One Christmas was so much like another in those years, to borrow a line from Dylan Thomas. Mother, who celebrated every feast day with aplomb – Shrove Tuesday with specially prepared pancakes, Halloween with monkey nuts (peanuts in the shell), bobbing for apples, and Barmbrack – saved her most elaborate plans for Christmas. And I do mean saved. We had a farm but money was far … [Read more...] about Christmas was Magic and Magic was Mother
Irish roots
Roots: The Unimportance of Being Mulligan
Irish literature and lore shows Mulligan little respect. The very opening sentence of James Joyce's acclaimed Ulysses introduces Buck Mulligan, a ribald braggart who, before many pages, is borrowing a quid to "get gloriously drunk so as to astonish the druidy druids," making an utter fool of himself in a "jester's dress of puce and yellow and a clown's cap" and identifying … [Read more...] about Roots: The Unimportance of Being Mulligan
Roots: Caulfield: The Clan of Confusion
The name Caulfield is one about which much confusion arises. A name of several origins, few patronymics have acquired so many anglicized versions, the more common being MacCaul and MacCawell. Other variations include MacCall, MacHall, MacCarvill, MacCowhill, Callwell, Howell, Campbell and Gaffney. In parts of Galway and Mayo Caulfield has been used as the anglicized form of … [Read more...] about Roots: Caulfield: The Clan of Confusion
Roots: Duffy, Duhig, Dowey and Doohey
The surname Duffy, the anglicized form of O'Dubhthaigh, is a personal name derived from the Gaelic word dubh, meaning black or swarthy. While the name is widespread throughout Ireland in different forms, the original homeland of the Duffy clan was Monaghan. Duffy appears most often in the 18th century list of clergy compiled for that county in accordance with the Penal … [Read more...] about Roots: Duffy, Duhig, Dowey and Doohey
Ireland’s Banished Children
Many of the thousands of Irish babies adopted in the U.S. in the '40s, '50s, and '60s are reclaiming their roots. Emer Mullins reports. ℘℘℘ In a quiet convent outside Dublin, an elderly nun is in possession of a veritable Pandora's Box relating to one of the most controversial periods in Irish social history. Sr. Patricia Quinn used to work at St. Patrick's Guild in Dublin, a … [Read more...] about Ireland’s Banished Children