Hitorical fact

Historical Fact of the Day in Scotland

It was on today in 1652 that the Honours of Scotland - consisting of the sceptre, sword and crown - were smuggled to safety through the siege of Dunottar Castle by the wife of a Scottish minister. Oliver Cromwell had destroyed some of the regalia of the English crown and was intent on doing the same to Scotland's royal symbols. The wife of James Granger, minister of the parish of Kinneff near Stonehaven, then buried the Honours underneath the church where they remained until the restoration of Charles II.

My book Clan Gunn: Gerek takes place two years before the above happened. The book takes in the tenor of the times and how it might affect the lives of Highlanders.

Here's to Scotland

Fact of the Day

The first use of anesthesia in a medical operation occurred today in 1842. Dr Crawford Long used ether to bring about a state of unconsciousness when he removed a tumor from the neck of a patient, thereby ushering in a new age of painless surgery. Another pioneer in the use of anesthetics was Scotland's James Young Simpson, who conducted experiments with chloroform. To read how The Scotsman reported Simpson's historic work, see the www.Scotsman.com Digital Archive

Interview with Patricia Guthrie

Here's the promised interview with Patricia Guthrie, author of In the Arms of the Enemy.

1) Have you ever owned a thoroughbred?

Yes, I’ve owned two.


2) What has been your experience with them?

Two were ex-race horses that didn’t like to run ahead of other horses. So, they were lucky enough to be sold as riding horses.

I used them as riding horses and showed a little, although I could never afford to aim for the big time.
I rode them hunt seat, until I discovered I hated jumping and thought dressage was pretty cool. (in recent past years, I’ve worked more with quarter horses and trained and showed a few for close friends)

I loved working with the thoroughbreds when I had them, but my riding experience wasn’t quite up to what they required. Fortunately, I didn’t know that at the time. Luckily, I didn’t get thrown, especially from the seventeen-hand horse.

Seabee was a good horse but our bodies just didn’t fit together. Oh brother. I traded him to a woman who was short than me, but a much more experienced horsewoman. She hunted him with great success. Her horse was part thoroughbred, part quarter horse.

So began my love affair with quarter horses. But, that’s another interview.


3. Have you found them to be wild and excitable as claimed?

It depends on the horse. Thoroughbreds are bred for running, for speed, so to be successful; they have to have the drive, spunk and action. They’re excellent campaigners not only on the track but in dressage, in the jumping arena and as riding horses.


4. Experience on the race track.

Some, but none professionally. I enjoy watching the horses run and enjoy following their racing careers. When I was a teenager I could spot out the names of every Kentucky Derby winner. Now, when I have time I love to go to the track and watch every type of person milling in the crowds and through the barn area.


3) I am not familiar with the name you mentioned before, regarding euthanizing healthy horses for the insurance money. I thought you were talking about the show horse circuit, where George (can’t remember his last name-but I do remember that he was very wealthy and rode jumpers) had a horse put down in order to collect the insurance money. I know he was put on trial, but I don’t remember what came of it.
(I believe that was his brother, Silas Jayne who was a bad--an evil excuse for a human being. He died in prison, where he still controlled the “horse mob.” I purposely avoided writing this story in the horse show circuit. I live in the area)

Euthanasia implies humane. There’s nothing humane about the way some of these people murder the horses. You’ll find this inhumane horror in every aspect of the horse industry that involves money. Lots of money.


4) What’s your next book about?

Waterlilies Over My Grave, a romantic suspense, should be out in September of 2008. This is about a woman who leaves a career and an obsessive psychotic, psychiatrist ex-husband to take a job in a resort town half-way across the country, only to find he’s followed her with deadly intentions.

As I have three collies at home who help me with my writing at all opportunities, I’ve honored them with a place in my book. Lady, a tri-color collie named Lady. She loves getting into the action. At one point she sniffs out a bomb, in another she points to a bad guy, but her people don’t quite have her instincts. Lady helps get the bad guys. She’s in quite a few of the scenes.

After that, I’m working on paranormal romantic suspense. The heroine inherits a castle in Romania inhabited by drug dealers. This one has a horse in it that belongs to a nine-year-old boy. The horse wears a straw hat. I haven’t worked out her name or breed yet.

5) Are you going to continue with a horse theme or something related to the industry?

Yes. I have a mystery outlined, but it’s still in the changing-planning stage. Horses will be a main part of the story and background.

