tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89631355954147559042024-03-09T15:38:00.355-05:00The Bard of BostonErik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-49410696630486114812012-08-12T19:28:00.001-04:002021-01-25T16:50:04.842-05:00The Parting GlassAfter a year and a half of semi-regularly updating The Bard of Boston website, I've decided to leave it behind and move on to a new online endeavor; one that better reflects what I've been up to during the past few months. So, to celebrate the end of an era, I leave you with "The Parting Glass," a song that date backs to at least the 17th century (probably earlier). Below you can find the lyrics as well as a performance of the song by Irish singer/songwriter Glen Hansard.<br />
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(Check out the new site! > <a href="http://erikdevaney.com/">erikdevaney.com)</a><br />
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Of all the money that ere I had, I spent it in good company.<br /> And of all the harm that ere I've done, alas was done to none but me.<br /> And all I've done for want of wit, to memory now I cannot recall.<br /> So fill me to the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all. <br /><br />Of all the comrades that ere I had, they're sorry for my going away, <br /> And of all the sweethearts that ere I had , they wish me one more day to stay,<br /> But since it falls unto my lot that I should rise while you should not, <br /> I will gently rise and I'll softly call, "Goodnight and joy be with you all!"<br /><br />Oh, if I had money enough to spend and leisure time to sit awhile <br /> There is a fair maid in this town that sorely has my heart beguiled <br /> Her rosey cheeks and ruby lips, she alone has my heart in thrall.<br /> So fill me to the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all. <br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-71163765862309597572012-07-04T12:35:00.000-04:002012-07-06T13:21:19.853-04:00Don't Forget Your History on the FourthAh, yes. The Fourth of July: that magical day when you can prove you're a true American patriot by stuffing your face with hamburgers and hotdogs, downing no less than 50 Budweisers (in honor of the 50 states, duh!), and drunkenly stumbling through the words of the "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a local fireworks display.<br />
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It's dawned on me that while we're busy lighting off firecrackers, shooting at squirrels in the backyard with our cousins' pellet guns, and crushing empty beer cans on our foreheads, we can sometimes forget why the hell we're even celebrating. There are some solid centuries of history behind the Fourth of July, and being better in touch with that history can not only help us justify our celebratory improprieties, but it can also help us shed the awful title of "ignorant Americans."<br />
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So, if a tourist comes up to you this Fourth of July, asking why you're partying so damn hard, have these following facts on hand. <br />
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<b>The no-brainer:</b> The Fourth of July (aka Independence Day) commemorates July 4th, 1776, which was when the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. Translation: it's our country's birthday.<br />
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<b>However,</b> Congress had already formally declared independence two days earlier on July 2nd, 1776. Declaration-signer and future-president John
Adams believed that the Second of July would be “the most memorable epocha in the history of
America.” <br />
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<b>The common misconception: </b>The engrossed (aka officially inscribed, aka legit) copy of <a href="http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/DeclarInd.html" target="_blank">the Declaration wasn't signed until August 2nd</a>, 1776. And several delegates, specifically Elbridge Gerry,
Oliver Wolcott, Lewis Morris, Thomas McKean, and Matthew
Thornton, didn't sign until an even later date.<br />
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<b>Just to be clear:</b> The approval of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776 didn't mark the end of the Revolutionary War, nor did the signing of it on August 2nd, 1776. The American Revolution didn't end until September 3rd, 1783 (with the signing of the Treaty of Paris). This means we declared ourselves a free country well before we were 100% sure that we'd actually get to keep our freedom. (Good thing we won!)<br />
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<b>Why do we celebrate the Fourth of July and not the Second of July or the Third of September or some other date?</b> Bottom line: we had to pick a date to celebrate. But the approval of the Declaration on the fourth is still a significant event in our country's history, especially from a literary perspective. On the fourth, we approved the first truly American document; the first thing we'd ever written as a free (or aspiring-to-be-free) nation. And those words...<a href="http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html" target="_blank"><i>We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equa</i>l</a>...carry a lot of weight.Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-44193138189368728412012-05-15T07:18:00.001-04:002021-01-25T16:44:54.556-05:00When I Wear a Scally Cap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3HSo-MKgXnzilqxau5CbGFea9ABuYuUtXUjtlyLaJ_BX_XWZaVehtqpNwKWZgk64nS6z2_EquuyvuN1s1UAg4Ld1EmcOXS1yM-Ylf1ZXUbevw0qbPXFdVukPqlyarOa4YFX70WhePjqk/s1600/wheniwearascallycap.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="1083" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3HSo-MKgXnzilqxau5CbGFea9ABuYuUtXUjtlyLaJ_BX_XWZaVehtqpNwKWZgk64nS6z2_EquuyvuN1s1UAg4Ld1EmcOXS1yM-Ylf1ZXUbevw0qbPXFdVukPqlyarOa4YFX70WhePjqk/s1600/wheniwearascallycap.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
<br />Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-2013568511359107592012-04-22T14:02:00.001-04:002021-01-25T16:51:06.066-05:00Devaney's Goat: A Drinking Band with a Celtic Problem<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/189379_111891352224890_100002120770621_108621_2261603_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="433" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/189379_111891352224890_100002120770621_108621_2261603_n.jpg" width="578" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Devaney's Goat playing Brutopia, St. Pat's 2011)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>n the fall of 2009, I had an idea. In the words of Dr. Seuss, it was "a wonderful, awful idea."<br />
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At the time, I was living in Montreal, having just earned my B.A. from McGill University. Instead of moving back to the Boston area to pursue what one might describe as a "real job," I decided to stay up north and write/play music for a living. So, at around the same time I kicked off my freelance writing career (which paid the bills), I also kicked off my music career (which was a lot of fun).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Band</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaX5ZiPpdmW5ZWgLjefgdRl7YgcnZ52j2QUTFkWizeFE1pmnHLnNelYoICRq9QvqZSqwQ4xbT6qRi7wzKcAP7yXYkvsQvvRVug_BXlmNgbPO1wwfpEe5LCsOe698aJQ1gPWnwKB6E0q2a/s1600/Devaney's+Goat+1:21:10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaX5ZiPpdmW5ZWgLjefgdRl7YgcnZ52j2QUTFkWizeFE1pmnHLnNelYoICRq9QvqZSqwQ4xbT6qRi7wzKcAP7yXYkvsQvvRVug_BXlmNgbPO1wwfpEe5LCsOe698aJQ1gPWnwKB6E0q2a/s400/Devaney's+Goat+1:21:10.jpg" width="585" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Devaney's Goat playing Le Vieux Dublin, January 2010)</td></tr>
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From L to R:<br />
<b>Mikey </b>- Upright Bass/Vocals<br />
<b>Emlyn </b>- Percussion<b> </b><br />
<b>Alison </b>- Trumpet/Accordion/Vocals<br />
<b>Nikita </b>- Guitar/Vocals <br />
<b>Me </b>- Guitar/Irish Bouzouki/Vocals<br />
<b>Noelle </b>- Fiddle<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Beginning</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/133_535029270027_13607893_35157933_4371_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/133_535029270027_13607893_35157933_4371_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Me & Nikita)</td></tr>
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During my four-year romp through McGill undergrad, I was lucky enough to meet a slew of talented musicians. I met many of these musicians at Le Vieux Dublin Pub (The Old Dublin Pub) - a pub which would ultimately become my place of employment/second home. From 2006 through 2010, I bussed tables and washed pint glasses at the pub every Friday and Saturday night (my shifts lasting from 10pm till 4am, 5am, 6am...sometimes later. Sometimes much, much later).<br />
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Every Monday night at the Old Dub was open mic night, which was hosted by local Celtic music legend Liam Callaghan. Without Monday open mic nights - a place where a bunch of us could get together to belt out tunes - Devaney's Goat would never have become a reality.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Name</b></span><br />
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I didn't originally intend to have my own name incorporated into the band's name. In addition to believing that naming a band after yourself is a little self-centered (cough-BonJoviyou'reanasshole-cough), it dawned on me that once the band was assembled, I would be the least-talented of the bunch. Seriously, I'm not being modest here: facts are facts. Nikita was a classically trained guitarist; Mikey, Alison and Emlyn were all music majors at McGill; and Noelle could shred the fiddle like Johnny from "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDm_ZHyYTrg" target="_blank">The Devil Went Down to Georgia</a>."<br />
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<a href="http://a2.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/profile01/138/f4f14c96c9e04ae99cdd4bafaa8c8f1c/p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://a2.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/profile01/138/f4f14c96c9e04ae99cdd4bafaa8c8f1c/p.jpg" /></a>I, on the other hand, had only taken a few years of piano lessons when I was in elementary school and a year of guitar lessons when I was in middle school. What I did have going for me, however, was an Irish last name: Devaney (<i>O'Duibheannaigh</i>). When I discovered that there was an Irish fiddle tune with my name in it - <a href="http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/2881" target="_blank">Devaney's Goat</a> (also spelled Devanny's Goat, Devanney's Goat and Devanney’s Goat) - that connection to Irish traditional music was too perfect to pass up. Also, it gave us a band mascot: the Goat.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The End?</span></b><br />
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After two years of playing local pubs (and one wedding), falling off stages, drinking enough Guinness to drown a herd of elephants, and - in general - having one hell of a time, the Goat disbanded in May 2011. However, on April 28th, 2012, Devaney's Goat played a reunion show at the pub where it all began: the Old Dub. Stay tuned for a recap in "Devaney's Goat: A Drinking Band with a Celtic Problem (Part 2)." Until then, here's a clip from one of our first-ever performances: <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/EIksuIQIJII?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-86399067523200498572012-04-16T08:58:00.000-04:002012-04-16T11:59:42.077-04:00Boston Marathon History by the Numbers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Inspired by the first modern-day marathon held at the <b><span style="font-size: large;">1896</span></b> Summer Olympics, the first Boston Marathon is held in <b><span style="font-size: large;">1897</span></b>.<br />
