In the linked YouTube video, US Fulbright student Amanda Bernhard explains how she discovered the Fulbright program, why she decided to pursue a grant to let her study the Irish language in Ireland, and what the Fulbright program has offered in addition to financial support.
Month / March 2013
St. Patrick’s Day, Academic Style!
What a phenomenally Irish weekend!
I didn’t do the things a tourist to Dublin normally does on St. Patrick’s Day (which seems to include a lot of roaming the streets while intoxicated). Instead, I packed my schedule full of St. Patrick’s Day Festival events. My friends an I pooled out ticket allotment so we could see many shows.
I’ve pictured some of the events below (I didn’t even take photos at every event, believe it or not). The photos show how academics enjoy St. Paddy’s! You can see my brainy friends and me enjoying short films in the Examination Hall of Trinity, for instance.
The group that coordinates the St. Patrick’s Day Festival did a fabulous job! I send my heartfelt thanks to them!
Incidentally, you’d be amazed to see the streets of Temple Bar on Sunday night: wall to wall people dressed in green velvet!?!! I elbowed my way through at 7 PM (I don’t even want to think what the place was like by midnight). Even at 7, I was clutching my belongings so tight that I forgot to take a photo!
Turtle Bunbury presented “A Global History of the Irish Abroad.”
Turtle delivered his lecture at Marsh’s Library.
There was an event of short films about Dublin held in the Examination Hall in Trinity College. (I prefer film-watching to exam-talking any day of the week!)
I brought Toni Gray, Giuseppe Conte, and (former Fulbright scholar) Nancy Stenson along with me to the “I _ My City” film viewing.
Nancy and I enjoyed a tasty late-night dinner at Café en Seine on Dawson Street.
David Slattery (who is a full-time writer as well as an Associate Fellow at the Graduate School of Creative Arts and Media at The National College of Art and Design here in Dublin) read from his newest book “Poet Madmen Scoundrel: 189 Unusual IrishLives.”
David was introduced by a staff member from Marsh’s Library (this is a fascinating place to visit). I purchased David’s previous book “How to be Irish” and also a catalog of the Library’s current exhibition “Marvels of Science: Books that Changed the World.”
At the Chester Beatty Library, the show TEMPO fused Irish and Brazilian rhythms.
The show featured: Joe Doyle (Vocals & Percussion) Mick Donegan (Hard Shoe Dance) Kelly Baldonaldo (Samba Dance & Percussion) Maia Adelson (Capoeira dance & Percussion)
I finally visited the Smock Alley Theater, for performance art (film+clarinet solos) that brought the eclectic space to life.
I purchased a CD of “Zoë Conway Live” following this performance by the fillde player and her husband, John. She is a professional musician who plays with Riverdance (among other groups).
The show included performances by one of Riverdance’s lead dancers, Zara Curtis.
Irish Roots
Image of Cobh downloaded from the Visit Cobh website.
Recently, I’ve uncovered more and more roots to my family tree in Ireland.
For me, it starts with my great grandmother, Teresa Neenan. She was a smart, spry, and energetic woman who was a dear part of my early life. We called her “Nanny” and spent a number of holidays with her. I vividly recall images from an Easter she spent in Staunton, Virginia (my parents’ home town).
My great grandmother was born in Astee and christened in Ballybunnion (in Co. Kerry) in 1890. She left Cobh (in Co. Cork) in 1912. Like so many others, my great grandmother left Ireland when times were very hard, and opportunities limited.
Nanny left Ireland as Bridget Neenan and emerged from Ellis Island as Teresa Neenan. (There seems to be a data entry error in the records at Ellis Island, as someone translated the into n into an M somewhere along the way. Fortunately, it’s spelled properly on the wall at Ellis Island.)
In the States, Teresa married “Beppie” O’Mara who owned a taxicab company in Millburn, New Jersey. They had four girls, including my grandmother Alice who was born in 1916. That was a pivotal year in history when Ireland began its final quest for independence….
I visited Cobh recently and saw the breathtaking neo-Gothic cathedral that marks the summit of the town. I have enjoyed my visits to Cobh immensely. It’s amazing to realize that this Fulbright scholarship brought me back to Nanny’s homeland. It’s a land that has become my spiritual home. The welcome I have received here has been inspiring and heartwarming. I hope Nanny would be proud.
My mom and I look forward to visiting our “cousins” in Kerry in May. We’ll get to retrace more of our roots then and meet even more family!
The Cobblestone Recordings on Air April 6
Kevin Donleavy’s emails are so charming and informative that I just can’t resist posting them in their original form. Here, he discusses some history of traditional Irish music and his plans to play Tom Mulligan’s Cobblestone recordings on his upcoming radio show. Anyone can tune in on April 6 by using the Internet (see below).
Hiya again, Shannon,
Whoa, thanks for sending along the Cobblestone recording. I’m just in the door tonight, and will have a chance to play it tomorrow. I recognize some of the musicianers’ names, but others are known only to their local fellow-players, I betcha.
The entire growth of Irish trad music the past 4 decades is pretty astonishing, as you might already know.
Local and private music teachers in loads of communities took a big cue from Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, the country-wide music and dance organization which was founded about 50 years ago. Comhaltas lined up the best of fiddlers, uilleann pipers, concertina, and flute players (and loads more besides) to expand the circle of their students. The overall result is that there are probably 100,000 people in Ireland who play trad music — just my guess, but it probably is close to real. It is the “in” thing for lots of kids — especially if either another family member or a peer plays an instrument. And they all learn by ear, an astonishing thing. A coupla years ago somebody estimated that a new trad CD is issued somewhere in Ireland or the States every 3 days. Much more successful growth of Irish folk music than the folk movement in the US.
