Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Some people like air shows ... I don't

Posted by TheYank at 7/29/2009 4:13 PM EDT

On Sunday I went to the Air Show in Bray, Co. Wicklow. The papers say that there were 50,000 people there, but from my vantage point the crowd looked pretty sparse. I watched the air show from on top of Bray head, where, I had a good view of the people standing on the 'beach' below ... and the planes above (sort of) ... and the dark, gray clouds that seemed to be everywhere.

Maybe it was the weather - cool, very windy, gray - but I didn't really enjoy the show. In fact, I would certainly have given it a miss, if not for my eight-year-old son's insistence. So we made the trip to the top of the hill and watched as planes did their thing. And, I didn't really mind the planes, but I could have lived without the helicopters, all of which seemed to do the same thing and all well below where we were.


Having picked our way past a few dozen blue children - did I mention that if Al Roker had been on Bray Head he'd have been talking about wind chill - we were fortunate to find a couple of uncomfortable rocks to sit on, on the slightly-less-windy sea-side of the hill. And there we stayed for two and a bit hours watching planes and helicopters and helicopters and planes. Once or twice there multiple planes, but mostly it was one plane or one helicopter at a time.

Within 20 minutes I was pretty bored and by the end of the first hour I was ready for sleep (although I understand that hypothermia can do that to you). Just couldn't work up any enthusiasm for the flying display whatsoever.

Did I mention that this was my third year at the Bray Air Show? Yup, three times there, each time because the same small boy insisted.


At least I had the foresight to bring a book this year, which I would have read if that aforementioned small boy had not insisted on having my full attention every time there was a lull in the proceedings. The book was a very good idea, but, in the end, all it was was extra weight in the the bag on my back for both our ascent and descent.

Did I mention the mud? Some other time maybe.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

No, I don't have swine flu

Posted by TheYank at 7/28/2009 2:44 PM EDT

I have to get on a plane in a few days to fly to America. Looking forward to it, but all this talk about the spread of swine flu has me wondering if I'll be admitted to the country in the first place. Why? Because like half of Ireland this July I have a cold.

You see, it's miserable here this summer. This morning when I woke up it was cold. Now, let me say, I know the difference between a cool, crisp summer morning - you know, the kind that gives way to sunny and 85 - and what we have, which is damp (really wet is more appropriate) and cool. It warmed up a bit today - probably hit 65 - but it's still raining hard outside.

Thanks to our 'fine summer' it seems like every other person has a cold here, as if it's early November. Maybe this will morph into the swine flu, but for the moment we all have sniffles and sneezes, but no fevers. Other than a very few of us, of course.

Still, I wonder if when I walk into the terminal building in what will, I'm sure, seem like stifling heat this weekend, will some officious health inspector want to detain me and my whole family when they hear our sneezing and see our red noses.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

The real relationship between Ireland and America

Posted by TheYank at 7/25/2009 1:01 PM EDT

Every so often the voice of the common, decent people of Ireland demands to be heard despite the media's bias. That happened this week thanks to a wedding and two families' determination to set the record straight as to what happened at the reception.

On Tuesday of this week the Irish Times reported that American soldiers had "gate-crashed" a wedding in Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare. The soldiers were staying at a hotel near Shannon Airport for a couple of days because the airplane that was due to take them to Iraq had some form of fault.

The Times' report had a very negative tone. You just got the sense that American soldiers had disrupted the wedding, alienated two families and their friends and, probably, upset a girl on the biggest day of her life. Oh yeah, and you'd also have thought they were ill-disciplined as the report said that an officer "tried to get them out of the hall." Probably drinking too much was an instinctive thought.

Then over the next few days the full truth emerged. The soldiers had not gate-crashed the wedding at all. They had been invited in and, in fact, their behavior was "exemplary," according to the father of the bride. Better than that, the bride and groom themselves were "proud" to have the troops there and told the Evening Herald that they "had great fun with them all."

Then the bride's mother was quoted, "These young soldiers were absolute gentlemen and were very welcome at the wedding." Words to make any American proud.

Oh, and what about their discipline? Again, the bride's mother:
They were all drinking Coke and other minerals [sodas] as they were not allowed to drink alcohol.
A lieutenant stood at the door of the reception and only allowed six to eight soldiers to be present in the room at any one time for just a half-hour each. They took turns to attend and some of them danced their brains out.

What a great story. Two Irish families welcoming in bored, young American soldiers and allowing them to partake of a great family occasion and the soldiers behaving like "absolute gentlemen." This is the real relationship between Ireland and America, not what the Irish Times and a few select cranks who always seem to find an ear in the media would have us believe.

The Irish Times never bothered to revisit this story. It doesn't suit the Times' world-view to portray the American soldiers in such a light. They prefer painting them as Nazi storm-troopers wading into the Warsaw Ghetto to the truth. God forbid it would get out that American soldiers can behave properly or that any Irish families would welcome in Americans in uniform.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Genealogy as Must See tv

Posted by TheYank at 7/22/2009 5:13 PM EDT

There are times when I love the BBC. Tonight was one of them.

I just finished watching Who Do You Think You Are? and, honestly, it was riveting. This is a series that has been on for years, and it's often been riveting in the past. Tonight was one of the best.

The idea of the series is that basically we watch some semi-well known person research their roots. Tonight it was Chris Moyles, a DJ on BBC radio. I knew nothing of him before tonight, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the show.

Anyone with Irish roots would enjoy this program. All of Moyles' family was from Ireland and they all came from extreme poverty. There are a couple of twists in his family story that would probably differ from that of most Irish-Americans - like the grandmother from the slums of Dublin, always more likely to head to Britain than America - but I still think people of Irish descent anywhere would find the story moving.

My only regret is that the BBC doesn't allow people outside the UK to watch their shows online. If they did, I'd highly recommend it. If they show this series on BBC America, look out for the Chris Moyles episode. It's worth it.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Where it's not just the streets that have names

Posted by TheYank at 7/21/2009 2:28 PM EDT

I read in the Irish Times today that there is a travel agency in Boston that has booked a U2 tour to Ireland for this week's three big U2 concerts at Dublin's Croke Park. Not only will these U2 fanatics from America get tickets to the show(s), but they will also dine at U2's Clarence Hotel and go on a U2-themed tour or two around Dublin.