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At that first Boston Marathon, there were <b><span style="font-size: large;">18</span></b> participants. In comparison, the Boston Marathon now attracts about <b><span style="font-size: large;">20,000</span></b> registered participants each year. <b><span style="font-size: large;">26,895</span></b> runners registered in <b><span style="font-size: large;">2011</span></b>. <br />
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In <b><span style="font-size: large;">1951</span></b>, during the peak of the Korean War, the President of the Boston Athletic Association - Walter A. Brown - banned Koreans from running in the Boston Marathon. Brown was president of the BAA from <b><span style="font-size: large;">1941</span></b> to <b><span style="font-size: large;">1964</span></b>.<br />
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Women were not officially allowed to run the Boston Marathon until <b><span style="font-size: large;">1972</span></b>. However, Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb became the first woman to run the marathon (without a registration number) in <b><span style="font-size: large;">1966</span></b>.<br />
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In <b><span style="font-size: large;">1967</span></b>, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon with a registration number. (She registered as "K. V. Switzer.") In a famous incident, a race official - Jock Semple - tried to rip off her number and kick her out of the race.<br />
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During the <b><span style="font-size: large;">1980</span>s</b>,<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>professional athletes began refusing to run the Boston Marathon without the promise of cash rewards<span style="font-size: large;"></span>. The first cash prize for winning the Boston Marathon was awarded in <b><span style="font-size: large;">1986</span></b>.<br />
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The <b><span style="font-size: large;">1996</span></b> Boston Marathon, which marked the <b><span style="font-size: large;">100</span>th</b> time the race had been run, set the record for world's largest marathon. <b><span style="font-size: large;">38,708</span></b> runners registered, <b><span style="font-size: large;">36,748</span></b> runners started, and <b><span style="font-size: large;">35,868</span></b> runners finished. <br />
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Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya ran the fastest Boston Marathon ever in <b><span style="font-size: large;">2011</span></b> with a time of <span style="font-size: large;"><b>2 hours</b>, <b>3 minutes</b>, <b>2 seconds</b></span>.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Margaret Okayo - also of Kenya - set the women's course record in <b><span style="font-size: large;">2002</span></b> with a time of <span style="font-size: large;"><b>2 hours</b>, <b>20 minutes</b>, <b>43 seconds</b></span>.<br />
<br />Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-66389729308610702532012-03-31T16:37:00.001-04:002021-01-25T16:53:33.796-05:00Top 10 Words the English Language Borrowed from Irish Gaelic<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">10. Shanty - <i>sean tí</i></span></div>
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As in, "I like singing shanties about fishing and whiskey."<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">9. Dude - <i>dúid</i></span></div>
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As in, "Dude, where's my whiskey?"
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<span style="font-size: large;">8. Galore - <i>go leór</i></span></div>
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<i> </i>
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As in, "We have whiskey galore!"
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. Baloney - <i><span class="st">béal <i>ónna</i></span></i></span></div>
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As in, "I've had too much whiskey? What a bunch of baloney!"<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. Kibosh - <i>cap b</i><i>á</i><i>is</i></span></div>
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As in, "I will put the kibosh on writing this post if I don't get my whiskey." </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Moolah - <i>moll óir</i></span></div>
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As in, "I spent all my moolah on whiskey? Welp, I guess that makes sense."
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Muck - <i>muc</i></span></div>
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As in, "I dropped my bottle of whiskey in the marsh, now it's covered in muck."<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Hooligan - <i>Ó hUallacháin</i></span></div>
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As in, "That hooligan stole my whiskey!"
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Gimmick - </span><i><span class="headword"><span style="font-size: large;">camóg</span> </span></i></div>
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As in, "Using the word whiskey in every entry on this list is a stupid gimmick."</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Whiskey - <span class="st"><i>uisce beatha</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="st"><i> </i></span> </div>
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As in, "Yes, I'll have another whiskey." </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-48161181522485768032012-03-17T15:30:00.001-04:002021-01-25T16:56:00.664-05:00The Logistics of Saint Patrick’s<div style="text-align: center;">
by: Juliette Senesi </div>
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(@senesiJ) </div>
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<i>Juliette is a Product Manager at a Boston-area freight brokerage startup. She is a logistics and shipping geek who has her sights set on transforming the truckload transportation industry.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>aint Patrick’s Day is no small potatoes in Boston. With almost one-third of the city's population being of Irish decent, the celebrations here are spirited and memorable. But while you are getting ready for the fun to start, remember this: St Patrick’s Day would not be St. Patrick’s Day if it wasn’t for the sober drivers who deliver all of the ingredients and goods required for a guaranteed good time. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Guinness Madness</span></b> </div>
Guinness, as you may know, is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James Gates in Dublin. The ingredients to make Guinness are simple: barely, hops, brewers yeast, and of course, water. On any given day, over 5.5 million pints of Guinness are consumed around the world. On St. Patrick's Day, that number more than doubles to 13 million pints (according to Beth Davies Ryan, global corporate relations director of Guinness).<br />
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Guinness was one of the first beer companies to own a fleet of ships which they used to ship both the raw ingredients and the finish products in ports throughout Europe, and later, worldwide. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Corned Beef and Cabbage </b></span></div>
The Irish were the biggest exporters of corned beef until 1825. The area of Cork, Ireland was a great producer of corned beef from the 1600s until 1825. It was their chief export and sent all over the world, mostly in cans. Corn beef and cabbage are the staple of any Irish American dinners on St. Patrick’s day.<br />
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To this very day, making sure all of the ingredients make it on the table in time to fill our bellies requires a high level of transportation coordination. Earlier this week, it was reported by Barbara Maxwell at the AMS department of the USDA that a shortage of trucks was experienced for cabbage from the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Lucky Charms </span></b></div>
The cereal giant General Mills also reaps the benefits of Saint Patrick’s Day. One of their most popular cereal got its name directly as a result of saint Patrick’s day. The little fellow in green tights on the box was named Lucky as a result of St. Patrick’s.<br />
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The leprechaun got his name in 1964 and was placed on boxes of Lucky Charms after General Mills reported that sales of Lucky Charms tripled on St. Patrick's Day from the 2 billion boxes sold worldwide to almost 6 billion boxes.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-20901838538747884292012-03-11T11:47:00.001-04:002021-01-25T16:56:28.215-05:00The 17 Days of St. Patrick's [Video]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">W</span>hat happens when your girlfriend takes the car and spends the weekend visiting friends (and you're left at home with a fridge full of beer, a cabinet full of whiskey and a head full of memories from St. Patrick's Days past)? Answer: this happens.</div>
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/IO-eIz_nn7Q/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IO-eIz_nn7Q&fs=1&source=uds" />
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<i>For anyone who's interested, I recorded "The 17 Days of St. Patrick's" using an old MacBook, an M-Audio FastTrack guitar/mic recording interface, and a Shure PG58 mic. The guitar you hear is an Alvarez AJ-60SC.</i> <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TUG93oc_d81HhciCDLvbPpnwEEFueRfUweQvTYKzPm6Yiu9kJFo4tnBK5PhLH-4IArWP2RQbas00lB6AI0IfSRHUo9rlmtJYQ9WtifgF13OqwVD2vPzkqjCR6uDLBp5f4PwcypjxN4CF/s1600/photo(13).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TUG93oc_d81HhciCDLvbPpnwEEFueRfUweQvTYKzPm6Yiu9kJFo4tnBK5PhLH-4IArWP2RQbas00lB6AI0IfSRHUo9rlmtJYQ9WtifgF13OqwVD2vPzkqjCR6uDLBp5f4PwcypjxN4CF/s200/photo(13).JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My makeshift living room recording studio </td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-91565474340695268292012-01-08T19:25:00.001-05:002021-01-25T16:57:05.678-05:00A Wicked Bard Review of 'A Celtic Darkness'<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
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For many Americans, the Emerald Isle is a land of smiling eyes, freckled balladeers singing "too la roo la roo la," and dancing leprechauns (who make our breakfast cereal magically delicious).<br />
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Eoghain Hamiliton abandons this Americanized, romanticized notion of Ireland in his book, <a href="http://www.celticdarkness.com/" target="_blank"><i>A Celtic Darkness: Supernatural Tales of Ireland</i></a>, and instead presents an Ireland that suffers from a troubled past as well as an uncertain economic future.<br />
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But as the title suggests, <i>A Celtic Darkness</i> is not grounded firmly in the realm of reality. Hamilton cleverly mixes his raw, fact-based view of Ireland with the realm of the supernatural. Ghosts lurk in the centuries-old cemeteries, skeletons lie waiting in ancient underground tunnels, and banshees make their rounds to country homes, warning occupants of impending death.</div>
