THE BONDS IN CILL AIRNE, COUNTY KERRY, MUNSTER

The Bonds in Ross Castle, Killarney

Cill Airne or Killarney, meaning church of sloes, is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castle, Muckross House and Abbey, the Lakes of Killarney, MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Purple Mountain, Mangerton Mountain, the Gap of Dunloe and Torc Waterfall. Its natural heritage, history and location on the Ring of Kerry make Killarney a popular tourist destination.

Killarney has featured prominently in early Irish history, with religious settlements playing an important part of its recorded history.

More information: Killarney. The town in the park

Inis Faithlinn, meaning  Faithlinn's island is an island in Lough Leane; one of the three Lakes of Killarney in County Kerry, Ireland. It is home to the ruins of Innisfallen Abbey, one of the most impressive archaeological remains dating from the early Christian period found in the Killarney National Park. The monastery was founded in 640 by St. Finian the Leper, and was occupied for approximately 850 years. Over a period of about 300 of these, the monks wrote the Annals of Innisfallen, which chronicle the early history of Ireland as it was known to the monks. The monks were dispossessed of the abbey on 18 August 1594, by Elizabeth I.

The Bonds in Standing stones, Killarney

The location of the monastery on the island is thought to have given rise to the name Loch Léin, which means Lake of Learning. According to tradition the Irish High King Brian Boru received his education at Innisfallen under Maelsuthain O'Carroll. Maelsuthain has been credited as the possible originator of the Annals.

Aghadoe, the local townland which overlooks present day Killarney, may have begun as a pagan religious site. The site has also been associated with the 5th century missionary St. Abban, but 7th century ogham stones mark the first clear evidence of Aghadoe being used as an important site. According to legend, St. Finian founded a monastery at Aghadoe in the 6th or 7th century. The first written record of a monastery dates from 939 AD in the Annals of Innisfallen where the Aghadoe monastery is referred to as the Old Abbey.

Saint Mary's Cathedral, Killarney

Following the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, the Normans built Parkavonear Castle, also at Aghadoe. The castle was perhaps intended as an early warning outpost due to its views of the entire Killarney valley and lakes region.

Ross Castle was built on the lake shore in the late 15th century by local ruling clan the O'Donoghues Mor, Ross. Ownership of the castle changed hands during the Desmond Rebellions of the 1580s to the Mac Carty Mor.

Muckross Abbey was founded in 1448 as a Franciscan friary for the Observantine Franciscans by Donal McCarthy Mor. The abbey was burned down by Cromwellian forces under General Ludlow in 1654, and today remains a ruin.

Killarney was heavily involved in the Irish War of Independence. The town, and indeed the entire county, had strong republican ties, and skirmishes with the British forces happened on a regular basis. The Great Southern Hotel, now renamed as the Malton Hotel was for a while taken over by the British, both as an office and barracks, and to protect the neighbouring railway station. One notable event during the war was the Headford Ambush when the IRA attacked a railway train a few miles from town.

More information: Vacation Killarney

Yes: I am a dreamer. 

For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and 

his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.

.

Oscar Wilde

THE BONDS IN LOM NA NEACH, MUNSTER

The Bonds crossing the bridge in Lom Na Neach

Lom Na Neach or Limerick is a city in county Limerick, Ireland. It is located in the Mid-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. Limerick City and County Council is the local authority for the city. The city lies on the River Shannon, with the historic core of the city located on King's Island, which is bounded by the Shannon and the Abbey River. Limerick is also located at the head of the Shannon Estuary where the river widens before it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. 

Luimneach originally referred to the general area along the banks of the Shannon Estuary known as Loch Luimnigh. The earliest settlement in the city, Inis Sibhtonn, was the original name for King's Island during the pre-Viking and Viking eras. This island was also called Inis an Ghaill Duibh, The Dark-(haired) Foreigner's Island. The name is recorded in Viking sources as Hlymrekr.

More information: Limerick City and County Council

The city dates from 812 which is the earliest probable settlement; however, history suggests the presence of earlier settlements in the area surrounding King's Island, the island at the historical city centre. Antiquity's map-maker, Ptolemy, produced in 150 the earliest map of Ireland, showing a place called Regia at the same site as King's Island.

