The History and Culture of Ireland, a Course with Dr Jon Hatch

08/02/2022

Today, 1 August- the midpoint between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox- marks the beginning of Lughnasadh, the Gaelic harvest festival. We live on a stone, and the stone lives on a wheel... May the wheel be good to you in the turning:-)

09/04/2021

Ogham is an early medieval Irish alphabet using lines along a central seam. This one here from a 9th century Irish manuscript basically reads 'massive hangover'. I guess the monk felt a bit rough that morning;-) The exact translation is 'ale killed us', which I think is even better, don't you? 😉 Class starts in a couple of weeks! Let's learn more of THIS!

08/31/2021

Our next course is a few weeks away! Sign up today while there are places available. We're going to have fun:-)

08/25/2021

Good friends, We're delighted to inform you that another edition of 'The History and Culture of Ireland with Dr Jon Hatch' is now being offered at Flathead Valley Community College, 6-8PM, 21 Sept.-26 Oct.! It's six sessions of stories, poetry, music, the Irish language, literature, and film, all designed to delve into Ireland's rich history and culture to show why this small nation is so special. We always have a lot of fun:-) Sign up today!

01/28/2021

McDermott's Castle, Castle Island, Lough Key, Co. Roscommon.

A castle has stood on this island from the 1100's. The original castle belonged to the Mac Diarmada clan who ruled the area from the 10th to the 16th century.

Legend has it that Una, the daughter of the chieftain of the McDermotts, was in love with a peasant named Thomas Costello. Her father prevented her from leaving the island to see him, so Thomas took it upon himself to swim out to the island, which eventually led to him drowning in the lough. Una died of grief, and both her and Thomas are said to be buried on the island, beneath two intertwined trees which grew over them.

The castle is now a national monument and open to the public- those willing to row out by boat, that is:-)

01/20/2021

There's one week left before the start of classes, so there's still time to sign up. It'll be nearly as much fun as being at the Duke of York in Belfast if John McSherry was there playing 'Rose in the Gap'... and back when you could still smoke in pubs!

John McSherry (Pipes), Donal O'Connor (Fiddle), Paul McSherry (Guitar), & Francis McElduff (Bodhrán) play a march & a reel at the Duke of York Pub, Belfast.

01/12/2021

Hey all! Our next offering of 'The History and Culture of Ireland' at Flathead Valley Community College begins Tuesday, 26 January and goes through to 2 March, 6:30-8:30pm... Yes, each class is a half hour longer, so more Irish music, sport, poetry and history each night! Places are limited, but there's still time to register. If you're in the Flathead Valley, join us, and please pass the info along to others who might be interested! The craic's mighty:-)

10/31/2020

A Blessed Samhain to you all, from 'Ireland: The Country That Gave You Hallowe'en' :-) Hallowe'en has, of course, come a long way from its origins in Ireland as the pre-Christian festival of Samhain.

In the ancient Celtic traditions of old Ireland, Samhain was the end of summer and the beginning of winter, a time of long and cold nights. As these two periods crossed over at Samhain, the boundary between this world and the 'other' world became very thin, allowing ancestors access back to this world. Communal fires were lit to ward off those spirits which came with evil intentions. These fire festivals were well documented at Tara, the seat of high kings, and included 'Feile na Marbh', a festival honouring the dead.

Originally Samhain would occur around moon cycles at the start of November and was observed in Ireland well into the 6th century, despite the introduction of Christianity. When Christianity set November 1st as 'All Saints Day' or 'All Hallows Day' in the 8th century, many Irish were reluctant to give up their festival and so celebrated Samhain as 'All Hallows Eve', which later became corrupted to Hallowe'en.

There is no mention of Hallowe'en in America until the early 19th century following mass trans-Atlantic emigration by over 2 million Irish escaping famine from 1845-1849. With them, traveled the celebration of Halloween and other age old customs.

Needless to say, the American Hallowe'en bears little resemblance to the ancient Irish festival and, ironically, Hallowe'en in Ireland now looks much like the American version which has been exported back in its much more commercialized form. But we can hold the ancient customs with respect, honour our ancestors, and keep faith with our customs.

Blessed Samhain, all:-)

10/29/2020

Hey there, all and happy Hallowe'en from 'History and Culture of Ireland', This is a Jack O'Lantern from 1850's Ireland, on display in Co Mayo, carved from a turnip (pumpkins aren't native to Ireland).

According to Irish folklore, a man called Stingy Jack was sentenced to roam the earth for eternity by the devil. Jack wanders the land with a burning coal inside of a carved out turnip to light his way. Irish folklore began to refer to this spooky figure as 'Jack of the Lantern' which then became 'Jack O’Lantern.'

Hallowe'en traces back to the pre-Christian Irish festival of Samhain or, with the coming of Christianity, 'All Hallows Eve', 'hallows' referring to saints. To the ancient Irish people, this was a time of year when the veil between this world and the next was at its weakest and the spirits of our ancestors were free to roam the world. This legend is why people in Ireland began to make their own versions of 'Jack’s lantern' by carving grotesque faces into turnips, potatoes and beets, placing them by their homes to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering spirits.

Irish migrants in the 19th century brought this legend across the Atlantic, where they discovered that Pumpkins were much easier to carve than turnips.

Our next course at FVCC will be in January. If you're interested, contact FVCC; space is limited, so don't delay!

09/10/2020

Our first class of this semester is this coming Monday, 14 September. There are still a limited number of spaces available, and FVCC is leaving enrollment open over the weekend. Don't delay!