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The short stories that comprise <i>A Celtic Darkness </i>will all succeed in raising the hair on the back of your neck and - in some instances - nightmares may ensue. However, Hamilton does not rely on gory descriptions for scaring your pants off (although - spoiler alert - in one story someone is decapitated by a shovel). </div>
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The unifying feature of all of these stories is that the plots initially seem believable (or at least plausible) and you can easily put yourself in the protagonist's shoes. Examples: a man visits his childhood home and old memories begin bubbling to the surface; a young, arrogant businessman is invited to a Halloween/<a href="http://www.chalicecentre.net/samhain.htm" target="_blank">Samhain</a> party, but refuses to participate in the supernatural festivities; two college students experiment with mind-altering substances around a bonfire.</div>
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After finishing the book, I couldn't help but think to myself: "Do any (or all) of these stories have a basis in Hamilton's own life experiences? Does he actually believe in ghosts, banshees and the like? Has Hamilton experienced 'a Celtic darkness' first hand?"</div>
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<i>Eoghain Hamiliton is originally from Cork, but now lives with his family in South Boston.</i></div>
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Similar posts:</div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/12/wicked-bard-review-of-christmas-celtic.html" target="_blank">A Wicked Bard Review of 'A Christmas Celtic Sojourn' in Boston</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/01/wicked-weird-3-most-bizarre-happenings.html" target="_blank">Wicked Weird: The Three Most Bizarre Happenings in New England History</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/08/wicked-weird-3-most-bizarre-ancient.html" target="_blank">Wicked Weird: The Three Most Bizarre Ancient Places in New England</a></li>
</ul>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-39654736980629809782011-12-28T09:23:00.002-05:002011-12-30T10:18:06.188-05:00New England as One of the 'Nine Nations' of North America<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I was around 12-years-old, my aunts and uncles thought it'd be fun to take <i>us cousins </i>down to North Carolina, where one of our long-lost relatives had a "beach house" on the coast. As it turned out, that house wasn't exactly on the coast, but was instead on a man-made channel, which the locals referred to as "the ditch."<br />
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On the first day of chatting with our neighbors on the ditch, it became clear that we had entered an entirely different world. <a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/02/picking-up-my-rs-end-of-boston-accent.html" target="_blank">Our spitfire Boston accents</a> resonated in stark contrast to their laid-back Southern drawls, while our get-up-and-go!-go!-go! approach to the day's events were clearly at odds with their let's-sit-back-and-stay-awhile mentality. After just minutes of conversation, these obvious linguistic and cultural differences prompted one of our North Carolina neighbors to inquire facetiously, "Are y'all from <i>northern </i>North Carolina?"<br />
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That trip marked the first time that I would witness, first-hand, the concept of there being different cultural regions, or nations, within the confines of the United States. In 1981, Joel Garreau of the <i>Washington Post</i> divided not only the United States, but all of North America into nine cultural nations. Garreau's divisions were based on social and economic data that he gathered during two years of traveling across the continent.<br />
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You can see the nine nations on the map above, as well as on the map below:<br />
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<a href="http://harpercollege.edu/%7Emhealy/geogres/maps/nagif/na9nat2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://harpercollege.edu/%7Emhealy/geogres/maps/nagif/na9nat2.gif" width="500" /></a></div>
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One of the first things you might notice about New England as a cultural nation is that it extends beyond the United States. In addition to Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, Garreau's New England includes the Canadian areas of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. The reason for their inclusion stems from the fact that these are coastal, predominantly Anglophone (English-speaking) areas of Canada, which share more cultural traits with their Anglophone, American neighbors to the south than they do with their Francophone (French-speaking), Quebecois neighbors to the west.<br />
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Here are some of the <b>cultural traits</b>, which, according to Garreau, are <b>characteristic of the New England nation </b>(bear in mind that these are from 1981):<br />
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<li><b>New Englanders consider themselves to be more civilized than people from other areas </b></li>
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<li><b>New Englanders consider themselves to be academic elitists </b></li>
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<li><b>New Englanders have strong, independent characters and are known for their "shrewd trading" and ingenuity</b></li>
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<li><b>New England's cultural imagery includes cast-iron wood stoves, multicolored autumn leaves and maple syrup</b></li>
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<li><b>New England's scenery and surroundings (woodlands, waters) are its primary social and economic assets</b></li>
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<li><b>The dominant industries are leather, apparel and textiles. However, "New England is rapidly transforming itself into North America's first
truly twenty-first-century, postindustrial society, and, as such, it is
again a land of pioneers." High technology = the future of the New England economy.</b></li>
</ul>
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What do you think of Garreau's assessment? Leave a comment below.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Resources:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Marvin Harris and Cultural Materialism: Robert N. St. Clair, University of Louisville</span><br />
<a href="http://epistemic-forms.com/FacSite/Articles/marvin-harris-culture-material.html"><span style="font-size: small;">http://epistemic-forms.com/FacSite/Articles/marvin-harris-culture-material.html</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Harper College: Nine Nations of North America </span><br />
<a href="http://harpercollege.edu/%7Emhealy/g101ilec/namer/nac/nacnine/na9new/na9newfr.htm"><span style="font-size: small;">http://harpercollege.edu/~mhealy/g101ilec/namer/nac/nacnine/na9new/na9newfr.htm</span></a>Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-32592960149489908442011-12-22T13:05:00.000-05:002011-12-22T13:05:51.186-05:00The Puritan War on Christmas in New England: A Timeline<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1620</b></span></div>
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The Pilgrims come to New England, riding a wave of uber-orthodox religious fervor. Christmas is not a recognized holiday. Instead of getting their jollies on with some hearty cups of eggnog (like Captain John Smith's <i>heathens</i> did down in Jamestown back in 1607), the Pilgrims spend December 25th building shelter. Oh, what fun!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1621</b></span></div>
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Governor Bradford recognizes that some of his Plymouth settlers, specifically those who are sympathetic towards the Church of England (later known as the Episcopal Church), want some time off on December 25th so that they can worship at home. But when the governor discovers these same settlers playing games out in the street on Christmas Day (instead of devoting their attention to the divine), everyone is ordered back to work. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1659</b></span></div>
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The General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony<em> </em>officially bans the celebration of Christmas. The Court also places bans on other holidays, gambling and essentially all forms of merrymaking. According to Court records, anyone who is caught "observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way" must pay a fine of five shillings to the county "for every such offence [offense]." <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1681</b></span></div>
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A glimmer of hope! After two decades of Grinch-like rule, the English-appointed governor, Sir Edmund
Andros, lifts the ban on Christmas. However, despite Christmas regaining its legality, the Puritan spirit prevails and the majority of New Englanders continue to abstain from Yuletide celebrations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1712</b></span></div>
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Reverend Cotton Mather (son of Reverend Increase Mather, who was involved in the Salem Witch Trials) condemns the "wanton Bacchanalian" that is Christmas. According to Mather, Christmas is "dominated by a lord of misrule, who did not hesitate to invade the churches in a time of service..." Despite this condemnation, New England's Church of England/Episcopal Church congregations openly celebrate the December holiday. A few New Englanders from other congregations participate in the Christmas festivities, but the puritanical Congregationalists continue on with their abstention.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1823</b></span></div>
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In Connecticut, Hartford's Brick Meeting House, which also serves as the city's First Congregational Church, holds its inaugural Christmas service. <a href="http://www.courant.com/" target="_blank">The Hartford Courant</a> endorses this progressive move, citing, "It has been the wish of many pious people among those whose form of worship differs from the Episcopal Church that the day which gave birth to the Saviour of the world should be generally commemorated by appropriate religious services." Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, Christmas celebrations become more widely accepted across New England. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://0.tqn.com/d/gonewengland/1/5/v/M/osvxmas7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://0.tqn.com/d/gonewengland/1/5/v/M/osvxmas7.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1832</b></span></div>
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German immigrant and Harvard professor, Charles Follen, introduces the tradition of the decorated Christmas tree to New England during a party at his Cambridge home. However, instead of setting up an evergreen tree on the floor in the corner of a room, Follen set up his tree on the dining table. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1870</b></span></div>
