They left their bodies to fatten the wolves...

Remember all those renowned generations,
They left their bodies to fatten the wolves,
They left their homesteads to fatten the foxes,
Fled to far countries, or sheltered themselves
In cavern, crevice, or hole,
Defending Ireland's soul."

W.B. Yeats

Why do we like being Irish?

from Autumn Journal

Why do we like being Irish? Partly because
It gives us a hold on the sentimental english
As members of a world that never was,
Baptised with fairy water;
And partly because Ireland is small enough
To be still thought of with a family feeling,
And because the waves are rough
That split her from a more commercial culture;
And because one feels that here at least one can
Do local work work which is not at the world's mercy
And that on this tiny stage with luck a man
Might see the end of one particular action.
It is self-deception of course;
There is no immunity in this island either;
A cart that is drawn by somebody else's horse
And carrying goods to somebody else's market.
The bombs in the turnip sack, the sniper from the roof.
Griffith, Connolly, Collins, where have they brought us?
Ourselves alone! let the round tower stand aloof
In a world of bursting mortar!
Let the school-children fumble their sums
In a half-dead language;
Let the censor be busy on the books; pull down the Georgian slums;
Let the games be played in Gaelic.
Let them grow beet-sugar, let them build
A factory in every hamlet;
Let them pigeon-hole the souls of the killed
Into sheep and goats, patriots and traitors.

Louis MacNeice, 1938

General Register Offices

The General Register Office - Republic of Ireland

http://www.groireland.ie/

The General Register Office - Northern Ireland

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/gro

A beggar before you, Valentine Brown

That my old bitter heart was pierced in this black doom,
That foriegn devils have made our land a tomb,
That the sun that was Munster's glory has gone down
Has made me a beggar before you, Valentine Brown.

Aogan O Rathaille, trans. Frank O'Connor

Patricia Craig writes of this poem,

This 'hidden Ireland' - Daniel Corkery's term - was inhabited by people who took a very poor view indeed of the new English-speaking aristocracy that had ousted the old Irish-speaking one. They never conceded cultural superiority to the conquerors - far from it. The boot was on the other foot, and rearing to kick. Fun is poked (in a bitter spirit) at the kind of ludicrous name, such as Valentine Brown, by which an arriviste landowner might call himself - someone inappropriately installed in a demesne of the great MacCarthy family, now dead or dispersed.

From Introduction to The Oxford Book of Ireland  

More analysis of the poem Valentine Brown:

"With the breaking of the Treaty of Limerick by the English in 1691 the Irish Catholics descended into a slavery worse than anything experienced by Negroes in the Southern States. (When the Irish came to America, the Negroes called thm "White Niggers".) This period is best represented in the few authentic poems of Egan O'Rahilly, a Kerry poet who lived between 1670 and 1726. In this fine poem he approaches, not one of the masters he would have approached fifty years before - the MacCarthys - but Lord Kenmare, one of the new Anglo-Irish gentry. Hence the bitter repetition of the fellow's name. O'Rahilly himself would have considered "Valentine" a ridiculous name for anyone calling himself a gentleman, and as for "Brown" he would as soon have addressed a "Jones" or a "Robinson". O'Rahilly is a snob, but one of the great snobs of literature."

Read the full poem on this web page

 

Westport - The Telegraph - 26th August 1846

On Saturday last the inhabitants of Westport witnessed a novel and at the same time, a heart rendering sight. About mid-day some thousands of the rural population marched into town to have an interview with the Most Noble the Marquis of Sligo: they approached the grand entrance of the Noble Lord's residence and having, after some little delay, obtained admittance, they proceeded, with the most becoming order to the Castle, none attempting to even walk off the road, lest their doing so might injure the grass of the demense.

Having arrived before the hall door the Noble Marquis (as was custom of his deceased father) instantly came forward to meet them; he talked to them; deplored the visitation with which God had affliated the land: told them he would instantly state their condition to the Government, in order to obtain them relief, and that as to himself, he would go as far as any landlord in the country to redress the grievances of his tenantry. He also told them his intention was not to harress them with regard to his rents: that then it was almost useless to talk on that subject, as the time for collecting the rent had not yet arrived.

Finally, the Noble Marquis assured them that no exertions of his should be spared to obtain for them, from Her Majesty's Government immediate employment. The people expressed themselves satisfied with declarations of their Noble Landlord and returned to the town in the same orderly manner which characterised their march to the castle.

