8th February, 2001
Notice
Board
SOME EARLY VALENTINE CUSTOMS
People probably celebrated Valentine's Day as early as the 1400's.
Some historians trace the custom of sending verses on Valentine's
Day to a Frenchman named Charles, Duke of Orleans. Charles was
captured by the English during the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
He was taken to England and put in prison. On Valentine's Day, he
sent his wife a rhymed love letter from his cell in the Tower of
London.
Many Valentine's Day customs involved ways that single women
could learn who their future husbands would be. Women of the 1700's
wrote men's names on scraps of paper, rolled each in a little
piece of clay, and dropped them all into water. The first paper
that rose to the surface supposedly had the name of a woman's
true love.
Also in the 1700's, unmarried women pinned five bay leaves to
their pillows on the eve of Valentine's Day. They pinned one leaf
to the centre of the pillow and one to each corner. If the charm
worked, they saw their future husbands in their dreams.
In Derbyshire, England, believing it would make their true love
appear, young women circled the church 3 or 12 times at midnight
and repeated such verses as:
"I sow hempseed.
Hempseed I sow.
He that loves me best,
Come after me now."
One of the oldest customs was the practice of writing women's
names on slips of paper and drawing them from a jar. The woman
whose name was drawn by a man became his valentine, and he paid
special attention to her. Many men gave gifts to their valentines.
In some areas, a young man gave his valentine a pair of gloves.
Wealthy men gave fancy balls to honour their valentines.
One description of Valentine's Day during the 1700's tells how
groups of friends met to draw names. For several days, each man
wore his valentine's name on his sleeve. The saying wearing his
heart on his sleeve probably came from this practice.
The custom of sending romantic messages gradually replaced that
of giving gifts. In the 1700's and 1800's, many stores sold
handbooks called valentine writers. These books included verses
to copy and various suggestions about writing valentines.
THE HISTORY OF DOUGLAS
Part 28 - ST. COLUMBA'S CHURCH - continued from last week
In 1702, Douglas is not even mentioned. It was probably included
in the Carrigaline union at that date. The first post-reformation
church of which there is any knowledge was situated near Grange
Cross. On the orchard wall of Shamrock Lawn up to recently were
still to be seen the two pillars of the entrance gate to the
church. The Rev. Florence McCarthy who died in 1805, aged eighty
years, was parish priest when the church existed. He lived to the
south of Grange Road. This was the well known Fr. McCarthy who
was buried at Killingly, at whose grave rounds were made.
According to local tradition, he was a native of the Kilcrea
district. He was ordained at Rome and on one occasion, as he was
going to or coming from the continent, he was taken prisoner by
the English. The Penal Laws were then in force. The young priest
was obliged to take part in the war and probably fought in the
Battle of Fontenoy in 1745. Years later when he was parish priest
of Douglas, he met his commanding officer who was in Cork in
connection with "Whiteboy" troubles. The memory of the
past helped to soften the Colonel. There is an inscription to Fr.
McCarthy in the old ruined church at Killingly.
'The Parishioners of Ballygarvan have at their own expense
erected this stone to the memory of the late Rev. Florence
McCarthy parish priest of Douglas and Ballygarvan who departed
this life Feb. 24th, 1814 aged 80 yrs'.
One parish priest of Douglas, Fr. Begley lived in a house, the
ruins of which can still be seen behind the hoarding near St.
Columba's Hall, (C. 1867). In his time, the gallery to St.
Columba's Church was approached by an outside stairs. This layout
was altered in the church extension. Douglas was probably made a
parish when this church at Grange Cross was built. The exact date
is not known, but it was probably in 1752. This lasted until 1814.
Douglas was certainly a parish before 1768, when a pastor of
Douglas died. Fr. Crowley, as far as it is known, was the first
parish priest of the modern parish. He died in 1768. The obituary
notice states "Died at Douglas, the Rev. Mr. Crowley, parish
priest of that place." He was interred at St.Mary's, Shandon.
