Irish Arts and Entertainment, HALLOWEEN SPECIAL October, 2024

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Irish Arts & Entertainment

The opinions expressed by our w rit ers are t heir ow n and do not necessarily convey t hose of t his m agazine, our publisher or st aff

Publisher & Managing Editor

Jam es M McDonough

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Jam es McMahon

Writers

Tina Day

Maurice Fit zpat rick

Jim McDonough

John McNally

Barbara Singer

Pat rick Weld

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Sales Reps

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Layout & Typos Jim

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Jim 's Cell: 951 216-1493

All Copyright s 2024

You as one of our avid and loyal readers are really appreciat ed. Our Calendar Anniversary issue w as last m ont h; our first t abloid issue w as dist ribut ed around Sant a Monica and at t he Irish Im port Shop in Hollyw ood in 1992.

We are w ell aw are t hat w it hout our readers, w e w ould not have a business St art ing t his m ont h, w e w ill be put t ing a lot of effort int o our Very Irish Perks program and m ore cont est s and draw ings for our readers We w ill have det ails on t hese t w o relat ed project s in our Mid-Mont h issue updat e and blast

Aside from being our Anniversary issue last m ont h; our Sept em ber issue w as quit e special in anot her w ay! We com posed t he issue and ran t he business from Ireland. Thanks t o our associat e and great friend Jim McMahon for use of his house in Warrenpoint , Count y Dow n Ow ing t o som e lim it at ions on our int ernet connect ion, w e had t o do a lot of t he w ork at t he public library in Warrenpoint So for a few w eeks, I w as a regular at t he local library and it t urned out t o be a delight ful experience Many t hanks for t he kindness and hospit alit y of Niall, Orla et all w ho m ade m e feel at hom e during t he m any hours t hat w e w orked t here!

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More INSIDETHISISSUE!

Hallow een is upon us! The Irish influence explained... Starts on Page 3

Our regular feat ures:

Maurice Fit zpat rick's View from Ireland and John McNally's Irish Com m ent ary. This m ont h bot h w rit ers explore very t im ely t opics. An Irish hunger st rikers piece from McNally and

Fit zpat rick offer his t ake on t he st aggering sum t hat t he EU just aw arded Ireland from Apple, Starts page 16 Celt ic Cam era and our Irish Poet ry Corner are w ell represent ed in t his issue.

Subm issions and Feat ures are w ant ed: Send ideas and St ory Subm issions jpegs and capt ions t o: irishm issive@gm ail.com Chef Paul is back! See Page 18

The Irish influence on Halloween customs in the United Statesis significant, asmany traditionscan be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain in Ireland.

The most popular custom of all is carving pumpkinsand turning them into JACK O'LANTRENS

In Ireland, the Irish for centurieskept the tradition of Carved Turnipsalive. Carved turnipswere the original "Jack-o'-lanterns" The practice stemsfrom the Irish myth of "Stingy Jack," a man who tricked the Devil and was cursed to roam the earth with only a burning coal inside a carved-out turnip to light his way.

When Irish immigrantscame to America, they found pumpkinsto be more plentiful and easier to carve than turnips, so they adopted them for their Jack-o'-lanterns.

Trick or Treating also evolved from customesin England, Ireland and Scotland While it'sbeen

popularized and evolved in the United States, it wasn't born here. The Ancient Celtic Tribes were pagansand their traditions, perhapsasearly asthe time of St. Patrick. w ere adapt ed t o Christ ianit y beginning w it h t he sixt h Cent ury

Samhain (SOW WIN) marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, a time when the boundary between the living and the dead wasbelieved to be thin. People would light bonfires, wear costumes, and leave offeringsto appease spirits Thispractice of appeasing spiritsis considered a precursor to modern-day trick-or-treating.

Medieval Pract ices included Souling:

In medieval England and Ireland, there was a practice called "souling" where poor people, often children, would

All SoulsDay

All SoulsDay isa Christian observance on November 2nd dedicated to remembering and praying for the dead It is often celebrated in conjunction with All Saints Day on November 1st.