The Bonds in Lom Na Neach

History also records an important battle involving Cormac mac Airt in 221 and a visit by St. Patrick in 434 to baptise an Eóganachta king, Carthann the Fair. Saint Munchin, the first bishop of Limerick died in 652, indicating the city was a place of some note. In 812 the Vikings sailed up the Shannon and pillaged the city, burned the monastery of Mungret but were forced to flee when the Irish attacked and killed many of their number. The Normans redesigned the city in the 12th century and added much of the most notable architecture, such as King John's Castle and St Mary's Cathedral.

The Limerick boycott was an economic boycott waged against the small Jewish community for over two years in the first decade of the twentieth century. It was accompanied by a number of assaults, stone throwing and intimidation, which caused many Jews to leave the city. It was instigated in 1904 by a Redemptorist priest, Father John Creagh.

During the Irish War of Independence, the Limerick Soviet was a self-declared soviet that existed from 15 to 27 April 1919. A general strike was organised by the Limerick Trades and Labour Council, as a protest against the British Army's declaration of a Special Military Area under the Defence of the Realm Act, which covered most of Limerick city and a part of the county. During the strike a special strike committee was set up to print their own money, control food prices and publish newspapers.

By the mid-20th century, Limerick was characterised by economic stagnation and decline as many traditional industries closed or left the city.

More information: Limerick.ie

 We may have bad weather in Ireland, but the sun shines 

in the hearts of the people and that keeps us all warm. 

Marianne Williamson

THE BONDS IN DROICHEAD ÁTHA, CONTAE LÚ

The Bonds in Proleek Dolmen, Contae Lú

The Bonds are still in Ireland. They arrived last month and they are preparing their Cambridge Exams in the Irish capital. Ireland is a catholic nation and this week is Easter, a very important festivity for the Catholic community. This is the reason because of the family has decided to take some free days and enjoy this festivity visiting some of the most beautiful places of the green island. They are going to enjoy holidays during four days and after they are going to continue their exams preparations. Today, they are visiting Contae Lú. 

Contae Lú or County Louth is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the village of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county.

County Louth is colloquially known as the Wee County as it is Ireland's smallest county by area. It is the 18th-largest in terms of population. It is the smallest of Leinster’s 12 counties by size and the sixth-largest by population.

More information: Comhairle Contae Lú

Despite its fairly average total population, Louth is the second most densely populated county in Ireland behind Dublin, and the fourth on the island of Ireland, due to its small size.

County Louth is named after the village of Louth, which in turn is named after Lugh, a god of the ancient Irish. Historically, the placename has had various spellings; Lugmad, Lughmhaigh, and Lughmhadh. Lú is the modern simplified spelling.

The Bonds in Mellifont Abbey, Contae Lú

The county is steeped in myth, legend and history, and is a setting in the Táin Bó Cúailnge. Later it saw the influence of the Vikings as seen in the name of Carlingford Lough. They also established a longphort at Annagassan in the ninth century. At this time Louth consisted of three sub-kingdoms each subject to separate over-kingdoms: Conaille (Ulaidh); Fir Rois (Airgialla); and, the Fir Arda Ciannachta (Midhe). The whole area became part of the O'Carroll Kingdom of Airgialla (Oriel) early in the 12th century.

A number of historic sites are in the county, including religious sites at Monasterboice, Mellifont Abbey and the St Mary Magdalene Dominican Friary.

More information: Ireland.com

The Normans occupied the Louth area in the 1180s, and it became known as English Oriel, to distinguish it from the remainder, Irish Oriel, which remained in Irish hands. The latter became the McMahon lordship of Oriel of Monaghan.

In the early 14th century, the Scottish army of Edward Bruce was repulsed from Drogheda. Edward was finally defeated, losing his claim to the High Kingship of Ireland along with his life, in the Battle of Faughart near Dundalk, by a chiefly local force led by John de Bermingham.

In 1189 AD, a royal charter was granted to Dundalk after a Norman nobleman named Bertram de Verdun erected a manor house at Castletown Mount. Later in 1412 , a royal charter was granted to Drogheda. This charter unified the towns of Drogheda-in-Meath and Drogheda-in-Uriel, Louth as a County in its own right, styled as the County of the town of Drogheda. 

The Bonds in Round Tower, Dromiskin, Contae Lú

Drogheda continued as a County Borough until the setting up of County Councils, through the enactment of the Local Government, Ireland Act 1898, which saw all of Drogheda, including a large area south of the River Boyne, become part of an extended County Louth.