I hope the tour group gets to come out to the Dalkey/Killiney area where Bono lives. Thanks to the fact that my in-laws live in Dalkey I've spent quite a bit of time there. {For the record, my in-laws do not live in a Bono-style mansion.}

It's beautiful there and there are a few great walks, the best of which is up to the top of Dalkey/Killiney Hill. From the top of the hill you can see near-by Dalkey Island, over Dublin and Killiney Bays, across the city and out towards the Dublin mountains. The views are tremendous no matter which way you turn.


{Bono's house is directly below this shot. He has a great view.}

Among the big houses built along the side of Dalkey/Killiney Hill facing out to toward the sea is Bono's house. As you can imagine, all of the houses around this area are tremendous, although some are more tremendous than others. I'm sure Bono's is great, but it's not really easy to get a good look at it, and that's probably just as well. He has a big black gate in front of his house and whenever Bono's in town a small crowd of young folks seem to stand there. How they know when he's in town is a mystery to me.

Bono's not the only famous person who lives in the area either. I think the Edge might still have a house there, but I'm not sure. Van Morrison, Neil Jordan and Maeve Binchy all live in the area, although Binchy lives just about in the heart of Dalkey, in a much more modest house than those other three. I think Chris de Burgh lives in Dalkey too.



Like I said walking around Dalkey/Killiney Hill is a real treat (if it's dry). When you're in an area where the views aren't quite so great, you can enjoy the houses. Many are fairly old and many are unique. No numbers on the houses either. Each house has a name. Most of the names are towns and villages in Ireland, probably the ancestral home of the person who built or owns the house. I have often told my wife that when we get rich we're buying one of those houses and we're going to call it Cooperstown. I've always wanted to be in Cooperstown.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Faked out in Hollywood

Posted by TheYank at 7/20/2009 12:45 PM EDT

I have to admit I'm somewhat bemused by the reaction to David Beckham out in Los Angeles. The fans there seem none too pleased with the way the English star has gone about his business playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy. The New York Times says that last night Beckham "was booed more than cheered during introductions"and booed when the Galaxy's match with AC Milan got underway. One fan even held up a sign that said, "Go Home Fraud." Fraud? And this is in Los Angeles, the "fake" capital of the world? The same city that is cheering Manny Ramirez to the hilt these past few weeks?

So, what exactly is bothering the Galaxy's fans? Well, apparently the Los Angeles fans are annoyed because Beckham now wants to play in Milan rather than LA. Well, duh! What did they think was going to happen? Why did they think Beckham signed to play in Los Angeles at all?

Beckham was never a great player. In fact - and I'm no soccer expert - I think you could safely say that Beckham was never more than 5th or 6th best player on team when he was with Manchester United. He was a decent player on the biggest and best club in Europe, but one that was led by an Irishman and had very few English stars, something the English media didn't care for. Beckham was probably not even the best English player at United (I think Paul Scholes was far better), but he was glamorous and had that rare talent for performing better than anyone those tasks that take place in the most obvious media moments: free kicks.

He wasn't the guy you built a team around, let alone a league. The way the American press talked about him when he first signed with the Galaxy you'd have sworn that he was Pele II (a Hollywood sequel).

Beckham went to Los Angeles because he was always more show business than sportsman. He went to make money while he could. I can't believe that any sports fan could have seen it otherwise. Now he obviously figures that he's milked that for all it's worth he'd like to come back to Europe and maybe rebuild his name and sell some more AC Milan shirts to those who are more fans of stardom than soccer. That the people of Los Angeles are calling Beckham a fraud is more an indication that they never realized what the move to America was all about in the first place.
---------------
Comments:

washwoman wrote:
It's soccer and this is the United States. We don't really care that much.
7/20/2009 1:30 PM EDT

TheYank wrote:
And I understand that. But, it's just about the lead story on the Los Angeles Times' web site, so it's got some play in California.

Having said that, I would be of the same opinion if I was still in America. I mean, I still pay far more attention to baseball than soccer (or any other sport) and I live in Ireland.
7/20/2009 2:36 PM EDT

Ajreaper wrote:
Soccer is certainly growing in the US of that there is no doubt but it is not an "American" game and it is not one we typically do well in internationally so by and large the majority of Americans don't care one way or the other. Yank hit this right on the nail right on the head- if you are a world class soccer player you do not go to play in teh US for anything other then 1) cash and 2) I get to be the big fish in a small pond. Look at it like this- if you are an exceptional football player you'd not head to Canada to play unless- they throw a ton of money at you and there is something within you that craves being the "man" vs. being one of the men.

I will say this I am a high school football coach, I don't much understand the game of soccer nor would I say I am a fan but I found myyself watching the US women play the last few days (game was on at the club but I could have chosen another treadmill and watched something else while I worked out) and was proud of how the US mens team did earlier this summer- I am not a fan but I am warming a bit to it so thats progress in some small way I suppose.
7/20/2009 2:49 PM EDT

TheYank wrote:
Ajreaper,

One aspect of Beckham's move that I omitted, but probably shouldn't have, was that I'm sure that the move to Los Angeles suited his wife very well. She seemed to get a lot more of the star treatment out there than she'd been receiving in Britain or anywhere in Europe. I think she's the marketing genius of the two of them - always keeping their names in the media. I'm sure she is the one who chases down Beckham's big sponsorship deals.

I like your analogy to an American star going to Canada. That's perfect.