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Christmas is declared a federal holiday on June 26th; the Puritan war on Christmas in New England is officially over.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Source materials: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.courant.com/entertainment/hc-winter-history-puritans,0,5095196.story" target="_blank">Hartford Courant: "Puritans Viewed Christmas As Corrupt Religious Ritual," by David H. Rhinelander</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://masstraveljournal.com/features/boston-cambridge/when-christmas-was-banned-boston" target="_blank">Massachusetts Travel Journal: When Christmas Was Banned in Boston</a></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.history.com/topics/christmas" target="_blank">History.com: Christmas </a></span></li>
<li><a href="http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/1996/12.12/ProfessorBrough.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">The Harvard University Gazette: "Professor Brought Christmas Tree to New England," by Ken Gewertz</span></a></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;">Similar posts:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/11/5-little-known-facts-about-first.html" target="_blank">5 Little-Known Facts About the First Thanksgiving </a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/12/boston-irish-by-numbers-some-insight.html" target="_blank">Boston Irish by the Numbers: Some Insight into the Early Days of the Irish in Boston</a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/01/wicked-weird-3-most-bizarre-happenings.html" target="_blank">Wicked Weird: The 3 Most Bizarre Happenings In New England History </a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/12/wicked-bard-review-of-christmas-celtic.html" target="_blank">A Wicked Bard Review of 'A Christmas Celtic Sojourn' in Boston</a></span></li>
</ul>Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-37904333784385270572011-12-20T17:58:00.001-05:002021-01-25T16:58:09.745-05:005 Reasons Why 'Fairytale of New York' Is the Greatest Christmas Song Ever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HwHyuraau4Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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If you've never heard "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues (featuring Kirsty MacColl), stop what you're doing, grab yourself an eggnog, a hot toddy or an equally heartwarming beverage and prepare your ears for some Yuletide euphoria.<br />
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Released in 1987, and written by Pogues' founders Shane MacGowan and Jem Finer, "Fairytale of New York" is a sweeping ballad that follows the drunken Christmas Eve exploits of an Irish emigrant in New York City. As IrishCentral recently reported, <a href="http://www.irishcentral.com/ent/Fairytale-of-New-York-the-most-played-Christmas-classic-of-the-century--VIDEO-135724498.html" target="_blank">the song is the "most played Christmas classic of the century."</a><br />
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So what is it about "Fairytale of New York" -- a song that National University of Ireland lecturer, Joe Cleary, once referred to as <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1215/breaking41.html" target="_blank">"a twisted love song"</a> -- that makes it so popular? Here's what I've come up with:<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Unorthodox Narrative </b></span></div>
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<a href="http://needcoffee.cachefly.net/needcoffee/uploads/2008/12/fairytale-new-york-pogues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://needcoffee.cachefly.net/needcoffee/uploads/2008/12/fairytale-new-york-pogues.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
How many Christmas songs begin with the song's protagonist languishing away in a police station's drunk tank? Answer: none (although, that could change if I move forward with writing the much anticipated, "Fairytale of Boston"). In contrast to your typical Christmas songs, "Fairytale of New York" does not focus on the merrymaking of jovial characters, like Frosty, Santa or the mommy that kisses Santa. Instead, it focuses on two young people -- with a love/hate relationship -- who are struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction. Merry Christmas!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Underlying Social Significance</b></span><br />
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In addition to having an unorthodox narrative, the backstory to "Fairytale of New York" is unusual for a Christmas song. While one might argue that "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer<span class="st"><i>" </i></span>is a vehicle for promoting racial equality, the message becomes a bit convoluted by the flying reindeer and nasal luminescence. In comparison, "Fairytale of New York" has very clear social undertones, as the two bickering lovers in the song are undoubtedly Irish emigrants, who are bewildered by the "cars big as bars." As the song progresses, we learn about the realities of Irish emigration and how fairytale lives are not always possible (even in a city with "rivers of gold").<br />
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<a href="http://cache2.allpostersimages.com/p/LRG/28/2812/XXJOD00Z/plakater/kirsty-maccoll-with-lead-singer-from-the-pogues-shane-macgowan-december-1987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://cache2.allpostersimages.com/p/LRG/28/2812/XXJOD00Z/plakater/kirsty-maccoll-with-lead-singer-from-the-pogues-shane-macgowan-december-1987.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Duet Dynamics </b></span><br />
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Think of a popular Christmas song that is almost always performed as a duet. Exactly, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjYUzpdKMZs&feature=related" target="_blank">"Baby, It's Cold Outside."</a> Good job! Now, think of another one.<br />
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Apart from the 1944 Frank Loesser classic (mentioned above), "Fairytale of New York" is really the only Christmas song that unambiguously requires male and female -- or low and high -- parts. The call-and-response portions of the song, when the two characters exchange blows, are especially entertaining. And in the original recording of "Fairytale of New York," the way MacGowan's crude, pagan voice contrasts with MacColl's sweet, angelic voice has a certain enchanting quality to it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Memorable References</b></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://991.com/NewGallery/Frank-Sinatra-Sinatra-New-York-488365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://991.com/NewGallery/Frank-Sinatra-Sinatra-New-York-488365.jpg" width="200" /></a>If you're going to write a song that references other songs, as well as a famous person, follow MacGowan's and Finer's lead: reference awesome, classic songs and an awesome, classic famous person. "Fairytale of New York" mentions two, well-known traditional Irish songs in the following lines: "And then he sang a song / 'The Rare Old Mountain Dew'" and "The boys of the NYPD choir /<br />
Were singing 'Galway Bay'." By referencing these two classics, MacGowan and Finer illuminate the Irish roots of the characters, despite the fact that the all of the action takes place in New York. Conversely, to emphasize the New York setting, the songwriters' mention Frank in the memorable line, "Sinatra was swinging / All the drunks they were singing." <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Offensive Language</span></b><br />
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Let's face it: Christmas songs suffer from a deplorable lack of profanity. MacGowan and Finer did their best to change that.<br />
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The first time you listen to "Fairytale of New York," you're swaying, you're getting in that Christmas spirit, you're feeling jolly and then all of a sudden you stop and think to yourself, "Wait, did he really just call her that?" And then soon after you think, "Holy crap, did she really just call him <i>that</i>?!?" Of course, the answer to both of these questions is "Yes." <a href="http://www.pogues.com/Releases/Lyrics/LPs/IfIShould/Fairytale.html" target="_blank">The lyrics are here for you to read</a>. But before you label The Pogues a bunch of intolerant bigots, remember that the "F" word in question apparently has a different meaning in Irish/Liverpudlian slang: it refers to a lazy person.<br />
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Controversy aside, offensive language is a part of everyday life, both in New York and elsewhere. MacGowan and Finer use this language to bring a sense of realism to a genre of music that is typically overrun with whimsical, fairytale-like prose.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.azchords.com/p/pogues-tabs-5469/fairytaleofnewyork-tabs-155038.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">"Fairytale of New York" Chords and Lyrics </span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Similar posts:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/04/most-controversial-content-in-celtic.html" target="_blank">The Most Controversial Content in Celtic Music: "The Patriot Game" </a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/11/best-version-ever-of-star-of-county.html" target="_blank">The Best Version Ever of 'Star of the County Down'? You Be the Judge </a> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/11/cant-believe-i-never-heard-this-before.html" target="_blank">Can't Believe I Never Heard This Before Today: The Chieftains and Ziggy Marley Play 'Redemption Song' </a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/12/wicked-bard-review-of-christmas-celtic.html" target="_blank">A Wicked Bard Review of 'A Christmas Celtic Sojourn' in Boston </a></span></li>
</ul>
<a href="http://www.azchords.com/p/pogues-tabs-5469/fairytaleofnewyork-tabs-155038.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></a>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
<br />
Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-77211491673709657292011-12-19T10:47:00.001-05:002021-01-25T16:58:28.580-05:00A Wicked Bard Review of 'A Christmas Celtic Sojourn' in Boston<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://irishecho.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Christmas-Celtic-Sojourn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://irishecho.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Christmas-Celtic-Sojourn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melissa McCarthy performing a slip jig at <i>A Christmas Celtic Sojourn</i> (image courtesy of<i> </i><a href="http://irishecho.com/?p=68431" target="_blank">The Irish Echo</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i></i>Prior to attending <strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em><a href="http://www.wgbh.org/listen/achristmasceltic_sojourn2011.cfm" target="_blank">A Christmas Celtic Sojourn with Brian O'Donovan</a> </em></strong>at the <a href="http://www.emerson.edu/about-emerson/campuses-facilities/boston/cutler-majestic-theatre" target="_blank">Cutler Majestic Theatre</a> this past weekend, my aunt warned me that I would need to "drink heavily" if I were to enjoy the show<strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>. </em></strong>This was my dad's sister, on the Irish side of my family.<br />
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A few years back, my mother had gathered up the Devaney clan<strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em> </em></strong>-- my aunt included -- and gleefully brought them to the Culter Majestic for <i>A Christmas Celtic Sojourn</i>. She was fully convinced that my father's siblings, all spirited Irish Americans, would thoroughly enjoy the festive display of traditional Irish music, dance and storytelling. Boy, was she wrong. <strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em></em><em></em><em></em></strong><br />
