Friday, February 28, 2014

Irish Thought for February 28...

Irish-American Heroes

The most decorated soldier in World War II was Irish-American Audie Murphy.  He received 28 citations for bravery, including the Medal of Honor.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Irish Thought for February 27...

Quotations

St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic.

Irish Thought for February 26...

Irish Blessings

May we have the grace of God and may we die in Ireland.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Irish Thought for February 25...

Irish-American Movies

The Luck of the Irish

Tyrone Power stars as an American reporter who meets a beautiful woman (Anne Baxter) and a leprechaun while traveling in Ireland.  The leprechaun follows the reporter back to New York City and acts as his conscience and guide.  Directed by Henry Koster.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Irish Thought for February 24...

Irish Proverbs

Both your friend and your enemy think you will never die.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Irish Thought for February 23...

Irish Writers

Bram Stoker

Born in a suburb of Dublin, Abraham "Bram" Stoker was known during his lifetime as the personal assistant of an actor named Henry Irving, and as the business manager of the Irvings' Lyceum Theatre in London.  Now his popularity endures from the many novels and short stories he wrote, including the classic gothic novel Dracula in 1897.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Irish Thought for February 22...

Irish-American Celebrities

Spencer Tracy

An American theatrical and film actor, Spencer Tracy appeared in 74 films from 1930 to 1967.  In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Tracy ninth among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time.  He was nominated for nine Best Actor Academy Awards, winning two years in a row for Captain Courageous and Boys Town.  With Katherine Hepburn he starred in nine feature films, one of the most successful screen pairing in film history.  He was awarded the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his posthumously released performance opposite Hepburn in Guess Who's Coming for Dinner.  Tracy's paternal grandparents, John Tracy and Mary Guhin, were born in Ireland.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Irish Thought for February 21...

Irish Toasts

If you're lucky to be Irish...you're lucky enough!

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Irish Thought for February 20...

Irish Curses

May you melt off the earth like snow off the ditch.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Irish Thought for February 19...

Irish Blessings

May those who love us love us.
And those that don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their limping.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Irish Thought for February 18...

Quotations

My father was totally Irish, and so I went to Ireland once.  I found it to be very much like New York, for it was a beautiful country, and both the women and the men were good looking.
  -James Cagney

Monday, February 17, 2014

Irish Thought for February 17...

Irish Drink

Guinness

One of the most successful beer brands worldwide, Guinness is extremely popular with the Irish both in Ireland and wherever they have settled.  It's something of a national symbol, and the best-selling alcoholic drink in Ireland, with sales of nearly $.2.5 billion annually.  A dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness in Dublin, the beer has a distinctive burnt flavor, which comes from the use of roasted barley that hasn't been malted (and not from the addition of meat, as is sometimes rumored).  Although the Guinness breweries won't confirm if they still follow this practice, the used to blend their freshly brewed beer with a portion of aged brew, to add sharpness to the flavor.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Irish Thought for February 16...

Irish Proverbs

Hunger is the best sauce.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Irish Thought for February 15...

Irish Musicians

Damien Rice

Born on December 7, 1973, Irish singer-songwriter and musician Damien Rice is adept at playing the guitar, drums and piano, as well as both the cello and violin.  In the 1990s, Rice was a member of the group Juniper, although after releasing two singles with them, he departed to pursue a solo career.  He busked his way around Europe before returning to Ireland, where he landed a contract.  Rice released his debut solo album in February 2002, which peaked at #8 on the UK chart and produced two Top 30 singles, "Cannonball" and "Volcano".  In April 2009, the Irish Times placed Rice at number 34 in a list of the "The Best 50 Irish Acts Right Now."

Friday, February 14, 2014

Irish Thought for February 14...

Limericks

There was an Old Lady of Chertsey,
Who made a remarkable curtsey;
She twirled round and round,
Till she sunk underground,
Which distressed all the people of Chertsey.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Irish Thought for February 13...

Irish-American Celebrities

Olivia Wilde

An Irish-American fashion model and actress, Olivia Wilde appeared first in television roles in The O.C. and House, and then moved on to films in Tron: Legacy and Cowboys & Aliens.  She attended the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland.


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Irish Thought for February 12...