The longer I live here the more I sort of appreciate the fact that soccer is no biggie in America. I hope it remains that way. I'm not sure I can explain why, but I just hope soccer remains the preserve of a small minority of American sports fans.
7/21/2009 2:27 PM EDT

Ajreaper wrote:
Great point Yank- it's a shame when it's more about the "deals" then about the game. That seems to be afflicting more athletes across a broad spectrum of sports- that desire to "get mine". It's one reason I love college athletics far and away more then professional sports (except for my beloved Packers but that goes back better then 30 years so it's engrained pretty solid).
7/22/2009 2:00 AM EDT

Padraig wrote:
Yank. I might be drawing on the bigger picture but…. Well, first Americans really don’t have knowledge of things outside their own state, or their county for that matter (American teacher friend of mine told me it’s scary how many don’t know where states are on a map). I don’t blame them for being unintelligible; it might have something to do with news coverage. This last weekend, CNN covered “remembering Walter Cronkite”; they had a spot there when he said just that. Cronkite said American media doesn’t cover the world much, for whatever reason it’s irrelevant, but the fact is relevant. The world is so connected now it’s not only about the Americas, Europe or other, it’s about us all. Soccer or football as some call it, would be a great gate way for the people in the states to start being connected to the world and not just their own state. Young kids are attracted to what fascinates (sports stars) so start with the young. So, I really must disagree with you, especially when you say you hope it doesn’t become big. It should. Soccer is the number sport in the world, and Americans (the ones in the states) should take it head on. It would be a gate way for the uneducated to start being educated about the world!! The domino effect, ripple effect or whatever effect would benefit the United States. Come on man, you’re the leaders of the world. Maybe your youth as well the old should be more connected! Ask your friends what they know about Ireland besides leprechauns, Guinness and other idioms? They most likely can’t tell you about the Irelands recession, culture or the Lisbon Treaty. Ask an Irishmen or European what goes on in the states, I bet they can tell you!

Please don’t take my disagreement badly. I still enjoy reading your blogs.
7/22/2009 6:47 AM EDT


TheYank wrote:
Padraig,

First of all, I'm a lot thicker-skinned than that. It takes a lot to offend me.

I'll agree with you to a point. Too many Americans don't know much or anything about the world beyond the American continent.

Where I think we might differ is the extent to which Irish people or even Europeans broadly (who I think know less) are all that much more knowledgeable about the world than are Americans. Yes, most Americans know very little about Ireland, but Ireland is not a good comparison with America. If Ireland was a state, it would rank 40th in area and around 20th in population (counting NI too). So, sure, most Americans have little concept of Ireland, although I would say that most of my friends could talk about the Celtic Tiger and its recent demise. But, my friends are not a representative sample because (a) they hear from me and (b) they live on the east coast, where knowledge of Ireland is greater. Still, the Celtic Tiger and the troubles in the Catholic Church here would be two big news stories that would have had an impact in America. And, the north, of course.

Still, the real comparison is between the US and the EU and, I daresay, Irish people's understanding of life in other EU countries (outside of Britain) is pretty scant. I would say that an Irish person's understanding of life in just about any E. European state - fellow EU members - is well below an American's understanding of Mexico or even other Central American or Caribbean countries. What you find here is that most (maybe) Irish people have some idea what's going on in France, Germany & Italy and know basically nothing about the rest of the EU. Maybe I should add Spain there. Maybe.

What you find in America is that many (most) people have an interest in one other country - their ancestral home or if they live in the SW, Mexico - about which they know a lot more than they know about any other country. (Ignoring the US & EU, the most important countries on Earth are India and China. I would say that as a % of population, more Americans know how things are in those countries than do Irish people. However, the avg. American, especially on the E. coast wouldn't know as much probably as the average Irish person.)

As for what Irish people know about America - there is a fascination with all things American here, which explains the media's interest, but there's a also a great deal of misunderstanding too because the media takes its cue from some aspects of America and ignores others. Of course, the Irish media does the same thing to people who don't live in Dublin!

Anyway, back to soccer. Soccer's growth in America has to come at the expense of one of the other sports in America, which I would regret. Baseball football and basketball are aspects of American culture that I'd rather not see sidelined. (Interestingly, the one sport that has the least foreign influence is football and that's easily the most popular sport in America these days.)
7/22/2009 10:39 AM EDT


TheYank wrote:
I should add, that none of that stops me rooting for America to win the World Cup. When that finally happens, the rest of the world will stop wishing Americans would take an interest in soccer!
7/22/2009 10:40 AM EDT


Ajreaper wrote:
Padraig sadly much of what you say is true to some degree and for a variety of reasons. I think outside the US this is often attributed to Americans not caring about or seeing the rest of the world as being relevent to them- put plainly, "Americans are stuck up". I don't think that's the case but I think in many places in the world that's the perception.

I am a teacher in the states and where I live and teach, high stakes testing at different points in a students education are the norm as they are in most places now in the US - if it's not tested it's an after thought and history and geography are often not given the attention they should be. It's a shame, and it's a bigger shame music, art, drama and physical education are being left further and further behind as well. Where I teach in 4 years of high school a student gets a year of World history and Geography and a year of American History- you could do a semester just on the ancient civilizations (or more) mush less give justice to World History and teach Geography in a single year.

We tend to know that which is important to us- either it's required for what we do in our day to day or it is something we have a passion for. if not it's off our radar and likely somethng we will know little about or understand well. It's not I don't care it's just reality about how much time we have and the need to devote most of that to our day to day lives- we are all wired that way.

Personally I don't miss growing up in a culture that cared little for soccer but I think I'd have loved Gaelic Football and/or Rugby and missing those opportunities does disappoint me.
7/22/2009 6:05 PM EDT


Padraig wrote:
Yank. Americans win the world cup. Naw. Just like you said the US bests athletes go into other sports. Until it gains some ground with men, I don’t think the world cup is in seeing distance. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve made some good strides. On the other hand, the women are the world power house; basically, they leave these other pathetic excuse for women footballers sniffing the sweat off the pitch.
7/23/2009 1:02 AM EDT

TheYank wrote:
Padraig,

Basically I agree. I think one thing that may not help men's soccer in America, but does help the women, is that the two sexes play together for a number of years at the junior level. Young American girls learn that soccer's a tough game. I've been told this is not as common now as it was 15 years ago, so I'm not sure.