Church records also suggest that the establishment of a religious
foundation in Ballincurrig near the end of Ballinlough Road. This
establishment did not appear to be of great importance and was
designated a 'cell' rather than a 'monastery.' ln support of this
claim the nearby Boreenmanna Road is called in Irish 'Boithrin na
Manach' or "The Little Road of the Monks." The church
records also speak of a 'church field' at Ballyorban and another
at Ballinvuskig.
To be continued next week
JACK LEMMON - A MAN OF MANY BIRTHDAYS
Born on the 8th Feb 1925, this versatile motion-picture
actor whose roles during a long career have ranged from amiable
young men to grumpy old ones. Although Lemmon is best known for
his performances in light comedies, he has gained praise in a
variety of films, including satires and dark dramas. He won an
Academy Award as best supporting actor for the comedy Mister
Roberts (1955) and an Academy Award as best actor for the serious
drama Save the Tiger (1973). He was nominated for Academy Awards
as best actor for Some Like It Hot (1959), The Apartment (1960),
The Days of Wine and Roses (1962), The China Syndrome (1979),
Tribute (1980), and Missing (1982).
John Uhler Lemmon III was born into a wealthy family in Boston.
He was educated in private schools and graduated from Harvard
University in 1947. He began his acting career in summer stock
and appeared on radio and television from 1948 to 1952. Lemmon
made his film debut in It Should Happen to You (1953). His other
films include Irma la Douce (1963), The Great Race (1965), The
Odd Couple (1968), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975),
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Grumpy Old Men (1993), and My Fellow
Americans (1996). Lemmon also directed the film Kotch (1971).
MRS KELLY - An Appreciation
Last Friday, while entering the Douglas Credit Union, I learned
of the sad news that a dear friend had passed away; a friend not
only to myself but also to a tremendous number of people that she
knew throughout her life.
Mrs. Nina Kelly was born and grew up in the West Village and
worked in the old Woollen Mills. She was a woman of laughter and
stories of a Douglas past. Nina was one of the early members of
the Credit Union. I believe the number on her book was 7. She
once told me that the first loan given out was for a pair of
brogues.
On entering her house any winter's day you were welcomed by a big
roaring fire set by her son John and stoked on a regular basis
throughout the day. "Jaysus, you'll burn me out of it one of
these day with all that coal", she would say "D’ya
know what boy, he has me heart broken, him and his fires." I
think what she was saying was I'll be lost without him, the
creather!" After some hours sifting with her, with one side
of the face red, and tears in the eyes from chuckling at the
things she would tell you, I'd leave with a different outlook
about my silly little worries.
I could go on about Nina all day, so could all her friends and
all the people who knew her, especially at the Douglas GAA Club,
where she played camogie as a girl, and sang a song or two there
as well. She was singing "Do you want your ol' lobby washed
down" in the Opera House years before the "Shiner"
got a hold of it.
My prayers and sympathies to her dearly loved Family. Rest in
peace Mrs.Kelly.
BH
BEFORE ELVIS THERE WAS JAMES DEAN
At the time many considered Elvis Presley to be a singing
version of James Dean, they certainly had a lot in common,
although Presley modelled himself more on the early Marlon Brando
than on Dean, they both identified with the same audience's.
James Dean was the envy of every young American motion-picture
actor. He became famous for his intense, brooding portrayals of
discontented, rebellious young men. Dean starred in only three
films--East of Eden (1955), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and
Giant (1956). He died in an automobile accident in 1955 at the
age of 24. After his death, he became an idol to young people in
many parts of the world. They considered Dean a symbol of their
frustrations because of the characters he portrayed.
James Byron Dean was born in Marion, Ind. On the 8th February
1931. He studied acting at the University of California at Los
Angeles and at the Actors Studio in New York City. Dean acted in
TV dramas before beginning his film career. He also was in two
Broadway plays, the Jaguar (1952) and The Immoralist (1954).