More on SAMHAIN

The Early History of Halloween in Ireland and Great Britain

Halloween'shistory in Ireland and Great Britain isdeeply intertwined with Samhain. Over time, Christian influences were incorporated, such as All Saints Day and All Souls Day However, many of the original Celtic customs, like dressing up in costumesto ward off spirits and lighting bonfiresto guide them to the afterlife, persisted

Costumesand Trick-or-Treating

Dressing in costumes and trick-or-treating became popular in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries It isbelieved to have evolved from a combination of traditions, including "guising" (dressing up and going door-to-door for food or coins) in Scotland and Ireland, and "souling" (going door-to-door singing and praying for the dead in exchange for food) in England

Halloween and the Economy

Halloween isa significant economic driver in the United

States. Americansspend billions of dollars each year on costumes, candy, decorations, and other Halloween-related items

Estimated Spending on Halloween

These are rough estimatesof American spending on Halloween, along with sourcesfor more detailed information:

Costumes: $3 6 billion

(source: National Retail Federation)

Candy: $3 billion

(source: National ConfectionersAssociation)

Decorations:$3.2 billion

(source: National Retail Federation)

Pumpkins:$500 million

(source: U.S. Department of Agriculture)

One of the conclusionson the research we did for this feature is that the Irish influece hasbeen a real boon to businessin the US!

Just as the Americn penchant for enterprise hasmade St. Patrick'sDay a big celebration and spending day; (we all know that pubs do especially well); Now the economy in general gets a real boost out of Halloween!

ALWAYS POPULAR

Irish Music: NEWS& REVIEWS

Loreena McKennitt isreleasing two new ?coloured?vinyl recordsfrom her catalogue: her debut recording Elemental and her award-winning breakthrough album TheVisit.

Available through the artist?s store and select retailers, Elementalispressed on 140g vintage transparent green vinyl and TheVisiton 140g crystal clear vinyl

Pre-salefor members of the Loreena McKennitt Community beginstoday and runs until the general release date Friday Nov. 22nd.

Despite the dominance of the digital age, the war m, r ich sound of vinyl, the hands- on exper ience playing it and a strong nostalgic allure for collector s,

Continued next page

Eugene O'Neill Lifet im e Achievem ent Aw ard Honoring Alice McDerm ot t WasHeld On Oct ober. 21st . In New York

The Irish American Writers & Artists in honoringAlice McDerm ot t with its prestigious 2024 Eugene O?Neill Lifetime Achievement Award onMonday, Oct ober 21, 2024 at 7:00pm , at a cocktail reception and celebration atThe Ellington Restaurant, located at 2745 Broadwayon Manhattan's Upper West Side.

IAW&A's O'Neill Award is a must-attend party in New York's Irish American arts and creative communities, and we warmly welcome new friends and members, as well as Ms. McDermott?s numerous readers, to our event.

It was a special night to commemorate an extraordinary

talent! The addmission price included a one year membership in Irish American Writers & Artists.

Alice McDerm ot t ?s distinguished career includes the National Book Award forCharmingBilly, and eight other novels that have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize,the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Kirkus Prize and the Dublin IMPACAward.

Her latestnovel,Absolution, was an instant NYTimes bestseller, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, and named one of the best books of 2023 byTime, NPR,LA Times, Vogue, Esquireand others

lliam Kennedy, Phil Donahue, Kat e Mulgrew , John Pat rick Shanley, Larry Kirw anandDan Barry.