Regardless, soccer is a game for immigrants' children and the middle classes. I've read a number of times that single moms love soccer because it's not a game dominated by aggressive fathers. I bet that also has an impact, but the real downfall of soccer in America is that it is still the game that must be organized. Kids don't just play it everywhere and anywhere as they do here.
7/24/2009 10:01 AM EDT

Someday America will win the World Cup, even if it takes a few flukey results to make it happen. In 2002 they were denied a chance at a semifinal by a handball on the line by a German defender. Germany then beat S. Korea for a place in the finals.
7/24/2009 10:04 AM EDT

Padraig wrote:
yea they will. they've got some real talent. I don't know them by name but I watched them play Spain, wow. i think in all things first you need talent, well you got that, then leadership, and magic: that little bit of luck with team cohesion and most of all heart! i can't tell how many time my small club wins or loses solely based on the mood.
7/25/2009 6:48 AM EDT

TheYank wrote:
And, they don't have a difficult task to qualify, unlike the European countries.
7/25/2009 7:32 AM EDT

Sunday, July 19, 2009

The sign of peace during a time of flu

Posted by TheYank at 7/19/2009 4:07 PM EDT

I had read during the week that one of the bishops had recommended suspending the sign of peace until the swine flu threat had passed, but I hadn't expected it to be implemented so quickly. Yet, at Mass yesterday evening, the priest asked us to simply nod to and smile at the person sitting next to us. It was more awkward than had he simply said that "we'll be dropping the sign of peace for a while."

Anyway, it brought back a memory - not so much a fond or bad memory as odd or strange - from a Mass over 20 years ago. I was in Jersey City, NJ. I can't recall all the details now, but I was sitting near enough to the front that I could see a group of nuns in the front row. These weren't the sort of nuns of the 1950s or earlier, but the kind that dressed casually and behaved with a certain, well ...

Let me explain.


The time for the sign of peace came and I shook hands with the people on either side of me. Not a biggie. I noticed that the nuns were doing the same. Then they turned around and faced those of us who were about 4 or so rows back. And they made peace signs at us. You know, with their fingers? Then they started waving their fingers at us so that we'd know that they were sending the peace to us? I guess? I don't know, I just found it really strange and not a little creepy. Not my cup of tea, anyway. Last time at that church for Mass.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Gentlemen Johnny - loser at Saratoga honored in Dublin

Posted by TheYank at 7/17/2009 10:21 AM EDT

From an American perspective, the history of Ireland from the late 1700s criss-crosses the history of the America in quite a few ways. I was unaware of one of those before yesterday.


I took a bit of a detour in my day to get to the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham, Dublin. I went there because the Irish Times had an article last week about a new exhibition of letters sent home from the front by Irish soldiers during WWI. (My obsession continues.) Anyway, the exhibition was a total waste of time.

The only redeeming feature of the exhibition was that right next to it was the Burgoyne Bell. Notice anything about that name? Yup, the Burgoyne Bell was dedicated to General John Burgoyne, who, it must be noted, LOST at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, the "turning point of the Revolution" as the schoolbooks taught us.

Before yesterday I never knew what happened to Burgoyne after he lost that battle and sailed away in ignominy (or so I figured, anyway). Well, apparently it wasn't all that ignominious as he was posted to Ireland as Commander-in-Chief of all British forces here in 1782. Who knew?


And, as Commander-in-Chief Burgoyne was Master of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The people in charge of the hospital obviously took quite a liking to Burgoyne as they dedicated the bell to him, hence its name.

The bell was cast in Dublin and installed in the bell tower in the hospital, but relocated to the basement "due to its great weight." So that's how I found it yesterday, sitting next to the over-sold WWI exhibition. Made the trip in to the Royal Hospital less of a waste than I thought it was initially.

{As a footnote = General Cornwallis, loser at Yorktown, also spent time in Ireland after his American defeat. More on that at a later date.}

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

We need a new censor

Posted by TheYank at 7/15/2009 1:32 PM EDT

Our movie censor seems to believe that children need to be shielded from cartoon like violence as much as they need to be shielded from sex and foul language. I think that's a nonsense.

My wife and I were a bit wary of bringing our 8-year-old son to Harry Potter. It was rated 12A here, which is the same rating the censor gave to Sandra Bullock's new movie The Proposal, which is clearly aimed at an adult audience.

My wife has just returned and the verdict? There's nothing in it that a young kid can't handle. A couple of teenage kisses - yuck! - and the fantasy type violence that is normal in Harry Potter. Kids can handle that.

Honestly, a rating of PG would have been sufficient. The censor here seems to have little understanding of what it is parents are looking for in movie ratings.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Free travel advice

Posted by TheYank at 7/14/2009 3:32 PM EDT

This is a full service blog.

I just found something today that I'd never seen before. Maybe it's all the rage among those who travel here from America, but for me - and I'd bet for just about everyone who lives here - you can get some decent discounts on Irish tourist attractions if you get your Discount Pass from IrelandVisitorDiscounts.com.

Some of the deals are 10% or even 20% off and others are two for one deals. Great savings for any couple or family that might take in sights such as the Book of Kells & Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Blarney Castle down in Cork, Lisadell House in Sligo or even the Somme Heritage Centre in Newtonards.

I haven't tried it yet, but I probably will later this week or next. Maybe it's not as good as it sounds right now and if not, I'll let you know. But if it works there's the price of a lunch in some of those savings.

Don't ... Lie To Me

Posted by TheYank at 7/14/2009 8:09 AM EDT

Do you watch television? I do and I don't. I find myself in front of the box often, but other than sporting events or a good movie, I rarely pay attention and bury my head in a newspaper or whatever. I only wish I'd done that 10 days ago.

Why? Because on my television set was one of the dumbest shows I've ever seen called Lie to Me. Fortunately, my daughter knew it was ridiculous, but she found enjoyment in that. She started (and has continued) making the odd faces that are a feature of Lie to Me. I could only feel embarrassment because it just made me cringe. As I watched I kept repeating, "Whatever happened to cop shows like Kojak?" {And, I haven't seen an episode of Kojak in many, many years so in my memory it was just great and I'll accept no arguments to the contrary.}

I couldn't believe anyone could make such an appalling show. I found it nearly impossible to accept that anyone would actually watch and enjoy it. And I refused to consider that anyone at the station I was watching - I think it was Irish channel TV3 - would have paid for such gar-bage (use Marv Albert's pronunciation).