6) How often do you ride?

As often as possible, but not nearly enough. I’m working out a new schedule, where I hope I’ll be able to utilize my time better. (if that’s possible, sigh)


7) And when do you find time to write?

See question six. (LOL) I’ve been writing for ten years and even when I retired from the teaching field, to write full time, I discovered that being an author is a little different than being a writer. Being an author
entails having a little bit of a bi-polar personality. Part of you has to be reclusive to concentrate and focus on your plot/put yourself into the scene. The other part of you has to be bubbly and effervescent to market your book and meet the public.

Baby Seals

I'm posting this article that I found in Scotsman.com newpaper. It's all about baby seals that are being killed at an alarming rate. I'm an animal lover and this offends me.


Also, do stop by tomorrow for another interview with Patricia Guthrie, author of In the Arms of the Enemy.

Irish Roots Cafe

I just found this wonderful blog and site. Do go there, especially if you're a Fitzgerald.

http://www.irishroots.com/blog/

This coming Thursday, I'll be hosting an interview with Patricia Guthrie. Hope you all tune in.......... Here's some information to whet your appetite.

Book Summary of In the Arms of The Enemy


WANTED: ASSASSIN TO KILL RACE HORSES ON DEMAND
FLEXIBLE HOURS-GOOD BENEFITS
Light Sword Publishing announces the release of Patricia A. Guthrie’s first published novel “In the Arms of the Enemy.”
When the death of a racing stable’s prize horse and his trainer is blamed on the stable’s owner; his son, Adam Blakely, goes undercover convinced that the trainer’s partner, Maggie McGregor, is the killer.
Determined to leave the tumultuous world of horse racing, Maggie returns home to try and find peace. When a handsome horse owner moves his horse into her father’s boarding stable and asks Maggie to train his horse, family finances dictate that Maggie accept--and that’s when the accidents begin.
Drowning in deception and lies, Maggie and Adam search for a killer and uncover an insurance scam so insidious, it threatens to rock a horse racing empire and bring the killer to their doorstep. They need to learn to:
Keep your friends close; but your enemies closer.
Review magazine "Affaire de Coeur" says, "With a strong mystery and a sizzling romance, Ms. Guthrie captivates readers from the start. This is an enjoyable thriller with a plot that will keep you guessing until the climactic end.”
* * * * * Rated five stars
AUTHOR BIO
Patricia A. Guthrie is a resident of Park Forest, Illinois. A recently retired music teacher from the Chicago Public Schools (May Community Academy and Chicago Vocational Community Academy) and former opera singer, Author Patricia A. Guthrie is now an avid horse owner, dog obedience trainer and writer. Ms. Guthrie lives with three feisty collies who act as “ghost writers” and help her write at every given opportunity.
This story is dedicated to those horses lost to man’s greed and inhumanity and to those humanitarians whose mission is to save and protect them.
In the Arms of the Enemy By Patricia A. Guthrie
www.paguthrie.blogspot.com
www.patriciaanneguthrie.com
www.myspace.com/paguthrie

Scotland today--

I just found this bit of news from an online paper called "Scottish Snippets."

Scotland's Population at 20-Year High
Figures released by the Registrar General Office for Scotland show that
Scotland's population is at its healthiest level for more than 20 years.
The reason is that there were more children born in 2007 than any year
since 1997, with the fifth consecutive increase in births on the previous
year. But less than half the babies born had mothers who were Scots - the
baby boom is being generated by one in three infants with mothers born in
the Eastern European countries which joined the EU in 2004. The Registrar's
figures also show that the number of marriages fell, and is now nearing its
lowest number since Victorian times when the population was smaller. Some
49.1% of last year's births were to unmarried parents. The provisional
statistics show that there were 57,781 births in Scotland last year.
Despite being the highest in 20 years, that is half the level of the early
1960s. Scotland's population has steadily increased since 2003 when the
population was 5.06 million. In 2006 it had risen to 5.12 million - the
highest since 1985 - and all the signs are that there will be a further
increase in 2007. It's not that long ago that Scotland's falling population
was regarded as "chronic" after two decades of decline. There were
predictions that it would fall to below five million by 2009 and below four
million by 2041.