Questions?Email:iawaoneillaward@gmail.com

I r i sh Ch ef Pau l W attter s' Fall Feast

Wok fried prawns cooked with red pepper a pinch of tumeric garam masala chilli flakes asparagus peas cooked in pineapple juice and coconut milk served with giant couscous and picked Coriander

First Off:

The Cous Cous

120g giant couscous

YOU WILL NEED

250 ml of water (chicken / vegetable stock)

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of olive/Rapeseed oil

The Main Dish

50g of prawns

1 1/2 red pepper (cut into fine dice)

1 clove of garlic (peeled and grated)

1 onion ( cut into fine dice)

10 asparagus spears (snapped in the middle)

2 handfuls of frozen peas

1/2 teaspoon of garam masala

1 teaspoon of tumeric

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

200 ml of pineapple juice

250 ml of coconut milk

1/2 chicken stock cube (unsalted)

1 handful of chopped coriander (cilantro)

Salt and pepper

In case you need a bit of help on food names...

Couscous is Squash

Prawns are Shrimp

Belf ast Based Ch ef Paul Wat t ers

Belf ast Based Ch ef Paul Wat t ers

bot h delight ed and very appreciaat ive t o be associat ed w it h him .

Our contributing Celebrity Chef has been creat ing dishes and preparing great food for over 30 years He has w orked all over t he w orld from t he Savoy Hot el in London t o as far aw ay from Ireland as t he Sydney Opera House, Aust ralia. A few years ago, Chef Paul ret urned t o Belfast and cont inued t o w ork at som e t op rat ed hot el rest aurant s. During t he lockdow n he set up a cooking page on Facebook t o share his love of food and cooking. Chef Paul also st art ing w rit ing about cooking for m agazines and papers around t he w orld. We are delight ed t o be associat ed w it h him . sim ple t ast y healt hy by pw

Let 's Cook

First off let 's get t he Cous Cous going by bringing t he 250 m l of w at er or st ock t o t he boil t hen gradually add t he cous cous And St ir t hen allow t o sim m er for 10-12 m ins.

While t he cous cous is cooking bring a sm all pot of w at er t o t he boil and add a t easpoon of salt .

Now t hat you're cous cous is cooking and your

sm all pot is boiling bringing a w ok t o a high heat Add a drizzle of oil add t he onion and pepper add t urm eric and garam m asala allow t o cook for approx 3 m inut es.

Add praw ns and garlic as long w it h chili flakes

St ir fry for 2 - 3 m ins.Add pineapple juice and reduce by half follow ed by coconut m ilk and peas and sim m er for approx 3-4 m ins check seasoning w it h salt and pepper if you prefer sauce a lit t le t hicker reduce a lit t le m ore if t hinner add a lit t le m ore coconut m ilk.Add Asparagus t o t he Wat er and cook for 2 m ins and St rain.Check couscous t here should be a bit e t o it St rain,bring back t o t he Pan And add salt and pepper and preference of oil m ix w ell.

The Present at ion

Gat her a large plat e and place t he couscous in t he cent re of t he plat e and spread evenly across t he plat e.t urn off t he heat t hen spoon over a generous port ion sprinkle over t he chopped coriander (cilant ro) t hen arrange t he asparagus around t he plat e clockw ise and serve and enjoy.

Chef Paul

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The View from Ireland When t he Apple Falls

On Tuesday September 10th, the European Court of Justice ruled that Apple had to pay the Irish government 13 billion euro ($ 14.5 billion) in back taxes.

Did that occasion dancing in government buildings among the coalition parties currently preparing to spend big in October?s annual budget designed to grease the wheels towards their re-election?Not a bit of it. The government agreed to accept the money with all the enthusiasm of a patient being called back for further dental surgery At least that isits public response.

Naturally enough, the Irish government wants the money It is feigning in order to protect itswider interests in keeping multinationalshappy and keeping them where they are: Apple?s European headquarters are in Cork Indeed, the kernel of Irish-American relationsover the past three decades hasbeen the tax conditions on offer in Ireland to multinationals Ireland hasbeen a key global partner for US multinationalsboth due to itsfavourable corporation tax rate (it was12 5%until Ireland adopted the OECD standard rate of 15%in 2021) and successive governments? complacency when even that taxable income ischannelled elsewhere Ireland has, nevertheless, reaped almost unimaginable benefitsfrom the deal This year revenue from multinationalswill be north of 30 billion euro, nearly one third of projected total government spending Revenue from multinationalsisone of the biggest planks of Ireland?s economy