Civic Conversations at Void - City of Culture Derry

What does it mean to be a citizen of Derry in this City of Culture year?

Does City of Culture reinforce or remove barriers?

Can culture and the arts be instrumental in creating jobs and growth?

Has City of Culture fostered a sense of civic pride?

What can City of Culture achieve? And what will the legacy be?

BE PART OF YOUR CIVIC CONVERSATION AT VOID

Void Contemporary Art Gallery is delighted to announce that it will curate and host Civic Conversations, a series of open forum discussions designed to involve and engage the local Derry /Londonderry community during the City Of Culture year of 2013. The format involves a panel of three invited guests coming together to discuss all aspects of the City of Culture - cultural, political, economic and social.

The first event takes place on Thursday 7th February at 7.30pm in Void, Patrick Street. This session is intended to act as a catalyst for the forthcoming conversations and and will be made up of a panel of Void members from different backgrounds, chaired by journalist and blogger Jim Carroll. 

Joining Jim will be Declan Sheehan, Project Curator at BT Portrait of a City for City of Culture 2013 as well as holding a Visual Arts Curator Residency by Arts Council of Ireland, Declan is also an independent curator for various projects including Void, Artlink Fort Dunree Residencies, Tulca and others. Anne Crilly, filmmaker, arts lobbyist and Media Lecturer at the University of Ulster and Mhairi Sutherland, a visual artist living and working in Derry who has recently completed a practice based PhD in Dublin on conflict, landscape and photography. Currently Mhairi is involved with a cultural project in the Verbal Arts Centre, Derry, which addresses the issues around the transition of the RUC to the PSNI as a result of the Good Friday Agreement.

Has City of Culture energized civic life in Derry?In ten years, when the citizens of Derry and its surrounds reflect back on 2013, what will they remember? Is there an element of propaganda surrounding the City of Culture and is this a good or bad thing?

Civic Conversations aims to harness the response to the first UK City of Culture felt by the people who inhabit this city by creating a vibrant platform for inclusion, debate and active citizenship. It recognizes the need to reach out to the very community surrounding the event and hear their voices, which will ultimately shape the legacy of the project.

This is the first in a series of informal, discursive events, seeking to channel the energies of this pivotal moment in Derry’s life. By creating the Civic Conversation programme, Void hopes to generate a sense of open ownership and fluid conversation around the City of Culture with Derry and its people, and thereby create a living legacy.
Admission is free, and all are welcome. This is a unique opportunity to air your opinion.
Come join the conversation, and have your say.
For further info. E: sally@derryvoid.com / T: +44 (0) 28 7130 8080
NOTE: Jim Carroll is in Derry to host the Banter Salon, taking place on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th,as part of the Other Voices trip to the city. You can find out more information about the Banter Salon athttp://thisisbanter.com and Other Voices at http://othervoices.ie.

Documenting Ireland: Parliament, People and Migration

An online virtual archive of documents and sources relating to the history of Ireland and its migration experience from the 18th to the late 20th centuries:

http://www.dippam.ac.uk/

County Down Research

More information for family history researchers, this site has loads of records relating to County Down

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rosdavies/

Family Research in County Clare

Ancestors in County Clare?

This is one of the most comprehensive collections of County records I have come across. Fair play to County Clare! 

Click on this link for a veritable wealth of information links:

http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/genealog.htm

Census of Ireland 1901/1911

The household returns and ancillary records for the censuses of Ireland of 1901 and 1911, which are in the custody of the National Archives of Ireland, represent an extremely valuable part of the Irish national heritage. Read more about their digitisation.

All thirty-two counties for 1901 and 1911, searchable by all information categories, are now available on this site. Corrections and improvements will be ongoing, and we are very grateful to all users who have submitted corrections to us. A small amount of material is missing from the site, and will be placed online as soon as possible.

See Future Plans for information about the next releases of material.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/

Belfast Street Directories

An interesting website with lots of useful information and links concerned with genealogy in Ulster. Plus this interesting street by street directory of a by-gone Belfast.

http://www.lennonwylie.co.uk/

The Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland (APGI)

The Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland(APGI), which was founded in 1986, acts as a regulating body to maintain high standards amongst its members and to protect the interests of clients. Our members are drawn from every part of Ireland and represent a wide variety of interests and expertise.

 

The ongoing involvement of individual members in lecturing and publishing maintains our position at the forefront of genealogical developments in Ireland.

http://www.apgi.ie/