Elsewhere on this site, Declan O'Kelly reports that an additional five counties have been added to the online database of the 1911 Census. Census data from nine counties is now available online: Antrim, Cork, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Offaly and Wexford. (Note: if you go to the 1911 census web site and see "Kings County", that's not Brooklyn. That was Offaly's name at the time.)
My wife and I recently spent quite a bit of time searching the records of the 1911 census. All of her family was living in County Dublin at the time and we were able to find records for each one of her grandparents' families.
What is particularly good about the digitized 1911 census is that you can view the actual census form that was filled in at the time. You can see your ancestor's hand-writing, etc.
My wife was excited by the fact that her great-grandfather had made a mistake all the way down the form and had to cross off and correct it. She pictured her great-grandmother letting him have it for this, projecting back through time onto her great-grandmother the traits she remembered from her grandmother, who was six in 1911. In addition, my wife learned something new - that her grandmother had been born in County Fermanagh.
I know for a lot of Irish-Americans 1911 is too late for any Irish connection, their Irish family was already living in America at the time. In that case the 1911 census might have little appeal, although maybe aunts/uncles/cousins still lived on the family homestead. If, however, you did have family in Ireland in 1911 the census is a great resource. It'll be even better when they finally finish digitizing all the counties' data.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Leaving is canceled
Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned stress and the Leaving Cert? Well, the stress levels in the house just exploded. At 9pm we learned that the rumors we were laughing about during dinner - "someone in Dunboyne has seen tomorrow's paper and ... is coming up" - were mostly true.
Tomorrow's exam has been canceled because some nitwit in County Louth handed out the wrong papers this morning before realizing what they'd done and corrected that mistake. A few students saw the paper, but this afternoon they posted all their knowledge online. So, just like that students all across the country knew what these few knew.
Oh, and you want to know if it's a big deal here? It's the lead story on the national news. Yup. I think that captures how big a deal the Leaving Cert is better than anything I could have written. The lead story.
Tomorrow's exam has been canceled because some nitwit in County Louth handed out the wrong papers this morning before realizing what they'd done and corrected that mistake. A few students saw the paper, but this afternoon they posted all their knowledge online. So, just like that students all across the country knew what these few knew.
Oh, and you want to know if it's a big deal here? It's the lead story on the national news. Yup. I think that captures how big a deal the Leaving Cert is better than anything I could have written. The lead story.
Monday, June 1, 2009
American servicemen in unmarked grave in Cork
This evening I was watching a docu-drama on the "Spanish Flu" pandemic of 1918-1919 in Ireland when near the very end there was a mention of three American sailors who died of the flu and were buried in an unmarked grave in a small graveyard in Queenstown, now Cobh, Co. Cork. I want to know more. Why were they buried in an unmarked grave? Why not shipped home for burial as all other fatalities in Queenstown were? (I think the family had to pay for repatriation at that time.) Why weren't headstones sent over by the Navy to mark these sailors' graves?
I'm not sure if there's any difference for those who served in the Navy and those who were in the Army, but I know veterans of the American army who later lived here and died here can have their graves marked with a standard military issue headstone. Who pays for that, I don't know.
Anyway, I was surprised to learn that men who served in the Navy, who died while serving, lie in an unmarked grave. That should be remedied.
I'm not sure if there's any difference for those who served in the Navy and those who were in the Army, but I know veterans of the American army who later lived here and died here can have their graves marked with a standard military issue headstone. Who pays for that, I don't know.
Anyway, I was surprised to learn that men who served in the Navy, who died while serving, lie in an unmarked grave. That should be remedied.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Baking in Wicklow
Today is a holiday. It's our fourth holiday since mid-March, but I'm not complaining. What makes this holiday different is that the weather is spectacular. Truly. And of course Irish people are happy about that. Well, most of them.
On Saturday night I overheard two older women talking about how it was "too hot." I'm pretty sure one of them said it was too dry too.
Too hot? It was about 72 or 73, 75 at an absolute maximum. But, that was "too hot." This after what has to be the coldest, wettest April-May in a long time.
