PDX HIBERNIAN INDEPENDENT Volume Two. Number Thirty-Eight. 7 November 2024

More than an email. Less than a newspaper. In your email box the first and third Thursday morning of every month. Published by The Portland Hibernian Society.

Having survived (one hopes) another US Presidential election - not to mention a wild west Mayor and Council election here in Portland - our top items this morning features the means to have a laugh, hear some music, hear about some music and plan for a night of fine Irish theater.

COMING IRISH ATTRACTIONS AROUND HERE

At our next Third Thursday meeting – Thursday November 21 at Kells Restaurant at 6 p.m. - Dublin native and co-founder of the PHS David O’Longaigh will talk about Irish traditional music from The Clancy Brothers to Celtic Women. You could say David’s been working all his life on this interesting and ambitious narrative about the convergence of Gaelic and folk subcultures into the Irish traditional music of the 20th century. He grew up surrounded by the songs and tunes that helped shape a modern national identity. No-host dinner at Six P.M. David’s presentation at Seven P.M. No cover charge. ALL are welcome. Failte. Location: 212 SW Second Ave. Portland.

Note the name on the LP cover: Bruce Langhorne - Guitar. Fun fact. Bob Dylan wrote a song about Langhorne called "Mr. Tambourine Man."

TOMMY TIERNAN RETURNS

Friday November 8. Tommy Tiernan, Ireland’s top standup comedian, returns to the Aladdin Theater in SE Portland. He was here a year ago and was apparently so charmed by the sold-out audience, he’s back! "For the uninitiated, Tommy Tiernan is an Irish comedian, actor, chat show host, writer and podcaster. Hailed by Billy Connolly as one of his 3 favourite comedians in the world, Tommy has been performing stand-up comedy for nearly thirty years." (INP) He also plays the Da in the Netflix series Derry Girls. Click here for ticket info.

WHAT'S MORE SOOTHING THAN THE SOUND OF HARPS?

Saturday November 9. Ireland’s national symbol is the harp; no other nation has a musical instrument as its symbol. If you’ve ever wondered why, wonder no more. LEGENDS OF THE CELTIC HARP, a musical narrative, will be performed in Tualatin. LEGENDS explores the “myths, magic, humor and fabled history of this most captivating instrument.” Here’s a video.

WHAT YOU’RE WAITING FOR

Friday, November 29. Ever felt like you spend a lot of time waiting for something to happen? And when it happens, you’re already waiting for something else? “Yes, in this immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come. ...We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment.” Corrib Theater brings WAITING FOR GODOT to NW Portland for a run that begins on November 29. Highly praised for its “wistful sadness,” GODOT was first performed 70 years ago. Its author, Dublin-born playwright Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.

*Waiting for Godot* performed by actors of The Druid Theater in Dublin.

And now, the news from Ireland and elsewere...

READY OR NOT - ANOTHER NOVEMBER ELECTION

Three weeks from tomorrow on November 29, Ireland will hold a general election, the nation’s first in five years. At stake will be the top spot - Taoiseach. Will Simon Harris, the current holder of that office have better luck than Kamala Harris? The Irish electoral system is very different from America’s but the bottom line is: If voters prefer the Fine Gael party, its leader, Harris, becomes Taoiseach or what across the Irish Sea in England they call Prime Minister. FWIW. Fine Gael leads in the polls (24.5%) with the Fianna Fail party in second place (21.5%) and Sinn Fein in third (18.5%). Reuters reports that the Trump victory could have an impact on Ireland’s election. “He must convince voters he can handle Trump.”

IN HARM’S WAY. WHY ARE IRISH SOLDIERS IN LEBANON?

There are currently 356 Irish soldiers performing dangerous United Nations peacekeeping duties in southern Lebanon. They live at Camp Shamrock, also known as United Nations Post 2-45. It's a short distance from the Israeli border and isn't far from areas controlled by Hezbollah militants. A Russian-made Katyusha rocket recently landed at Camp Shamrock. It was headed north to south (Lebanon to Israel), Lieutenant General Sean Clancy said. In 1960, Irish soldiers like those at Camp Shamrock today, were the first UN peacekeepers (or blue helmets) ever sent into a war zone. The Siege of Jadotville was the result. 156 Irish troops went to the then break-away province of Katanga in the then Congo. Commandant Pat Quinlan lead the Irish force. ““The UN was established to ensure that the nations of the world would never again engage in another world war. The UN has given us this great honor to serve as peace keepers, And we are proud to accept. We are a country that has never owned or tried to conquer another sovereign nation. As a neutral country, Ireland has chosen to never be the aggressor. And that’s why they have asked for us.” Those troops, none of whom had ever been in combat, fought off a well-equipped force of 3,000 Belgian, French, and Rhodesian-led Katanga mercenaries. No spoiler alert here but ,“the incident was quietly forgotten.” Forgotten until Netflix produced the movie The Siege of Jadotville. It was one of the first movies it ever streamed and it’s still running today. It’s a must watch if you’re interested in Irish history. Or if you just like a good war story.

