Week 1, April 16
By: Joseph Vaughan. OutsidÉire
This week in Irish history: April 14, 1912 — The RMS Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40pm not too far from Newfoundland. The ship was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from Ireland who were seeking a new life in the United States. Approximately 1,490–1,635 souls were lost.
This Week’s Collection:
1. The Kesh Jig & The Titanic Connection
Today is the anniversary of the RMS Titanic hitting an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland (which is now a Canadian province). The film Titanic features a great Irish jig made famous by The Bothy Band on their self titled album “The Bothy Band” (1975), it then became a popular session tune and can be heard in pubs around the world. Here is the Gaelic Storm version featured in the award winning film:
2. Irish Non Profit Encourages Remote Work To Repopulate Rural Areas
The COVID-19 pandemic has made people think twice about living in the city, and one group in the Republic of Ireland hopes they’ll make the move.
With expanding 5G networks and growing internet accessibility across the island “Grow Remote”, a non profit community project, hopes the Irish will reconnect with their small towns and villages by working from home or common work centres.
Tracy Keogh, Co-Founder of the non profit, says the Irish government is recognizing the potential benefits that remote work could have on empty rural towns as well.
3. Beautiful Galway Photograph
Reddit user u/Helvetica4eva posted a great photo of a Galway canal. Galway is in County Galway, in the Irish province of Connacht.
Fun fact: County Galway. in the West of the Republic of Ireland, is home to the second fastest flowing river in Europe.
While the River Corrib, at just over 6 kilometers in length, is one of the smallest rivers in Europe, its speed cannot be denied. In full flow, the water can carry a person at up to 3 meters per second.
This old canal, however, doesn’t move that fast.
4. Celts in America: Dropkick Murphys’ New Music Video
Many Irish-Americans and Canadians have come to love Dropkick Murphys’ hard Celt-rock style, topped with bagpipe, accordion, tenor banjo and tin whistle melodies.
This week they came out with a music video for their new tune “Queen of Suffolk County”. Check it out below.
5. Fighting For Irish Language Rights By Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin
In an interesting article, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, details the long campaign to overcome colonial suppression of the Irish language in Northern Ireland.
“As we approach the centenary of Northern Ireland, one thing we can be sure of is that official ‘celebrations’ will be absent any mention of the century-long state-sponsored suppression of the Irish language.”
Check out the full article here.
I’ll see you next Friday for another collection. Until then, slán!