In some parts of Ireland the temperature has been over 80 the past few days, but we're only half a mile from the east coast and the on-shore breeze always keeps things cool. It was not "too hot."
On Saturday night I overheard two older women talking about how it was "too hot." I'm pretty sure one of them said it was too dry too.
Too hot? It was about 72 or 73, 75 at an absolute maximum. But, that was "too hot." This after what has to be the coldest, wettest April-May in a long time.
In some parts of Ireland the temperature has been over 80 the past few days, but we're only half a mile from the east coast and the on-shore breeze always keeps things cool. It was not "too hot."
Friday, May 29, 2009
Mary in the neighborhood
When I first moved to Ireland I was surprised by the number of small marian shrines dotted around the country. They're still there and despite what you might believe given the current climate, they still seem to be very well looked after. These pictures are of one that I walked by the other day when leaving the car down to the mechanic.
Generally I've seen these shrines in the middle of county council or city council housing estates. I don't know for sure, but I presume that the people who do the looking after are simply local people who, despite everything we've learned about how the Catholic Church has behaved in recent decades, refuse to let anything shake their faith. I admire them for that. I've never seen grafitti on any one of these and they always seem to be immaculately kept. This one - like others I've seen - is lit up at night.
You know, I did read the year it was erected, but now I can't quite remember. And I can't read the plaque beneath Mary. I think it was 1954 (& restored in 1993), but I could be wrong.
Generally I've seen these shrines in the middle of county council or city council housing estates. I don't know for sure, but I presume that the people who do the looking after are simply local people who, despite everything we've learned about how the Catholic Church has behaved in recent decades, refuse to let anything shake their faith. I admire them for that. I've never seen grafitti on any one of these and they always seem to be immaculately kept. This one - like others I've seen - is lit up at night.
You know, I did read the year it was erected, but now I can't quite remember. And I can't read the plaque beneath Mary. I think it was 1954 (& restored in 1993), but I could be wrong.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The BBC didn't save the Celts who saved Britain
I almost never remember to watch a television program that I want to watch. I could set the VCR to tape a show, but I don't do that often because taping a program means - mostly - that no one can change the channel while I'm taping. That's the nature of our digital cable system.
Anyway, I did remember to tape How the Celts Saved Britain, which was on last night and I just finished watching it. I wanted to like this, but I would say I was only somewhat satisfied by it. I thought the parts about life in Britain at the end of the Roman empire and after the fall of the empire was very interesting, but a big part of the show was about how Ireland became Christianized. Some of that wasn't bad, but other bits were really thin.
I hope I remember to watch part two next week. Maybe it will be better.
Anyway, I did remember to tape How the Celts Saved Britain, which was on last night and I just finished watching it. I wanted to like this, but I would say I was only somewhat satisfied by it. I thought the parts about life in Britain at the end of the Roman empire and after the fall of the empire was very interesting, but a big part of the show was about how Ireland became Christianized. Some of that wasn't bad, but other bits were really thin.
I hope I remember to watch part two next week. Maybe it will be better.
Monday, May 25, 2009
It's poster season
I get back to America a lot, but I can't remember the last time I was there at election time. We have elections here on June 5 and one feature of Irish elections is the posters. They seem to be hung on every lamppost and on just about any other roadside feature you see. The faces on the posters are rarely attractive, but the colors make for a change - especially with the number of gray days we've been having lately.
Thanks to the Irish voting system we have here we have many parties and independent candidates in all elections. That, of course, means a whole load of posters using a wide array of color schemes. On June 5 we'll be voting in two elections - one for our representatives at the European Parliament and also our local councils. There are at least six parties contesting elections in my area along with a half dozen or so independents. And many of the parties field two or three candidates hoping to win multiple seats. That's why there are so many posters.
I heard a guy on the radio the other day complaining about one poster that had half fallen off a lamppost and was dangling upside down in front of a traffic light. They do half fall quite a bit, but I guess it's pretty rare that they fall directly in front of a traffic light.
