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Irish American Mom

Celebrating Our Irish Heritage Together

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What Is A Limerick?

July 7, 2018 by Irish American Mom 10 Comments

Have you ever wondered how limericks, those short, five-line rhyming ditties were named after one of Ireland’s counties?

I recently completed a post taking readers on a photographic tour of County Limerick, and as I was creating this piece I started wondering about the origins of these infamous little “Irish” poems.

Are they really Irish? And how did the name limerick come to describe these comical verses?

 

These questions were spinning around in my head as I wrote about County Limerick, so I thought it was a perfect time to explore the history and development of the limerick, Ireland’s most popular form of poetry.

At the end of this post, I’ve also included a free resource for parents, grandparents or teachers who would like to inspire their kids to turn a hand to writing their own limericks. Or if you’ve no kids to encourage to write, perhaps you would simply like to write a few limericks yourself. Download away, if that’s the case.

But before we take to writing our own limericks, let’s first learn a bit about the history of this poetry form…..

 

What Is A Limerick?

 

A Limerick is a short, five-line verse that follows a strict rhythm and rhyming pattern. The first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other and have three phrases of three syllables each.

The third and fourth lines also rhyme with each other, but are shorter, having two phrases of three syllables.

In traditional format the first line introduces a person and/or a place.  The main character’s name or the place name in question usually appears at the very end of the first line, establishing the rhyme for the second and fifth lines.

Early limericks usually utilized repetition of the first line as the fifth line, but overtime greater emphasis has been placed on a unique, punch-line packing finale for these little ditties.

 

Who Made Limericks Famous?

 

Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, writer and poet of the 19th century.  In 1846 he published his Book of Nonsense, a compilation of short limerick poems.  Here is one example of his witty verses …

 

“There was a Young Lady whose bonnet,

Came untied when the birds sat upon it;

But she said: ‘I don’t care!

All the birds in the air

Are welcome to sit on my bonnet!'”

~ Edward Lear 1846

Illustration from A Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear 1846 – public domain image.

Image Credit

 

The limerick was popularized through Lear’s book and Victorian England adopted the format, creating their own little ditties for entertainment.  Here’s another example of Lear’s work…

 

There was an Old Man of Kilkenny,

Who never had more than a penny;

He spent all that money,

In onions and honey,

That wayward Old Man of Kilkenny.

~ Edward Lear 1846

 

Although Lear spread the word about limericks far and wide, he was not the original creator of this art form.  As the name suggests the first writers of these ditties were Irish.

 

Who Wrote The First Limericks?

 

The Maigue poets hailed from County Limerick and they are attributed with creating the very first limericks. 

The river Maigue flows near the town of Croom, home to Seán O Tuama, a local publican and poet. His good friend and customer was Aindrias Mac Craith, another member of the Maigue poets.

The River Maigue, near Bruree, County Limerick

Image Credit

Now Seán wrote a little poem one evening about himself as an inn-keeper.

 

“I sell the best brandy and sherry

To make my good customers merry.

But at times their finances,

Run short, as it chances,

And then I feel very sad, very.”

~Seán O Tuama, 18th century Irish poet

 

Now, Seán’s good friend Aindrias took exception to this poem, assuming it was directed at him and his growing tab at the alehouse.

And so, like any good poet, he picked up his quill, and penned the following retort…

 

“O Tuomy! You boast yourself handy

At selling good ale and bright brandy.

But the fact is your liquor,

Makes everyone sicker,

I tell you that, I, your friend Andy.”

 

“Both your poems and pints by favour,

Are alike wholly wanting in flavour:

Because it’s your pleasure

You give us short measure,

And your ale has a ditch water flavour.”

~ Aindrias Mac Craith, 18th century Irish poet.

 

We don’t know how long this Irish grudge lasted between the two men, but when he died in 1775, Seán was keenly mourned by Aindrias.

And that’s how limericks were born, out of a grudge over alehouse debts, which I suppose makes them truly Irish.

You can read all about the Poets of the Maigue, in this book by Mannix Joyce. Thanks to Limerick library for making it available online.

 

Keeping Limericks Clean:

 

Now many a limerick has been written since the Maigue poets first wrote their friendly or not so friendly jibes.

However, over the years many, many limericks have been written that don’t meet editorial standards for this little corner of the world wide web. Here we strive to keep the written word wholesome, and there’s many a limerick that’s far from wholesome.

This little limerick sums up the humorous side of these little ditties …

 

“The limerick packs laughs anatomical

Into space that is quite economical.

