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PUBLISHER: LINDA KAUFFELDT

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3

March 2004

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Greetings and Blessings to all,
We hope this edition of our newsletter finds you happy, healthy and not only contented but in a celebratory mood!   The Grand Man's Day is fast approaching and, here at O'Reilly's, we are gearing up for our exciting and fun-filled celebrations.   While St. Patrick's Day may come only once a year, the planning and anticipation begins well before March.  We gleefully dive into our planning, a most enjoyable experience after the long winter months, and focus our energies on better things like St. Patrick's Day!  This edition is jam-packed with fun-filled facts and information about the Grand Man himself as well as about that brilliant stout, Guinness.   So pour yourself a cup of tea (or draw yourself a pint of Guinness), curl up and enjoy.

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  St. Patrick

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"I arise today out of the strength of heaven." At the beginning of the fifth century, the hopes for Christianity in Ireland rested upon the slim shoulders of a sixteen-year-old slave.  His name was Succat, later to  be known as Patrick, apostle to Ireland.  During captivity, Patrick learned to pray and he learned that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  In his loneliness he pledged his life to the service of his Creator.   One night, Patrick dozed upon the hillside, and a voice came to him in a dream, saying, "Your have fasted well and soon will go to your own country."  Encouraged, the young man --for he was now twenty-two--persevered.  He was rewarded a short time later when the same voice directed him to leave.  Trusting the vision, Patrick escaped his captors and returned to his family.  Nearly twenty years pass, during which the boy, Succat, becomes Patrick, the missionary.  How he spent each year is uncertain but he may have visited monasteries and hermitages in Europe.  His scattered seminary days were evidently happy ones, and he became well versed in Scripture, administration, and the techniques of construction.   During these long  years, he dreamed continually of Ireland.  In a vision he received letters from an angelic courier, in one of which he read the words, "The Voice of the Irish."  As he stared at the letter, he seemed to hear the cries of the pagan people beckoning him.   His mission seemed clear:  Ireland was to be his apostolate.  Patrick would be about forty when he set sail for Ireland.   There were dangers in his mission--hunger, thirst, perils of land and sea voyagers, weariness.  Sometimes his brethren turned on him and his foes made attempts on his life.  However, Patrick roamed Ireland, baptizing thousands.  He erected hundreds of churches or places of worship, ordained more than 3000 priests, and, since every clan wanted their own bishop, he consecrated no less than 370 prelates.   Patrick died on March 17th, 493 in Strangford Lough.   Very little is certain regarding Patrick's mission, and scholars have speculated extensively.  Chief among the areas of dispute are the troublesome dates.  History verifies the presence of other missionaries in Ireland at a somewhat earlier date, but in the hearts of the Irish Patrick will always be first, just as they were first in his heart. --taken from "Irish Saints" by Robert T. Reilly

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Guinness Is Good For You!

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On the last day of December 1759 a determined young man named Arthur Guinness rode through the gate of an old, dilapidated ill-equipped brewery sited on a small strip of land on Dublin's James's Street. He had just signed a lease on the property for 9,000 years at £45 per annum. His friends shook their heads in disbelief.  He was 34 years old.

• At that time, beer was almost unknown in rural Ireland where whiskey, gin and poteen were the alcoholic drinks most readily available. In spite of this and the poor quality of beer available in larger centers,  it was recognised, paradoxically, that brewing - although constantly under threat from imports - was probably the most prosperous of the very few industries in Ireland at that time.
• In addition to ales, Arthur Guinness brewed a beer relatively new to Ireland that contained roasted barley which gave it a characteristically dark colour. This brew became known as "porter" so named because of its popularity with the porters and stevedores of Covent Garden and Billingsgate in London.
• "Porter" had been developed in London some years earlier and was imported into Dublin to the detriment of local brews. Arthur Guinness finally had to choose between porter or the traditional Dublin ales. Deciding to tackle the English brewers at their own game, Arthur tried his hand at porter. He brewed the deep, rich beverage so well that he eventually ousted all imports from the Irish market, captured a share of the English trade and revolutionised the brewing industry.
• The word Stout was added in the early 1820's as an adjective, qualifying the noun "porter". An "extra stout porter" was a stronger and more full bodied variety. "Stout" evolved as a noun in its own right, as did the family name of Guinness. In 1825 Guinness Stout was available abroad, and by 1838, Guinness' St. James's Gate Brewery was the largest in Ireland. In 1881, the annual production of Guinness brewed had surpassed one million barrels a year and by 1914, St. James's Gate was the world's largest brewery.
• Today, Arthur Guinness would have been proud of St. James's Gate. No longer the largest (although still the largest Stout brewery) it is certainly one of the most modern breweries. Guinness is now also brewed in 35 countries around the world, but all these overseas brews must contain a flavoured extract brewed at St. James's Gate. So the very special brewing skills of Arthur's brewery, remain at the heart of every one of the 10 million glasses of  Guinness enjoyed every day across the world.

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Did You Know?