More about the Dingle Peninsula

Special thanks to Steve MacDonogh for contributing
this extract from "The Dingle Peninsula"
Travel/Local History; ISBN 0 86322 269 2



Dingle is one of the most favoured spots in Ireland for the independently minded visitor. The National Geographic Traveler has described it as "the most beautiful place on earth". Bounded on three sides by the sea, it combines in its landscape the ruggedness of rocky outcrops and cliffs with the soft shapes of hills and mountains, skirted by coastal lowlands. For those who stay only briefly the scenery is what the Dingle experience is all about: the view of the Blasket Islands from Slea Head; the harbours, mountains, cliffs and strands; the view from the Connor Pass. Indeed, every part of the peninsula offers attractive and often dramatic views.

Roads lead over the mountains and along the coasts between irregular grids of mortarless stone walls surrounding small fields. The main road from Tralee divides at Camp: one route continues along the northern coast to Castlegregory, dividing again when one road turns towards Cloghane and another rises high to the Connor Pass over the mountains to Dingle. The other route from Camp rises to a mountain pass above Gleann na nGealt, the beautiful "valley of the mad", and descends to Anascaul and thence, after a series of hairpin bends, to Lispole and a long straight road to Dingle. From the direction of Killarney and Castlemaine another road enters the peninsula along a narrow coastal strip beneath the Slieve Mish mountains past the beautiful long strand at Inch and turns inland through a pass to Anascaul.

The Connor Pass road is undoubtedly the most dramatic route to take, though it is not suitable for heavy vehicles or caravans. As it swings towards the south it rises at the side of a large valley formed by glaciers that came from a semi-circle of coums or corries in the surrounding mountains. From the top of the pass there are breathtaking views in fine weather of lowlands, mountains and sea.

High vantage points provide the best position from which to take in the sweep of the landscape, and most of the main roads on the peninsula cross mountains at passes. The road to Dingle via Anascaul does not rise as high as the Connor Pass, but it is high enough to provide magnificent views of the coast of Tralee and Brandon Bays, of the landscape on the southern side of the mountain range, and of the Iveragh Peninsula across Dingle Bay.

To the west of Dingle the most scenic route winds around the coast via Ventry to Slea Head, from which the view of the Blasket Islands is a sight that stops many visitors in their tracks. From Slea Head the road continues along the coast to Dunquin, thence to Ballyferriter, from which one road crosses by Mám na Goaithe, the windy pass, to Ventry; another goes further north to themám at Baile na nÁth (Ballynana), the townland of the height. From this pass one road drops down to Milltown and Dingle while another continues north to Kilmalkedar, Ballydavid and Feohanagh, and meets a road which leads along the foot of Mount Brandon to a low pass back to Dingle.

From Dingle the Connor Pass road rises steeply, and in its higher reaches rocky mountain slopes and cliffs ­ at one point named Faill na Seamróg, the shamrock cliff ­ tower above to the left. At the bottom of the descent from Connor Pass to the north the road swings right to Castlegregory and Camp, and turns left to Cloghane and Brandon, finally coming to a halt on the cliffs at Brandon Point. From here there is a fine view of Brandon and Tralee Bays, the spit of sand out to the Maharees, and the whole northern side of the peninsula, while above and behind stands the imposing mass of Mount Brandon.

These are the main routes through the peninsula, each of them opening up a landscape rich in visual variety and interest. But there are also countless roads off the main routes and countless narrow bohareens, or country lanes, and for visitors who have time to do more than drive once through the peninsula, getting off the beaten track is the best way to explore the area.

The hills, coastline and countryside yield their qualities most readily to the walker. There is a depth in the appeal of the landscape which goes beyond the contemplation of beautiful scenery, for the countryside is dotted with the historical remains and artefacts of past centuries. The Dingle Peninsula possesses a quite extraordinary concentration of archaeological sites. These are not massive structures of great splendour, such as Newgrange or Stonehenge; but they are in their modesty more characteristic of the ages from which they survive. In the number that have survived in this small area lies a magnificence and splendour of its own.

The archaeological remains testify physically to the rich culture of the past, and the peninsula is also an exceptionally rich repository of folklore and of Irish traditional culture. Largely isolated in recent centuries from the mainstream of European and Irish economic, social and cultural change, Dingle, in common with other parts of the west of Ireland, long maintained traditional values and customs. Today in the area to the west of Dingle town Irish is very much the first language; many of the ancient customs which were observed for many centuries and had their origins before the advent of Christianity have died out in the last sixty years, but some survive. Some holy wells are still visited for annual devotions, and the day after Christmas Day is celebrated with the festival of "hunting the wren". Traditional music and dance play an important part in many people's lives, despite the counter-attractions of multinational pop culture, and the traditional small boats of ancient design, the naomhóga or curraghs, are still built and used.