I comforted myself with the thought that the show was on some very small American cable network and that TV3 had picked it up for free. While that wouldn't change my perception of the show, it would at least ease my mind with regards to what the American public expects in a cop show. But, I was wrong. Lie to Me is on Fox and has been picked up for a second season. What's gone wrong with America?

Monday, July 13, 2009

Kids with phones? Not so shocking

Posted by TheYank at 7/13/2009 8:05 AM EDT

Over the weekend there was a story in the press here that made it onto the front page of this site, which sort of surprised me. The headline was that half of all 9-year-olds have their own cell phones. When I first saw that story in the Irish newspapers, my reaction was, "This is news?" I just figured that (a) it was a very slow news day and (b) someone somewhere had to justify the money they'd spent carrying out the survey.

You could probably have come up with similar statistics if you had carried out the same survey back in 2001, when my oldest was nine. Then it seemed every kid her age was getting a phone. Why? I have no idea because my wife and I were totally baffled by parents who promoted the phenomenon of the pre-teen texter. I don't know if half of all 9-year-olds had phones then, but I'd bet that at least 60% of all 9-year-old girls did. I didn't pay as much attention to what boys were doing at the time.

{When I saw the story on the front page here, however, it reminded me that just because something is far from surprising to me that doesn't mean that a (mostly) American audience wouldn't find it an eyebrow-raiser. Will have to keep my eyes open a bit wider.}

And what of today's 9-year-olds? Well, now my son is in that age bracket so I'm more tuned into the boys. Still, I see small groups of little girls gathered around, all holding phones. I still have no idea why. However, I at least have some insight into the boys' fascination with phones: they're also mini video game machines.

Two of my son's friends have phones, but no credit, no SIM card. They can't make calls or text, but the phones they have came pre-loaded with some arcade-like games that they like. Well, how can I complain about that? I had a hand-held digital basketball game (can't for the life of me remember what we called those things) when I was young. And the phone is a lot cheaper than the Nintendo DS or whatever. So maybe the 9-year-olds with phones is not quite the shocker it might appear to be.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Those green postboxes


If you've ever been to Ireland then you've surely seen the green mail boxes. Those big iron drums that look like they'd last a thousand years. And, maybe you've also seen those interesting little built-into-stone-wall mailboxes. I remember when I first came here I was reluctant to put anything into one of those because I was sure they'd been abandoned years ago. Apparently not, however.


Recently Frank McNally of the Irish Times provided a bit of background on the color of the mailboxes, or should I say postboxes, and the symbols you can see on many of them. Now I'd lived here a long time before I even bothered to note anything other than the color, but as McNally points out you can still see reminders of Ireland's presence in the British Empire if you look closely at the postboxes.

At the time Ireland declared itself a Republic and left the Commonwealth (the Empire's descendant) 60 years ago all the postboxes were given a coat (or two, probably) of green paint to cover over the British red. And a campaign to remove "the insignia of Queen Victoria, King Edward, and King George V" from the postboxes was undertaken.

However, the effort to remove the Crown's symbols was soon abandoned, which is why so many of the old postboxes still have the "attractive monograms of VR and ER and GRV," although I'm not sure I've ever seen a GRV. {VR stands for Victoria Regina and ER for - wait for it - Edward Rex, Victoria's son King Edward VII. I bet You were expecting Elizabeth. GRV is for George Rex - George V.}

If you look closely at the post box above you can see the E surrounding the R and the little VII inside, indicating that this postbox was produced during the reign of Edward VII.

The wall-mounted postboxes have simple initials and not "attractive monograms", but still the V R separated by a crown is easily seen on those wall postboxes. And, of course, today's postboxes have no regal symbols, which is as it should be seeing as this is a republic.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Byrnes at War

I was just reading James Ryan's article on the name Byrne. I didn't do a study of the names on the monuments at the Menen Gate and Thiepval, but it seemed to me that Byrne was the most common name amongst the Irish regiments, definitely the most common in the Dublin Fusiliers.



There are four Byrnes listed here on the Thiepval Memorial. Each of these four Byrnes died at the Battle of the Somme, served in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, and was a Lance Corporal. Imagine there were four Byrnes who were Lance Corporals who died in that battle and whose bodies were never found/identified. The number of Byrnes who were privates listed on this wall was far, far greater, but they were at too great a height for me to get a picture of the names.

I wonder if any of them was related to Gabriel Byrne (featured in the picture with James Ryan's article). I'm pretty sure that the former host of Ireland's most popular television show, Gay Byrne, lost two uncles in the war.

Here's another picture (below). It's of one wall from the Menen Gate. That print you can't really make out is a portion - not even half - of all the names from the Irish regiments who were killed at Ypres, but whose bodies were never identified. It is amazing how many names are listed on these walls. And you have to bear in mind that those whose bodies were identified are not listed, but are in named graves in any of the dozens of cemeteries in the area.

ESPN sticks it to us Yanks in Ireland (& Britain)

ESPN is messing with us Yanks in Ireland. And Britain too. Yesterday ESPN announced that they were going to mix in English soccer games with the American sports that we've been getting undiluted since the North American Sports Network (later ESPN America) launched in '03. Details of what exactly us MLB/NCAA/NHL fans are going to get is pretty sketchy so far, but the discussion boards are sure of one thing: we're going to get live soccer in prime time instead of the sports we want.

One thing you have to realize is that there is already a ton of soccer out there. Soccer dominates the sports viewing in Britain - especially - but Ireland too in a way no sport dominates in America. It's virtually year round and there are so many different competitions on television that there is a minimum of one game per night on already. ESPN is adding more to the mix at the expense of live baseball, college football and basketball and, probably, hockey too (although there are few NHL day games).

ESPN will surely issue all sorts of press releases about the number of live baseball games, etc. that they will provide, but with the loss of the prime time slots to soccer that will mean baseball games that start at midnight or later. Other than students, who can sit up all night watching sports?

