The Famine Years

Posted by Jim on May 16, 2018

Weary men, what reap ye? – Golden corn for the stranger.
What sow ye? – Human corpses that wait for the avenger.
Fainting forms, hunger-stricken, what see you in the offing?
Stately ships to bear our food away, amid the stranger’s scoffing.
There’s a proud array of soldiers – what do they round your door?
They guard our masters’ granaries from the thin hands of the poor.
Pale mothers, wherefore weeping – Would to God that we were dead;
Our children swoon before us, and we cannot give them bread.

We are wretches, famished, scorned, human tools to build your pride,
But God will yet take vengeance for the souls for whom Christ died.
Now is your hour of pleasure – bask ye in the world’s caress;
But our whitening bones against ye will rise as witnesses,
From the cabins and the ditches, in their charred, uncoffin’d masses,
For the Angel of the Trumpet will know them as he passes.
A ghastly, spectral army, before the great God we’ll stand,
And arraign ye as our murderers, the spoilers of our land.

— “The Famine Years” by Jane Francesca Wilde

Official Communication from the UFA

Posted by Jim on

May 16th

Notre Dame Fans

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Cavalier attitude to Brexit advances cause of united Ireland

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“The subtitle of the article from the Irish News is replete with historical irony: ‘Ireland is rarely off [British PM] Theresa May’s agenda.’ Indeed, at first glance, it sounds bizarre and outlandish because poor Ireland was never on a British Prime Minister’s agenda (except for Tony Blair, God bless him). So, what has magically transfixed PM May’s mind? The ‘magic’ of Brexit.

With apologies to Yeats’ two poems:

‘ The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold…

And, ‘All changed, changed utterly.’ “

Cavalier attitude to Brexit advances cause of united Ireland
Ireland is rarely off Theresa May’s agenda.

REWIND two years and nationalism was flagging. A relatively stable Stormont, where Sinn Féin was comfortable in government with the DUP, had taken the edge off politics in The North and contributed to a degree of apathy among those who traditionally aspired to a united Ireland.

But the June 2016 EU referendum had seismic implications and nowhere more so than on this side of the Irish Sea.

The potential upheaval in north-south and east-west relations caused by the UK’s decision to sever ties with Brussels signalled nationalism’s reawakening.

The failure to map out a clear solution to The Border has only served to fuel disillusionment with the British government, and not just among trenchant republicans – wavering Nationalists and so-called moderate Unionists also began to doubt if their best interests were being served by London.

Since the Good Friday Agreement 20 years ago, Britain had tended to regard its nearest neighbour’s affairs as peripheral but Brexit now means that Ireland – north and south – is now rarely off Theresa May’s agenda.

The confidence and supply deal with the DUP has also brought The North’s normally discrete [separate/distinct] affairs into the heart of Whitehall[the British government/adminstration].

Only last week reports emerged of a row in the Cabinet over prosecutions of British army veterans for Troubles offences, while the prime minister’s exchange about a border poll with Jacob Rees-Mogg grabbed the headlines yesterday.

The Brexiteers are typically gung ho in the face of criticism about the consequences of leaving the EU but privately they must surely reflect on the unintended consequences of their actions.

It’s easy to argue that a cavalier attitude to Brexit is advancing the cause of a united Ireland far more than the IRA’s 25-year campaign of violence ever did

O’Malley Irish Dance Academy

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O’Malley Irish Dance Academy

Brooklyn & Breezy Point, NY;  Est 1994

Maureen O’Malley-Byrnes, T.C.R.G., / Director

Registered with the Irish Dance Teacher’s Association of North America and An Coimisiun in Ireland       

H: (718) 375-6433;  email:omalleyirishdanceacademy@gmail.com  Website:  www.omalleyirishdance.com

Date of Event:  June 23rd 2018   Location:  Xaverian High School

Our school will be hosting its 24th Anniversary Fund-raiser Dance. Each year, we hold this event whose sole purpose is to raise funds to pay for the following needs in our school:

• To raise money to alleviate the cost of the children’s dance costumes.
• To raise money to award 2 IRISH DANCE scholarships for a full year.
• To raise money to award a college scholarship for our seniors.
• To raise the money to send a team to represent our school at the Eastern Regional Irish Dance Championships held in Philadelphia and the National Championships.
• To raise the money to sponsor a youth basketball team at Resurrection Parish.
• To raise the money to be a sponsor for Good Shepherd’s Sports Program, PS 114, St. Rose of Lima, St. Thomas More, PS 207 and PS 222 school fundraisers
• To raise the money to allow our dancers to help support other groups during their fund-raisers during the year.  We like to be able to support them as they do us.
•  Maureen O’MalleyBrooklyn, N.Y. 11234JournalAdsforDance@gmail.comColor:  We look forward to seeing you soon.  Maureen O’Malley-Byrnes
•                                                                                                 Regards,
• Thank you, in advance, for your support and for helping us to meet our goals.  Thank you on behalf of all of our dancers. If you would like to join us for our event, tickets are on sale now and going fast.  The cost is $35 per ticket and includes a stage show at 5 pm and a “celebration” dance & party after from 7:30 – 12:00am and Underground Sounds DJ’s!
• $100 for a full page and $50 for a half page
• We have tried to keep the cost as low as possible  to ensure that it is affordable to all:
• and send the digital copy of your ad to:
• 1721 East 32nd Street
• We will have a Journal for the dance.  An ad in our journal is a great way to advertise, or to wish your friends well.  If you would like to place an ad in our journal, please forward a check or money order payable to O’Malley Irish Dance Academy  to the following address no later than June 3rd.