Hi there,

Here's your weekly dose of Irish for Friday, August 27th 2021...

• Well, well, well! Last week I was complaining about the weather, and sure enough, the weather completely changed. Since then, we have had lovely sunny days here in Cork. Great to see people outside enjoying the lovely weather. The average is about 25 degrees(77F). So I am heading to Inch beach, Cork, for some sun shortly after sending this email.
• An old photo, not mine, but I expect a lot more people there today!

7 things you might not know about Co. Cork

Sure, since I am in Cork, I felt I had to do 7 things you might not know about Cork post.

1. It is no secret that we love our potatoes in Ireland. But it is believed that the first potato was planted in Co. Cork. Sir Walter Raleigh, from the Americas, is said to have planted the first potato near his home in Youghal circa 1588.
2. I am sure you have heard of Ford. Well, did you know that Henry Ford was born in Co. Cork and that the first factory outside of USA was in Co. Cork. Henry Ford founded the company on 17 April 1917. This was the first factory Ford had purposely built outside of America anywhere else in the world.
3.  Co. Cork is home to the narrowest and oldest public bridge in everyday use in Europe! In the town of Glanworth, Glanworth Bridge is a mid-15th century structure built in c.1625, having a narrow, unwidened carriageway of 3 metres. 
4. Although Dublin is the capital of Ireland, Cork boasts the largest County in Ireland.
5. You may know that the Titanic set sail from its last port of call in Cobh, but Cobh also held the first-ever motorboat race in 1903. The Harmsworth Cup.
6. Cork Harbour is said to be the second-largest natural harbour in the world after Sydney Harbour. Cork also has the oldest Yacht Club in the World, founded in 1720.
7. Midleton is proud to be the home of the World’s Biggest Pot Still for making whiskey. It has a capacity of 31,618 gallons! I think that is enough for the whole of Ireland to have a party, haha.
8. The Fastnet Rock, Ireland’s most southerly point, was the last point of Ireland emigrants from Cobh to the USA would see, and it was known as the ‘Teardrop of Ireland’.

You can read more Irish facts here.

This week's posts:

☘️ W. B. Yeats – ‘Broken Dreams’ – Analysis And What It Is All About

This week I picked another great Irish poem from W.

B.

Yeats.

It comes in at number 88 on the top 100 Irish poems list.

Rather than sharing the analysis and …

The post W.

B....

Click here to read more.

☘️ The Irish Apps Every Citizen Needs 

Love them or hate them, apps have become an integral part of how society functions in the modern-day.

People turn to news apps to find out about the Olympic winners …

The post The Irish Apps Every Citizen Needs appeared first on Irish Around The World.

Click here to read more.

☘️ 130+ Unique & Incredible Irish Facts About Ireland From Cork To Belfast

Ireland is an amazing country, and I am sure that these Irish facts will surprise you.

They certainly did for me.

 I update this article weekly and share new Irish …

The post 130+ Unique & Incredible Irish Facts About Ireland From Cork To Belfast appeared first on Irish Around The World.

Click here to read more.

☘️ 5 Best Paddy And Murphy Irish Jokes

It has been a while since I put together a new list of Paddy and Murphy jokes.

This is a great selection that I handpicked.

Remember, they are just jokes …

The post 5 Best Paddy And Murphy Irish Jokes appeared first on Irish Around The World.

Click here to read more.

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So what is this week's top Irish poem? 

Broken Dreams

There is grey in your hair.

Young men no longer suddenly catch their breath

When you are passing;

But maybe some old gaffer mutters a blessing

Because it was your prayer

Recovered him upon the bed of death.

For your sole sake—that all heart’s ache have known,

And given to others all heart’s ache,

From meagre girlhood’s putting on

Burdensome beauty—for your sole sake

Heaven has put away the stroke of her doom,

So great her portion in that peace you make

By merely walking in a room.

Your beauty can but leave among us

Vague memories, nothing but memories.

A young man when the old men are done talking

Will say to an old man, ‘Tell me of that lady

The poet stubborn with his passion sang us

When age might well have chilled his blood.’

Vague memories, nothing but memories,

But in the grave all, all, shall be renewed.

The certainty that I shall see that lady

Leaning or standing or walking

In the first loveliness of womanhood,

And with the fervour of my youthful eyes,

Has set me muttering like a fool.

You are more beautiful than any one,

And yet your body had a flaw:

Your small hands were not beautiful,

And I am afraid that you will run

And paddle to the wrist

In that mysterious, always brimming lake

Where those that have obeyed the holy law

Paddle and are perfect; leave unchanged

The hands that I have kissed

For old sake’s sake.

The last stroke of midnight dies.

All day in the one chair

From dream to dream and rhyme to rhyme I have ranged

In rambling talk with an image of air:

Vague memories, nothing but memories.

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

What is the poem Broken Dreams all about?

Well, another fabulous Irish poem by Yeats. This is another poem about his love Maud. In it, he goes through past, present, future and his unrequited love for Maud. 

It was written in 1917 when he was 52 years of age; this was just after his last proposal to Maud Gonne. Maud’s estranged husband, John MacBride, was already dead at this time due to being executed in May 1916 for his part in the Easter 1916 rising. 

So Yeats, in this poem, talks about Maud and how even though time has passed, she still is incredible in his eyes.

 “Your beauty can but leave among us”. Yeats is still amazed by the physical beauty she once had.

If you don't know, Yeats was tormented with his love for Maud and her unwillingness to reciprocate the love back to him. In other poems by Yeats, such as "When you are old" or "Cloths of Heaven", he can still not accept this fact. 

“Vague memories, nothing but memories.” which highlights that he has finally accepted Maud's rejection and is no longer tormented by it.

After all, they say that time heals all wounds, which I am sure could be an old Irish saying. 

So you could say that Yeats used the title "Broken Dreams" to be deemed that throughout this poem, he accepts that their relationship was something of the past and realises there is no point in pursuing something that is already lost or even “broken”.

A great poem by Yeats. What did you think of this top Irish poem? 

This week's joke: Paddy goes into a bar in Dublin

Paddy was a very shy guy and goes into a bar in Dublin and sees a beautiful woman sitting at the bar:

After an hour of gathering up his courage, he finally goes over to her and asks, tentatively. "Um, would you mind if I chatted with you for a while?"

She responds by yelling, at the top of her lungs. "No, I won't sleep with you tonight!"

Everyone in the bar is now staring at them. Naturally, Paddy is hopelessly and completely embarrassed and he slinks back to his table.

After a few minutes, the woman walks over to him and apologises.

She smiles at him and says. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. You see, I'm a graduate student in psychology and I'm studying how people respond to embarrassing situations."

To which Paddy responds, at the top of his lungs, "What do you mean 200 Euros?"

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About the founder of Irish Around The World: 

Okay, some of you might be wondering.

Just who runs this Irish Around The World website?? 

Or maybe you don't care, haha. 

My name is Stephen Palmer from Co. Cork and I have been involved in many Irish related projects over the years. 

While it may seem this website is run by a whole team of highly skilled Irishmen, it is just run by myself. 

So I want to thank you again for taking the time to subscribe and being a part of the community. 

So how did you start a website about Irish people around the world Stephen?

Where it all began: 

I created a website in 2013 to help Irish people who are moving to Australia and recently a new group to help Irish ex-pats who are returning to Ireland.

I have always enjoyed reading about Irish heritage and how connected Irish people are around the world.

But I felt that the websites out there did not connect the people to the information. Instead, they just published daily articles regardless if people cared about them or not. 

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It expanded to a group also called Irish Around The World, now with over 70k members!

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Have a great day! 

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