What's worse is that MLB has made their own online product much worse this year and this, coupled with my inferior broadband connection, mean that I may soon be unable to watch baseball. I never thought we'd be going back there.
---------------
Comments:

Ajreaper wrote:
LOL, Yank you know what's coming next don't you? The sports you'd like to see will be on a pay for view basis or available for an additional fee.
7/8/2009 11:34 AM EDT

TheYank wrote:
Ajreaper,

You know, I'd hate it, but I'd probably pay it if that was true, particularly if my team was somehow to recover from its current state - dead - to make the Playoffs. As of now, however, ESPN hasn't even got a slot on the satellite or cable systems to allow them to do that.

{For the record, I'm a Met fan.}
7/8/2009 12:33 PM EDT

Monday, July 6, 2009

Island of Ireland Peace Park

One place I was keen to see during our two-day sojourn was the Island of Ireland Peace Park. The Peace Park is near Mesen (Messines) just south of Ieper (Ypres).

I wasn't as happy with the Peace Park as I thought I was going to be. Why? Well, mostly because I had read that the Park was dedicated to those who "served with the Armies of Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States." {Although, reading it again I realize I misread what was said.} So, when I saw that those who served with the American (or Canadian or Australian or etc.) forces were not included I couldn't help wondering why not. They all fought on the same side, no?

Then there was the Peace Pledge stone. I know the Peace Park was partly a response to the Good Friday Agreement, but still something about the pledge made me cringe. I'll leave it to you to make up your own minds.

Just inside the gate there are eight stones with short verses written by Irishmen who served in the war. Ledwidge and Kettle were the only names I recognized. I'm not sure if I was supposed to recognize the others; I'm not sure it matters.



There are also three small pillars representing the three Irish divisions:
  • 10th (Irish) Div. - 9,363 casualties
  • 16th (Irish) Div. - 28,398 casualties
  • 36th (Ulster) Div. - 32,186 casualties
Another disappointment were the books. Inside the round tower was a set of books listing every Irish member of the British Army who died during the war. Tremendous resource with all the names listed alphabetically. Unfortunately, a few of the books were missing. I hope they have only been removed temporarily, but it would have been on bother to take one with me if I'd been so inclined. I can't imagine anyone doing that, but the books were missing. Maybe they should have been on chains tied to the wall? That would have prevented the books going missing, but also would have prevented me from bringing one outside the Tower to look for Patrick Conway's listing.





The Round Tower is a nice feature - Irish, yet it fits in with the country-side. When it's a bit older it will be even better.

Overall, I think the Park is not bad, but it lacks some of the poignancy you get from the older monuments erected when the memory of the war and the carnage was fresh. I'd still recommend a visit, though.

Friday, July 3, 2009

The 4th of July Irebecue

Tomorrow's the 4th of July and it's a Saturday, which is great. Means I can celebrate the 4th on the actual day. Most years I have to wait for the nearest weekend because, obviously. the 4th of July is not a holiday in Ireland. And, based on the forecast, it seems like the annual Irebecue will be perfect.

Irebecue? Yes, Irebecue. If you don't know the word Irebecue it's because I just made it up. Basically, an Irebecue is an Irish barbecue: you get all the food and fixings for a big celebration barbecue, you invite friends over to celebrate with you and, well, it rains, so you cook all your barbecue food in the kitchen like every other meal. An Irebecue is simply an Irish barbecue.
---------------
Comments:

Ajreaper wrote:
Yank- LOL, well the 4th of July should be an Irish holiday considering at least 1/3 (and some say as many as 2/3 rds) of Washingtons Army was Irish to include some 15 or 16 generals, the father of the American navy John Barry was an Irishman, and as I recall a fair number who signed the Decleration of Independence were Irish or came from an Irish background. And then there is this quote:

“On more than one imminent occasion, Congress owed their existence, and America possibly her preservation, to the fidelity and firmness of the Irish.” George Grieve, Travels in North America, in the Years 1780, 1781 and 1782

Yank do the Irish by an large take pride in and appreciate the huge contribution they made to the U.S.? It is immense and likely unequaled by any other ethnic group.
7/4/2009 12:26 AM EDT

Padraig wrote:
Yank. invest in Sun room with a lid. Its all the rave for good Irish weather. And at the rate yanks like to BBQ, it would be wise considering your backgroud and now your geographical location. And I'm sure the old guard will love that your celebrating Independance from those crown lovers huhu(excuse me had to get te taste out of me mout) accross the Irish Sea.
Happy 4th!!
7/4/2009 4:07 AM EDT

jacersisityourself wrote:
*Chuckling* Great laughs there above! Belated happy St Paddy's Day t'yez all in the grand oul' US of A. Ooops!
Well, yez can excuse me, after all - the grand US of A might not be around if it wasn't fer the Irishmen who fought for democracy.
Onwards, all Christian Soldiers of St Paddie's land - Iran next!
7/4/2009 10:22 PM EDT

TheYank wrote:
Ajreaper

The answer to your question really has to be no because most people here have only a vague idea of what the Irish contributed to America. I've often heard, "The Irish built America," but most people would know nothing specific. It's a shame. I've mentioned to people here that the role of the Irish in the creation and evolution of America (& Canada & Australia) should be on the curriculum, but I'm not sure how much kids learn in school matters anyway.
7/5/2009 5:16 PM EDT

TheYank wrote:
Padraig

Funny thing is, barbecuing is rarely a problem. The only time it becomes an issue is when we invite people over. I've often said that the weather here isn't all that bad, but you can't count on it. We often barbecue on short notice - like when we know there are going to be a 4 or 5 hours of dry weather. That's fine for the family, but not for inviting people over because they generally need more notice than, "Hey, the weather's great, come on over." (Although we used to do that when we with our friends when we were all younger and much more footloose.)

The sun room is a great idea, but I don't see it in the near future.
7/5/2009 5:19 PM EDT

Ajreaper wrote:
Yank that is unfortunate. If education in Ireland is anything like it is now in the states if it's not going to be part of a high stakes exit exam then it's not part of the curriculum.