For many people the most abiding impression, and one which has drawn visitors back year after year, is perhaps the most difficult to define. It has to do with the pace and rhythm of life, about which there is a subtle joke to the effect that the Irish language lacks a word that conveys the same sense of urgency as the Spanish mañana. It has to do with lifestyle, with a certain sense of ease, calm and relaxation. There is no one word that adequately describes it, but it is expressed in chance encounters. Visitors stop to ask for directions and find themselves drawn into conversations which are long, fascinating and charming. People used to the coldness of New York, Frankfurt or London are surprised to find the person next to them at the counter of a Dingle pub commenting upon the weather and wondering if they are enjoying their visit, where they have come from, how long they are staying and what they think of the present state of the world. However, a great deal of change occurred during the 1990s. Tourist numbers and facilities increased and prosperity grew substantially, and those involved in tourism increasingly spoke in terms of Dingle as a product to be promoted, adopting the full panoply of modern marketing perspectives. Partly the change was generational, with more young people happily able to remain living in the area. Nevertheless, there remains a certain laid-back informality, which visitors who stay for a while soon find is part of the experience, part of the attraction of the place .....

Inevitably, the visitor¹s response to Dingle is an individual one. Many visit for the contact with Irish spoken in a natural, native way and for the insight that offers them into Irish life and culture. Others visit because it can be a kind of paradise for the hill walker; others to observe sea-birds or the arctic alpine flora. For many the atmosphere of simply being there, of impromptu meetings or musical sessions in pubs, is like a restoring breath of fresh air to which they will wish constantly to return.

There must be few for whom the surrounding presence of the sea does not provide abiding images: the fishing boats in Dingle Harbour, the long sweeps of strand on the northern coastline, at Inch, Ventry and Smerwick; the sound between the Blasket Islands and Dunmore Head; the black naomhóga at Dunquin Harbour; the power of sea against rocks at Clogher and Brandon Creek.

The peninsula¹s position at the extreme western edge of Europe gives it a dramatic setting as it faces into the vastness of the Atlantic. It has also meant that its history has been shaped both by isolation from the more developed countries of Europe and by periods of close trading contact with Europe. What attracts many visitors to the area has much to do with the comparative isolation ­ from intensive economic development, from the central political, social and cultural concerns of the industrialised nations. Elements of the ancient cultural well-spring of Indo-European civilisation survived here long after they had been obliterated elsewhere; in terms of physical remains, the lack of economic development and the prevalence of superstitious inhibitions have meant that a great number of archaeological sites are still intact.

More recently many of the elements that give the Dingle Peninsula its particular character have been under heavy attack from modernising influences. Physically an enormous change in the very scenery of the peninsula has been taking place, and continues, as spruce trees march in ever more massive battalions across the landscape, which used to be characterised by long, uninterrupted stretches of blanket bog. The comparative prosperity of recent decades has enabled people to build new homes, and many have opted for singly sited white bungalows, which are now scattered over the countryside, with particular concentrations in strip developments along the roadsides. The strongest influence on the area is no longer farming or fishing; rather, it is tourism, and there has been debate in recent years, with some believing that the more tourists and the more tourist developments of any kind the better, while others have questioned how much tourism and of what kind is appropriate. Modernisation and prosperity are very welcome in themselves, but they do bring changes which place both old virtues and old vices under threat, and different people view such changes differently. However, it is still true to say that the life of the area possesses distinctive characteristics; that there is an elaborative and imaginative quality to local speech ­ most marked in Irish but also present in English. But these are qualities which reveal themselves to visitors who stay for a while and who have an ear for such things.

In what follows the attempt is to convey, in moving through the peninsula, examples of the elements that are characteristic of the area. It is not possible to provide information about everything; nor would one wish to. After all, the best kind of exploration is the kind you do yourself. There are many archaeological remains on the peninsula: there are fine megalithic graves, standing stones and early Christian settlements, not to mention ringforts, ogham stones and castles. The archaeological survey of the Dingle Peninsula, published in 1986, proved a four-year task for a team of archaeologists.