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Question Following my divorce my ex-wife has kept the family
home. If I buy a house for myself to live in what stamp duty
rates apply?
Answer On the 15th June 2000 new stamp duty rates were introduced
for first time buyers of both new and second-hand houses. Since
then first time buyers have included the spouse of a marriage
which Is subject to a decree of judicial separation or a decree
of divorce. Marriages subject to non-judicial separation or civil
annulment are not covered.
The spouse must have left the marital home and not retained an
interest in it and his/her Separated/former spouse must continue
to live in the home.
Under the stamp duty rates for first time buyers no duty is paid
on property up to the value of £150,000.
Value Rate
£150,001 - £200,000 3%
£200,001 - £250.000 3.75%
£250,001 - £300,000 4.5%
£300,001 - £500,000 7.5%
Over £500,000 9%
This broadening of the definition of first time buyers does not
apply to the £3,000 new house grant for first time buyers from
the Department of the Environment and Local Government.
However the spouse of a marriage subject to a divorce or civil
annulment or to a separation, either judicial or by deed, may be
allowed a new house grant where the person's need for housing and
a refusal to pay the grant would cause undue hardship.
Information is supplied Cobh Citizens Information Centre,
Phone 021 4814422.
ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN
Brigit or Brigantia (Celtic: High One), ancient Celtic goddess of
the poetic arts, crafts, and divination; she was the equivalent
of the Roman goddess Minerva (Greek Athena). In Ireland she was
one of three goddesses of the same name, daughters of the Dagda,
the great god of that country. Her two were connected with
healing and with the craft of the smith. Brigit was worshipped by
the semi-sacred poetic class, the filid, who also had certain
priestly functions.
Brigit was taken over into Christianity as St. Brigit but she
retained her strong pastoral associations. Her feast day was
February 1, which was also the date of the pagan festival
'Imbolc', the season when the ewes came into milk. St. Brigit had
a great establishment at Kildare in Ireland that was probably
founded on a pagan sanctuary. Her sacred fire there burned
continually; it was tended by a series of 19 nuns and by the
saint herself every 20th day. Brigit still plays an important
role in modern Scottish folk tradition, where she figures as the
midwife of the Virgin Mary. Numerous holy wells are dedicated to
her.
Brigantia, patron goddess of the Brigantes of north Britain, is
substantially the same god-
as Brigit. Her connection with water is shown by her invocation
in Roman times as the "nymph goddess"; several rivers
in Ireland and Britain are named after her.
WORDS OF WISDOM
"Flattery is like chewing gum; to be enjoyed not swallowed"
THE HISTORY OF ST. VALENTINES DAY
Different authorities believe Valentine's Day began in various
ways. Some trace it to an ancient Roman festival called
Lupercalia. Other experts connect the event with one or more
saints of the early Christian church. Still others link it with
an old English belief that birds choose their mates on February
14. Valentine's Day probably came from a combination of all three
of those sources--plus the belief that spring is a time for
lovers.
The ancient Romans held the festival of Lupercalia on February 15
to ensure protection from wolves. During this celebration, young
men struck people with strips of animal hide. Women took the
blows because they thought that the whipping made them more
fertile. After the Romans conquered Britain in AD 43, the British
borrowed many Roman festivals. Many writers link the festival of
Lupercalia with Valentine's Day because of the similar date and
the connection with fertility.
The early Christian church had at least two saints named
Valentine. According to one story, the Roman Emperor Claudius II
in the AD 200's forbade young men to marry. The emperor thought
single men made better soldiers. A priest named Valentine
disobeyed the emperor's order and secretly married young couples.
Another story says Valentine was an early Christian who made
friends with many children. The Romans imprisoned him because he
refused to worship their gods. The children missed Valentine and
tossed loving notes between the bars of his cell window. This
tale may explain why people exchange messages on Valentine's Day.
According to still another story, Valentine restored the sight of
his jailer's blind daughter.
Many stories say that Valentine was executed on February 14 about
AD 269. In AD 496, Saint Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as St.