Surely they must address the large numbers of people who left Ireland over the century's but they don't teach them the impact those people had on the countries they immigrated to and the world at large? What a shame.
7/5/2009 8:19 PM EDT

Padraig wrote:
Yank. I don't think the county your in is really all that different than Mayo. As you well know, its comin to talk (ie. complain) about the weather in Ireland. One of those comin pratices that I grew up with and that will never change. As the saying goes" You can take a man out of Ireland but you can't take Ireland out of the man." slainte, from Germany.
7/6/2009 1:30 AM EDT

Ajreaper wrote:
Yank- LOL, well the 4th of July should be an Irish holiday considering at least 1/3 (and some say as many as 2/3 rds) of Washingtons Army was Irish to include some 15 or 16 generals, the father of the American navy John Barry was an Irishman, and as I recall a fair number who signed the Decleration of Independence were Irish or came from an Irish background. And then there is this quote:

“On more than one imminent occasion, Congress owed their existence, and America possibly her preservation, to the fidelity and firmness of the Irish.” George Grieve, Travels in North America, in the Years 1780, 1781 and 1782

Yank do the Irish by an large take pride in and appreciate the huge contribution they made to the U.S.? It is immense and likely unequaled by any other ethnic group.
7/4/2009 12:26 AM EDT

Padraig wrote:
Yank. invest in Sun room with a lid. Its all the rave for good Irish weather. And at the rate yanks like to BBQ, it would be wise considering your backgroud and now your geographical location. And I'm sure the old guard will love that your celebrating Independance from those crown lovers huhu(excuse me had to get te taste out of me mout) accross the Irish Sea.
Happy 4th!!
7/4/2009 4:07 AM EDT

jacersisityourself wrote:
*Chuckling* Great laughs there above! Belated happy St Paddy's Day t'yez all in the grand oul' US of A. Ooops!
Well, yez can excuse me, after all - the grand US of A might not be around if it wasn't fer the Irishmen who fought for democracy.
Onwards, all Christian Soldiers of St Paddie's land - Iran next!
7/4/2009 10:22 PM EDT

TheYank wrote:
Ajreaper

The answer to your question really has to be no because most people here have only a vague idea of what the Irish contributed to America. I've often heard, "The Irish built America," but most people would know nothing specific. It's a shame. I've mentioned to people here that the role of the Irish in the creation and evolution of America (& Canada & Australia) should be on the curriculum, but I'm not sure how much kids learn in school matters anyway.
7/5/2009 5:16 PM EDT

TheYank wrote:
Padraig

Funny thing is, barbecuing is rarely a problem. The only time it becomes an issue is when we invite people over. I've often said that the weather here isn't all that bad, but you can't count on it. We often barbecue on short notice - like when we know there are going to be a 4 or 5 hours of dry weather. That's fine for the family, but not for inviting people over because they generally need more notice than, "Hey, the weather's great, come on over." (Although we used to do that when we with our friends when we were all younger and much more footloose.)

The sun room is a great idea, but I don't see it in the near future.
7/5/2009 5:19 PM EDT

Ajreaper wrote:
Yank that is unfortunate. If education in Ireland is anything like it is now in the states if it's not going to be part of a high stakes exit exam then it's not part of the curriculum.

Surely they must address the large numbers of people who left Ireland over the century's but they don't teach them the impact those people had on the countries they immigrated to and the world at large? What a shame.
7/5/2009 8:19 PM EDT

Padraig wrote:
Yank. I don't think the county your in is really all that different than Mayo. As you well know, its comin to talk (ie. complain) about the weather in Ireland. One of those comin pratices that I grew up with and that will never change. As the saying goes" You can take a man out of Ireland but you can't take Ireland out of the man." slainte, from Germany.
7/6/2009 1:30 AM EDT

Who was Patrick Conway?

=== This was originally posted at IrishCentral.com ===

One of the great things about studying family history is that you find that members of your family did things that make you wonder 'What they were thinking?', 'What drove them?'. Often they did things that don't fit the general historic themes you learn about in school and through books.

For my wife and I this process started with regards to Patrick Conway back at the end of May when we first found her great grandparents' census form on the 1911 Census web site. Patrick was "head of family", a "bricklayer's labourer". had been married for nine years and had four children. The oldest child, my wife's grandmother, was nearly 7.

It wasn't even that anything we found was all that surprising, but my wife had never really thought about Patrick Conway other than as the man who was her father's grandfather and that he died in the First World War. The census somehow brought him to life.

We have few hard facts, but we believe Patrick served with the British Army in the Boer War in South Africa around 1900. We also believe he was a member of the Citizen's Army - a worker's militia born out of the Lockout of 1913.

Now that's interesting because in Irish history the Citizen's Army and the British Army ended up on opposite sides during the 1916 Rising, but that was all in the future when Patrick Conway enlisted in January 1915.

So, he was in the British Army, left, married, had a family, worked as a bricklayer, joined the Citizen's Army and joined the British Army again. As my wife thought about all these things and the fact that he was around 38 years old when he (re)enlisted in the Army, the main question was: why? Why did Patrick Conway, a 38-year-old husband and father of four. decide to go to war?

And really there was only one answer. He must have been out of work. As a friend of mine said to me recently when I told him this story, "What employer would hire a 38-year-old militant trade unionist bricklayer's laborer?" So simple and straight-forward that it has to be true.

They were harsh times and he probably realized that the army at least offered a wage and, even in death, a pension. Something for his family to live on.

That man was the father of my wife's grandmother, somebody she knew well, but who had never talked about these things. This is why my wife had to go to Bethune, France to visit his grave. We were going to be too near to let the chance slip by.

Bethune is only about an hour over the border from Ypres so we changed our plans to include a visit there. Unlike all the other British military cemeteries that I saw, Bethune is a local cemetery, with a war graves section. It is mostly local French people who are buried there. The war graves aren't exclusively British either. Most of them are British, but there are French and German soldiers buried there as well.

