documentation and to learn about the effort to memorialize those who died."Ann-Marie Seward (Suite 16E, 4466 W. Pine Blvd., Saint Louis, MO 63108-2339) writes, "I found last issue's history article (John de Courcy, Part I) particularly interesting.
"Did you North Dakotans for Term Limits make any inroads? Good luck with it - it's a worthy cause and something I think the political scene needs.
"I'm working on a graduate degree in World Music, trying now to decide whether to specialize in Celtic music. The degree program involves a lot of independent study so I have a lot of input into the structuring of the program.
"I'm trying to decide where to start, if I do take a Celtic specialty - history? instruments? traditional music? modern New Age variations? Do I need a language course? I want to resolve those questions as soon as possible so I can get into the actual course work.
"For the suggestion box: I'd be interested to hear what kinds of celebrations are/were important to Celtic peoples. Nowadays we have a modern version of St. Patrick's Day, but surely there must be or have been others relating to seasons, harvests, significant historical events, etc.
"Looking forward to the next issue."
It's been a while since we've had an article about the Celtic Fire Festivals, and I invite anyone with any knowledge of the subject to submit one!
In short: the four major holidays of the Celtic year were/are Samhain, November 1, the feast of the dead which was also the Celtic New Year; Imbolc, February 1, the holiday marking the turn of the year towards spring; Bealtaine, May 1, the major spring festival; and Lughnasadh, August 1, the harvest festival and feast day of the sun god, Lugh. On the two most important, Samhain and Bealtaine, it was believed that the doors between the worlds stood open; the people of the Sidhe were believed to be abroad, active, and a real danger to anyone foolish enough to remain outdoors after sundown.
Bonfires were lit on these nights, both for protection and for other reasons such as to ensure fertility in the coming year. It was written not long ago that within living memory it was possible to see a hundred bonfires from a high hill in the parts of Ireland where the old ways persisted.
This is necessarily a very short treatment of the subject. More can be found in any of perhaps hundreds of books on Celtic myth and tradition; Celtic Myth and Legend by Charles Squire is very good and easy to find. The Fairy-Faith In Celtic Countries by W.Y. Evans-Wentz is a fascinating classic that was out of print for years but is in print again.
I specialized in Irish history largely by doing independent study, so I know what you are talking about in your educational goals. Personally, I would go for the history and traditional music, but that is probably a matter of personal taste - and maybe the prejudices of someone who was a Celtic musician years before it became popular. One thing is certain: to do serious work in any of the branches you mentioned, including New Age variations, you ought to have a working knowledge of the Irish language.
Although our term limits initiatives weren't passed in North Dakota, they were passed in nine other states, and we are planning to try again in '98! A Congressman from Florida named Bill McCollum is trying to gather support in Congress to overturn the Informed Voter Laws in the nine states that now have them; it would help if you would write to your own Congressman and ask him to oppose this.
Tom Culhane (954-A Stuyvesant Ave., Union, NJ 07083), Director of the American Irish-Celtic USA Stamp Committee, writes to tell us that his recommendation of a U.S. commemorative stamp honoring James Cagney is now before the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee.
Tom writes, "The Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee makes stamp and design recommendations to the Postmaster General. They are currently working on stamp programs for 1999 and beyond as it takes two to three years to meet design and production requirements.
"1999 may prove to be an opportune time as it will coincide with the 100th anniversary of James Cagney's birth. As one of Hollywood's true icons, Cagney handled fame as well as few others. Not only did he lead an exemplary life but Cagney spearheaded Hollywood's war effort to entertain Allied troops along with raising money by promoting War Bonds. And just think of those millions of Americans from all ethnic backgrounds who pay their bills every month and would love to put a Jimmy Cagney stamp on a bill while doing their own imitation of 'UMMHF, You Dirty Rat!'
"The American Irish-Celtic USA Stamp Committee is contacting all the nation's congressmen and state governors in an attempt to gain support for the proposal. Readers who favor the idea can contact the Postal Service directly or the American Irish-Celtic USA Stamp Committee, 954-A Stuyvesant Ave., Union, NJ 07083."
Michael D. Greaney (6166 Leesburg Pike #A08, Falls Church, VA 22044) writes, "I am still trying to find out if anyone has the first twelve issues of the newsletter that I can get copies of. I will even break down and pay copying costs. Doesn't ANYONE have them?"
I MIGHT, a Michael, and I will try to find them the first time I have a week to spare for the search. You, of all people, deserve them! Is there anyone else who has them, who can help us out?
Incidentally, our first issue came out in January 1978, and the SIG was founded the previous August. We are nearing our 20th anniversary - any suggestions on how to celebrate it?
(Hard copy sent by Mildred McCloskey)
Not available in on line edition
(Hard copy sent by Michael Greaney - John De Courcy, Part III)
Not available in on line edition