And so, in this book, I have given detailed background in relation to just one example of each kind of archaeological site, while others are mentioned more briefly. To be comprehensive about the archaeology, folklore and history of the area would require many books: quite apart from archaeology, some sixty books have come out of the Blasket Islands, Dunquin and Ballyferriter alone; and the archives in the Department of Folklore in University College Dublin include some 100,000 pages of material from the Dingle Peninsula.

There is a luxury of material and of choice. The choices taken in this book of where to stop on the road and look in some detail would certainly not be everyone¹s choices; there are things and places described which other observers would consider insignificant, just as there are places and things not described which perhaps should have been. But the area is genuinely rich in all kinds of interest, and if this book succeeds in providing some information about every part of the peninsula while leaving an appetite for more, then it will have succeeded in its purpose.

The Dingle Peninsula by Steve MacDonogh

The Dingle Peninsula

My book, Lost Son of Ireland, takes place on the Dingle Peninsula. I decided to put some of the research I found, on this blog.


There is no other landscape in western Europe with the density and variety of archaeological monuments as the Dingle Peninsula. This mountainous finger of land which juts into the Atlantic Ocean has supported various tribes and populations for almost 6,000 years. Because of the peninsula's remote location, and lack of specialised agriculture, there is a remarkable preservation of over 2,000 monuments.
It is impossible to visit the Dingle Peninsula and not be impressed by its archaeological heritage. When one combines each site's folklore and mythology, which have been passed orally from generation to generation through the Irish language, one can begin to understand how unique and complex is the history of this peninsula.

THE STONE AGE



The southwest of Ireland has traditionally been seen as having few Neolithic monuments. The recent discovery of a series of Passage Tombs outside of Tralee has reopened the debate. It is now felt that many of the hilltop cairns and possibly some of the standing stones date to the Neolithic. It is also likely that the cup and circle rock art is Stone Age rather than Bronze Age. It is during this period that the first farmers appear, living in more permanent structures, and showing a certain skill with the craft of pottery. Stone is the main material used in tool and weapon making. Large stone tombs are built to house the dead, and possibly also for ritual use. Some of the tombs of this period show incredible architectural skill in their orientation on the setting sun during the Winter Solstice.

Answers to those questions

Answers:

1. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.

2. Ireland forever. (Extra credit answer: Gaelic.)

3. Londonderry Air. The lyrics were written by an English lawyer named Fred Weatherly to a traditional tune.

4. Green representing Roman Catholics, orange representing Protestants and white in between representing living together in peace.

5. Hearts, moons, stars and clovers. Shapes added to later versions of the cereal included horseshoes, pots of gold, rainbows and red balloons. (Extra credit answer: "They're always after 'me Lucky Charms." Or, "They're magically delicious.")

6. You can hear the angels sing. The lyrics are: "When Irish eyes are smiling, sure 'tis like the morn in spring. In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing. When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay. And when Irish eyes are smiling, sure they steal your heart away."

7. French. Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French.

8. Father Flanagan. (Extra credit answer: "There is no such thing as a bad boy.")

9. To scare away the devil.

10. Four. The usual distilling age is 7 to 8 years. Premium Irish whiskies are aged many more years.

11. Sinead O'Connor.

12. A cobbler or shoemaker.

13. Somebody I adore. The lyrics are: "I'm looking over a four-leaf clover that I overlooked before. One leaf is sunshine, the second is rain, third is the roses that grow in the lane. No need explaining, the one remaining is somebody I adore. I'm looking over a four-leaf clover that I overlooked before."

14. "Manly, yes, but I like it too."

15. Charles Parnell in a movie titled "Parnell."

16. Water of life. It is a shortened version of the Irish word uisgebeatha. Uisge means water and beatha means life.

17. Lamb or mutton chops.

18. Finnegans Wake.

19. In the water. It is a seaweed found along the west coast of Ireland. Also called carrageen, it is used as a thickener in puddings, soups, ice creams, cosmetics and medicines.