The posters are not made of cardboard, but of a harder (maybe plastic?) material. Some of them are pretty big too. That's not as obvious when you're driving along because you only glance at them and they're often fairly high up, but if one happened to fall on your head, it would hurt. And, as my wife's friend discovered recently, it can be pretty frightening to have one blow down onto your car as you're driving.
Thanks to the Irish voting system we have here we have many parties and independent candidates in all elections. That, of course, means a whole load of posters using a wide array of color schemes. On June 5 we'll be voting in two elections - one for our representatives at the European Parliament and also our local councils. There are at least six parties contesting elections in my area along with a half dozen or so independents. And many of the parties field two or three candidates hoping to win multiple seats. That's why there are so many posters.
I heard a guy on the radio the other day complaining about one poster that had half fallen off a lamppost and was dangling upside down in front of a traffic light. They do half fall quite a bit, but I guess it's pretty rare that they fall directly in front of a traffic light.
The posters are not made of cardboard, but of a harder (maybe plastic?) material. Some of them are pretty big too. That's not as obvious when you're driving along because you only glance at them and they're often fairly high up, but if one happened to fall on your head, it would hurt. And, as my wife's friend discovered recently, it can be pretty frightening to have one blow down onto your car as you're driving.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Don't forget the traveler's checks?
If you're coming to Ireland you might have to think about how you're going to change your dollars into euros. Now, I can't magically make the weak dollar strong or the high prices here low, so be prepared to find everything expensive.
Still you can save some money by avoiding going into banks to change money. Use your bank/debit card at the ATM's. I carried out a small test in mid May. I changed a chunk of money in the bank and the same day I withdrew some from the ATM using an American debit card. Well, the Ulster Bank charged me $1.3943 for each €1. (And, no, the experience would be no different at any other bank, but I would have had to pay another handling charge at any other bank because I'm not a customer there.)
Using my MasterCard debit card (the American bank's ATM card) the rate was $1.3665 per €1. The American bank also charges $1 per transaction, but there is no charge from the Irish banks when you use their ATM's. If I had changed $400, for example, I would have saved around $5 -and that includes the ATM charge from the American bank, but not any potential charge from the Irish bank if you go inside to a teller (and there will be a charge.)
Most ATM cards have a daily limit of somewhere around $500 and you might even find that you can only withdraw €300 in any one transaction here. So, if you need to change big amounts in one go you could be stuck with a bank transaction. (And, if you can, use your credit card. That's also cheaper than changing money in the bank, but the lack of a chip on the American cards can be an issue.)
Anyway, what I'm saying is that if you need spending money in Ireland, use your ATM. Just be sure your card is part of either the Cirrus or PLUS networks before you leave home. Those two networks are available at most ATM's here. You can safely forget about the old traveler's checks.
Still you can save some money by avoiding going into banks to change money. Use your bank/debit card at the ATM's. I carried out a small test in mid May. I changed a chunk of money in the bank and the same day I withdrew some from the ATM using an American debit card. Well, the Ulster Bank charged me $1.3943 for each €1. (And, no, the experience would be no different at any other bank, but I would have had to pay another handling charge at any other bank because I'm not a customer there.)
Using my MasterCard debit card (the American bank's ATM card) the rate was $1.3665 per €1. The American bank also charges $1 per transaction, but there is no charge from the Irish banks when you use their ATM's. If I had changed $400, for example, I would have saved around $5 -and that includes the ATM charge from the American bank, but not any potential charge from the Irish bank if you go inside to a teller (and there will be a charge.)
Most ATM cards have a daily limit of somewhere around $500 and you might even find that you can only withdraw €300 in any one transaction here. So, if you need to change big amounts in one go you could be stuck with a bank transaction. (And, if you can, use your credit card. That's also cheaper than changing money in the bank, but the lack of a chip on the American cards can be an issue.)
Anyway, what I'm saying is that if you need spending money in Ireland, use your ATM. Just be sure your card is part of either the Cirrus or PLUS networks before you leave home. Those two networks are available at most ATM's here. You can safely forget about the old traveler's checks.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Leaving Cert stress
As I mentioned below, the oldest daughter is doing her Leaving in a few weeks. It's incredibly stressful - for the parents. From what I've been able to make out there are two distinct stresses that parents suffer at this time and they're mutually exclusive. First you have the stress of watching your little darling struggle, suffer, working hard, pouring over texts and scribbling away. You worry that they're working too hard, putting too much pressure on themselves, overdoing it. You worry.