But the good ones I’ve seen

So seldom are clean

And the clean ones so seldom are comical.”

~ Leonard Feinberg, The Secret of Humor, 1978.

 

Here’s a good one displaying the humor and skill of good limerick writing …

 

“There once was an old man of Lyme

Who married three wives at a time.

When asked, “Why a third?”

He replied, “One’s absurd!

And bigamy, sir, is a crime.”

~ William Cosmo Monkhouse (1840 – 1901)

 

And that’s all I’m going to say about the ribald humor that finds expression through this Irish verse form.

 

Famous Limericks Over The Years:

 

Here’s one of the most famous limerick’s in the world ….

 

“There once was a man from Nantucket,

Who kept all his cash in a bucket,

But his daughter, named Nan,

Ran away with a man,

And as for the bucket, Nantookit”

~ Old American Limerick

 

Here’s one you may not realize is based on the limerick, but it’s one of the most famous English nursery rhymes.

 

“Hickory dickory dock.

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck one,

And down he run.

Hickory dickory dock.”

~ Andrew Lang, The Nursery Rhyme Book, 1897

The number of syllables in each line is a little shorter than usual, but the AABBA rhyming pattern is based on a limerick.

And so you see, the limerick truly is a versatile little verse format.

 

Write Your Own Limericks:

 

And so, why not take a hand to composing your own little limericks.

I remember getting limerick writing homework as a child.  I dare say the nuns got quite a chuckle from some of our Dublin poetry back in the day.

Here’s my recent attempt at a limerick to describe my blogging endeavors…

 

“There was an old dame in Kentucky

Who at writing was quite a rookie,

She dreamed up a blog

While out for a jog

And now she is ever so lucky.”

 

Now I’m not known for my jogging abilities, but I desperately needed a rhyme for blog, so I adhered to the old Irish words of wisdom…. never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Here’s another recent composition …

 

“There was an old man called McCarney

Who was born in the small town of Blarney

He never stopped talking

Even when he was walking

How we wish he was born in Killarney.”

 

We could get carried away writing limericks.

However, I believe it is a great way to introduce kids to poetry, rhyming and rhythm, and many teachers utilize limericks in the classroom to this very day.

Free Limerick Writing Printables To Download:

 

For anyone who would like a lesson plan about limericks I created a free printable for downloading.

It includes some Irish themed framed templates for any hopeful limerick writers to record their poetry.  The complete packet is downloadable, but each framed template can be printed separately for any teacher who may wish to distribute them in the classroom.

Simply click this link and you’ll find all the documents ready for downloading and printing.

Feel free to share this link with friends, family and any teachers or homeschooling parents who may find them helpful.

Happy limerick writing to all!

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

Filed Under: Poetry Tagged With: County Limerick, Edward Lear, Free Printables, Irish Poetry, Limericks, Teacher Resources, The Maigue Poets

Bog Cotton

July 30, 2017 by Irish American Mom 16 Comments

Trembling in summer breezes, bog cotton brightens the Irish landscape. These fluffy, feathery blooms are found where their name suggests, bang smack in the middle of Ireland’s beautiful bogs. 

Ireland’s bogs and peatlands may not hold precious memories for those who were forced as kids to cut and stack turf, but trust me Ireland’s bogs are unimaginably spectacular.

 

The Bog Enhanced Colors Of The Irish Landscape:

 

At first glance visitors may not appreciate the fact the palate of the Irish landscape is made richer by our bogs.

These peatlands add a wide range of pigments to Irish hillsides from deep, rich purples with brownish hues, to forty shades of brilliant green.

Words fail to describe the brilliance of nature’s Irish greens, from soft sages to the brightest of pea greens.

But bog cotton adds another dimension to this picture, texturing the landscape, just like Donegal tweed, woven with love.

Bog cotton grows in boggy meadows, with white gossamer cotton heads swaying in summer breezes, or drooping under the weight of soft day mists.

Usually appreciated at a distance, a densely blooming meadow can resemble a snowy field, right in the middle of the warmest months.

 

Bog Cotton – A First Cousin Of Real Cotton?

 

Bog Cotton truly does resemble cotton.

Despite the fact it lacks the tensile strength of true cotton our ancestors used this Irish silk to fabricate candle wicks and many an Irish man and woman rested their heads on a pillow stuffed with bog cotton.

Image Credit

In the 19th century bog cotton was even mixed with wool to make cloth, carpets and roofing felt.

 

Bog Cotton Or Cottongrass?