Valentine's Day.
In Norman French, a language spoken in Normandy during the Middle
Ages, the word galantine sounds like Valentine and means gallant
or lover. This resemblance may have caused people to think of St.
Valentine as the special saint of lovers.
The earliest records of Valentine's Day in English tell that
birds chose their mates on that day. People used a different
calendar before 1582, and February 14 came on what is now
February 24. Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet of the 1300's,
wrote in The Parliament of Fowls, "For this was on St.
Valentine's Day, / When every fowl cometh there to choose his
mate." Shakespeare also mentioned this belief in A Midsummer
Night's Dream. A character in the play discovers two lovers in
the woods and asks, "St. Valentine is past; / Begin these
woodbirds but to couple now?"
Unfortunately we were unable to unearth the Celtic equivalent of
St. Valentine's day, perhaps some good reader well versed in
Irish Folklore could help us out.
NOTICES
Douglas Community School - Table Quiz
Douglas community School parents Association are holding their
annual charity table Quiz in aid of the St, Vincent De Paul
Society on Thursday February 15th 2001 in the Douglas GAA Club at
8.30pm. Teams of 4 £12.00.
We look forward to your support. All are welcome!
Public Meeting
A Public Meeting will take place in the Douglas Community Centre
at 8 o'clock on Thursday 22nd February. All are welcome
Douglas Tidy Towns 2001 - Clean up in Douglas
A number of different firms are taking part in a united clean up
of Douglas on Sat 17th February. All those wanting to participate
are asked to meet in the Community Centre Car Park at 10.30 am.
The entire operation is expected to last about two hours.
All Creatures Great & Small Animal Rescue Home
Are holding a public in Emmet Place on Saturday 10th February at
2.30pm. All animal lovers are invited to attend and to bring
along your pets.
THE FAINNE
Still popular and still necessary.
An fháinne, the symbol that denotes that a person is an Irish
Speaker was first introduced as far back as l910 It served a very
practical purpose indeed at that time. Not alone was it
advertisement for the Irish Language, but it served to identify"
Irish Speakers to each other and thus increased the amount of
Irish spoken.
Down through the years, it maintained it's popularity and both
versions were in use - a Gold Fáinne for adults and a Silver Fáinne
for the younger generation.
The original Fáinní were quite large and had to be re-designed
about 15 years ago and the smaller version is now commonly used.
Of course, like everything else in Ireland, it was the subject of
plenty of jokes, such as the one about the Irishman on holidays
in Rome who got lost and was frantically searching for directions
back to his hotel. Spotting a priest coming towards him, he asked
for directions in English. Having got the necessary help, the
priest
asked the Irishman 'how did you know I spoke English?' and the
answer of course came back promptly 'because I saw you wearing a
Fáinne'.
The Irish Language Movement was certainly very creative in many
of the ideas developed at the beginning of this century. One
immediately considers how different things would be for Manx in
the Isle of Man, and Scottish Gaelic in Scotland if the Fáinne
idea or some other symbol had been developed together with
'language summer colleges'.
One practical difficulty is presented at the present time that
was not there, fortunately or unfortunately at the beginning of
the century. In those days, people had one suit of clothes - if
they were lucky, so the fáinne remained in situ on the one
garment.
Nowadays of course, in a more affluent age, people have many
suits and many items of casual attire so one might need not just
one but several fáinní. Gael-Taca believes that if people
realised the beauty of the Irish Language, they would be proud to
speak it. As a sign of this good intent, they should wear the fáinne.
It says to others 'ta Gaeilge agamsa, labhair liom í'.
Pé scéal é, the Gael-Taca organisation based in Cork City has
now made it easier than ever
for people to acquire 'An Fáinne'. They are welcome to contact
the Gael-Taca office at - Scoil Neasáin, Port Uí Shuilleabháin,
Corcaigh, Fón: (021)4310841 I Fax: (021)4273734
HE WROTE "20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA"
Jules Verne, this French novelist wrote some of the first science-fiction
stories. Although his books were written before the invention of
the aeroplane, they have remained popular in the space age. Verne
forecast the invention of aeroplanes, submarines, television,
guided missiles, and space satellites. Verne even predicted their
uses accurately.
