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>>> April 19, 2001 <<<>>>  THE IRISH WORD  <<<>>>      No.13    <<<
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To Both the Irish of Blood and the Irish of Heart:

    Dia dhuit! Sorry it took so long to get this issue out, but we ran into some difficulties in securing rooms for the upcoming movie nights. I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter and got a chance to check out all that St.Pat's stuff that went down last month. Thanks to all of you you came out and helped to make our 1st Annual St.Patrick's Day Celebration a great success; and a special thanks to Mike Sullivan and Mr.Dillon for giving awesome performances at the Irish open mic.

Fe thuairim do shlainte
(To your health),

          Brett Wilkes
          DIS President

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SOCIETY UPDATES:

-- Give us drawings; we'll give you $$$! --
DIS is having a T-shirt design contest and you're all encouraged to enter. Submit a sketch/graphic to us via e-mail, our mailbox in the POO(2nd floor of Stuart), or any other way that you can. If we pick your design, you'll get $20 and your artwork shown all over campus and beyond. Can anyone draw a good leprechaun lifting a pint?

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UPCOMING DIS EVENTS:

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IRISH ON-CAMPUS:

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IRISH IN CHICAGO:

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NEWS FROM IRELAND:

The following is condensed from "The Irish Times," April 18, 2001

-Disease Inquiry focuses on N.Ireland livestock dealers-

At least three livestock dealers in Northern Ireland are at the centre of investigations into the movement of sheep before foot-and-mouth occurred in the North.

As Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture officials in Belfast widened their inquiry to all registered sheep brought into the North from Scotland since the New Year, it emerged investigators have been looking at the activities of several dealers including one in south Co Derry.

It is understood about 15,000 animals were imported into Northern Ireland between January 1st and February 21st before rigorous foot-and-mouth port controls were introduced.

But it is alleged that although some were destined for meat plants, not all the animals were processed but were transported instead to farms in Northern Ireland and the Republic.

"There could still be sheep brought in that are being moved about the province. They could be leaving a trail of poison around the countryside as animals are moved to different farms," Democratic Unionist leader Rev Ian Paisley said.

This text may be found at: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2001/0418/breaking75.htm
For more on Europe's Foot and Mouth Disease Crises, visit: http://www.ireland.com/special/foot-and-mouth/

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LEGENDS OF THE LAND:

~ Finn McCool and the Salmon of Knowledge ~

By Tom Rafferty, http://www.Irelandbynet.com

One of the best known heroes of Irish mythology is Finn McCool a warrior of the Fianna who are said to have ruled Ireland 2000 years ago. A whole body of myth and legend, known as the Ossianic Cycle, has grown up around the Fianna, Finn McCool and his son Oisin.

As well as being a warrior Finn was a poet and regarded as one of the wisest men in Ireland. The story of how Finn came by his knowledge draws on a much more ancient tradition concerning the Salmon of Knowledge. The salmon is a powerful symbol of learning and wisdom in Celtic mythology.

It is said that Finn was sent to learn poetry and science from an old Druid called Finegas who lived beside the River Boyne in County Meath.

A salmon was said to live in the river beneath a hazel tree which grew on the river bank. Nuts from the hazel tree are also associated in Celtic myth with wisdom and the salmon is said to have fed on nuts from this tree when they dropped into the river.

Finegas, the old Druid, believed that if he could eat this salmon then all its accumulated knowledge would be passed onto him and he spent many years trying to catch it.

Finally he caught the Salmon and he ordered his pupil Finn to cook it, but warned him not to taste the fish, however as Finn turned the fish on a spit he burnt his thumb and without thinking put it into his mouth. As the boy tasted the flesh of the Salmon of Knowledge all the wisdom passed into him.

The moral of the story is that wisdom rarely comes to those who expect to have it but can sometimes come by accident to those who were not even seeking it.

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IRISH PHRASE OF THE MONTH:

An la a rugadh thu, shil na haingil deora Guinness.
(The day you were born, angels wept tears of Guinness.)

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THE IRISH WORD:

A man takes a drink;    the drink takes a drink;       the drink takes the man.

~Irish Saying~



Here's to absent friends and here's twice to absent enemies.

~Irish Toast~



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That's it for now, my friends. We'll update you on what's happening with Irish Fest as we receive more info ourselves. Have a good one and enjoy the weather.

Thanks for reading,
          Brett Wilkes


Gura slán an scéalai.
(May the bearer of the news be safe.)

©2001 DePaul Irish Society; Brett Wilkes