Women of The Rising Remembered
PDX HIBERNIAN INDEPENDENT
Volume One. Number Twenty-Five. April 18, 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.
PHS MEETING TONIGHT....Echo of Eire in Eugene...The Oregon to Ireland Two Way Street...Ancient Ireland on Stage...Trump Jury Foreman Born in Ireland....What Does “bejakers” Mean?
TONIGHT'S AGENDA - KELLS RESTAURANT, 112 SW 2nd AVE. Please note slightly earlier start time for the official proceedings after dinner.
6:00 p.m. - No host dinner.
6:45 p.m. - Greetings, salutations and introductions.
6:50 p.m. - The Women of 1916. Part One. Grace. Performed by Mike Phillips.
7:00 p.m. - Official Business. We’ll discuss where things stand fiscally for your Portland Hibernian Society. Treasurer Tim Hennessy reporting.
7:05 p.m. - What is The Irish Echo Band? Jim Keegan and Daniel Curran
7:10 p.m. - Oregon and Ireland. Significant developments in the growing relationship between Greater Portland and Ireland. Brian Doherty explains.
7:15 p.m. - WE WANT YOU! Membership effort launch.
7:20 p.m. - Coming events. Seanchai sessions kick off at May 16 meeting. Bloomsday is June 16.
7:30 p.m. - The Women of 1916 Part Two. - A moving video tribute by Caroline Ryan.
7:35 p.m. - The Women of 1916 Part Three - Grace. Performed by Rod Stewart. Introduced by Katie Hennessy.
7:45 p.m. - Meting ar atráth (Meeting adjourned.)
A CELTIC CHORUS FOR A WORTHY CAUSE
What a long, lively, charitable trip it’s been for the Irish Echo Band of Lane County. Since 1981, this multi-generational, multi-instrumental ensemble has performed the hits of Hibernia and raised thousands for Catholic charities with a repertoire ranging from Danny Boy to Johnny Cash. Hibernian Daniel Curran has an inside look at the PHS website. And Irish Echo founding member Hibernian Jim Keegan will talk a bit about the band at tonight’s meeting.
OREGON AND IRELAND
Hibernian Brian Doherty will share some surprising facts about what Senator Jerry Buttimer called “the two-way street between Ireland and Oregon” when he was at Kells in March. Such as: Oregon imports more computer and electronics product Made in Ireland than any other state in the US. How can that be? Hint: It isn't because of Irish whiskey being shipped to Oregon. Brian will explain.
ALCOHOL AND IRELAND
Bily Keane is the son of the Irish writer John B. Keane (The Field). He runs a bar in Listowel, Co. Kerry. I heard him once on RTE One Radio give this advice to listeners worried about drinking too much, “Don't drink at home and don't drink alone.” Well, the pub named for his Da is doing fine but according to a new government report, one out of five Irish pubs stopped serving since 2000. NEW DATA: When it comes to the number of pubs per capita, Ireland is now third in the world behind Hungary and the apparent capitol of pubs, the Slovak Republic. More details about alcohol consumption in Ireland can be found here.
BORN IN IRELAND
His true identity is a closely-held secret, but we know the number one juror in the first Donald Trump trial – the foreman – was born in Ireland. According to multiple reports, he’s a salesman, worked as a waiter, lives in West Harlem and gets his news from the New York Times, FOX News and MSNBC. He is known for now only as Juror B400.
EST. COST OF REUNIFICATION STRONGLY DOUBTED
An Irish politician named Peadar Toibin isn’t buying it, the report that reunification with the North will cost taxpayers 20 billion Euros a year. He says the report from some Dublin academics is “A document of fear designed to scare the bejakers out of people.” ED NOTE. I couldn’t find a proper definition of bejakers (Gaelic slang?) but surmise that it’s interchangeable with bejesus or shite.
COMING SOON: IRELAND RECOGNITION OF STATE OF PALESTINE
Any day now, the Irish government is expected to announce the formal recognition of the state of Palestine. “It is understood that Ireland and some other EU states will announce formal recognition of Palestine once a peace initiative – expected in the coming weeks – is under way. Sources were reluctant to put a date on this but said it would be “sooner rather than later”, and was a matter of weeks rather than months.” The Republic of Ireland didn’t recognize the state of Israel – founded in 1948 – until 1963. Diplomatic relations were established in 1975 and are currently strained, to say the least.
CORRIB THEATRE’S CORRIDOR TO CELTIC MAGIC
Corrib Theatre’s latest production, From A Hole In The Ground, is directed by Holly Griffith, a friend of the Portland Hibernian Society and a member of the board of AICS. "Actor/playwright/poet/sorcerer Ken Yoshikawa summons monsters and malevolent forces straight from Irish mythology for his original thriller." It opens April 26. The Oregonian says it’s a “must see.”
COMING MAY 16 - SEANCHAI FOR A NIGHT
At the PHS meeting next month, Hibernian Dan Holden will inaugurate the PHS Seanchai Series. (Pronounced sean-a-thee, a seanchaí is a traditional Gaelic storyteller or historian, a bearer of "old lore".) Dan will tell the fascinating story of Dan Donnelly, the first Irish Heavyweight Boxing Champion back in the early 1800s. There were few rules and no regulations for boxing in those days. According to (urban) legend, Dan's arms were so long he could touch his knees without bending down! Save the date - May 16 at Kells Restaurant.
QUOTE OF THE DAY - APRIL 18 - Ireland's President Michael D. Higgins turns 83 today.
"I love our shared island, our shared Ireland and its core decency. I love it for its imagination and its celebration of the endless possibilities for our people." ~ Michael D. Higgins, President since November 11, 2011
