Cairde na hÉireann Friends of Ireland

Glór na gCarad
Voice of the Friends
Eanáir 2024 January 2024

What’s in this newsletter

Events coming up .............................................................................................. 2
FOI St. Brigid’s Day ................................................................................................... 2
FOI St. Patrick’s Day – for your diary/calendar. ......................................................... 2
Scoil Samhraidh Canberra 25-28 January 2024 - ....................................................... 2
Comhaltas - End of Month Traditional Irish Music and Song Session 28 January
2024 – ........................................................................................................................ 2
Comhaltas - Lá Fhéile Bríde, St. Brigid's Day - 3 February 2024 –............................. 2
Ulster Roots – uncovering your ancestry .................................................................. 3
Recent FOI events Around Canberra ................................................................. 3
FOI Annual Irish Cultural Christmas night ................................................................ 3
Music at The Canberra Hospital ................................................................................ 4
What’s happening around Australia and abroad?.............................................. 5
Australia and New Zealand lecture tour by the Ulster Historical Foundation ............ 5
Around Ireland ................................................................................................... 5
Wexford ..................................................................................................................... 5
County Clare ............................................................................................................. 6
Kerry and Cork – 1920s Ireland ............................................................................... 7
Beagánín Gaeilge/A tiny bit of Irish ................................................................... 7

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I want to begin this Glór by thanking Jill Hanson for her hard work over the years
producing the Glór. I will endeavour to be as good as Jill. I appreciate any items of
interest you care to provide for the Glór.
Paul Collins

Events coming up
FOI has two major events coming up in February and March 2024:

FOI St. Brigid’s Day

– FOI is planning a St Brigid’s Day in February (date and theme designed not to
conflict with the St. Brigid’s Day event at the Irish Club). The date and speakers are
yet to be finalised and further information will be provided when we know the details.

FOI St. Patrick’s Day – for your diary/calendar.

FoI Is planning the annual St Patrick’s Day ecumenical and interfaith service on
Saturday 16th March 2024 at ACC&C, and Professor Patrick McGorry is the keynote
speaker . McGorry is Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of
Melbourne. He is an Irish-born Australian psychiatrist known for his development of
the early intervention services for emerging mental disorders in young people. In
January 2010 McGorry was named Australian of the Year for his services to youth
mental health, and he is also recognised for a long list of achievements that will be
detailed closer to St Patricks’s Day. He is also currently the President of The Celtic
Club in Melbourne.

Scoil Samhraidh Canberra 25-28 January 2024 -

Details of this Irish language school were circulated to FOI members in a previous
email. We commend Canberra Irish Language Association (CILA) for organising this
school which offers Irish language classes for all levels with teachers from Ireland
and Australia. If you had registered for the school (It is probably too late now) this is
a great opportunity for you to learn/improve your Irish and meet new friends.

Comhaltas - End of Month Traditional Irish Music and Song

Session 28 January 2024 –
Sunday 28th is the final day of Scoil Samhraidh Canberra, scheduled to finish up
about 5:30pm. it is proposed to hold the session from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

Comhaltas - Lá Fhéile Bríde, St. Brigid's Day - 3 February 2024

–
This year's Comhaltas are organising a celebration lunch that will focus on women's
achievements by presenting readings by three local female poets. There will also
be music, song and dance. Comhaltas Members pay only $20 for a good lunch
and entertainment - excellent value.
Details and how to book at Trybooking: www.trybooking.com/1168634

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Ulster Roots – uncovering your ancestry

Costs: Members - in person in the Education Room at Cook (morning tea lunch
provided) $52.50 via Zoom $42.00

Non-members - in person in the Education Room at Cook (morning tea & lunch
provided) $75.00 via Zoom $60.00

A dinner is planned at the Irish Club starting at 5:30 pm. Further details are to be
added.

https://www.familyhistoryact.org.au/
Currently all the available slots for consultations in Canberra on the morning of 20
Feb. have been sold out, but discussions are underway with the hosts to see if
additional time can be added. (See letter below in the “What’s happening around
Australia and abroad” section)

Recent FOI events Around Canberra

FOI Annual Irish Cultural Christmas night
On the 6th of December FOI held its annual Christmas where we were entertained
with music and song by the renowned Simon Busmann; and Tír an Óir Irish dancers.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh (thank you very much) Simon and the dancers.