Verne cleverly used realistic detail and believable explanations
to support incredible tales of adventure. His fantastic plots
took advantage of the widespread interest in science in the 1800's.
He carried his readers all over the earth, under it, and above it.
Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, published in 1870,
tells about Captain Nemo, a mad sea captain who cruises beneath
the oceans in a submarine. In Around the World in Eighty Days (1873),
Phileas Fogg travels around the earth in the then unheard-of time
of 80 days, just to win a bet. Other thrillers include A Journey
to the Center of the Earth (1864), From the Earth to the Moon (1865),
and Around the Moon (1870).
Verne knew a great deal about geography, and used his knowledge
to make his stories realistic. He also wrote several historical
novels, including a story about the American Civil War, North
Against South (1887).
Verne was born in Nantes on 8th February 1828; He studied law in
Paris but decided to become a writer. His first works were plays
and the words for operas. Verne's first novel, Five Weeks in a
Balloon (1863) brought him immediate success. It was based on an
essay he wrote describing the exploration of Africa in a balloon.
The essay was rejected several times before one publisher
suggested that Verne rewrite it as a novel of imagination. The
popularity of the book encouraged Verne to continue writing on
science-fiction themes. Jules Verne died in 1905.
VELNTINES DAY MASACRE
Al Capone and his gunmen were blamed for the murder of seven members of the Bugs Moran gang in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929 in Chicago, and although it is almost certain that Capone and his gang were responsible, the charge was never proved.
THE TANGLED WEB
Mary, Queen of Scots, was the only surviving
child of King James V of Scotland. The princess, whose mother was
Mary of Guise, was only a week old when James V died. However,
she was immediately proclaimed queen of Scotland.
Born in 1542, Mary was sent to France at the age of 5 to be
educated. She married the French dauphin (crown prince) at the
age of 15.The dauphin became king of France soon after their
marriage, but he died in 1560.
Mary returned to Scotland in 1561, soon after it had officially
become a Protestant country. Before the 1560's, the Roman
Catholic Church had been Scotland's official church. Although
Mary was a Catholic, she did not oppose the spread of the
Protestant faith at first. But in 1565, she married her cousin
Henry Stuart, who was also known as Lord Darnley. This young
Catholic nobleman's rise to power caused leading Protestant lords
to revolt. The rebellion was quickly put down. But the queen soon
discovered that she had married an ineffective and overly
ambitious husband, and she came to hate him.
A rumour began to develop that Mary was having an affair with her
private secretary, an Italian musician named David Riccio. A band
of Protestant nobles dragged Riccio from Mary's presence and
stabbed him to death in March 1566. Darnley, Mary's husband, was
one of the leaders in the murder, but Mary fled with him to
Dunbar and thus preserved her power. Mary gave birth to a son
three months later. This son eventually became King James I of
England.
Mary still hated her husband. Before long she began to show
marked attention to James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. Early in
1567, Bothwell murdered Darnley. Mary married Bothwell three
months later.
This marriage was Mary's fatal mistake. She was forced to
abdicate in favour of her son in June 1567 and was imprisoned.
She escaped in 1568 and raised a small army, but most people in
Scotland opposed her. Her forces were defeated, and she fled to
England.
Mary was next in line for the English throne after her second
cousin Queen Elizabeth I. However, Mary refused to recognise
Elizabeth as queen. Beginning in 1569, Mary supported a series of
plots to overthrow her.
Elizabeth kept Mary confined and for years refused demands for
her execution. Eventually, however, Elizabeth had her tried for
high treason. Mary was found guilty, and Elizabeth reluctantly
signed Mary's death warrant. Mary was beheaded on Feb. 8, 1587.