Let usnot be innocent about this transaction If Ireland changed its tax regime for corporations, presumably under duressfrom the EU, UScorporationswould exit the country instantly Neither Irish soil nor Irish culture are essential for putting the Mac into Macbooks Apple?s priority is protecting and augmenting its$3 38 trillion net worth The fear of losing the multinationalsis evident in the subservience the government exhibitstowards Apple and other tech and pharma giants It regularly meets them, listens to their complaints about visa delaysand poor infrastructure, and undertakesto do better Ireland?sstatusasthe favoured destination for US multinationalsisfurther challenged by Europe, it could argue itscase in Brussels by pointing to the stranglehold of industriesin other member states and how they frame national politicsand tax regimes(the car industry in Germany, for example) The determining factor, however, will likely be the attitude taken by Washington, which can vary according to the USpresidential administration (in 2021, President Biden called on USmultinationals to pay their tax at home, but did not force them to do so)

Apple's Campus and HQ in Cork

The Apple Tax Evasion Ruling Case Has World-wide Reach

The Apple case thusextends far beyond Ireland?sconcerns It isglobal news because it constituted a clash between the European Commission and the biggest tech company in the world Yet Ireland can hardly claim to have been merely sandwiched in the middle The European Commission brought the case against Apple and Ireland in 2016 If successive Irish governmentshad a fundamental problem with giant corporations using subsidiary companiesand other instruments as vehicles to reduce their tax liabilities, they would have moved against the practice long ago After all, this case pertainsto a 25-year period of creative accountancy ? from 1991 to 2014 On the contrary, Ireland wasfoursquare in defence of Apple and fought the European Commission through the courts That iswhy the 2016 case took this long to reach a final determination Meanwhile, a small fortune hasbeen gathering dust in an escrow account since the European Commission began proceedings

Given that this once-off payment will now come Ireland?s way, what will the Irish government do with it?Many people have had fun working out how many Apple Macscan be bought with 13 billion euros

Ir ish M usic: NEWS& REVIEWS

Just Released

THE CORONAS' ?THOUGHTS& OBSERVATIONS?

New Album and Digit al Singles and Music Videos for Three Tracks Also Available

The Coronas: Graham Knox, Danny O?Reilly, Conor Egan (Phot o by Luk e M ur phy)

Ireland?s hardest -w or k ing band, The Coronas have never rest ed on past achievem ent s since t he t hreesom e f or m ed back in school som e 20 year s ago

EUAppleCaseConcluded

More pertinently, othershave calculated that the payout can build more than 30,000 badly needed standard three-bedroom homes The key questions that arise from the latter calculation are: why will this once-off windfall not be used towards that absolute necessity, and who would build the housesif it were?

During the Celtic Tiger, the first decade of thiscentury, Ireland built asmany as 80,000 houses per annum That period inaugurated the mass immigration to Ireland that has continued ever since; many of those immigrants worked in construction It wasalso a time when some young men skipped a university education to avail of the abundant wagesflowing on construction sites These combined factors formed the basisof a workforce in construction commensurate with the demand that prevailed to produce the housesand apartments

Now, with a general election in Ireland looming, the re-introduction of a form of the Section 23 scheme (to

enable land re-zoning for construction purposes) that did much to inflate the Celtic Tiger isbeing seriously considered aspart of the current government parties?election pitch The government hasboth a bulging revenue intake and a bonus of 13 billion euro at itsdisposal If it decided to spend the Apple windfall immediately and entirely on creating attractive jobs in the construction industry to alleviate the housing crisis, and on big ticket infrastructural projectssuch asthe Dublin Metro, that would surely swing more of the electorate behind the government and maybe even secure itsre-election Besides, more housing and better transport linkswould suit the Apples of this world aswell

