Irish history

[happythoughts 0]

Most people don't realize that the Romans never conquered Ireland. Therefore, when the Roman empire collapsed and libraries were burned. In the Dark Ages, Irelands culture continued.

Irish scholars were key contributors to the return of learning to Europe. Good thing for the Irish or the Brits would still be hitting each other with sticks probably.

clicky

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The monasteries soon became indistinguishable from Irish secular society. They were family-owned and the abbots were usually married men who passed the monastery along to the next generation. They were also major centers of scholarship and learning. This was the great age of the independent Irish church. As Roman power declined and Europe fell prey to invading barbarians, Irish monks traveled abroad and brought the light of Christianity to the Dark Ages. They were in a unique position to do so because in Ireland, unlike Europe, scholarship flourished during this time.

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n the 9th century, a second wave of Irish reached the continent -- they were scholars who were proficient in Latin and Greek and the philosophical scholarship lost to the rest of Europe. Johannes Scottus Eriugena, or John the Irishman, was one of the most outstanding of these scholastics. By the end of the 9th century, no European court considered itself civilized without the presence of Irish scholars who acted as advisors and teachers.

[Rebecca 0]

Rock on! Go Irish! And here I thought we were just accomplished drinkers... guess I should read that book my dad gave me.

Thanks Happythoughts!

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[riggerrob 643]

Yes, Irish Catholicism was distinct from Roman Catholicism for many centuries.
Thomas Cahill wrote an excellent book about early Irish Christians entitled: "How the Irish Saved Civilization."

Saint Patrick is one of the few catholic saints I could follow.
Hapy Saint Patrick's Day!

[Nightingale 0]

"How the Irish Saved Civilization" is an excellent book.

It led my Celtic Christianity class to conclude that God must have invented whiskey to keep the Irish from taking over the world, as we seem to be such resourceful folks!

[DJatLarge 0]

God Bless my fraction of Irish Blood!

Everyone drink green beer tonight!!!

[kallend 2,148]

www.saint-patrick.com/history/

Like most of the best things in Ireland, St. Patrick was British.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[akarunway 1]

http://www.doyle.com.au/ Ck. out this site. Very informative in Irish history and lore

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[newsstand 0]

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... or the Brits would still be hitting each other with sticks probably.

And the world would be a better place for it. Another mistake made by the Irish.

"Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening."
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes

[Kennedy 0]

An Irish man is sittin in a pub one night when 3 Englishmen walked in. The men sit down, and start to talk about how they can anger the Irishman... The first man says, "Watch this..."

He gets up, walks over to the Irishman, and says, "Hey man, I hear your St. Patrick was a faggot." The Irishman just replies, "Oh, is that so now?" The Englishman, goes back to his seat perplexed, when his friend jumps up and says, "Here, lemme try that."

So he goes over to the Irishman and says, "Hey man, I hear your St. Patrick was a transvestite faggot!" The Irishman only replies, "Oh, is that so now?" So the Englishman, frustrated goes and sits down with his friends.

When the 3rd Englishman jumps up and says, "Well, now, I gotta try that!" So he walks over to the Irishman and says, "Hey, I hear your St. Patrick was an ENGLISHMAN!"

And the Irishman replies, "Aye, that's what your friends were sayin."

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[Kennedy 0]

Next you're going to tell us how some limey created whiskey.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

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www.saint-patrick.com/history/

Like most of the best things in Ireland, St. Patrick was British.

Yup - the Irish kidnapped him and made him a slave.

The Brits just realized a bit too late they didn't get the better Island - that's why they tried so hard to take it away from the Irish for hundreds of years.

So we had to take something from their Island as well.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[PhillyKev 0]

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Like most of the best things in Ireland, St. Patrick was British.

Man, you don't want to go to any of the places where I'm going tonight and say that.

[Nightingale 0]

nah... ya see, the best Irish beer is too dark to be dyed green.

[kallend 2,148]

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Next you're going to tell us how some limey created whiskey.

From some Whiskey site found with Google:

"Origins and History of Bourbon Whiskey:

The first waves of British settlers in North America were a thirsty lot. It is recorded that the Pilgrims chose to make final landfall at Plymouth, Massachusetts, even though their original destination was elsewhere, primarily because they were almost out of beer.

The first locally-made alcoholic beverage was beer, although the limited supply of barley malt was frequently supplemented by such local substitutes as pumpkin pulp. Distilled spirits soon followed, with rum made from imported Caribbean molasses dominating in the northern colonies, and an assortment of fruit brandies in the south.

In the early 1700s a combination of bad economic times and religious unrest against the Established Church in Great Britain set off a great wave of emigration from Scotland and Ireland. These Scots, and the Protestant Scottish settlers from the Northern Irish province of Ulster who came to be known as the "Scotch-Irish" in the new World, brought to North America their religion, their distrust of government control, and their skill at distilling whiskey. "

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[riddler 0]

One more tidbit:

St. Patrick did not drive the snakes out of Ireland. Ireland has never really had snakes. This was a metaphor for St. Patrick's driving the "pagan" religion out of Ireland and replacing it with Christianity. The "pagan" religion was devoted to nature and natural things, so snakes (and other animals) were their symbols.

I only bring this up because I was surprised to see this common misconception printed in a local newspaper today. Then I remembered that it was the media and it all made sense.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[Kennedy 0]

(A) those were scots and irishers, not limeys
(B) that's bourbon, not whiskey. it's closer to scotch.
(C) whiskey is older than the mass emigrations from the UK islands

also

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The "45 Degree Rule" for exit separation DOES NOT WORK and IS DANGEROUS.

I'm guessing this is supposed to be an exit rule, as in "go when they're 45 degrees from down." Who came up with this? When I watch jumpers, they leave and are at 45 basically right away. WTF?

Kerry Lied

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[jakee 1,595]

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whiskey is older than the mass emigrations from the UK islands

Oh yes. Actually before an english distillery excize inspector working in ireland invented the continuous distilling thingamebob which allowed pure grain spirit to be quickly and cheaply distilled, (leading to the rise of blended whiskeys) Ireland used to be the World standard for Pure Malt whiskey.

Irish distillers refused to compromise their old methods but the scottish took it on board straight away. The scots ended up selling so much blended whiskey that the market for irish malt dried up. The big scottish distilleries soon ended up selling both blended and malt whiskey in greater quantities than the irish.
Another thing the english did for the emerald isle

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[bobsled92 0]

That's a great piece of info that is true and yes, I was aware. The practice of charging enemies with spears and sword and NO clothing at all, was a tactic that worked. My family crest has men at each side with a laurel on head and spear in hand only.
As a member of the A.O.H. I learned of the uprising and sad killing of the mother, Molly Maguire.
The coal miners hear in PA that rose up for human rights and were hung for it here in Jim Thorpe, PA
Lots of history and thanks for those that went before us to make things better for us and our families-Grant Gallagher

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