20. 1845 to 1849.
(Total up your right answers and if you can still count that high… yer too damn sober, laddie/lass. Ye’ve missed the whole point o’ the Day. Try again… G’day t’ ye.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

A Wish for a Friend
Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

Trying something different

Chances are you may find yourself celebrating the Irish holiday in your favorite bar, tavern or saloon. If you want to kick-start the party, try out these 20 questions of Irish trivia. Topics run the gamut from history to pop culture and test your knowledge of all things Irish. They can be used to set up spirited bar games and contests. You can form teams or let anyone shout out the answers. Have awards for the winners or make the losers buy a round for the house. Be as formal or as raucous as you want. The choice is yours on how to play. May the luck of the Irish be with you. You can even just do it by yourself as you cry in your green beer.

Questions:

1. What are the names of the members of the Irish rock band U2?

2. What does "Erin go bragh" mean? (For extra credit: What language is it?)

3. What is the alternative title of the song "Danny Boy"?

4. What are the colors of the flag of Ireland?

5. What were the shapes of the marshmallow pieces in the original Lucky Charms cereal? (For extra credit: What does the leprechaun say as a sales pitch for the cereal?)

6. In the song "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," what can you hear in the lilt of Irish laughter?

7. Notre Dame derives from what language?

8. What is the name of the Irish priest depicted by Spencer Tracy in the 1938 classic movie "Boys Town"? (For extra credit: What is the Boys Town motto?)

9. Before baking Irish soda bread, why is a cross traditionally slashed in the top of the loaf?

10. What is the minimum number of years that Irish whiskey is aged?

11. What Irish singer tore up a picture of the Pope on live television?

12. In Irish folklore, what is the traditional profession of a leprechaun?

13. In the song "I'm Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover," what does the fourth leaf represent?

14. In early television commercials for Irish Spring soap, a woman expresses her approval of the product by saying what phrase?

15. Movie idol Clark Gable was miscast in a 1936 movie portraying what Irish patriot?

16. What is the historical root definition of the word "whiskey"?

17. What type of meat goes into a traditional Irish stew?

18. What is the title of the final novel by Irish writer James Joyce which is known for its experimental language and free associations?

19. Where would you start looking for Irish moss?

20. What were the years of the Irish potato famine?

The answers will come tomorrow.................

Trying again--if it doesn't work, forget it.

Here's the second try.



Here's hoping. It's a cute St. Pat's day card.

Might work

Didn't work. Must have done it wrong--which is nothing new. lol

Some Irish Trivia

The first St. Patrick's Day on record in North America was in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737. I was unable to discover if the celebrants dyed their beer green in honor of the day.

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is much different; it's a public and religious holiday. Not saying a few beers mightn't get hoisted at O'Reilly's Pub, but in general it's a more cultural and sanctified event than its North American counterpart. People attend mass, watch parades and enjoy rugby games.

St. Patrick is not St. Patrick

Some historians believe his real name was Maewyn Succat. Even if it wasn't, it still wasn't Patrick but Patricius because he was born and raised in Roman Britain, probably on the coast of Wales.

When he was 16, Irish pirates raided the coast, taking him and many hapless more into Ireland where they were sold as slaves. Patricius remained a slave for six years, herding his master's sheep before escaping back home. He entered the church, eventually became a bishop and returned to Ireland as a missionary. He wasn't the first missionary there but does get most of the credit for establishing Christianity in Ireland.

Irish snakes

One popular legend about St. Patrick is that he stood on a hill (Croagh Patrick to be exact) in County Mayo and with a wave of his staff, banished the snakes from Ireland. However, there never were any snakes in the Emerald Isle, making this a metaphor for something else. Serpents are often associated with paganism, especially goddess worship. Within 200 years of St. Patrick's arrival, Christianity dominated the country. Still, traces of the old goddess worship remain to this day. For example, the goddess Brighid became "Christianized" as St. Bridget. And there may be a good reason the Virgin Mary is so revered in Ireland that untold numbers of girls have been given the name.

More sayings

May there always be work for your hands to do;
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

I just got these in an email. Thought I'd post them before St. Pat's day.

Water, water, go away

And don't come back another day. I want to get the cellar cleaned up and make a list of all the stuff I've lost. Today we had sprinkles but of snow. The sun does not want to shine.

Not writing makes my days long. What to do with myself? I fooled around with emails, my ACES group for English Setters, did my other blog but not well and heard Spitzer resign from office. What a day!