WHICH ONE WAS THE “MOST IRISH” BEATLE?

The current exhibit of Paul McCartney’s photography at the Portland Art Museum includes photographs of his band’s strongest connection to Ireland: George Harrison’s mother. The Irish are beyond blame for claiming some ownership of the Beatles artistic and cultural legacy. After all, there’s ample well-documented evidence that Irish blood runs in the veins of John, George, Paul and (maybe) Ringo. As Kieran McGovern points out in Medium, “If we apply what might be termed Biden Rules (ancestors going back a generation or five) at least three of the Fab Four can climb aboard.” While Paul and John recorded pro-Irish songs during The Troubles (Give Ireland Back to The Irish and Sunday Bloody Sunday respectively), it’s George Harrison – because of stronger family ties to Eire – who can claim to be the most Irish Beatle. He visited Wexford often as a child to visit cousins. There’s a photo of a very young George on O’Connell Street in Dublin. “Historical records indicate that George’s (maternal) ancestors settled after the Norman invasion . After 250 years they lost ownership of the land they farmed during Cromwell’s land seizures.” Family land taken by Cromwell’s mercenaries? It doesn't get more Irsh than that. And the Beatles hailed from that most Irsh of English cities: Liverpool. McCartney’s photographs will be on display at the Portland Art Museum until January 19.

George's ma Louise Harrison (nee French). Taken by Paul McCartney.

NOT OUR TURN YET. AER LINGUS LAUNCHES DUBLIN TO LAS VEGAS FLIGHTS

Aer Lingus now has direct flights between Dublin and Las Vegas. While that’s great news for those in Ireland looking to fly to where what happens there stays there, we’re still waiting to hear from Aer Lingus when PDX will see direct flights to Dublin. (It’s beginning to feel like our bid for an MLB franchise.) Eighteen US airports now offer some level of direct service to Ireland on Aer Lingus.

ICYMI: DIY BARM BRACK

OCTOBER MEETING AT KELLS - Besides the compelling presentation Hibernian Tom Markgraf provided on the JFK for President campaign in Oregon more than 40 years ago, attendees got to sample a traditional Irish dessert delicacy provided by Hibernian Ed Curtin. It’s called Barm Brack. (No introduction was necessary for Hibernians Gemma Whelan and Manus O’Donnell who grew up in Ireland with Barm Brack always around on Halloween.) Ed sent along the recipe. Back in the day in Ireland, Barm Brack would come with items baked in; discover a ring inside and you’d be married within a year, a toothpick-sized stick meant marital discord ahead and a pea signaled no need to hire a wedding planner. If anyone knows where one might buy Barm Brack locally, please let the PDX HI know.

WHY IRELAND IS PITTSBURGH STEELER’S COUNTRY

If you’ve got an online subscription to the NY Times, this article about prospects for an NFL game in Dublin someday is worth reading. If only for the account of the strong connection between the Steeler-owning Rooney family and Ireland. “The Rooney family, which has owned the team since Art Rooney founded it in 1933, emigrated from the island in the 1840s. In 1976, Dan Rooney, Art Rooney’s son, co-founded The Ireland Funds, a philanthropic group that fosters stronger ties between Ireland and the United States and reconciliation with Northern Ireland. He was U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.” The NFL’s been playing games in London since 2007. When Dublin? “It (the NFL) is moving at a deliberate pace to ensure that sponsors, media partners and other key pieces — like a critical mass of committed fans — are in place before teams and dates are chosen for a game.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We will hold out until our last bullet is spent. Could do with some whiskey.” Irish troops in Jadotville radioed UN Headquarters urgently more than once.

A November to Remember

JFK came early and often to Oregon