We found Patrick Conway's grave and found that he was buried near four other members of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, who all died within a day or two of each other. We guessed that they were all injured in the same engagement, but we have no way of knowing. More research.
---------------
Comments:

jacersisityourself wrote:
The two Patrick Conway articles were indeed a delight to read. It is even personal in a way because years ago I got into Family History and Genealogy before the last of our elderly aunts and uncles died. I only got so far in my research but a younger cousin took up the cudgel and found information on generations further back, some with the help of the 1911 census publications. We even have ancient photographs, which is nice ‘cos you can see the persons in your family tree.

The reference to visiting the grave of Patrick Conway was also touching. It shows even after we’re gone, someone somewhere later in our families’ tree cares enough to bother to make that effort to do so. Members of my father’s family emigrated from Ireland to Canada and my cousins and their sons and daughters now have families of their own, born in Canada but with Irish roots. The youngsters were drawn into school projects along the lines of “Who do you think you are?” a popular TV show which helps the famous and not-so-famous find their family histories.

It was queries from my Canadian cousins that sprang me into family genealogy research for their sakes. It was rewarding and highly interesting. There is a photograph of me with my great grand-aunt when I was very young. She is buried in Canada. My cousin sent me a photo of her grave’s headstone. I treasure that photo and have put it aside for my own future generations.
I certainly understand the Patrick Conway articles' import. Well done & thaanks to The Yank and his wife.
7/3/2009 7:43 PM EDT

jacersisityourself wrote:
Pity there has not been any further comments yet to The Yank’s articles about one Patrick Conway. I am sure there are many Irish descendants around the world with thoughts and memories that could have contributed to these lovely articles.

Recently I marked one my so-called ‘milestone’ birthdays. As the first-born, I had my three immediate younger family members and their other halves together for the occasion. It was nice.

The mother of us four conceived ten times but lost six babies either before or after birth. We four are the lucky survivors. I was old enough by the time my mother’s last baby died to remember my father’s grief at her, and my last born sister’s, loss, two days into her wee life.

D’ye know what? Sitting looking at my three family members alive and well across the birthday dinner table, made me think of the brothers and sisters we could have had around the table too.

And thinking just the other day about the Yank and his wife’s the visit to France to Patrick Conway’s grave made me realise I have no idea where my lost brothers and sisters are buried, if they were at all. I would like to visit a marked grave, or even unmarked grave, of at least the ones who survived delivery into our world.
What do hospitals and their staffs do with born babies that die within hours or just a couple of days? Could I ever hope to visit at least a hospital-known mass burial plot to remember my brothers and sisters, like the Yank and his wife remembered Patrick Conway?
7/4/2009 10:03 PM EDT

TheYank wrote:
jacersisityourself,

Am I right in assuming you're in Ireland? I think more people here will (& should) get interested in family history. The 1911 census is a great spur. I've seen it in action, but questions from America/Canada/wherever can also help. Obviously, I'm from America, but even I have taken for granted the access I have to the family history until I get a question from an American relative which spurs me into learning more.

Old photographs are great too, although they can be frustrating if you can't find someone who can identify the people in the picture. My grandmother was a great believer in writing names on the back of photographs and I think she's right. How we'll deal with all these digital pictures is another issue, however.
7/5/2009 5:09 PM EDT

TheYank wrote:
jacersisityourself, your story is a tough one. I wish I knew the answers to your questions about what hospitals do (did?), but I would imagine that every baby born alive would have been buried and that someone, somewhere would have a record of that. I hope so, anyway.
7/5/2009 5:12 PM EDT

jacersisityourself wrote:
I was abroad on holidays recently, so I dd not seeTheYank's postings above 'til now. Yes, I am Irish, born and raised in Dublin but living "in the sticks" now, as we say here.

Yes, old family photographs are indeed a treasure and yes, it can be frustrating trying to find out who's who in them! I have one of my great grandfather as a young man with a large group of other young men in an obviously official photo. The problem is that despite our efforts, we cannot yet find the circumstance of the photo!

I was big into photography years ago and have a black bag full of photos that I took as my family grew up. In time, those photos will be a delight to them and any descendants they might have. I appear in very few, as I was the one mostly behind the camera.

Yes, I can see the problem for future generations with digital photos, unless printed for posterity. As storage media are changing rapidly these days, even memory cards will be obsolete in time.

Thanks for kind comments on my non-surviving siblings. Your suggestions are well worth following up but a lot will depend on the extent that hospitals bother to search their records for any information that I might ask for.

I was born in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin's city centre. As you will know from living in Dublin, there is a statue of Charles Stewart Parnell at the top of O'Connell Street. The statue shows Parnell pointing his finger towards the Rotunda Hospital. Beneath the statue, one of Parnell's speeches is written in gold. It begins "No man shall put stop to the march of a nation..." A folly, if ever there was one... the finger pointing to the door where thousands and thousands of Dublin's babies like me first smelled Dublin's air!
8/7/2009 3:25 PM EDT

Visiting Patrick Conway

As I mentioned in my Twitter posts, we visited my wife's great-grandfather's grave in Bethune, France. Corporal Patrick Conway was from Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire), Co. Dublin and served in the Dublin Fusiliers. He "died of wounds" in April 1916.

Although Patrick Conway died more than 90 years ago, my wife and our children were (as far as we know) the first members of his family to ever visit his grave. For my wife it was a moving experience. I can understand what she was feeling as I felt the same things when I was walking the area around the River Marne where my own grandfather fought with the American Army in 1918. My grandfather lived through the war, but my wife's great-grandfather did not. Both were Irishmen fighting on the same side in different uniforms.

Here's what my wife experienced standing at the grave.
My first thoughts were for my father who had never gotten the chance to see where his Grandfather was buried. Standing in front of the grave generations of Conways and Farrells seemed to be present.

We were all there to pay our respects to a man who had died in 1916. I kept picturing my Dad standing there. He would have loved to have visited Bethune. In his time it was just too expensive to do that. He was a working man with a family to support and going to France was not a possibility.

For me, going to my great-grandfather's grave was a necessity. I wanted him to know that his family is proud of him. I wanted him to know that his descendants were thinking of him. Standing there looking at that faded gravestone, I wanted him to know that he was not "a stranger without even a name, enshrined forever behind a glass frame. "He was a living and breathing human being who is remembered and honoured by his family.