Irish Food

Irish Potato

The white potato, on of the major starch sources worldwide, is not native to Ireland but originated in South America.  Because of its popularity in Ireland, the tuber was called an Irish potato by earlier American generations to distinguish it from sweet potatoes, and because the potato was so closely associated with the Irish diet after the Great Potato Famine.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Irish Thought for February 11...

Irish-American Heroes

The first American civilian to lose her life in the U.S. space program was Irish-American schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.  She was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger Mission.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Irish Thought for February 10...


Irish Proverbs

Drink is the curse of the land.  It makes you fight with you neighbor.  It makes you fight with your neighbor, it makes you shoot at your landlord, and it makes you miss him.

I have noticed that I have been having problems with the daily blog.  I am getting the month wrong.  I am forgetting to post the blog even though I always write them the night before.  I am so sleepy that I misspelled and typed completely nonsensical words as I was trying to type this little proverb.  I have multiple sclerosis and the illness often makes me mind....loopy.  If ever you notice a problem or typo do no hesitate to correct me.  If you respond to the post, I get the response in my email before the response gets posted.  Therefore, I would get the error and because I have your message, I could thank you (or your screen name at least) for seeing my goofiness and, of course, fix my error.  Please have fun keeping me in check as my concentration suffers!  Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Irish Thought for February 9...

Irish-American Writers

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Born to an upper-middle-class Irish Catholic family in St. Paul, Minnesota, F. Scott Fitzgerald was named after Francis Scott Key, his famous second cousin.  His writing is known for its breezy, witty style with themes of promise, disillusionment, and the idealism of the American character.  Fitzgerald finished four novels: The Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender is the Night, and The Great Gatsby.  A fifth novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon, was published posthumously although it was unfinished.  Fitzgerald also penned many celebrated short stories.  Hugely popular, Fitzgerald is widely regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest American writers, and the seminal writer of the Jazz Age, a term he coined.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Irish Thought for February 8...

Irish Blessings

May you live as long life
Full of gladness and health,
With a pocket full of gold
As the least of your wealth.
May the dreams you hold dearest,
Be those which come true,
The kindness you spread,
Keep returning to you.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Irish Thought for February 7...

Quotations

When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees: maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious.
   -Edna O'Brien

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Irish Thought for February 6...

Irish Writers

James Joyce

Born in Dublin, and widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, James Joyce is often credited for great leaps in the development of the modernist novel.  Joyce has been celebrated for his experimental use of language and stream-of-consciousness narrative, especially in the novels Ulysses and Finnegans Wake.  Although more traditionally written, his short-story collection Dubliners and a novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man are also considered masterworks of literature.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Irish Thought for February 5...

Irish-American Movies

The Town

In the heavily Irish-American Boston, Massachusetts, neighborhood of Charleston, a longtime bank robber reluctantly plans his next heist while falling for a female bank manager connected to one of his previous jobs and attempting to avoid the FBI.  Directed by Ben Affleck.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Irish Thought for February 4...

Irish Proverbs

A change of work is as good as a rest.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Irish Thought for February 3...

Irish Folklore

Changelings

A changeling is a supernatural creature, usually a fairy and often described as ugly and nasty tempered, that has been secretly exchanged for a human baby.  In medieval folklore, the idea of a swapped child was quite common, indicating deeply rooted concern about misunderstood reasons for infant mortality, disease, and disorders.  One supposed way of discovering if your baby was a changeling was to boil eggshells in front of the suspect infant - if it laughed or spoke, it was not human.  To reverse the swap, changelings were sometimes supposed to be scooped up by a red hot shovel and tossed into a chimney fire...and then the original child would be returned unharmed.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Irish Thought for February 2...

Irish-American Celebrities

Stephen Colbert

An American political satirist, writer, comedian, and television host, Stephen Colbert is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.  Colbert is the youngest of 11 children in an Irish Catholic family.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Irish Thought for February 1...

Irish Movies

Patrick

This TV documentary attempts to find the fascinating truth in the popular legends of St. Patrick.  Gabriel Byrne provides the voice of St. Patrick, while Liam Neeson supplies the narration.  Directed by Pamela Mason Wagner.