So, everyone ishappy?Not quite everyone President of the European Commission Ursulavon der Leyen hasjust allocated portfoliosin her new commission She opted to give

Ireland?sincoming commissioner Michael McGrath a lesser role than those of his two predecessors and not one of the economic portfolios that he (and the Irish government) wanted

?THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS? Now on Sale from THE CORONAS

Digiit al Singles and Music Videos for Three Tracks are also available, U.S. Tour Dat es Set for Novem ber. ABOUT THE NEW CD and SONGS:

?Thought s and Observat ions? are w ords t hat suggest reflect ions on experiences and som et im es deeply personal issues As t he t it le of t his new st udio album from The Coronas, how ever, t he w ords THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS signal t he im pending arrival of perhaps t he Irish band?s m ost dynam ic, yet int rospect ive, m usic t o dat e

NOW on Band Cam p

Kris Colt 's new st ory and song, Kris m ixes Count ry, Bluegrass and Am ericana st yles t o her Celt ic-st yled songs w w w.kriscolt -blackrose.com /

CHARMED KRIS COLT CLICK HERE

The Gift of Water is truly theGift of Life

There are many ways to measure success in securing clean water for people; by millions of gallons used, by thousands of lives saved, by time saved and maybe the most beautiful metric of all; Smiles! w w w w ellsoflife org

THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS, t he band?s 8t h st udio album , addresses relat ionships at t heir various st ages and t he resilience it t akes t o shoulder life?s ups and dow ns. The new album w ill be released on Sept em ber 27 via t he band?s So Far So Good im print , dist ribut ed by Blix St reet Records. Fueled by heavy doses of bot h candor and em ot ion, t he 12 original songs w rit t en by t he t hree band m em bers--lead vocalist / guit arist Danny O?Reilly, bass guit arist Graham Knox and drum m er Conor Egan? along w it h a host of songw rit ing collaborat ors, are at t im es ant hem ic, at t im es delicat e, at t im es cynical, but alw ays aut hent ic. www.

The Wom an w it h Hungry Eyes

" The lovers and t he dancers are beat en int o t he clay, And t he t all m en and t he sw ordsm en and t he horsem en, w here are t hey?" -WB Yeat s

The Set t ing of t his excerpt : Ireland of 1847 Oct ober 31st

John from t he Sm it hsonian Inst it ut e shivered in t he chill of Ireland's lat e Oct ober air. Aft er disem barking from t he ship from Liverpool t he shelt ered academ ic felt he had int ruded int o a surreal night m arish w orld. He reluct ant ly accept ed t he assignm ent from t he prest igious Sm it hsonian t o t ravel t o Ireland as an ant hropologist t o record t he t radit ional st ories of a nat ive populat ion t hat w as rapidly st arving t o deat h or leaving t heir ancest ral shores.

ht t ps:/ / library.buffalo.edu/ jam esjoyce/ support /

Famine Story cont...

"His com posed facade bet rayed a haunt ed look John's t raining called upon him t o rem ain object ive, scholarly, and det ached from his research subject s yet t o see t he em aciat ed souls st aggering or collapsed from st arvat ion on t he count ry road rendered his heart w it h claw ed icy fingers He had heard account s of t he st arvat ion afflict ing t he people of Ireland.

John had w ant ed t o t hink t he papers sensat ionalised it s ext ent .....t hey had not . The realit y of t he scale of t he suffering w as w orse t han port rayed, in fact night m arish."

ABOVE: Aut hor and cont ribut or t o t he Irish Arts & Entertainment

Greg Pat rick at Malbork Cast le in Malbork, Poland

A dual cit izen of Ireland and t he Unit ed St at es, Greg Byron Pat rick is an Irish/ Arm enian t raveler, w rit er & poet He is a son of a Navy m an & a son of t he Traveling People.

