Monthly Archives: March 2016

30 03, 2016

An Irish Blessing for House Guests

By |2016-03-18T16:37:44-05:00March 30th, 2016|Wednesday Words of Wisdom|1 Comment

Today is the last Wednesday in March will end the Irish sayings, quotes, toasts, and wishes. I hope you’ve enjoyed the witty Irish sayings as much I’ve enjoyed sharing.

blessingThis final wish (blessing) is one of my favorites. It hangs in my guest bedroom for all my house guests to read.

Do you have a favorite Irish saying you’d like to share?

28 03, 2016

Irish Blarney and the Writer

By |2016-03-18T16:34:54-05:00March 28th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|2 Comments

Rivers in major cities all over the world have run green this month. Bars filled with people wearing fake beards, green top hats, and sunglasses shaped as twin four-leaf clovers. After all, with or without any Irish heritage, everyone’s Irish at least on St. Patrick’s Day.

For sure, there’s been lots and lots of craic (Irish fun) and blarney (talk that is not necessarily true, but eloquent) going on.

If you’ve read my Wednesday posts, you’ve read a lot of Irish blarney. Some words less well-known idioms and blessings, some more familiar and oft-repeated quotes and sayings  of Irish humor and insight. I’m thinking some of the lessons were  clearly learned the hard way.

Bunrattybig

SOURCE: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bunrattybig.jpg#/media/File:Bunrattybig.jpg

To receive the gift of Blarney, it’s said you should kiss the Blarney Stone located in the tiny village northwest of Cork in Country Cork within the Castle.

The castle itself was constructed in 1446, but the history of the place goes back two centuries before that time. The origins of the Blarney Stone as a magical stone is a mystery.

Some believe the stone at the castle is the stone Moses struck to produce water for Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. Others believe it to be Jacob’s Pillow brought to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah and became the Lia Fail, or ‘Fatal Stone’, oracular throne of the Irish kings.

Still others tag it as the Stone of Ezel, which David hid behind while fleeing King Saul, and brought to Ireland during the Crusades. Ultimately to be used as the Coronation Stone of Scottish monarchs and St. Columba’s traveling altar throughout Scotland.

After Columba’s death, the stone came to Ireland to serve as the Stone of Destiny, the prophetic power of royal succession.

It is known that the word Blarney itself entered the dictionary during the time of Queen Elizabeth I, when Dermot McCarthy, castle ruler, kept delaying to surrender his fortress to the Queen as proof of his loyalty. When the Queen heard his excuses, she said “Odds bodikins, more Blarney talk!”

Shortly thereafter the Francis Sylvester Mahony, an Irish bard of the early nineteenth century, wrote:

There is a stone there, that whoever kisses,

Oh! He never misses to grow eloquent:

Is all that history true? Who knows? The Irish are, after all, the world’s greatest story tellers.

Whether any of the blarney is true or not, Blarney Castle and its magical stone attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

I’ve been.

And let me tell you kissing that stone is quite a feat. First, you climb up 90+ feet inside the castle stairway then execute a back bend that would cripple a skilled gymnast.

SOURCE: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blarney_stone.png#/media/File:Blarney_stone.png

SOURCE: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blarney_stone.png#/media/File:Blarney_stone.png

The higher I climbed the more my fear of heights and dark, narrow stairways kicked in. I never made it to the top. Instead taking the first exit to enjoy the garden and gift shop.

Personally, I think there’s a touch of the o’blarney in all writers whether they’ve ever been to the isle and kissed the stone or not.

Don’t you agree?

 

21 03, 2016

Celebrating Saint Patrick

By |2016-03-06T10:50:52-06:00March 21st, 2016|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Last Thursday, we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at my house. Our plates of corn beef and cabbage sat on woven place mats with shamrocks and Irish harps. A pot of shamrocks was our centerpiece. Not real shamrocks, but gloxinia, which has the clover-shaped leaves and little white flowers.

The corn beef and cabbage are totally an American-Irish tradition for St. Patrick’s Day. You’ll not find it served in Ireland.

