Hi there,

Here's your weekly dose of Irish for Sunday, September 5th 2021...

• Well, I had a hectic few last days in Cork, and before I knew it, it was Sunday, and I had not put the weekly dose together! Oh dear, well, a Sunday weekly dose is better than no weekly dose.
• As I had a very busy week, I didn't get a chance to publish many new articles, but next week there should be a lot more 😃
• Since last week's email about 7 things you might no know about, Cork was so popular, I have decided to do another one of those but this week for Co. Kerry.

5 Things you might not know about Co. Kerry

Where is Kerry? It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county.

Nobody seems quite sure why Kerry is called The Kingdom, but it may have something to do with the Ciar, who was a descendant of one of Kerry Clans. In 65 AD, the area was known as Ciar’s Kingdom or the Kingdom of Ciar, although there seem to be a few other political based theories. 

1. 12km southwest of Valentia Island, County Kerry, lies the Skellig Islands. Skellig Michael is known in the world of archaeology as the site of a well preserved monastic outpost of the Early Christian period and one of the best examples in Europe. In 1993 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And of course, it was here that a lot of the recent Star Wars movies had been filmed:
2. The earliest fossilised footprints of a prehistoric creature ever found in Europe and possibly in the world have been discovered by geologists on Valentia Island, Co Kerry. Geologists say the footprints found in rocks on Valentia's seashore are 385 million years old. They are the earliest examples ever found in Europe and the second oldest in the world after a set in Australia.
3. Puck Fair is one of Ireland's oldest fairs. It takes place annually from 10–12 August in Killorglin, County Kerry. Every year a group of people go up into the mountains and catch a wild goat. The goat is brought back to the town, and the "Queen of Puck", traditionally a young schoolgirl from one of the local primary schools, crowns the goat "King Puck".
4. The coast of Kerry near Waterville suffers from little light pollution, making it a mecca for stargazing. On clear nights, The Kerry Dark Sky Reserve provides an incredible view of the heavens. Kerry is one of only three ‘Gold Tier Dark Sky Reserves in the world, alongside ones from Namibia and New Zealand. 
5. Carrauntoohil, in the MacGillycuddy Reeks range, is Ireland’s highest mountain, standing at 3,409 feet. The Reeks themselves stretch across 12 miles of the stunning Kerry landscape and also include Ireland’s second and third highest mountains – Beenkeragh (3,313 feet) and Caher (3,284 feet). 

You can read more Irish facts here.

This week's posts:

☘️ 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.

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So what is this week's top Irish poem? 

This weeks top Irish poem is number 11, "An Old Woman of the Roads" by Padraic Colum. 

A lot of people refer to this poem as a simple poem. But you could argue that simplicity is intended, which actually gives more depth to the poem. 

This poem will strike a chord with every reader. Padraic writes about his longing for a home and the comforts that come with it. After all, we all need somewhere to live and call home. 

This poem is about an old travelling woman going from house to house, back in the early 1900s in Ireland, where very few people had their own house. She always admired the houses she visited, longing and praying to have her own little House someday.

''I could be quiet there at night beside the fire and by myself sure of a bed and loathe to leave the ticking clock and the shining delph''

The poem itself makes you feel for the older woman and wishing that I could buy her that home. It reminds us of how fortunate many of us are today. 

Enjoy this incredible Irish poem!

An Old Woman of the Roads

O, to have a little house!

To own the hearth and stool and all!

The heaped up sods against the fire,

The pile of turf against the wall!To have a clock with weights and chains

And pendulum swinging up and down!

A dresser filled with shining delph,

Speckled and white and blue and brown!

I could be busy all the day

Clearing and sweeping hearth and floor,

And fixing on their shelf again

My white and blue and speckled store!

I could be quiet there at night

Beside the fire and by myself,

Sure of a bed and loth to leave

The ticking clock and the shining delph!

Och! but I'm weary of mist and dark,

And roads where there's never a house nor bush,

And tired I am of bog and road,

And the crying wind and the lonesome hush!

And I am praying to God on high,

And I am praying Him night and day,

For a little house - a house of my own

Out of the wind's and the rain's way.

This week's joke: The magical elevator

Pat, his wife and their 9-year-old son went shopping in Dublin for the first time. Pat had never been to Dublin and always lived in the countryside. 

Pat and his son were totally amazed by nearly everything they saw. But it was a shiny silver wall that opened and closed magically that really got their attention. 

The boy asked his father, Pat, 

What is this, dad? 

Pat(who had never seen an elevator before) responded, 

Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life; I have no clue what it is! 

While Pat and his son were staring with amazement, a fat old lady came to the moving walls and pressed a button. 

The walls opened, and the lady got between them and got into a small room. 

The walls magically closed, and the boy and his father watched in amazement as the small numbers above the wall light up sequentially. 

They continued to watch until it reached the last number, and the numbers began to light in reverse order. 

The door opens, and a young blonde stepped out. 

Pat, not taking his eyes of the young woman, said quietly to his son…..

Go get your mother!

Read more Irish jokes here

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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. 

So I decided to change it and create my own Facebook community called Irish Around The World.

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

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Have a great day! 

All the best, 

Stephen Palmer

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