Also a form er Hum anit arian aid w orker Anot her occupat ion learned w hen he w as young, he w orked w it h great horses as a t rainer for years He loves t he w ilds of Connem ara and Galw ay in t he rain w here he has w rit t en m any st ories Greg spent his yout h in t he Sout h Pacific and Europe and current ly resides in Galw ay, Krakow , and som et im es t he st at es He now w rit es and t ravels.

He is a w ell know n novelist as w ell as w rit ing for t he popular press. His w rit ing has appeared in several int ernat ional publicat ions and ant hologies including t his m agazine, t he Irish Arts and Entertainment, Celt ic Nat ions Magazine, Lot hlorien Press, Hellbound Books, Dream punk Press, and Cannery Row Press Click Here for Inform at ion & Purchase

He prided him self on st rict professionalism and w as t here st rict ly as an observer he rem inded him self dogm at ically. Yet his gaze lingered on t he sunken eyes of an em aciat ed girl nursing t he corpse of a babe against a shriveled breast as she crooned a lullaby in Gaelic She rocked slow ly, her eyes haunt ed and st aring dist ant ly Suddenly she m et his eyes, suddenly haunt ing his soul w it h a hundred ghost s Even st ale bread felt like an unparalleled luxury

The girl's expression w as haunt ed from t he shock of bereavem ent . He w as st ruck by her pale sunken cheeked face fram ed by locks of m at t ed hair t hat cont rast ed w it h t he port ly coachm an and his ow n healt hy feat ures. She m ust have been st rikingly beaut iful once he t hought before t he cruel slow deat h sent ence of st arvat ion On im pulse he t hrew a few coins t o her from t he w indow She w as t oo let hargic and frail t o rise t o collect t hem She blew a kiss w it h a skelet al hand, her breat h st eam ing faint ly in t he chill air He shook his head as if recovering from a blow

The dark song he read on her lips w as a song he could not get out of his head. A serenade echoing in recurring night m ares.

He had t o focus on his assignm ent he t old him self. His carriage crossed from t he cit y t o t he count ryside under brooding skies t hreat ening rain Jolt ed by t he carriage w heels as t he cobbles gave w ay from cobbles t o a dirt road The carriage w as t hronged by t he desperat ely hungry claw ing at t he w indow s of t he car as t he coachm an shout ed and resort ed t o a w hip against t he prot est s

?You shouldn? t pit y or indulge t hat lot . They can get honest w ork at a w orkhouse in t he cit y like civilised people,? t he coachm an said arrogant ly. John defiant ly offered som e w rapped bread t hrough t he w indow. Bread t hat t hey w ere t oo st arved t o even digest Mere scraps t hat t hey fought desperat ely over allow ing t he carriage t o proceed Caravans of w agons loaded w it h bount iful food rode past t he em aciat ed spect res of people One w agon w as st uck in t he uneven road and it w as sw arm ed by m en, w om en, and children m addened by hunger Arm ed m en beat t hem off

?Move back or w e w ill shoot ye!"; t he drivers t hreat ened. The shot s t hat ensued and t he prolonged bereaved w ail w ould echo in his recurring

night m ares.

A perpet ual keening haunt ed t he air. Condem ned poachers st ealing t o feed t heir fam ilies w ere hanged by m akeshift gallow s on t he roadside as ?an exam ple ?

Aft er consult ing his m ap, he asked t he driver t o draw reign Ignoring t he coachm an's w ords of caut ion, he m arched int o t he pellucid lunarscape of t he Burren?s rem ot e height s

He had been inform ed t hat t here w as a renow ned st oryt eller t hat m ight be found in solit ude in t he far reaches of t he Burren.

Singing seem ed t o haunt t he air like a lullaby crooned in Gaelic. The dark eyes of t he st arving girl haunt ed his soul like old w ounds pulsing in t he cold Her shriveled lips seem ed like a reopened w ound as his ow n breat h st eam ed in t he chill air Her w ords caressed his soul like t he rising w ind st irring t he blackened bracken He vent ured by foot

Mist sw ept in across t he barren lunarscape, enshrouding all before it He w as hopelessly lost he knew. The enigm at ic st oryt eller proved m addeningly elusive. He t ook shelt er in ruins of w hat seem ed an old cast le or m onast ery. Moonbeam s filt ered t hrough t he fern overgrow n ruins. As if t he rest less shadow s of All Hallow s Eve gat hered form and face.