While we ate, we talked of my recent trip to Ireland and all the St. Patrick legends I heard as we visited cathedrals and castles. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and March 17 is, in fact, a religious feast day.

For those who didn’t know, St. Patrick himself was British, born in Roman Britain in the fourth century. In his teens, Irish raiders kidnapped him. He worked as a shepherd and “found God,” who called him to evangelize Ireland. Later he became a priest and spent years converting the Irish pagans. He died on 17 March.  Over the following centuries, many legends grew up around Patrick and he became Ireland’s foremost saint.

St.Pat pixTechnically, St. Patrick was never canonized by a pope as saints of the modern day church are. There wasn’t a formal canonization process in the Church’s first millennium, so most saints from that period were granted the title if they were either martyrs or seen as extraordinarily holy. But Saint Patrick is revered as holy by the Irish. Pictures like this one can be found everywhere on the island.

gohistoric_17909_mOne of the stops on my trip along the west of Ireland was at The Rock of Cashel, seat of the overkings of Munster where St. Patrick baptized the grandsons of Conall Corc. The legend says during the baptism the saint’s sharply pointed crozier pierced the son’s foot, who, believing it a part of the ceremony, suffered in silence. Since the baptism occurred in the 10th century, who knows if the story is fact or fiction.

On the same trip, I went to Croagh Patrick, the mountain which overlooks Clew Bay in County Mayo. It is known as the holiest mountain in Ireland because St. Patrick fasted for forty days on the mountain summit in 441 AD. Now individuals and groups come from all over the world to climb to the summit and celebrate mass at the modern chapel at the top.

The first stop on the pilgrimage is Saint Patrick’s statue erected in 1928 by Reverend Father Patterson with money he collected in America towards the rebuilding of Saint Mary’s Church in Westport. Because it was late in the day and raining – not raining raining but what the Irish call spitting, we only hiked as far as the statue. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We also made stops at Saint Patrick’shamrocks Cathedral in Dublin where legend says St. Patrick baptized converts at a well that once existed in the park alongside the church.

The most common St Patrick’s Day symbol is the shamrock, a representation of the Holy Trinity. St. Patrick is said to have used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans.

While parades, dancing, special foods, and a whole lot of green are fun ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and our Irish heritage, it’s also good to pause and remember who Saint Patrick was.

18 03, 2016

Spring Break Numbers at Miller Farm

By |2016-03-17T13:13:13-05:00March 18th, 2016|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

8 – The number of dogs in the house – our 6 plus Miller and Jengo. These are the dogs we often keep while their owner is out of town. This is the first time to have them since acquiring Max and Penny – Tucker’s puppies.

7 – The number of people working out of our house. Rachel is housesitting elsewhere but comes by for meals. Matt and Catherine are home from college. Catherine brought her finance. Bill, our exchange student, is here along with Brian and me.

6 – The number of cars at our house the day Matt grilled ribs and steaks. He invited a friend to join the fun.

5 – The number of free roosters Brian agreed to take.

4 – The number of free roosters that actually made it into our cage. One escaped during transfer and was last seen flying down the street.

3 – The number of days Catherine and Caleb are here

2 – The number of nights Matt slept on the floor.

1 – The number of bee stings received this week – remarkable considering all the other numbers. Chicken Wrangler Sara’s ear was the recipient.

0 – the number of regrets I have about Spring Break.

Having a house full of chaos is how we roll on Miller Farm :)

16 03, 2016

Irish slang

By |2016-03-04T16:14:54-06:00March 16th, 2016|Wednesday Words of Wisdom|0 Comments

leprachuanWednesday is words of wisdom day on the blog. For March, I’ve been sharing Irish blessings, curses, and sayings.