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• St. Patrick was born in Wales but was captured by an Irish pirate, who took him to what is now Co. Antrim in Northern Ireland.
• St. Patrick's Day is, perhaps, the only holiday that's celebrated all over the globe.
• The Toronto St. Patrick's Day Parade is one of the largest in North America.  Since it began in 1988, the parade has grown to include 100 organizations, 32 Irish county associations, 2,000 marchers, 30 floats, 14 bands as well as an assortment of wolfhounds, leprechauns and talking shamrocks.
• At 198 calories a pint Guinness has fewer calories than a pint of skimmed milk or orange juice.
• The UK is the biggest consumer of Guinness followed by Ireland in second place, and Nigeria in third.
• Doctors once prescribed Guinness as a cure for debility, anaemia and to help patients through their convalescence.
• Beer is an ancient beverage that has been consumed as part of a balanced diet for centuries --  it contains the goodness of sprouted grain extracted into rich liquid and fermented to produce a nutritional 'liquid cereal' beverage.
• By 1930, a total of 13,940 people (excluding wives, families or other dependants) relied on the Guinness brewery for their income.  Or put another way, about one out of every ten Dublin men looked to it for their livelihood either directly or indirectly.

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Treasured Recipe

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With all the St. Patrick's Day celebrations taking  place in the days ahead, late nights, pub hopping and over-indulging that may occur, we thought that this old timer from Ireland may come in handy.     Be sure to let us know if this helps...
Cider Headache Remedy:   Method:   (1)  Take a litre of hard cider, two tablespoons of burdock seeds, two tablespoons of whole white mustard sees, and a smallish horseradish root, cut in little pieces.  (2)  Put everything in a large jar, cover tightly, and let stand overnight.  (3)  Apply sparingly, hot or cold.

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Treasured Irish Lessons

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• Phrase:   Happy St. Patrick's Day  Irish:  Beannachtai na Feile Padraig.  Pronunciation:  Ban-ochth-thee na Fay-leh Paw-drig.
• Phrase:  There will be good traditional music at the pub tonight.   Irish:  Beidh ceol traidisiunta maith ag an ostain anocht.  Pronunciation:  bye kee-ohl thrad-ish-oon-tha my egg on oh-sth-law-een ah-nucht.
• Phrase:  I'd like a Guinness (please). Irish:  Point (leath-phiont) Guinness led' thoil.  Pronunciation:  Pointh Guinness ledh hell.
• Phrase:  Health (good implied) and life (long implied) to you.   Irish:  Slainte agus saol agat.   Pronunciation:  Slaw-in-che ah-gus seel ah-guth.

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Treasured Quotes and Sayings

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• Dance as if no one's watching, sing as if no one's listening, and live everyday is if it were your last.  --  Irish saying
• Good as drink is, it ends in thirst. --  Irish saying
• I often sit back and think, I wish I'd done that and find out later that I already have. --  Richard Harris in reference to what happens when he drank.
• In Ireland, where the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs. --  Sir John Pentland Mahaffy.
• St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time -- a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic. --  Adrienne Cook

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A Bit O' Wit

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Mick Flaherty had supped more Guinness than enough and had stumbled out of Quinn's bar and into the Sunday afternoon air.  As his drunken eyes squinted to adjust to the light, an ambulance went by at great speed.  Blue lights flashing and siren blaring, it roared up the street with Mick in full flight running after it.  A hundred yards, 200, 300, almost a quarter of a mile he tracked it until suddenly, lungs and legs giving out, he fell into the gutter.  Then with his very last ounce of breath he roared:  "You can keep your damned ice cream!"

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March 2004 Trivia

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Since March is such a HUGE month, we thought it only appropriate to have two sets of trivia questions:  one set about Guinness and the other set about Ireland.  Be the first to correctly answer one set of trivia questions and you will receive an Irish Blessing Mouse Pad for your effort.   Email your answers to oreillystreasures@bellnet.ca or phone them in to 613-646-7157.
Guinness Trivia Questions
1.  What were Dublin's pyramids?
2.  Who called the Guinness family 'Lords of the Vat'.
3.  On average, how many Irish pubs opens a day around the world?
4.  In Dublin in the 1800s ale was drunk instead of what?
Ireland Trivia Questions
1.  What do each of the colours of  Ireland's flag represent?
2. In what river was it said that Irish people should be dipped in order to lose bashfulness or inhibition?
3.  What are the most and second most common surnames in Ireland?
4.  Who has the claim to fame of bringing St. Patrick to Ireland?

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February 2004 Trivia Answers

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February's Trivia winner touched our hearts in many ways.  Rod MacDougall correctly answered February's trivia questions and won a Velvet Celtic Pouch for his efforts.  Rod is a soldier in Bosnia and was entering the contest in the hopes of winning the prize for his wife, Shari, in Petawawa.   Rod's romantic gesture was not only a 'thank you' to Shari for entering our "A Limerick to My Love" contest but was a complete surprise for Shari.   Coincidentally, the pouch was in Shari's favourite colour, purple.  Wow!  It really is a small world after all and endears us to the fact that it truly is the little things that matter most.    Here are the answers.
1. Thomas Moore wrote these timeless words of love "Believe me if all those endearing young charms which I gaze on so fondly today.." to his beloved Bessie as reassurance that she would not lose his affection because her looks had been ruined by a skin disease after they had been married for some time.
2.  November is the time to wed, the harvest's in and it's cold in bed.
3.  St. Valentine's Shrine is located in Dublin.
4.  The relic of St. Valentine was exhumed from the cemetery of St. Hyppolytus in Rome.

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Treasured Blessing for a Holiday Party

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May Brigid who wished for a pool of ale
Grant that the fun of your party will not fail;
And may Jesus and Mary come to your party, too,
In the friendship and joy in each one of you.
May you rejoice in all of the good times past
And pray to God that the good times will last;
May you celebrate God's love for all of us
And clean up when it's over without a fuss.
--Edited and adapted from a blessing by Fr. Andrew M. Greeley

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O'Reilly's --  Your St. Patrick's Day Headquarters

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