Enough. Beddyby time.
Thanks again,
Kevin
Here are Kevin’s instructions for tuning in:
Shannon, hiya —
Hope this e-mail addy is good for ya.
I listened to the Cobblestone CD today, and heard some great stuff. More uilleann pipers than I would have imagined would be included — a good sign. Have already chosen 4 cuts for the April 6 (Saturday) radio show on-line, so can you let Tom know the date, please ? Also that the show is called ATLANTIC WEEKLY PART TWO, and is found at www.wtju.net, and that it will be broadcast in Ireland from 3 to 5 pm that day. He and some of the musicianers might wanna have a listen. Since the program is archived for 2 weeks afterward, they can also listen in later at the Vault spot at the website.
Mike Heivly rang today, and I’ll go share muffins and coffee with him tomorrow morning. He wants to yammer about setting up his photo-art display at the big Comhaltas convention in D.C. in early April.
All for the now,
Kevo
History of the Horseshoe (and Mike Heivly’s Upcoming Art Show)
News from Charlottesville’s Kevin Donleavy:
Shannon,
I forgot to mention to you that the Horseshoe is quite famous as a venue for trad musicianers over the past 5 or 6 decades. Lynch can tell you all about why. It hinges on magnificent fiddler-and-concertina-player John Kelly who ran the shop for aeons. He’s gone, RIP, but his fiddling sons James (lives in Florida now) and John (still lives in Ireland) carry on that family musical tradition. Ah, John Kelly the elder — he attracted the likes of Seamus Ennis and John Egan and loads and tons of musicianers to that wee shop. Why don’t ya ask Lynch about the pub at the corner where John and others held forth of an evening ? or the pub called the Meeting Place (also fairly nearby).
Oh, I also nearly disremembered the following — that Mike Heivly has sent some of his work to the Embassy of Ireland, and will probably have a one-man show sometime in the next few months. Stay tuned!
Kevin
Incidentally, Mike’s show will be at the Irish Embassy. Kevin explained:
The Embassy is in DC, on prestigious Mass Ave (ie, Massachusetts Avenue). A small edifice, but it’s (I’m guessing) early 19th c., sorta French looking with Baroque elements. Neat building.
Rolling Out the Green Carpets for St. Patrick’s Day
A past parade in Dublin, downloaded from Jim Small’s ND Go Irish Blog.
Things are hectic here in Dublin. Almost as soon as Pam flew out two new guests arrived, Toni Grey and Giuseppe Conte. Unfortunately, plane tickets were so costly for travel to and from St. Patrick’s Day that they won’t be staying to partake in all the festivities.
St. Patrick’s Day falls on 17th March. Originally, the day of celebration marked the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. That happened way back in 432. Today St. Patrick’s Day is a big party that celebrates all things Irish.
This will be my first St. Patrick’s in Ireland and I’m excited to be a part of it all. I’ve been lucky to get some tickets for the St. Patrick’s Festival, thanks to the diligence of Tess who handled all the on-line reservations.
The high point of the 17th will be the People’s Parade. It’s to have hundreds of carnival-type floats with people from the area on board. The parade will pass right by my apartment block.
Stay tuned for pictures of this year’s events as they unfold….
More Palace Bar
These pictures are from our evening downstairs at the Palace Bar:
I love the architecture of the place.
The evening we went there was a rugby game on the tele…
..and even we were mesmerized!
Palace Bar downstairs.
At the Palace Bar
My favorite pub in Temple Bar is the Palace on Fleet Street. Downstairs is great for conversation; the back space is lovely. Upstairs, Palace Bar features Irish musicians. Hearing Irish music is always great fun.
Kitty, Patty, and I went to the Palace twice during their visit.
It’s a great place to hang out when you need some time off your feet, or are waiting for an evening event to happen.
Patty and Kitty outside Palace Bar…
…with Shannon.
Upstairs we enjoyed the singing.
I later ran into the guitarist at the Cobblestone, and recognized him.
I’m becoming a regular trad. music groupie.
On the way home, we passed Hughes Pub. We went “window shopping” because we were too worn out to go in!
Chasing Rainbows
Even in dreary weather, Ireland glows green. Here are a few snapshots from our recent drive around the Rings of Kerry (who knew there were two loops?) and Dingle town.
We saw lots of cloudy, rainy weather when Patty and Kitty were here…
…and many rainbows, too.
The fields were green nonetheless…
…they stay well watered, don’t ya know?
We even saw snow-capped hilltops…
… and other amazing sights.
Around the Dinner Table
We had a ball with my work colleagues Friday night; it is a real treat to be welcomed into someone’s home here and to meet the family! Pam Eddy and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with Mike and Mai Murphy, their boys Sean and Patrick, and the soon-to-wed Brian and Theresa (Hedderman???? or perhaps Bowe???? Only time and a golf tournament will tell for certain). Regardless of uncertainty on the name front, the meal and the conversation were outstanding! I so enjoy spending time with the folks at this table.
By the way, Mike and Brian are my Fulbright hosts. Pam and I are Fulbright scholars; she worked as a Fulbright at DIT in 2009 and I have been since August 2012. Lots of brilliant people around the table below… my colleagues’ families are amazingly skilled, talented, and educated, and they are loads of fun to boot.
Dinner at the Murphy home.
Ireland by Chance 