• Oiche Shamhna Shona! Happy Halloween 2011!

  Irish Culture 31.10.2011 No Comments

  

  Jack-O-Lantern Turnip says, "Oiche Shamhna Shona!"

  Happy Halloween to you all! Dr. Loomis [Donald Pleasance] called it “Sam Hane” in Halloween. Recently, I heard Dr. Spencer Reid [Matthew Gray Gubler] pronounce it that way on Criminal Minds. In True Blood, this summer, the witches pronounced it like “Sam Hah-een”. Not closer, but good try. The upshot seems to be, production staff are avid readers of lesser known otherworldly cultural facts to sprinkle into dialogue, but it’s not worth the time to ask how it’s pronounced, just in case.

  Sadly for them, the Irish language has sound changes that require using Latin letters in ways that English doesn’t use them. English has plenty of its own letter usages that bewitch (see what I did there?) non-English speakers who try to pronounce many English words. That “h” in “th” can alter the sound of letter “t” to render a theta (as in “thin”) or edh (voiced theta, like in “the”) sound is no less weird than the fact that “h” in Irish changes “m” to what a “w” sounds like in English, when it shows up in the word samhain.

  So, kids, pronounce it like you would if it were spelt “sah-wen” or “sow-en” (rhymes with “cow-en”).

  Enjoy your candy!

  

  Tags: dr loomis, gaeilge, halloween, irish, samhain, true blood

• Day After Bloomsday

  Irish Culture, Mania that Pervades Jonathan's Soul 17.06.2008 No Comments

  
  James Joyce. Happy Bloomsday, Sir. Thanks for Ulysses.

  I hope you all stocked up on V-8, or the hair of the dog, or whatever, before yesterday’s Bloomsday.

  For those unaware, Bloomsday is a sort of Saint Patrick’s Day for Mensa Members. It’s a day when the 750 million people who say they’ve read James Joyce’s Ulysses cover to cover –including the 642 who actually have- celebrate the Dublin meanderings of the book’s characters, especially Leopold Bloom, on 16 June 1904.

  Perhaps I should begin reading the book again myself. I once made it to “Nestor” before being overtaken by pretty much anything else, maybe some celebrating. Anyway, perhaps I should check it out from the library, tonight, and encourage you all to do so, as well. We can read it together, and record a weekly song about each episode. I’m not kidding. I’ll fish out my library card, right now, and head to Carondelet Branch to pick up a giant copy.

  So, join me in a summer of Joyce! We’ll read about our favorite fictitious Jewish-Irish Dubliner.

  

  Tags: bloomsday, Irish Culture, irish-literature, james-joyce, leopold-bloom, reading, songs, ulysses

• Irish KC: My Friend Eolai Hits the “Joyriders”

  Friends, Irish Culture, Kansas City 08.04.2008 1 Comment

  I was checking out my friend Eolai’s blog, earlier, when I realized how important it is that you all check it out. I especially enjoy his coverage of Irish film and video, in whatever denomination it occurs. This week, it’s Best Short Film at the Irish Film and Television Awards, Joyriders.

  Eolai’s ironic wit just makes me yearn for my own family’s lost sarcastic patriarchs. The younger of us haven’t preserved that tradition as well as they did, and Eolai reminds me of its place in my mind. Of course, Eolai’s wit is less likely to warrant some good old American therapy, so serve it up.

  Check out Eolai at Irish KC.

  

  Tags: expat, expatriate, film, irish, irish-america, irish-film, irish-kc, irishkc, Kansas City, kc, short-film

• St Patrick’s Day in St Louis 2007

  Irish Culture, Irish Music, Music, Saint Louis, Saint Patricks Day 15.03.2007 No Comments

  St Louis has a lot of activities for this St Patrick’s Day. Check out a few of the fun St Pat’s stuff, some family friendly, some not so much. The madness, this year, is a bit more than usual, since St Pat’s is on a Saturday. That means both big parades are on St Patrick’s Day, instead of the Downtown parade being the Saturday before.

