PDX HI 6 Aug 26
More than an email. Less than a newspaper. Weekly newsletter of the Portland Hibernian Society. Delivered every Thursday morning.
Irish music knows no border
This is what one Ireland looks and sounds like: Outside City Hall musicians and dancers will perform from 11am to 11pm every day of the week – 100 children from primary and secondary schools forming a choir - Musicians and dancers from across the world - More than 200 events and 180 traditional music competitions. Welcome to Belfast. For the first time ever Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, the largest celebration of traditional Irish music in the world, is being held in Belfast, the capitol of Northern Ireland. United Ireland’s second city. This is an decent explainer of what is commonly called the Fleadh – pronounced flah. Here’s a video of the traditional Irish music big band FROM COUNTY MAYO that won top honors last year.
Oregon’s traditional Irish music answer to the Fleadh
The organization that puts on the Fleadh - Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann - was founded in Ireland in 1951 and staged the first festival in Mullingar that year. There are chapters worldwide, including Portland. In fact, later this month the Mícheál Ó Domhnaill Branch of Oregon is hosting near Mount Hood its annual weekend of make-your-own music, make-your-own schedule event open to all players and appreciators of Irish music. You can find out more at the website.
A very Irish farewell
Tons of celebrities attended Glen Hansard’s funeral Tuesday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. His wife, a Finnish poet named Maire Sariitsa, thanked by name the five Gardai officers who responded to the motorcycle crash that killed her husband, the Ballymun-born singer/songwriter. Dublin man Dave Ashe was one of the thousands of fans who attended the wake the day before. “"His inputs of busking on the street, and then being the guitarist, the frontman (for the Frames), and then being the Oscar winner (Once), and being the storyteller, and then the trad session musician – to have that removed from the culture, I think it's jarring for people," he said. Here’s the funeral wrap from RTE which includes some of the eulogies and photos.
How hot was it in Ireland in July?
Ireland just survived its hottest and driest July in a very long time. It’s officially a heat wave in Ireland when the high temperature exceeds 77 (25 Celsius) for five days in a row. There were heatwaves everywhere last month. It was the second hottest July since 1900, when Ireland was a contentious colony. And the 31 days were the driest July on record. August should be cooler and wetter. Compared to the raging weather situation elsewhere in Europe, is Ireland’s weather still a stigma? I looked at a dozen Pros and Cons of Living in Ireland websites. The weather was Con number one on half of them and in the top five on the rest. Consensus - While the mild temperatures make it tolerable, the lack of sunshine can feel gloomy, especially for those accustomed to sunnier climates. Time for a reassessment? Is Ireland's sweater weather better weather?
Will the sun shine on the Irish Open? Will Trump be there?
Or will storms off the Atlantic ocean punish the participants? There’s still no official confirmation from the Trump White house that he’ll be in Ireland from September 12 to 14. No denial either. News broke last Sunday that he will attend the Irish Open golf tournament at the golf course he owns near Doonbeg, not far from Shannon Airport. For a closer look at Trump’s Irish Connection click here. Was this internet headline from TAG24 a freudian slip? Trump set to visit Ireland for gold tournament in September
September Meeting Portland Hibernian Society
Long-time local reporter Steve Law has just published an expose of the pervasiveness of white supremacy in Oregon politics just over a century ago. There were sixty active KKK chapters in the state. Only Indiana had more men in the white robes per capita than Oregon. Law will speak at the Portland Hibernian Society meeting Thursday, September 17 at Kells Restaurant 212 SW First Ave in Portland. He’ll also speak at Powells Book Store on August 26.
JUST RELEASED: Peddlers of Hate. How the Ku Klux Klan Seized Power in 1920s Oregon by Steve Law. Available now from Oregon State University Press.