 

Botanists may prefer to call it cottongrass, not bog cotton, but to me, this beautiful Irish wildflower will always be bog cotton.

Now, I’m not going to share a litany of scientific knowledge and botanical facts about this sedge plant which is native to the Emerald Isle.

What mesmerizes me is the symbolism of this simple plant with single stalks balancing cotton-like flowers, that remind me of a hare’s tail, or an old man’s hair blowing in the wind.

Up close, the beauty of bog cotton can be truly appreciated.

 

Séamus Heaney’s Bog Poems:

 

One Irish man who acknowledged the terrible beauty and symbolism of the Irish bog was poet Séamus Heaney (1939 – 2013).

In 1995 he won the Nobel Prize for literature for his poems “of lyrical beauty and ethical depth” (Nobel Foundation, 1995).

Seamus Heaney described the bog as a “symbol of the Irish psyche.”

His bog poems describe the flow of bog history, from hoarder of precious antiquities and jeweled chalices, to burial grounds of ancient bog men and, in more recent times, victims of Northern Ireland’s terrible struggles.

The depth and symbolism of Heaney’s bog poetry is far beyond the scope of this simple blog post, but let me simply remind you how the vegetation of the bog inspired the poet’s imagination.

These words from his poem “Kinship” remind me of the life giving forces of the bog, and make me think of dormant bog cotton seeds, waiting for the first hint of spring to start the cycle of life again …

“Ruminant around,

digestion of mollusc

and seed-pod,

deep pollen bin.”

~ Séamus Heaney, 1975

Image Credit

Bog Cotton by Michael Longley:

 

Another Northern Irish poet Michael Longley wrote a poem entitled “Bog Cotton.” Here’s an excerpt …

 

“It hangs on by a thread, denser than thistledown, 

Reluctant to fly, a weather vane that traces 

The flow of cloud shadow over monotonous bog –

And useless too, though it might well bring to mind 

The plumpness of pillows, the staunching of wounds,…”

 

~ from “Bog Cotton” by Michael Longley

 

I am no literary scholar, but I like to think Longley is using bog cotton as a symbol of reconciliation, when he describes it as a “stauncher of wounds.”  

Bog Cotton – A Symbol Of Ireland?

 

And so, in conclusion I am going to dare say bog cotton is not merely an iconic plant of the Irish landscape, but it is a plant that is uniquely symbolic of Ireland.

Thanks so much for stopping by to read my ramblings.

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

Filed Under: Symbols of Ireland Tagged With: Bog Cotton, Irish Bogs, Irish Landscape, Irish Poetry, Irish Wildflowers, Symbols of Ireland, Turf

Lissadell House – A Family History

May 30, 2016 by Irish American Mom 10 Comments

Lissadell House is a magnificent Georgian home in County Sligo, where the Gore-Booth sisters, Constance and Eva, once passed their childhood summers.  Despite her privileged upbringing, Constance played a pivotal role in the Easter Rising of 1916.

Yeats, a frequent visitor to Lissadell penned a tribute to these sisters, a poem I vividly remember learning off-by-heart as a school girl in Dublin. Here’s a little snippet ….

Lissadell House, Georgian Mansion and home of the Gore-Booth family in County Sligo

Image Credit

In Memory Of Eva Gore-Booth And Con Markiewicz

by William Butler Yeats

 

“The light of evening, Lissadell, 

Great windows open to the south, 

Two girls in silk kimonos, both

Beautiful, one a gazelle…..

…. Many a time I think to seek

One or the other out and speak

Of that old Georgian mansion, mix

pictures of the mind, recall

That table and the talk of youth,

Two girls in silk kimonos, both

Beautiful, one a gazelle.”

South elevation of Lissadell House, Sligo

Image Credit

I’m delighted to publish a guest post by Brighid O’Sullivan who shares her love of Ireland and Irish history on her website Celtic Thoughts. Today, Brighid is taking us on a tour of Lissadell House and Gardens in County Sligo.  And so, I hand you over to Brighid…..

 

Lissadell House – A Family History By Brighid O’Sullivan

 

Lissadell House, on the west coast of Ireland, is a brilliant destination to add to your travel plans when you visit County Sligo.

Besides being the family home of the once famous rebel, Constance Markievicz (nicknamed the Rebel Countess), you’ll find history, grandeur, stunning scenery and helpful tour guides, who will explain and share stories with you as you walk through the superbly renovated rooms.

The surrounding countryside shows panoramic views of a rolling sea and the unusual topography that is Ben Bulben close by.