The other stress is, to my mind, more serious. This is caused by excessive laybackedness (my own invention) on the part of the student. Your offspring seems to think it's in the bag, they're working - occasionally - but still finding plenty of time to not be all that worried about the exams that are right around the corner. This is a much more serious stress for parents because those who are suffering the first kind are really just playing at being stressed whereas those in the latter category are nearly ill with worry or hitting the bottle - hard.
I can't help but think that parents in America have it made compared with this. At least you've had years to be able to accept what was coming, but here you can't be sure of anything until you get past the results phase sometime in August.
(And, there is no make-up. If they do badly or fall ill, they have to wait 12 months to take the exams again - at a significant additional cost. See what I mean about stress?)
The other stress is, to my mind, more serious. This is caused by excessive laybackedness (my own invention) on the part of the student. Your offspring seems to think it's in the bag, they're working - occasionally - but still finding plenty of time to not be all that worried about the exams that are right around the corner. This is a much more serious stress for parents because those who are suffering the first kind are really just playing at being stressed whereas those in the latter category are nearly ill with worry or hitting the bottle - hard.
I can't help but think that parents in America have it made compared with this. At least you've had years to be able to accept what was coming, but here you can't be sure of anything until you get past the results phase sometime in August.
(And, there is no make-up. If they do badly or fall ill, they have to wait 12 months to take the exams again - at a significant additional cost. See what I mean about stress?)
The Leaving
My daughter's doing the Leaving Cert this year. If you don't know, the Leaving Cert is like a high school diploma, sort of. It marks the end of your second level education, but, no BUT, it is a totally different experience for the student {and, most importantly as far as I'm concerned, the parents}.
By the time you get to the end of your high school career in America you've had hundreds of exams, quizzes, projects, other things that all add up in the various subjects to make your high school record. In Ireland nothing you do in the first 12 years of education matters. All that really matters, all that counts is how you perform in the Leaving Cert Exams, which you sit over a two to three week period at the very end of your school career. Everything else is simply practice. It's like the Olympics where some highly trained athlete spends his entire life preparing for one two-week festival of sports in which he hopes to achieve his life's ambitions.
Two weeks and nine (or so) three-hour exams in 7 subjects (two subjects have double three-hour tests because three hours wouldn't be fun enough). And riding on your performance in these exams is your college place. Like I said, nothing else matters. Your test scores are your college application. Seven numbers measure you.
Once you have finished the exams you only have to wait two months (give or take a week or so) to find out how you did.
Needless to say this process has the effect of creating stress in a house. More on that later.
Comments:
dublin37 wrote:
Good luck to her!
5/20/2009 10:55 AM EDT
TheYank wrote:
Thanks. I need it. (see next post)
5/20/2009 11:42 AM EDT
By the time you get to the end of your high school career in America you've had hundreds of exams, quizzes, projects, other things that all add up in the various subjects to make your high school record. In Ireland nothing you do in the first 12 years of education matters. All that really matters, all that counts is how you perform in the Leaving Cert Exams, which you sit over a two to three week period at the very end of your school career. Everything else is simply practice. It's like the Olympics where some highly trained athlete spends his entire life preparing for one two-week festival of sports in which he hopes to achieve his life's ambitions.
Two weeks and nine (or so) three-hour exams in 7 subjects (two subjects have double three-hour tests because three hours wouldn't be fun enough). And riding on your performance in these exams is your college place. Like I said, nothing else matters. Your test scores are your college application. Seven numbers measure you.
Once you have finished the exams you only have to wait two months (give or take a week or so) to find out how you did.
Needless to say this process has the effect of creating stress in a house. More on that later.
Comments:
dublin37 wrote:
Good luck to her!
5/20/2009 10:55 AM EDT
TheYank wrote:
Thanks. I need it. (see next post)
5/20/2009 11:42 AM EDT
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)