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Apart from my father, who has a penchant for Celtic culture (Druidism is his current religion of choice), my mother, who is half Swedish and half Italian, was the only one who truly enjoyed the show. The others found it uneventful and boring.<br />
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I think the issue here is that a <i>A Christmas Celtic Sojourn </i>is not a Christmas spectacular: there is no flying Santa Claus, no pyrotechnics and while there are plenty of high kicks with the Irish step dancing, there is not chorus line of Rockettes. Furthermore, if you think Celtic music is all about no nay never no mores (The Wild Rover) and mush-a ring dum-a do dum-a das (Whiskey in the Jar), <i>A Christmas Celtic Sojourn </i>may disappoint. There are lots of instrumentals, a handful of slow airs and several traditional Irish Christmas carols that the average New Englander might not be familiar with.<br />
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Personally, I enjoyed the show immensely. And I think part of the reason for my enjoyment was due to the fact that I could recognize <i>A Christmas Celtic Sojourn</i> for what it was: a gathering of incredibly, incredibly talented performers who are passionate about what they do.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.corinnasmithmusic.com/uploads/5/8/0/2/5802233/3129324.jpg?292" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.corinnasmithmusic.com/uploads/5/8/0/2/5802233/3129324.jpg?292" width="197" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hammer dulcimer virtuoso, Simon Chrisman</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There was <a href="http://www.kieranohare.com/Home.html" target="_blank">Kieren O'Hare</a>, who has inspired me to invest in a set of uilleann pipes (much to the dismay of my girlfriend and -- more-than-likely -- my neighbors). There was <a href="http://www.myspace.com/simonusher" target="_blank">Simon Chrisman</a>, who pushed the limits of what one can accomplish with the hammer dulcimer (which is an instrument that you've likely heard before even if you've never heard of it before). There was Rhode Islander <a href="http://www.arts.ri.gov/eduRoster/rostDetail.php?rost_id=1355" target="_blank">Kevin Doyle</a>, the US Irish dance champion who seemed to defy gravity with his steps. And, of course, there were the young step dancing sensations from the <a href="http://www.harneyacademy.com/cms/" target="_blank">Harney Academy of Irish Dancing</a> who brought ear-to-ear smiles to the faces of audience members.<br />
<br />
Apart from the show's host, master storyteller <a href="http://www.wgbh.org/listen/odonovan_brian.cfm" target="_blank">Brian O'Donovan</a>, the star of <i>A Christmas Celtic Sojourn </i>was undoubtedly singer/songwriter <a href="http://www.ruthmoody.com/" target="_blank">Ruth Moody</a> of <a href="http://www.thewailinjennys.com/" target="_blank">Wailin' Jennys</a> fame. There's nothing I can write that can do her talent justice. Just listen to her voice (and her original songs). If I were to make one preachy, over-the-top statement about the state of music in America, it would be as follows: we need fewer image-obsessed, overly theatrical, overproduced showboats, like Lady Gaga, and more artists, like Ruth Moody, who let their raw talent and passion do the talking for them.<i><br /></i><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Similar posts:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/11/celtic-sojourn-radio-bostons-best.html" target="_blank">A Celtic Sojourn Radio: Boston's Best Source for Free Streaming Celtic Music</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/12/bostons-celtic-music-fest-bcmfest-to.html" target="_blank">Boston's Celtic Music Fest (BCMFest) to Celebrate 9th Anniversary in January, 2012</a></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
<br />
Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-17312392306768252952011-12-14T09:09:00.003-05:002011-12-14T09:19:12.680-05:00Top 10 Quotes About New England: The Land of 'Ironic Pessimism'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIUztjmGUNd9jtQSdjdeU8ubeaoOeFXkOgWV5wkGP0wYqc_ZqUd_nX11C3CxlPc2uqnwhdnOQ6L3fZ5z54ex6Zau_WDx2MTuRZLaYLcjPK3XoNQtwmdx83r5b1Z9gz3otZfDbiJ0L0FSK/s320/New_England_Outline.png" width="269" /></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>In no particular order...<br />
<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">"What New England is, is a state of mind, a place where dry humor and perpetual disappointment blend to produce an ironic pessimism that folks from away find most perplexing." </span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">- Willem Lange</div><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">"To the rest of the country, New England has always stood in much the same relation as England has to America -- that of spiritual homeland and mother country."</span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">- B.A. Botkin </div><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
"New England is quite as large a lump of earth as my heart can really take in."</span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="text"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"></span></span></span>- Nathaniel Hawthorne</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">"The New England conscience does not stop you from doing what you shouldn't -- it just stops you from enjoying it." </span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">- Cleveland Amory</div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">"The most serious charge which can be brought against New England is not Puritanism but February."</span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">- Joseph Wood Krutch</div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">"New England has a harsh climate, a barren soil, a rough and stormy coast, and yet we love it, even with a love passing that of dwellers in more favored regions."</span></i></div> - Henry Cabot Lodge </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><i><span style="font-size: large;">"There is no pleasing New Englanders, my dear, their soil is all rocks and their hearts are bloodless absolutes."</span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">- John Updike</div><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">“If you don't like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes.” </span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">- Mark Twain</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">“Oh, the ignorance of us upon whom Providence did not sufficiently smile to permit us to be born in New England”</span></i></div><div style="text-align: right;">- Horace Porter</div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"I moved to New England partly because it has a real literary past. The ghosts of Hawthorne and Melville still sit on those green hills. The worship of Mammon is also somewhat lessened there by the spirit of irony. I don't get hay fever in New England either."</i></span></div><div style="text-align: right;">- John Updike</div></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://www.theheartofnewengland.com/Quotes.html" target="_blank">The Heart of New England: Quotes by New Englanders</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.searchquotes.com/search/New_England/1/" target="_blank">SearchQuotes: New England Quotes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/new_england/" target="_blank">Thinkexist.com: New England Quotes </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/new-england" target="_blank">GoodReads: Quotes About New England</a></li>
</ul><br />
Similar Posts:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/04/top-10-new-englandisms.html" target="_blank">Top 10 New Englandisms</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/02/picking-up-my-rs-end-of-boston-accent.html">Picking Up My R's: The End of a Boston Accent? </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/11/inspiration-for-work-week-top-5-henry.html" target="_blank">Inspiration for the Work Week: Top 5 Henry David Thoreau Quotes </a> </li>
</ul>Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-14431033129140222532011-12-09T10:41:00.001-05:002021-01-25T16:58:50.131-05:00Boston Irish by the Numbers: Some Insight into the Early Days of the Irish in Boston<div style="text-align: right;"></div>In<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>1847</b></span>, the first big wave of Irish emigrants escaping the <a href="http://indigo.ie/%7Ewildgees/famine.htm" target="_blank">Irish Famine</a> (also known as the Great Famine, the Great Potato Famine and An Gorta Mor) made their way to Boston.<br />
<br />
During this year, <b><span style="font-size: large;">37,000</span></b> Irish landed in the Hub. <br />
<br />
Prior to the arrival of these Irish immigrants, Boston was a primarily Anglo-Saxon community with approximately <b><span style="font-size: large;">115,000</span></b> residents.<br />
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Many of these residents were descendants of English Puritans and could trace their lineage back to <b><span style="font-size: large;">1620</span></b>, when the Mayflower landed in Plymouth.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, when Irish Catholics came pouring into Boston some <span style="font-size: large;"><b>230</b> </span>years later, the English Protestants were none too happy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tritec-inc.org/becomingamerica/chelsea-unit/iascher/images/emigrant-arrive-boston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://www.tritec-inc.org/becomingamerica/chelsea-unit/iascher/images/emigrant-arrive-boston.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Emigrant arrival at Constitution Wharf, Boston' by Winslow Homer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>These English Bostonians mocked and laughed at the Irish immigrants, due to the fact that their clothes were "out of fashion" by <b><span style="font-size: large;">20</span></b> years. <br />
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Landlords in Boston would charge Irish families <b><span style="font-size: large;">$1.50</span></b> per week to live in single rooms, which lacked ventilation, sanitation, water and -- in some instances -- windows. <br />
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A typical room rented to an Irish family in Boston had dimensions of <b><span style="font-size: large;">9 ft</span></b> by<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>11 ft</b></span>.<br />
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By dividing up a three-story house room-by-room, a Boston landlord could accommodate <b><span style="font-size: large;">100</span></b> Irish, which made for a tidy profit.<br />
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Due to the unsanitary living conditions that the Irish were faced with, <b><span style="font-size: large;">60%</span></b> of Irish children born in Boston during the mid-19th century died before the age of <b><span style="font-size: large;">6</span></b>.<br />