Interview

I will be interviewing Pat Guthrie on the 27th
Check my other blog for the weekend's problems. lololol


For much more information about Patricia Guthrie and In the Arms of the Enemy, visit her virtual book tour site - http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Patricia+Guthrie

Book Summary
WANTED: ASSASSIN TO KILL RACE HORSES ON DEMAND
FLEXIBLE HOURS-GOOD BENEFITS
Light Sword Publishing announces the release of Patricia A. Guthrie’s first published novel “In the Arms of the Enemy.”
When the death of a racing stable’s prize horse and his trainer is blamed on the stable’s owner; his son, Adam Blakely, goes undercover convinced that the trainer’s partner, Maggie McGregor, is the killer.
Determined to leave the tumultuous world of horse racing, Maggie returns home to try and find peace. When a handsome horse owner moves his horse into her father’s boarding stable and asks Maggie to train his horse, family finances dictate that Maggie accept--and that’s when the accidents begin.
Drowning in deception and lies, Maggie and Adam search for a killer and uncover an insurance scam so insidious, it threatens to rock a horse racing empire and bring the killer to their doorstep. They need to learn to:
Keep your friends close; but your enemies closer.
Review magazine "Affaire de Coeur" says, "With a strong mystery and a sizzling romance, Ms. Guthrie captivates readers from the start. This is an enjoyable thriller with a plot that will keep you guessing until the climactic end.”
* * * * * Rated five stars


AUTHOR BIO
Patricia A. Guthrie is a resident of Park Forest, Illinois. A recently retired music teacher from the Chicago Public Schools (May Community Academy and Chicago Vocational Community Academy) and former opera singer, Author Patricia A. Guthrie is now an avid horse owner, dog obedience trainer and writer. Ms. Guthrie lives with three feisty collies who act as “ghost writers” and help her write at every given opportunity.
This story is dedicated to those horses lost to man’s greed and inhumanity and to those humanitarians whose mission is to save and protect them.
In the Arms of the Enemy By Patricia A. Guthrie
www.paguthrie.blogspot.com
www.patriciaanneguthrie.com
www.myspace.com/paguthrie

Danny Boy--the song

I just read this on the Internet and found out more than I wanted to know about a song I love. I found it on GoGirlfriend's Blog

Danny Boy Banned in New York Pub

The most overplayed, over-ranked and the most depressing lyrics of all time?
If you're hoping for a pint of green beer and hearty round of "Danny Boy" in pubs this St. Patrick's Day, steer clear of Foley's Pub in Manhattan. The owner, Shaun Clancy, banned it for the entire month of March.

"It's overplayed, it's been ranked among the 25 most depressing songs of all time and it's more appropriate AP News - Shaun Clancy for a funeral than for a St. Patrick's Day celebration," said Shaun Clancy, who owns Foley's Pub and Restaurant, across the street from the Empire State Building.

But Shauny Boy, it's the one Irish song we all know - I'm singing it in my head as I'm writing this!

Clancy, the 38-year-old owner, grew up bartending when he started pouring drinks at his Dad's pub in Country Cavan, Ireland. He's promised a free Guinness to anyone who'll sing an Irish song his pub's pre-St. Patrick's Day karaoke party on March 11 - as long as it's not Danny Boy.

A free Guinness? Worth reconsidering our fixation with the tune and a Google search to find a replacement? Maybe.

So, what's the Irish man's problem with Danny Boy. For starters, it was written by an English man, Frederick Edward Weatherly, who never set foot on Irish soil. Some say the song's symbolic of the Irish potato famine, while others say it's a song sung by a mother grieving a dead son or lost lover.

The song concludes, "The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying/ 'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide." Maybe Shauny Boy's onto something here - it doesn't exactly sound like Irish dancing music, to me.

Martin Gaffney, 73, told the Associated Press he was happy to see the song banned. The song is "all right, but I get fed up with hearing it - it's like the elections," he said in a thick Irish brogue.
If your heart's set on crooning the sad lyrics this St. Paddy's day, get yourself to AJ's Café in Detroit where you can sing to your heart's content in a 50-hour marathon of the song.
50 hours of Danny Boy?

I don't think there's enough Guinness in the world to get anyone through that special brand of Irish Hell.

The writing life

The writing life is not all it's cracked up to be. So many things get in the way--even what people say to the author.

So, I'm going to give myself an Irish blessing. "May the sun shine always in the windows of my outdoor office." That's where I'm going to hide. I am not going to listen to anyone, but sit in front of the computer until blood slips from my nostrils, so that I can write something decent...

Check the other blog if you want to know what's happened in the recent past.