  So, if you want to run a race, walk in a parade, watch either of them, or just enjoy corned beef, cabbage, and, if you’re over 21, a pint or two at an authentic Irish pub, St Louis has a lot to offer.

  • Downtown St Louis Parade – http://www.irishparade.org
  • Dogtown Parade – Ancient Order of Hibernians – http://www.stlhibernians.org/events.htm
  • St Patrick’s Day Parade Run – http://www.irishparade.org/run
  • John D McGurk’s – 1200 Russell – http://www.johndmcgurks.com
  • O’Malley’s Irish Pub – 1900 Cherokee – http://www.omalleysstl.com
  • Dubliner Pub – 1025 Washington – http://www.dublinerstl.com/
  • Dylan’s Bar, 675 Jeffco Boulevard, Arnold, MO will offer free Irish breakfast with a drink purchase.
  • The Stratford Bar & Grill, 800 South Highway Dr, Fenton, MO will offer a complimentary Irish buffet, all day Saturday.
  • Malone’s Neighborhood Grill & Pub, 3336 Pershall Rd, Ferguson, MO; and 8742 Watson Rd, Crestwood, MO will have green eggs and ham, Friday evening.

  So, sleep well Friday night, grab your friends in the morning for a big breakfast out, loads of Irish music and dance, parades, pipers, and one of the best celebrations in the world.

  I will miss these fine festivities, here, since I have shows in western MO, all day. Please take some pictures, and tell me about it on Tuesday.
  Cheers!

  Tags: irish st+louis saint+louis st+patricks+day st+patrick’s+day st+pat’s ancient+order+of+hibernians parade irish+breakfast green+eggs+and+ham

  

• Shamrocks: Icons of Ireland

  Irish Culture, Mania that Pervades Jonathan's Soul, Saint Patricks Day 20.02.2007 1 Comment

  We all know clover, those few members of the pea family that love to out our nitrogen poor soils. Recently, in passing, I commented on Shamrocks vs. Four-Leaf Clovers. I’m almost surprised that I didn’t receive any hate mail as a result of my dismissing four-leaf clovers as not being shamrocks.

  Perhaps luck is the reason people tend to think of the four-leaf clover. Of course, we have the “luck” of the Irish. That luck thing always reminds me of an old toast, “Here’s to the Irish; doubly cursed. So far from God. So close to the English.” Hundreds of years of “Saxon” rule or part or all of the island, have never been viewed as lucky by most of Ireland. Perhaps, though, having a culture survive such caustic rule and cultural suppression is a sign of incredible luck.
  Back to the shamrock. I saw a trailer for a new show on NBC, “The Black Donnellys”. Its logo is a black four-leaf clover. My naive, laissez-faire side believes this is intentional use of a four-leaf clover. It does look cool, all black, and jagged. Very punk rock it is. Maybe confusing the 4-leaf for a shamrock is punk, too. I don’t know.

  

  Tags: shamrock ireland nbc black+donnellys four+leaf+clover

  

• Irish March Madness: A Brief Intro

  Irish Culture, Saint Patricks Day 14.02.2007 No Comments

  In the states, two popular obsession-slathered events occur during Lent. First, college basketball tournaments, the biggest being the NCAA Championship. Second, Irish America’s monochromatic answer to Mardi Gras, Saint Patrick’s Day.

  On Saint Pat’s, rivers and beer flow ignominiously green, bad green afro wigs and hair accessories abound, along with green beads, green tees and hoodies. Sounds like a Doctor Seuss book. And don’t forget the shamrock, as well as the well-intentioned, but improper four-leaf clover. [Seeing a four-leaf clover used as an Irish national icon always reminds me of the high school celebrating 70s Week with a poster featuring the Mercedes logo, intended to be a peace sign. Sorry, Shawnee Mission East class of 1987, I've outed you.]

  As you make your trip to Party City or Target to collect your lead-laden, plastic, made-in-China, green stuff to don, next month, don’t forget to come back to my site for more info to come on Saint Patrick’s Day fun.
  Tags: saint+patricks+day irish+culture

  

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