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Approximately <b><span style="font-size: large;">1,500</span></b> Irish children roamed the streets of Boston begging and stirring up mischief during this time. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMvL0wN9iZV76gU4J6VmiJtH6WGOcB3kYmQ2Lq_Qs4I8YJv8XZhRAdZFhJuWT9rZxEHN1AMcC2N0o7FTnAbAnnBPigpiLJ2DK7fHEfV9GgufXlb7iXgldmJ3MKxskUzFSvpmUvHDsJtWy/s1600/No+Irish+need+apply.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMvL0wN9iZV76gU4J6VmiJtH6WGOcB3kYmQ2Lq_Qs4I8YJv8XZhRAdZFhJuWT9rZxEHN1AMcC2N0o7FTnAbAnnBPigpiLJ2DK7fHEfV9GgufXlb7iXgldmJ3MKxskUzFSvpmUvHDsJtWy/s320/No+Irish+need+apply.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>On average, Irish adults lived just <b><span style="font-size: large;">6</span></b> more years after arriving in Boston.<br />
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In Boston, an Irish worker could earn up to <span style="font-size: large;"><b>$1</b> </span>per day, which was considerably more than the <b><span style="font-size: large;">8¢</span></b> per day an Irish worker might earn back in Ireland. Unfortunately, English Bostonians were largely unwilling to hire the Irish and hung up signs reading "No Irish Need Apply" on the oustides of workshops, factories and stores.<br />
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For more information on Boston Irish history, as well as Irish American history in general, check out <a href="http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/america.htm">The History Place</a>, which was where I found the info for this post.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Related posts: </span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/11/irish-central-names-most-irish-town-in.html" target="_blank">'Irish Central' Names the Most Irish Town in America... and It Isn't Woburn? </a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/02/picking-up-my-rs-end-of-boston-accent.html" target="_blank">Picking Up My R's: The End Of A Boston Accent? </a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/04/irishtown-how-stats-tell-story-about.html" target="_blank"> Irishtown: How Stats Tell A Story About Woburn, Massachusetts </a></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
<br />
Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-68331193010929862042011-12-07T10:03:00.000-05:002011-12-07T10:03:12.085-05:00Massachusetts Remembers Pearl Harbor with Ceremony at Battleship CoveToday, December 7, 2011 marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; an attack that claimed the lives of more than 2,000 Americans and prompted the United States to enter World War II.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.history.com/images/media/slideshow/pearl-harbor/pearl-harbor-attack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://www.history.com/images/media/slideshow/pearl-harbor/pearl-harbor-attack.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battleships Burning at Pearl Harbor: December 7 (courtesy of History.com/Corbis)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>To commemorate the victims of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a memorial ceremony will be held today at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts. The ceremony is set to begin at 12:55 p.m., which is the time (on the East Coast) when the Japanese commenced their two-hour long aerial assault on the American naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii. <br />
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Today's ceremony at Battleship Cove will feature Manuel Martin of Westport, who is one of the area's last remaining survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack. A film, <a href="http://battleshipcove.org/pearl_harbor.htm">“The Pearl Harbor Experience at Battleship Cove”</a> (complete with specialized visual and audio effects), will also be played.<br />
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Battleship Cove is home to a Pearl Harbor exhibit, which is on the second deck of the <a href="http://www.battleshipcove.com/bb59-history.htm">USS <i>Massachusetts</i></a>. Two Pearl Harbor memorials are also on board the battleship: one is inside the BB59 Memorial Room while the other is at Turret Three. The Massachusetts Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association dedicated both memorials.<br />
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The largest Pearl Harbor memorial in the Bay State, however, stretches directly over Battleship Cove. Braga Bridge, which connects Fall River to Swansea via I-195, is named for Fall River-native Charles M. Braga, Jr.<br />
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Braga, who was a sailor aboard the USS <i>Pennsylvania</i>, lost his life in the Pearl Harbor attack. He is remembered as the first serviceman from Fall River to die in World War II.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-files.gather.com/images/d555/d324/d745/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://media-files.gather.com/images/d555/d324/d745/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The USS <i>Massachusetts</i> with Braga Bridge in the background (courtesy of travel.gather.com)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For more information about Pearl Harbor history, Battleship Cove and today's memorial ceremony, visit:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x1712042118/Battleship-Cove-to-recognize-Pearl-Harbor-day-with-ceremony">The Herald News: Battleship Cove to recognize Pearl Harbor day with ceremony</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.battleshipcove.com/memorials-pearl.htm">Battleship Cove: Memorials</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.history.com/topics/pearl-harbor">History.com: Pearl Harbor </a></li>
</ul>Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-46837497490490179202011-12-02T09:21:00.001-05:002021-01-25T16:59:25.407-05:00Boston's Celtic Music Fest (BCMFest) to Celebrate 9th Anniversary in January, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.westford.com/museum/photos/concerts/bcmfest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://www.westford.com/museum/photos/concerts/bcmfest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Do you live in the Boston area? Do you love Celtic music? Are you looking for something fun to do on Friday, January 6th and Saturday, January 7th?<br />
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If you answered "yes" to the above questions, you should seriously consider picking up some tickets to the ninth annual BCMFest (<a href="http://bcmfest.com/" target="_blank">Boston's Celtic Music Fest</a>). The weekend festival will showcase Greater Boston's top musicians and dancers from the Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton and other Celtic traditions.<br />
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Founded by local Celtic musicians <a href="http://www.lauracortese.com/" target="_blank">Laura Cortese</a> (Scottish fiddle) and <a href="http://www.mattandshannonheaton.com/" target="_blank">Shannon Heaton</a> (Irish flute), the BCMFest organization, which puts on the annual concert as well as other Celtic music events, lists the four following objectives on its website:<br />
<ol><li>To produce locally-based Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton music and dance in an upbeat and all-ages friendly environment. </li>
<li>To bolster appreciation for traditional Celtic music and dance among youth and the greater Boston community. </li>
<li>To support a living, changing tradition by encouraging cross-genre collaboration and innovation among dancers and musicians of all generations. </li>
<li>To produce a variety of collaborative projects and performances for, in and of the greater Boston community. </li>
</ol><div class="longText"><ol></ol>BCMFest 2012 will kick off on January 6th at 7pm with the <i>Roots and Branches</i> concert at <a href="http://www.clubpassim.com/" target="_blank">Club Passim</a>. The concert promises to offer a "fresh take on Celtic music from North America to Europe and back again" and will include a "diverse roster of special guests." </div><div class="longText"> </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__NP00_DhVsKN2axm3avlsmlIUqNDsn7dg9nni0My8kT7HwswvXPhBHQWNOCKwbIlxR1rRm6iIoysB43QN737w0S8PFBOR8PnpWLxTB52DNtyUXUMRFq95zQ76H5Xp58pX85wWDB_Wv4L/s1600/screen-capture-110.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__NP00_DhVsKN2axm3avlsmlIUqNDsn7dg9nni0My8kT7HwswvXPhBHQWNOCKwbIlxR1rRm6iIoysB43QN737w0S8PFBOR8PnpWLxTB52DNtyUXUMRFq95zQ76H5Xp58pX85wWDB_Wv4L/s320/screen-capture-110.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triple Spiral</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="longText">Following <i>Roots and Branches</i>, a parade will leave from Club Passim and make its way to The Atrium for <i>Boston Urban Ceilidh</i>. At <i>Boston Urban Ceilidh</i>, festival-goers will be able to experience a variety of dance music styles, including Scottish (<a href="http://www.neilpearlman.com/" target="_blank">Neil Pearlman and Friends</a>), Breton (<a href="http://www.triplespiral.us/" target="_blank">Triple Spiral</a>) and New England contra (The Reiner Brothers).</div><div class="longText"> </div><div class="longText">At BCMFest 2012's Saturday <i>Dayfest</i>, performers will include: </div><ul><li><a href="http://www.hannahandliz.com/home.html" target="_blank">Hannah Sanders & Liz Simmons</a></li>
<li>Katie McNally & Eric McDonald</li>
<li><a href="http://www.kyleannecarey.com/" target="_blank">Kyle Carey</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.highlandsoles.com/" target="_blank">Highland Soles</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.kenperlman.com/" target="_blank">Ken Perlman & Jim Prendergast</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bobbradshaw.net/" target="_blank">Bob Bradshaw</a></li>
<li>Corvus</li>
<li><a href="http://www.myspace.com/chasingredbirdmusic" target="_blank">Chasing Redbird</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.fellswater.com/" target="_blank">Fellswater</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.neilpearlman.com/projects.html" target="_blank">Neil Pearlman's Scottish Infusion</a></li>
<li><a href="http://flynncohen.net/deadstringensemble.cfm" target="_blank">The Deadstring Ensemble</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.triplespiral.us/" target="_blank">Triple Spiral</a></li>
<li>Amanda Cavanaugh & Nic Gareiss</li>
<li><a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/N%C3%98%C3%8DR" target="_blank">NØÍR</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.whiskeyboys.com/" target="_blank">The Whiskey Boys</a></li>
<li>Dylan Courville</li>
<li>Wells Burrell & Bob Jennings</li>
<li>Adrienne Howard & Emily Peterson </li>
</ul><div class="longText"><br />
<a href="http://www.mattandshannonheaton.com/" target="_blank">Matt Heaton</a> and <a href="http://flynncohen.net/" target="_blank">Flynn Cohen</a> will spearhead the festival's Saturday finale concert. They will be joined by "some of Greater Boston's most notable Celtic musicians, singers and dancers."<br />
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For more information on BCMFest 2012, visit <a href="http://bcmfest.com/">http://bcmfest.com/</a>. <br />
<a href="http://www.bcmfest.com/tickets.html" target="_blank">Click here for ticket prices</a>. <br />
You can find BCMFest on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/BCMFest" target="_blank">@BCMFest</a>. <br />
You can find me on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/TheBardOfBoston" target="_blank">@TheBardOfBoston</a>. <br />
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</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
<br />Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-5946256376687686532011-11-29T13:51:00.002-05:002021-01-25T17:00:16.095-05:00The Best Version Ever of 'Star of the County Down'? You Be the Judge<i><span style="font-size: large;">Question</span></i><br />