He looked up t o m eet t he eyes and sm ile of a lone figure sit t ing on a fallen ancient st anding st one At first t he st ranger seem ed oblivious t o his presence as she st rum m ed on a m inst rel harp im m ersed in a lam ent w it h a quavering rich voice

Aft er hesit at ing he coughed t o get her at t ent ion Her hands ceased at t he st rings and she bow ed at her solit ary audience

He t ipped his hat aw kw ardly

?A pilgrim ?? t he st oryt eller asked

?No an ant hropologist I am on an assignm ent from t he Sm it hsonian t o record t he old t radit ional st ories ?

?Before w e all die?? she asked em ot ionlessly

?No sorry I did not ;m ean it t hat w ay ? John st am m ered

"And you have found m e at last on t his of all night s All Hallow s Eve, a night of so m any rest less ghost s and t heir st ories t o be t old Let m e t ell you t hen of t he st ories you sought in t he m ist Your eyes bet ray hunger of your ow n There are m any kinds of hunger t hat w hichinfect t he soul w it h yearning across t he passage of a m illion w akes "; she said crypt ically

As if t he m ist m orphed t o and w as grant ed spect ral form a com pany of ancient horsem en pass by in phant asm al procession. The m edieval w alls of t he old keep echoed w it h t he bat t le cries and clash of arm s of cent uries past

By som e unt old pow er t he ruins underw ent som e w ild m et am orphosis Ruins rebuilt in fast -forw ard t o a grand bannered hall

John st ood aw kw ardly as a m onkish scribe, ranks of w arriors in golden helm s bearing bright shields m ade w ay and he beheld t he st oryt eller now a bard in sum pt uous green robes, w inked as she st rum m ed at a great Celt ic harp As a Gaelic Lord ent hroned flanked by w olfhounds and his court gave him audience.

?Well m et t he scribe. Hark t hen...Let m e sing you of Erin ? t he st oryt eller invit ed He list ened and he dream ed sleepw alking over a dream scape of m ist and m em ory The m usic drew him int o it s dark em brace like a gow ned figure He found him self one of m any dancing couples am ong m asked figures dancing around a roaring bonfire under t he m oon and st ars. But w ho w as his m yst erious part ner? They danced long int o t he night and felt he could have danced w it h t he m yst erious st ranger forever Then at m idnight a dist ant bell t olled She st epped back from him at last and began t o t ake off her m ask as he st epped in for a kiss. Wit h t errified recognit ion he saw t he face of t he dark-eyed girl st arving in t he road Her beaut iful flushed face and eyes m orphed back t o st arved feat ures and she collapsed t o t he ground He reached t o help her yet she seem ed t o be pulled from his grasp. Men in long dark coat s began t o drag her aw ay w it h ot hers t o bury in a m ass grave. Her face fell t o t he side her eyes st ill alive St ill looking int o his Her lips w ere m oving

The st oryt eller appeared at his side placing a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Don't you have a st ory t o t ell?" she urged. He shook t he shaw led figure of t he st oryt eller as she disint egrat ed t o ash and her coat blow n aw ay in a rush of w ind Then daw n?s red light glow ed like a reopened w ound

Sam hain?s eve had passed He w as found shivering, w andering aim lessly by shepherds haggard and disheveled....raving of ghost s. Weeks lat er he looked back at t he greenest shore from across t he w ake, his not ebook brim m ing w it h st ories

"The Holy Land is in the news now This amazing book will give you some insight in understanding exactly why through the centuries many faiths and people have thought this sacred and special city was worth fighting for I love this book." Jim McDonough

SEAN GUNNING Is a Londoner from Irish st ock Aut hor of NO SAMARITAN (48 poem s) , he has w on poet ry cont est s in t he U.S. and Canada and has been published in m any ant hologies.