If you plan well, you may visit when there is a special function at Lissadell. In the past, I have seen musical concerts, lectures, hot air balloon rides, and a children’s petting zoo advertised.

Any time is good though. Part of the house is closed off as a family home but a good portion is open to the public as both a museum and forum used for historical lectures such as the Revolution and Remembrance Conference hosted the 13 – 15 of May.

Flowers in the alpine gardens at Lissadell House County Sligo

Image Credit

The gardens are fantastic and straddle the seashore inside a walled garden filled with many rare and unusual alpine plants, some species created by the Gore-Booth family themselves.

The real history of Lissadell is in the legacy of the people who lived there. The most famous Gore-Booth is Constance Markievicz who was the only female leader of the 1916 Easter Rebellion not executed, and her husband Casmir – he painted several portraits of staff and family, still seen today on the walls of the Gore-Booth dining room. The colors are extraordinary.

My favorite part of the house, a special museum on the second floor dedicated mostly to Constance, is filled with photos, her own drawings, and news memorabilia, not just of her rebel days, but of her younger years as a social debutante and actress.

Statue of Constance Markiewicz in Dublin
Statue of Constance Markiewicz in Dublin

Image Credit

A special relationship existed between Constance and her sister, Eva Gore-Booth. So intense was their relationship that they claimed to communicate telepathically, even while Constance was in prison.

Eva left behind her own legacy very different from her more militant sister’s. As a pacifist, she fought for women’s suffrage, better working conditions for women in England, and testified for conscientious objectors during WWI.

You can find out more about Eva by reading a Free biography, Eva Gore-Booth, the Other Sister. The book is available from Amazon as well as Barnes and Noble.

Lissadell House a restored Georgian mansion in Sligo, Ireland

Image Credit

Lissadell House is a Greek neo-classical manor house filled with history, beauty, and grandeur located in County Sligo in the West of Ireland. The rooms, decorated and furnished with original pieces worthy of a royal country estate boast a hominess to the house that breathes family life and culture.

Sir Henry Gore-Booth loved to travel and was an adventure seeker. He brought back many of the mementos we see in the house today. For instance, you will find a stuffed grizzly bear alleged to have been shot by Henry’s valet, Thomas Kilgallon as well as stuffed birds, walrus tusks, harpoons, and geological specimens sprinkled among the elegant furnishings.

Early history of the house reads like a historical novel plagued by war, famine, and heartbreak. Built on land previously fought over by the O’Donnells and O’Connors, the land around Lissadell was awarded by Queen Elizabeth I—to Paul Gore who later became the first ancestor of the Gore-Booth family.

Around 1760 the first Lissadell House was built next to the sea with a walled garden out back. The home was demolished eighty years later and Sir Robert Gore-Booth built what is Lissadell House today.

The house is privately owned by the Walsh/Cassidy family who painstakingly restored the walled alpine gardens (once providing rare plants to much of Europe), house, riding ring, and grounds to its former beauty.

Welly Boots at Lissadell House Front Entrance
The owners’ welly boots lined up at the front door of Lissadell House

Image Credit

As you can imagine, the task was not without its challenges and legal issues with the property costing the family thousands in litigation.

Although previously offered money from the government (not without stipulations), the family opted to spend all their own money on renovations and turn down any grants. They have done a wonderful job as many people have attested to, with the whole family including children taking part in the repairs.

Gardens at Lissadell County Sligo Ireland

Image Credit

Also close to Lissadell and in County Sligo are Coole Park, the home of Lady Gregory and Yeat’s summer home, a tower house called Thoor Ballylee.

To read more about The Gore-Booths and the Famine go here.

Eva Gore-Booth, The Other Sister (Free Ebook)

The Gore-Booths of Lissadell by Dermot James is another excellent source

 

Thanks Brighid, for this wonderful post and information about Lissadell and the Gore-Booth sisters. 

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

Filed Under: Land and Culture, Lessons for Tourists Tagged With: An Irish Childhood, Ben Bulben, Brighid O'Sullivan, Constance Markievicz, County Sligo, Easter Rising 1916, Irish Big Houses, Irish Poetry, Lissadell House, Yeats

The Mother by Patrick Pearse

May 3, 2016 by Irish American Mom 14 Comments

Today, May 3rd 2016, marks one hundred years since Pádraig Pearse (1879-1916) was executed for his part in the Easter Rising of 1916. Today my thoughts turn to his mother, who not only lost Pádraig, but merely one day later lost a second son, Willie. 