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What do you get when you take the most famous Irish traditional music group in the world, The Chieftains; add legendary Northern Irish singer/songwriter, Van Morrison ('Brown Eyed Girl,' 'Moondance,' 'Wild Night'); and task them with performing one of the most popular Celtic music tunes of all time, 'Star of the County Down'?<br />
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Click <i>play</i> to hear the answer:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8GbdB7PlGtc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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There's something captivating about the arrangement... the whistles, the piano, <a href="http://www.pipersgathering.org/Northumbrian.shtml" target="_blank">the Northumbrian bagpipes</a> and -- of course -- Van Morrison's distinctive voice. Unlike <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rGhb0pAK30" target="_blank">The Irish Rovers</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTpsx1EruV0" target="_blank">The High Kings</a>, who speed through their respective renditions of 'Star,' The Chieftains and Van Morrison let the song unfold organically, at a relatively slow (but steady) pace, like moss growing on an old stone wall in the Irish countryside. <br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">A Little Bit of History</span></i><br />
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The melody of 'Star of the County Down' has English origins and dates back to at least the 1700s. It first appeared as 'Gilderoy' in <a href="http://www.contemplator.com/history/durfey.html">Thomas D'Urfey's <i>Pills to Purge the Melancholy</i></a><i> III </i>(1707), but became more 'Star'-like in the 1726 version of 'Gilderoy' that appeared in <i>Musick for Allan Ramsay's Collection of Scots Songs</i> by Alexander Stuart.<br />
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The 'Star'/'Gilderoy' melody has been used as a basis for numerous songs, including 'Dives and Lazarus,' 'Claudy Banks,' 'The Murder of Maria Martin,' and 'My Love Nell.' However, it was Cathal McGarvey (1866-1927) of Ramelton, County Donegal, who penned the 'Star of the County Down' lyrics that we know and love today. <br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Your Thoughts</span></i><br />
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So, what do you think of The Chieftains'/Van Morrison's rendition of 'Star'? Do you know of a better version? Leave a comment below!<br />
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<br />
Further Reading:<br />
<a href="http://www.contemplator.com/ireland/star.html" target="_blank">www.contemplator.com: Star of the County Down</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wolfgangdavid.com/violinist/contemporary/Gompper-StaroftheCountyDown.php" target="_blank">Wolfgang David: Star of the County Down </a><br />
<a href="http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/irish-folk-music/irish%20songs/Star%20Of%20The%20County%20Down.htm" target="_blank">'Star of the County Down' Chords & Lyrics</a><br />
<br />
If you liked this post, you might also want to check out:<br />
<a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/11/cant-believe-i-never-heard-this-before.html" target="_blank">Can't Believe I Never Heard This Before Today: The Chieftains and Ziggy Marley Play 'Redemption Song' </a>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
<br />
Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-44219008959856920272011-11-28T14:29:00.001-05:002011-12-16T15:26:08.407-05:00Inspiration for the Work Week: Top 5 Henry David Thoreau Quotes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/walden/images/Thoreau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/walden/images/Thoreau.jpg" width="230" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span class="body"> </span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>5.</b> <span style="font-size: large;"><i>"</i></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor." </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">4.</span> </b><i>"If you can speak what you will never hear, if you can write what you will never read, you have done rare things."</i></span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">3.</span> </b><i>"Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>2.</b></span><i> </i><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something." </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1.</b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
If you liked this post, you might also want to check out: </span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/02/why-henry-david-thoreau-would-have.html">Why Henry David Thoreau Would Have Hated Social Media </a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/08/celtic-musics-top-10-lines.html">Celtic Music's Top 10 Lines </a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/12/top-10-quotes-about-new-england-land-of.html" target="_blank">Top 10 Quotes About New England: The Land of 'Ironic Pessimism' </a></span></li>
</ul>Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-67584908062759571862011-11-23T10:09:00.000-05:002011-11-23T10:09:10.478-05:005 Little-Known Facts About the First Thanksgiving<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media/97/96797-004-66B24CFA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media/97/96797-004-66B24CFA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of britannica.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
1. The first Thanksgiving almost happened in New York</b></div><br />
When <i>The Mayflower</i> took off with 101 men, women and children on its 66-day trip across the Atlantic, the ship's ultimate destination was the land where New York City is located today. Due to some unanticipated heavy winds, the Pilgrims had to <i>settle</i> for settling in what would later become Massachusetts. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>2. The Native Americans didn't join the Pilgrims out of sympathy</b></div><br />
On an early autumn day in 1621, four Pilgrims headed out into the woods, muskets-on-shoulders, in search of some food for a harvest celebration. When members of the Wampanoag tribe heard gunshots, they alerted Massasoit -- their leader -- who promptly gathered 90 warriors to go see if the Pilgrims were preparing for war. As we now know, it was a false alarm, and the Wampanoags joined the Pilgrims for their harvest celebration.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://scientopia.org/img-archive/scicurious/img_84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://scientopia.org/img-archive/scicurious/img_84.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of scientopia.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><b>3. There was no turkey at the first Thanksgiving</b></div><br />
Most of the food that we today associate with Thanksgiving was not available back in 1621. Instead of eating turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes, the Pilgrims and Native Americans ate shellfish, corn and roasted deer meat. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>4. The Pilgrims didn't wear buckles at the first Thanksgiving</b> <b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b></div><br />
The Pilgrims didn't wear silver buckles on their shoes and hats, nor did they dress in black, somber attire at the first Thanksgiving. Instead, they dressed in bright colors. Furthermore, despite popular depictions, the Native Americans didn't wear extravagant feathered headdresses or woven blankets at the first Thanksgiving.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>5. The Pilgrims didn't call it 'Thanksgiving'</b></div><br />
While the Pilgrims did offer thanks to God at the first Thanksgiving in 1621, they didn't call the event 'Thanksgiving.' It wouldn't be until 1623 that the first religious 'Day of Thanksgiving' would be recorded. This first Thanksgiving, however, was held in response to rainfall, not the fall harvest. Overtime, the Pilgrims' harvest celebration and 'Day of Thanksgiving' evolved into a single event. Abraham Lincoln kicked off the American tradition of an annual, national Thanksgiving in 1863.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Further Reading:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.pilgrimhall.org/f_thanks.htm" target="_blank">http://www.pilgrimhall.org/f_thanks.htm</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/history/first-thanksgiving/" target="_blank">http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/history/first-thanksgiving/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you liked this post, you might also like <a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/06/who-was-paul-revere-four-little-known.html" target="_blank">Who Was Paul Revere? Four Little-Known Facts About Boston’s Favorite Patriot</a>.</span>Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-5885710401036047822011-11-22T09:15:00.002-05:002021-01-25T17:00:39.092-05:00A Celtic Sojourn Radio: Boston's Best Source for Free Streaming Celtic MusicIf you haven't already noticed, there is a deplorable lack of Celtic music on Boston-area radio stations. Country music gets its own station (<a href="http://www.wklb.com/" target="_blank">Country 102.5</a>), rap/hip-hop gets its own station (<a href="http://www.jamn945.com/main.html" target="_blank">Jam'n 94.5</a>), and before Santa Claus's recent hijacking of <a href="http://www.wror.com/" target="_blank">105.7 WROR</a> for the holiday season, Boston had two radio stations dedicated to classic rock (the other being <a href="http://wzlx.radio.com/" target="_blank">100.7 WZLX</a>). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUn4-96b_7ORaEPh2wkUjl-KP6dQdoYTZTg9zCnsQlarl-J2fIzXbaJtNTtPzc0MD_igjPPPIpXRqg0Et8Ua1vbwH87D16yuekllX2jvT4ujiXJFwJ4AmKgn6d2sYX859GHquhfaga5300/s1600/screen-capture-109.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUn4-96b_7ORaEPh2wkUjl-KP6dQdoYTZTg9zCnsQlarl-J2fIzXbaJtNTtPzc0MD_igjPPPIpXRqg0Et8Ua1vbwH87D16yuekllX2jvT4ujiXJFwJ4AmKgn6d2sYX859GHquhfaga5300/s200/screen-capture-109.png" width="200" /></a></div>So, as a Bostonian, where do you turn when your ears are craving some Dubliners, some Clancy Brothers, some Christy Moore, some Andy Irvine and perhaps a bit of raucous crooning from The Pogues' former front man, Shane MacGowan? The answer: <a href="http://www.wgbh.org/programs/A-Celtic-Sojourn-224" target="_blank">A Celtic Sojourn</a>.<br />
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Each week on WGBH Boston, A Celtic Sojourn host Brian O'Donovan exposes listeners to both traditional and contemporary music from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and elsewhere in the Celtic world. A native of Clonakilty in West Cork, Ireland, O'Donovan has lived in Boston for 30 years.<br />
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Apart from the great music and O'Donovan's incredible cultural insights, the best aspect of A Celtic Sojourn is that you can listen to it continuously, 24/7, on WGBH'S Celtic music stream: <a href="http://www.wgbh.org/programs/A-Celtic-Sojourn-Radio-363/episodes/A-Celtic-Sojourn-Radio-5665" target="_blank">A Celtic Sojourn Radio</a>. The stream provides a continuous set of recently broadcast Celtic Sojourn programs. In addition to <a href="http://www.wgbh.org/includes/playerPopStream.cfm?station=objCeltic" target="_blank">listening to the stream via a web browser</a>, you can find it through iTunes Radio under the International / World subheading.<br />
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Enjoy!