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We appreciate the support given to us by the Embassy of Ireland and thank the
Ambassador, H.E. Tim Mawe and Patricia, Daniel Lowe (Deputy Head of Mission)
and Aidan Cronin (Director, Irish Abroad, Department of Foreign Affairs Ireland) for
attending and supporting the event,

We also thank our fabulour sponsors;

Taste Ireland, hampers (prizes very popular with the winners)
Embassy of Ireland, beautiful Waterford crystal
Rowlee wines, for generous donation of wines for hampers
Clonakilla winery for generous donation of wines as raffle prizes.
Canberra Irish club for generous donation of Jameson whiskey

Thank you to the FoI committee members for their hard work preparing for the night
and their contribution to the hampers

Music at The Canberra Hospital

On the 22nd of December – FOI
Music group Seinnimís Ceol
(Let’s Play Music) played at The
Canberra Hospital (TCH). The FoI
musicians played at TCH as part
of the Christmas music
performances. This is just one of
the FoI events we participate in
during the year. It’s great to
contribute to musical
entertainment at the hospital
during December each year.

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What’s happening around Australia and abroad?
Australia and New Zealand lecture tour by the Ulster Historical
Foundation
The following letter is an update from the foundation:

Australia and New Zealand lecture tour, 10 February to 2 March 2024

Dear Friend

We are pleased to give an update about the Australian and New Zealand
lecture tour which starts on 10 February.

• NEW DATE - A new date has been added to the itinerary, for
Christchurch NZ, on Thursday, 29 Feb. For more information and to
register go to:

https://www.ancestryireland.com/2024-lecture-tour-christchurch/

• Registration is NOW OPEN for the Sydney event with the Society of
Genealogists in Sydney on 21 Feb. – for more information and to
register go to

https://sag.org.au/event-5522975

• All the available slots for consultations in Melbourne on 10 Feb. have

been sold out

You can also keep up to date with the itinerary by checking here:

https://www.ancestryireland.com/australia-new-zealand-2024/

We look forward to meeting you during the forthcoming lecture tour.

Kind regards

Ulster Historical Foundation

Around Ireland
Wexford
Mary Verghese (FOI Committee member) brought some photos back from a recent
trip to Ireland. No doubt they will bring back memories for some.

Heritage Park, Co Wexford. – A reconstruction of how people lived – a fascinating

place.

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County Clare
Currently listed on Lonely Planet’s web site as an attraction is Craggaunowen, where
you will find Ireland's award-winning prehistoric park features rarities such as
crannóg dwellings (artificial islands), re-created Celtic farms, and a 5th-century ring
fort, as well as authentic artefacts, including a 2000-year-old oak road. You'll also
encounter Craggaunowen Castle (a small, well-preserved medieval fortified house),
a souterrain (underground passage) and animals such as wild boars and rare Soay
sheep. Craggaunowen is some 10km southeast of Quin.
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https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ireland/quin/attractions/craggaunowen/a/poi-
sig/1173700/1316652

Kerry and Cork – 1920s Ireland

An "extremely rare and precious" collection of silent film depicting rural life in Ireland
in the 1920s has been discovered in the US.

The films were made by Benjamin T Gault, a conservationist and naturalist, who
visited Ireland to collect seabirds and other wildlife specimens.

The unique footage, which is on 35mm nitrate rolls, was captured between 1925-
1926 and was shot in west Kerry and Cork.

Click on this link (and then scroll down) to see these silent movies of life in 1920s
Ireland

https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2021/1118/1261710-benjamin-gault-collection/

Beagánín Gaeilge/A tiny bit of Irish

How to say St Brigid’s Day in Irish - Lá Fhéile Bríde, pronounced - Law Ale-yeh Breej-
eh

The Conor Pass, on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland. People speak a
mix of English and the Irish language in Dingle.

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The view of Conor Pass as our president, Máire O’Callaghan, would have often seen
at home in Ireland. The view is from Cappagh (Máire’s town land) and in the distance
you can see the village of Cloghane.