Until the late 16th century, Louth had been a part of Ulster, before being included as part of Leinster after a conference held at Faughart, in 1596, between the Chiefs of Ulster, O'Nial, O'Niel and O'Donel, McDonnel, on the Irish side, and the Archbishop of Cashel and the Earl of Ormonde on that of the English.

More information: Irish Central

The 16th and 17th centuries featured many skirmishes and battles involving Irish and English forces, as it was on the main route to the Moiry Pass and the Ulster areas often in rebellion and as yet uncolonised. Oliver Cromwell attacked Drogheda in 1649 slaughtering the Royalist garrison and hundreds of the town's citizens. Towards the end of the same century, the armies of the warring Kings, James and William, faced off in South Louth during the build-up to the Battle of the Boyne the battle was fought 3 km west Drogheda. Drogheda held for James II under Lord Iveagh, but surrendered to King William III of Orange the day after the battle of the Boyne.

The area of Omeath was Irish-speaking until the early 20th century. A native dialect of Louth Irish existed there until about 1930, but is now extinct, although recordings have been made. Within the county 1,587 people use Irish on a daily basis outside of the education system.

More information: Wikiwand (Gaelic Version)

 The Ireland I now inhabit is one that these Irish 

contemporaries have helped to imagine.  

Seamus Heaney

WHY ARE THERE SO FEW FAMOUS IRISH ARTISTS?

A Harry Clarke's work in glass

The main necessity for the development of high profile visual art is a society which is wealthy and stable enough to train the artists and buy their works. In pagan and early Christian times, Irish craftsmen produced objects of great beauty in gold, silver, metal and jewels, while the illuminated manuscripts of the Irish monks are among the most beautiful in the world. Under English rule, the native Irish were far too poor, in general, to even think of creating visual works of art.

The Anglo-Irish Protestant community produced many fine artists, sculptors and architects. The best-known were working at the end of the nineteenth century and they included Walter Osborne, Nathaniel Hone, Jack B. Yeats, and the great stained glass artist, Harry Clarke.

The Independent State of Ireland, which emerged after 1922 was neither rich nor aware enough to pay any great attention to visual or other arts. Artists were expected to celebrate the traditional way of life and the landscape, especially of the West of Ireland.

Things began slowly to improve in the 1950's and there is now quite a lively and varied selection of work by contemporary Irish artists to be seen in art galleries in Dublin and around the country.

Source: Why do the Irish? by Fiana Griffin

 I dislike the word art as to painting. 

There is only one art and that is the art of living. 

Painting is an occupation that's in that art, 

and that occupation is the freest of all the occupations of living. 

 Jack B. Yeats

ROBERT BOYLE: THE EXPERIMENTAL SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Robert Boyle

Robert William Boyle, Fellowship of the Royal Society, (1627-1691) was an Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist and inventor born in Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders of modern chemistry, and one of the pioneers of modern experimental scientific method. He is best known for Boyle's law, which describes the inversely proportional relationship between the absolute pressure and volume of a gas, if the temperature is kept constant within a closed system. Among his works, The Sceptical Chymist is seen as a cornerstone book in the field of chemistry. He was a devout and pious Anglican and is noted for his writings in theology.

In 1663 the Invisible College became The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, and the charter of incorporation granted by Charles II of England named Boyle a member of the council. In 1680 he was elected president of the society, but declined the honour from a scruple about oaths.

More information: Famous Scientists

He made a wish list of 24 possible inventions which included the prolongation of life, the art of flying, perpetual light, making armour light and extremely hard, a ship to sail with all winds, and a ship not to be sunk, practicable and certain way of finding longitudes, potent drugs to alter or exalt imagination, waking, memory and other functions and appease pain, procure innocent sleep, harmless dreams... They are extraordinary because all but a few of the 24 have come true.

It was during his time at Oxford that Boyle was a Chevalier. The Chevaliers are thought to have been established by royal order a few years before Boyle's time at Oxford. The early part of Boyle's residence was marked by the actions of the victorious parliamentarian forces, consequently this period marked the most secretive period of Chevalier movements and thus little is known about Boyle's involvement beyond his membership.