As people all over the United States prepare to celebrate Mothers Day this coming Sunday, Pádraig Pearse’s eloquent poem,”The Mother”, comes to mind.

Patrick_Pearse
Patrick Pearse – Public domain photo

Image Credit

In his final letter to his mother Pearse refers to this poem:

 

“You asked me to write a little poem

which would seem to be said by you about me.”

 

And so, here is Pearse’s poetic vision of his mother’s grief. These words always touch my heart….

 

The Mother by Patrick Pearse

 

I do not grudge them: Lord, I do not grudge
My two strong sons that I have seen go out
To break their strength and die, they and a few,
In bloody protest for a glorious thing,
They shall be spoken of among their people,
The generations shall remember them,
And call them blessed;
But I will speak their names to my own heart
In the long nights;
The little names that were familiar once
Round my dead hearth.
Lord, thou art hard on mothers:
We suffer in their coming and their going;
And tho’ I grudge them not, I weary, weary
Of the long sorrow – And yet I have my joy:
My sons were faithful, and they fought.

 

http://www.irishamericanmom.com/2013/01/09/county-galway-home-of-the-tribesmen
Padraig Pearse’s Cottage – © Copyright Chris Walpole and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons License.

Image Credit

Pádraig Pearse owned a little thatched cottage in Rosmuc,County Galway right in the hearth of Connemara, where he spent his summers, surrounded by great granite mountains, silver lakes and the beautiful landscape of western Ireland.

I often wonder if his mother Margaret Pearse stayed there with him. Perhaps she sat by the hearth, warmed by a turf fire, and the company of her family.

Then when I read the lines …

 

“But I will speak their names to my own heart
In the long nights;
The little names that were familiar once
Round my dead hearth.”

 

…. I feel the depth and pain of her great loss, as she recollects her brave sons in childhood.  The voice in this poem expresses Margaret Pearse’s personal grief, but the depth of her sorrow and joy is universally acknowledged by all mothers.

the-mother-by-patrick-pearse

Patrick Pearse’s Final Letter To His Mother:

 

Pearse’s love for his mother also resonates in the words of encouragement he chose to share in his last and final letter to her, written on the day he died.

 

“Kilmainham Prison,

May 3rd, 1916.

 

My Dearest Mother,

I have been hoping up to now it would be possible to see you again, but it does not seem possible. Good-bye dear, dear, mother. Through you I say good-bye to Wow Wow, M.B., Willie, Miss Byrne,. Michael, cousin Maggie and everyone at St. Enda’s. I hope and believe Willie and the St. Enda boys will be all safe.

I have written two papers about financial affairs and one about my books which I want you to get. With them are a few poems which I want added to the poems in MS in my bookcase. You asked me to write a little poem which would seem to be said by you about me.

I have written it, and a copy is in Arbour Hill Barracks with other papers and Father Aloysius is taking care of another copy of it.

I have just received Holy Communion. I am happy, except for the great grief of parting from you. This is the death I should have asked for if God had given me the choice of all deaths – to die a soldier’s death for Ireland and for freedom. We have done right. People will say hard things of us now, but later on they will praise us. Do not grieve for all this but think of it as a sacrifice which God has asked of me and of you.

Good-bye again, dear mother. May God bless you for your great love for me and for your great faith, and may He remember all you have so bravely suffered. I hope soon to see papa, and in a little while we shall all be together again. I have not words to tell you of my love for you and how my heart yearns to you all. I will call to you in my heart at the last moment.

Your son Pat.”

Source: Letters of 1916

Willie, whom Patrick believed would be saved, was not spared. His brother was executed the following day at dawn.

The Pearse brothers were brave and heroic men, raised by a remarkable woman who believed in the importance of our Irish identity, and instilled in her sons a love of Ireland’s cultural heritage, and the dream of Irish freedom. She paid the ultimate price when she lost her beloved sons.

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

Filed Under: Irish Life, Ramblings Tagged With: Easter 1916, Irish Poems for Mother's Day, Irish Poetry, Mother's Day, Patrick Pearse

CualaNYC – New York City’s Irish Cultural Festival

April 26, 2016 by Irish American Mom 2 Comments

Today’s blog post is especially for New York readers and anyone planning a trip to the Big Apple before June 2nd, 2016.

I’m delighted to announce that CualaNYC, New York City’s first annual festival of Irish culture, kicks off today at 11 am in front of City Hall.