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-63655452403809169542011-11-21T09:03:00.001-05:002021-01-25T17:01:00.008-05:00My Twitter Handle (and Blog Title) Explained: What Is a Bard?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bosoxinjection.com/files/2010/02/daniel-bard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://bosoxinjection.com/files/2010/02/daniel-bard.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of bosoxinjection.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Bard of Boston is not a reference to <a href="http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=453268" target="_blank">Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard</a>; it is not a reference to Shakespeare performances going on in and around the Boston area; and it is not a reference to the culinary practice of covering meat with bacon prior to roasting (<a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_2105658_bard-meat.html" target="_blank">a second meaning of <i>bard</i></a>)... although that does sound delicious.<br />
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Apart from being a big fan of flaunting the phonetic fun of alliteration, I chose <i>bard</i> to precede Boston in my blog title and Twitter handle (<a href="https://twitter.com/BardOfBoston" target="_blank">@BardOfBoston</a>) because the term uniquely encapsulates several of the qualities that pertain to my interests, hobbies, career and ancestral past.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Celtic</b>: The term bard has its roots in the Celtic linguistic/cultural tradition, a tradition that today applies to persons of Irish, Highland Scottish, Manx, Welsh and Cornish descent. As an Irish American, the Celtic term <i>bard</i> seemed fitting, especially in light of its definition(s).</li>
<li><b>Writer</b>: According to <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bard">Dictionary.com</a>, a bard is "one of an ancient Celtic order of composers and reciters of poetry." Although I don't compose poetry to pay the bills, I do <i>compose</i> copy and web content. Furthermore, songwriting is a hobby of mine, which ties in with the next bullet point. </li>
<li><b>Musician</b>: Another definition of bard from Dictionary.com is as follows: "(formerly) a person who composed and recited epic or heroic poems, often while playing the harp, lyre, or the like." In my spare time, I play Celtic music; and back in my Montreal days, I even had a Celtic/folk band (Devaney's Goat). But what ties into this definition of bard even more specifically is that I play the Irish bouzouki, which is not too different from a lyre.<span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="color: #333333; cursor: default;"><br />
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<li><b>Historian</b>: <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bard">Merriam-Webster</a> defines bard as "a tribal poet-singer skilled in composing and reciting verses on heroes and their deeds." In addition, Dictionary.com clarifies in a later definition that bards "recited verses about the exploits, often legendary, of their tribes." As an amateur historian who is striving to keep stories from New England's past alive, I feel that I am performing the equivalent of reciting verses about the legendary exploits of my <i>tribe</i>.</li>
</ul>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-35917262240100899362011-11-18T09:27:00.001-05:002021-01-25T17:01:19.837-05:00Can't Believe I Never Heard This Before Today: The Chieftains and Ziggy Marley Play 'Redemption Song'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MnJgIq48C9k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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Celtic music and reggae music: I would never have thought the two genres could be successfully intertwined before I listened to this collaborative effort from <a href="http://www.thechieftains.com/" target="_blank">The Chieftains</a> and Ziggy Marley.<br />
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But then again, if you had to choose a reggae song that already had some Celtic undertones, Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" would be a natural choice: it's driven by acoustic guitar, it has melodic qualities that are reminiscent of an Irish ballad and it lacks that classic reggae tempo that is characteristic of songs like "Buffalo Soldier" and "Jammin'." And of course, The Chieftains are some of the best musicians and collaborators in the world. If any band can make Celtic/reggae work, it's The Chieftains.<br />
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" style="vertical-align: top;" title="Ziggy Marley & The Chieftains - Redemption Song"></span>The Chieftains and Ziggy Marley recorded their rendition of "Redemption Song" for the The Chieftains' 2002 album, <a href="http://www.thechieftains.com/discography/disc_wideworldover.asp" target="_blank"><i>The Wide World Over</i></a>. The album also features collaborations with The Rolling Stones, <span class="text01">Sinéad O' Connor, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell and Sting</span>.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-20021465920575202422011-11-17T08:38:00.001-05:002021-01-25T17:01:45.632-05:00'Irish Central' Names the Most Irish Town in America... and It Isn't Woburn?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.linkedin.com/mpr/pub/image-4wgen2hoN9NVt1_PuiqZn87idL1jqM_PucJknd4ymwFzBPRY/irish-central.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.linkedin.com/mpr/pub/image-4wgen2hoN9NVt1_PuiqZn87idL1jqM_PucJknd4ymwFzBPRY/irish-central.jpg" /></a></div>The popular New York-based online publication, <a href="http://www.irishcentral.com/" target="_blank">Irish Central</a>, recently reported that the seaside town of <a href="http://www.irishcentral.com/news/The-most-Irish-town-in-America-is-named-133427563.html" target="_blank">Scituate, Massachusetts is the most Irish town in the United States</a>. Census data indicate that nearly 50 percent of Scituate residents are of Irish descent.<br />
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But Scituate isn't the only community south of Boston with a plethora of Irish Americans. In Avon, Braintree, Hull, Marshfield, Milton and Pembroke, at least 44 percent of residents claim Irish ancestory.<br />
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These recent findings show that my hometown (or more accurately, homecity) of Woburn, MA is not as uniquely Irish as I had once thought: <a href="http://www.thebardofboston.com/2011/04/irishtown-how-stats-tell-story-about.html" target="_blank">only 36 percent of Woburn residents are of Irish descent</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://site.chowdaheadz.com/googleimages/irish-mass-sticker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://site.chowdaheadz.com/googleimages/irish-mass-sticker.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>However, for the sake of being stubborn, I must point out that Woburn, which is about 10 miles north of Boston, has been home to a strong Irish population for considerably longer than the above-mentioned South Shore communities.<br />
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The majority of Irish families now living in the South Shore originally immigrated to Boston. It was only at the end of World War II that they began migrating from Boston to their current homes.<br />
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In contrast, Irish families began pouring into Woburn during the mid-19th century. Between 1864 and 1865, 110 <span style="font-size: large;"></span>of the 181 <span style="font-size: large;"></span>children born in Woburn<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>had fathers who were born in Ireland.<br />
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Of course, Irish Americanism isn't a competition: this isn't Christmas at the Dwyers' house, where your 300-pound, college football-playing cousin asks you to "step outside" following a debate over the rules of a board game. <br />
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But if Irish Americanism <i>were</i> a competition, Scituate would win the numbers game, but I readily contend that Woburn would win the history game.
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963135595414755904.post-14549094142935072762011-11-16T08:49:00.001-05:002021-01-25T17:02:07.009-05:00Meet Poitín: A Killer Celtic Trad Band from the Czech Republic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gp1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/802892/production_public/Photo/1400478/image/hry2_1252253901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://gp1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/802892/production_public/Photo/1400478/image/hry2_1252253901.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
In addition to being an incredibly strong distilled Irish beverage, Poitín is an incredibly talented traditional Celtic band from Pizen, Czech Republic.<br />
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After finding them on Twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/Poitincz" target="_blank">@Poitincz</a>) a few weeks back, I headed over to their <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/poitin" target="_blank">ReverbNation page</a> to check out their tunes. I was thinking to myself, "what does a Celtic trad band from the Czech Republic sound like?"<br />
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The answer: they sound traditional. And I mean that in the best way possible. While they do experiment with didgeridoos and saxophones, Poitín readily admits that they are "firmly grounded in the pub session tradition" and like nothing better than sitting round a table in the corner of a cozy pub, bashing out old favorites about "tarry sailors, merry maids and drunken nights."<br />
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The six-person band features guitar, fiddle, banjo, bodhran and tin whistle, and is it just me, or does their lead singer sound a bit like <a href="http://www.andyirvine.com/" target="_blank">Andy Irvine</a>? Listen to their version of "Calton Weaver" and let me know.<i> </i><br />
<img border="0" height="0" src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEzMjE*NDkwNjcwMjkmcHQ9MTMyMTQ*OTA3NTA*MSZwPTI3MDgxJmQ9cHJvX3BsYXllcl9maXJzdF9nZW4mZz*xJm89/OGJmM2NhMmMxZmQyNDg1MGEwOTIzY2VhZWUyYzlmZmMmb2Y9MA==.gif" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><br />
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<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="200" width="262"><param name="movie" value="http://cache.reverbnation.com/widgets/swf/40/pro_widget.swf?id=artist_209912&skin_id=PWAS1002&border_color=000000&auto_play=false&shuffle=false&song_ids=9556212"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param><param name="quality" value="best"></param><embed src="http://cache.reverbnation.com/widgets/swf/40/pro_widget.swf?id=artist_209912&skin_id=PWAS1002&border_color=000000&auto_play=false&shuffle=false&song_ids=9556212" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowNetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="opaque" quality="best" width="262" height="200"></embed></object><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3><b>P.S. Hey there! If you liked this post, I have a hunch you'll love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Druid-Anthology-Celtic-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07LFNZK9W" target="_blank">NEON DRUID: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy</a>. It's a collection of 17 short stories all rooted in Celtic mythology.</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. You can also check out my new blog, <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Irish Myths</a>, where I unveil the secrets of <a href="https://irishmyths.com/" target="_blank">Celtic mythology</a>, Irish mythology, and Irish folklore.</div></div>
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Erik Alan Devaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691908176529800694noreply@blogger.com0