Boyle died from paralysis. He was buried in the churchyard of St Martin-in-the-Fields, his funeral sermon being preached by his friend Bishop Gilbert Burnet. In his will, Boyle endowed a series of Lectures which came to be known as the Boyle Lectures.

More information: Chemical Heritage Foundation

Those distinct substances, which concretes generally either afford, 

or are made up of, may, without very much inconvenience, 

be called the elements or principles of them.

 

Robert Boyle

WHY DO THE IRISH EAT SO MANY POTATOES?

Irish potato famine

Each Irish person eats 141 of potatoes every year -more than any other people. In the 18th and early 19th century they would have eaten a great deal more.

There was a time when every spare inch of land was planted with potatoes. When you're in the countryside, especially in areas where no-one now lives, and all you can see is grass, look closely. You may be able to make out the faint ridges on the land where once potatoes grew up the foothills of mountains, down river banks and out to the edge of the bogs.

More information: BBC

The potato is not native to Ireland. It was brought by Sir Walter Raleigh from the Andes around the end of the 16th century.

It was soon found that the potato grew remarkably well in the cold wet Irish climate, and could feed more people per acre than any other crop. More and more poor labourers could marry young and rear large families. They could live almost entirely on the potatoes they grew on their little patches of rented land.

More information: Discovering Ireland

The disease which destroyed the potato crops of the mid-1840's caused a famine in which over one million people died.

The total dependence of vast numbers of people on the potato was broken by the famine. The survivors and their descendants emigrated rather than face the threat of starvation again.

 More information: Mises Institute

However, to this day, most Irish people feel a little insecure unless some sort of potato turns up on their dinner plate every day.

More information: The Great Famine Part I & Part II

Source: Why do the Irish? by Fiana Griffin

There is no way in which we can retrospectively erase 
the Treaty of Vienna or the Great Irish Famine. 
It is a peculiar feature of human actions that, 
once performed, they can never be recuperated. 
What is true of the past will always be true of it.
 

Terry Eagleton

MAUREEN O'HARA IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD

Maureen O'Hara

Maureen O'Hara (born Maureen FitzSimons, 1920-2015) was an Irish actress and singer. The famously red-headed O'Hara was known for her beauty and playing fiercely passionate but sensible heroines, often in westerns and adventure films. She worked on numerous occasions with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne, and was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

O'Hara grew up in the Dublin suburb of Ranelagh to an eccentric devout Catholic family, and aspired to become an actress from a very young age. She trained with the Rathmines Theatre Company from the age of 10 and at the Abbey Theatre from the age of 14. She was given a screen test, which was deemed unsatisfactory, but Charles Laughton saw potential and arranged for her to co-star with him in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn in 1939. She moved to Hollywood the same year to appear with him in the production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and was given a contract by RKO Pictures. From there, she went on to enjoy a long and highly successful career, and acquired the nickname The Queen of Technicolor, something which she detested, believing that people saw her only for her beauty rather than talent.

More information: Biography.com

Ireland's first Hollywood superstar, O'Hara paved the way for a future generation of actresses seeking their own voice. With her mahogany hair, her hoydenish ways, and her whip-smart delivery of lines, she created a character prototype that seemed to define her country of origin and much as Ireland defined her. He notes though that O'Hara was loved for her naturalness and her lack of a diva quality. She dismissed method acting as tommyrot, believing that acting should be acting, and placed great emphasis on work ethic and punctuality. Insisting on doing her own stunts, O'Hara became so prone to injuries during her productions that her colleagues remarked that she should have been awarded a Purple Heart. Her closest rival in the 1950s was Rhonda Fleming, the two both being prolific in westerns and action films.

In March 1999, O'Hara was selected to be Grand Marshal of New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade. In 2004, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Film and Television Academy in her native Dublin. The same year, O'Hara released her autobiography 'Tis Herself, co-authored with Johnny Nicoletti and published by Simon & Schuster. She wrote the foreword for the cookbook At Home in Ireland, and in 2007 she penned the foreword to the biography of her friend and film co-star, the late actress Anna Lee.

On 24 October 2015, Maureen O'Hara died in her sleep at her home in Boise, Idaho from natural causes. She was 95 years old. O'Hara was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia next to her late husband Charles Blair.

 I was born into the most remarkable and eccentric family 

I could possibly have hoped for.

Maureen O'Hara