Today I’ve a chart of Irish slang for you. The Irish do have a way with words.

a useless fellow He’s fit to mind mice at a crossroads.
someone who committed some small fault ‘Tis only a stepmother would blame you.’
a tall, large woman That’s a fine doorful of a woman.
a gossiper She has a tongue that would clip a hedge.
a poor, thin creature The breath is only just in and out of him, and the grass doesn’t know of him walking over it.
a coarse, ill-mannered person using poor language What would you expect out of a pig but a grunt?
trying to change a stubborn person’s mind You might as well be whistling jigs to a milestone.
very bad music Aw, that’s the tune the old cow died of.
one who overstays their welcome If that man went to a wedding, he’d stay for the christening.
a talkative person That man would talk the teeth out of a saw.
a person who paid too much for a cow He bought every hair in her tail.
a clever thief He’d steal the sugar out of your punch.
praise of strong whiskey I felt it like a torchlight procession going down my throat.
a woman who made a bad marriage She burnt her coal and did not warm herself.
bad aim in shooting He wouldn’t hit a hole in a ladder.
an impish child That one suffers from a double dose of original sin.
an unfortunate one He is always in the field when luck is on the road.
very wet weather It’s a fine day for young ducks.
someone who always plans carefully If he’s not fishing he’s mending his nets.

Find anything you could use?

14 03, 2016

Newsletter Sign Up Contest

By |2016-03-08T20:11:18-06:00March 14th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

March is Irish month for me and for many who are of Irish ancestry. To celebrate, I’m running a newsletter sign up campaign.

Starting today, March 14, through March 31, subscribe to my free author newsletter to enter the contest.

WHY A CONTEST?

The way social media works, not everyone sees all my blog or Facebook posts and/or tweets on Twitter. When I post news about a new release or contest, you may miss out.

news graphicThe only way to stay on top of new releases (there will be two this year) is a subscription to my newsletter.

Subscribers are the first to see new covers, hear news of releases and interesting tidbits I stumble across in researching a manuscript. Plus lots of fun stuff and giveaways.

WHAT DO YOU WIN?

Two lucky emails will be drawn from all NEW subscribers and receive souvenirs I bought back from Ireland plus a $5 gift card from Amazon.

HOW DO YOU ENTER?

Simple. Click this link and complete the newsletter form.

HOW WILL WINNERS BE NOTIFIED?

Winners will be announced April 2 on

FB author page

Here on the blog

Twitter @Judythe2

In the April newsletter

If you see your name, email me your snail mail address using my website contact link and your prize will be shipped.

11 03, 2016

Multi-Purpose Housing for Bantams

By |2016-03-04T10:30:10-06:00March 11th, 2016|Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Blog from Chicken Wrangler Sara

Rachel commissioned little coops for each of her six bantam runs.bantam coopsShe actually traded a full day of babysitting for them. She watched eight children for 12 hours in exchange for six A-frame chicken coops. I’m not sure who got the better end of that deal.

The bantams are happy. They now have a safe place to sleep at night and a shelter for when it rains. They also roost on the top of the coops.

One day a chicken slid down the side. So the coop triples as a shelter, a roost, and a playground. What a great deal!

What more could a chicken want?

7 03, 2016

Irish music: ‘Tis nothing like it.

By |2022-03-11T05:36:17-06:00March 7th, 2016|Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

March brings St. Patrick’s Day and around my house, all things Irish appear. The air rings with Irish music. You’ll frequently catch me dancing a little jig along with Celtic Woman.

Irish music is such an important part of Ireland. Whether the fiddler on a corner in Dublin or the man on the country lane blowing his Irish whistle or a late-night session at the local pub, you’ll find toe-tapping, hand-clapping music everywhere.

I could listen all day. And often do.

DSC00444These photos were taken at sessions we attended on one of our trips.2006 pub

As the session on the right was breaking up a native Irish speaker leaned over and said this about the music we’d been listening to, “Ah I tell you, it was great music, ‘twould make the water stand out in your eyes.” Me and old manAnd, indeed tears did sparkle in my eyes that night.

Nothing is more wonderful than the combination of traditional music and dancing. On a trip to Bunratty Castle in 2006, we attended an Irish Evening at the Corn Barn where the magic of Irish traditional music, song, and the local dancers provided a show we still talk about. Watch this video describing the event. I promise it will put you in St. Patrick’s Day mood.

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