 

CualaNYC, (pronounced Kool-ah)

A Mammoth Celebration of Irish Culture,

Featuring Dozens of Events Across NYC,

Now through June 2,

Commemorates the 100th Anniversary of

the Easter Rising in Dublin

Poster for CualaNYC New York City's Irish Cultural Festival

Such a great name for this group and festival!

Did you know “Cuala” was one of the five ancient Celtic roads that led to the Hill of Tara, the seat of the High Kings of Ireland?

And let’s face it, many of the roads of New York point right back to Ireland.

In 1908, William Butler Yeats and his sister Lolly, set up a printing press which they aptly named Cuala Press. And one of Dublin’s most successful Gaelic Athletic Association clubs is named none other than Cuala.

And so, here’s a little bit of information about this fantastic Irish festival which will be launched in a few short hours. 

 

Who?

 

  • Executive Director and Musician Susan McKeown,
  • NYC Council Majority Leader and Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer
  • Irish-American Caucus Chair Daniel Dromm
  • Council Member Elizabeth S. Crowley
  • Author Colum McCann
  • Harper Maeve Gilchrist

 

What?

 

CualaNYC, the first-annual festival of Irish culture, featuring concerts, poetry readings, and theatrical and dance performances and more, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Dublin, which set the stage for Ireland’s independence from Britain.

 

When?

 

Tuesday, April 26, 11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

 

Where?

 

Steps of New York City Hall, between Chambers Street, Broadway and Park Row

Copy of Two Sore Legs (Kneeling) Actor Maria Connolly
Ann Maria Connolly performing in the play “Two Sore Legs.”

Priority Events:

 

I know this blog post is a little late notice for today’s launch, but fear not. Today is the kick off for an amazing line up of events, scheduled right through June 2, 2016.  Here are some of the highlights …

 

April 29 at 8 pm:

Poets and Patriots: The Easter Rising 1916

CooperUnion

Poets and Patriots - The Easter Rising 1916

April 30 at 12 pm to 3 pm:

Dánta – Irish Poetry

NY Waterway’s East River Ferry

Dánta Irish Poetry part of CualaNYC Irish Cultural Festival

April 30 at 3 pm to 6 pm:

New York Ireland 1916 Ceiliúradh,

Knockdown Center, Queens

1916 Ceiliuradh Celebration New York - Ireland

May 1 at 12 pm to 3 pm:

Dánta – Irish Poetry

NY Waterway’s East River Ferry

 

May 7 at 3 pm:

On Baile’s Strand, play by William Butler Yeats,

Sligo’s Coney Island, Blue Raincoat Theatre Company,

Rockaway Beach

 

May 8 at 3 pm:

On Baile’s Strand, play by William Butler Yeats,

Sligo’s Coney Island, Blue Raincoat Theatre Company,

Coney Island

 

May 12 at 7 pm:

James Connolly’s New York,

Cooper Union

Soldiers of Erin 1917 page 1 Ward Music Archives

May 13 at 8 pm:

Victor Herbert’s Ireland: Music of the Emerald Isle

Special tribute to Victor Herbert and his legacy

Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

 

May 14 at 7 pm:

Victor Herbert: Irish American Hero,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts,

Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, LPA Café

 

May 16 at 7 pm:

The People Speak Ireland,

The New School, 12 Street Auditorium

Irish Band Old Hannah
Irish Band Old Hannah

May 18 at 8 pm:

Irish bands,Walking on Cars and Old Hannah,

Music Hall of Williamsburg

 

May 19 at 4 pm:

Soapbox and 100 Union Pipers,

Union Square

 

May 19 at 6:30 pm:

An evening of New York and Irish History,

Irish American Historical Society

 

May 28 at 7 pm:

Newgrange Festival,

Gantry State Park, Long Island City

Solas An Lae American Irish Dance 2016

And so, if you should find yourself in New York City in the coming weeks, why not check out one of these Irish cultural events.

You can find the complete schedule of events on the CualaNYC Website.

I just wish I could make it to New York, but school’s not yet out for summer for my four kids, so there’ll be no gallivanting off to the Big Apple for this Irish American Mom.

But I do hope some of you can make it. If you do attend one of these events, make sure to stop back to let us know all about it in the comment section below.

Learning about events like this makes me proud to be Irish and just as proud to be Irish American.

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

 

Note: Images published with permission from CualaNYC.

Filed Under: Irish Music Tagged With: CualaNYC, Easter 1916, Irish Arts and Culture, Irish Bands, Irish Cultural Festivals, Irish Culture, Irish Festivals, Irish Music, Irish Plays, Irish Poetry, New York City

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