THE BEST PRESENT EVER: A SINNER?S GUIDE TO THE HOLY LAND is his first w ork of lit erary non-fict ion He lives in Long Beach, CA w it h his Mexican-Am erican w ife, w ho aft er 34 years t oget her is st ill t he funniest girl he has ever m et He can be

The Irish Arts & Entertainment's CELTIC CAMERA

Celt ic Cult ure and Music Was Celebrat ed at t he Seaside Highland Gam es Over t he Colum bus Day Weekend in Vent ura

Irish Art s at t he Seaside Highland Gam es just prior t o t he crust and aft er w e opened. Thanks t o everyone w ho dropped by and especially t o

Thom MacNam ara for being t here for us.Updat e in t he w orks.....review and rundow n icom ing in our Novem ber issue.

O'Brien's in Sant a Monica host s som e of t he t oughest Trivia Players every w eek

Griff Healy and AOH Mem bers at t he Tom Bergin's Public House

Celtic Cam er a!

We ar e her e looking for you!

Thank s t o John M cNally w ho spear headed t he AOH Half w ay t o Paddy ' Day Celebrat ion in Vent ura on Sept em ber 28. Ir ish Dancer s f rom M áire O'Connell's Claddagh Dancer in Vent ura's w ere except ional! The Dinner & Dance at our Lady of Assum pt ion's Hall w as w ell at t ended A m uch appreciat ed and rousing per f or m ance of Ir ish M usic w as provided by t he t alent ed t r io of Pádraic Conroy, Ken O'M alley and George Cavanaugh

Jim McMahon and his sist er Geraldine McCullough, w ho goes by "G" G is t he Travel & Tour Guide St ar of Count y Dow n!

Cillian Murphy

w ill st ar in t he new Peaky Blinders Film

The product ion has st art ed in t he UK

ht t ps:/ / peakyblinders.t v w w w.inst agram .com / peakyblindersofficial/

LINK Cillian Murphy in our Celt ic Cam era and page 20 for a feat ure on his lat est film , Small Things Like These.

There's a Peaky Blinders film in t he w orks, and Cillian Murphy is indeed reprising his role as Tom m y Shelby Here's w hat w e know so far:

- Tit le: While it w as init ially rum ored t o be called "Peaky Blinders: The Im m ort al Man", t he official t it le hasn't been confirm ed yet

-

- Release Dat e :No official release dat e has been announced, but som e film ing began in April 2023, so w e can hopefully expect it som et im e in 2025

- Plot : Det ails are being kept under w raps, but creat or St even Knight has hint ed t hat it w ill involve a st ory t hat w as t oo big t o fit int o t he series finale. It 's been suggest ed t hat it m ight delve int o Tom m y's experiences during World War II, pot ent ially exploring his t im e as an int elligence agent

-

- Set t ing: While t he series w as prim arily set in Birm ingham , w e m ight have som e London Film ing locat ions so far have ncluded Liverpool and Digbet h Loc St udios in Birm ingham .

The sam e Direct or: Tim Harper i

Confirm ed cast besides t he Irish Superst ar Cillian Murphy show n above as an older Tom m y.

Em ily Wat son

Paul Anderson( returning as Arthur Shelby)

Sophie Rundle (returning as Ada Thorne)

Anya Taylor-Joy( returning as Gina Gray)

Nat asha O'Keeffe (returning as Lizzie Stark)

Am ber Anderson

Jam es Frecheville

St ephen Graham

We invite submission to this regular feature.

IRISH ARTS & ENTERTAINM ENT CALENDAR

By Date On- Going Trivia & Around The States

OCTOBER

Sunday, Oct 20 @ 2:pm

Denis and Mary Murray invit e you t o an Irish Sunday Pot Luck and Karaoke Social. Bring a dish t o share... great craic and fun!

St Cornenius Church Hall 5500 E Wardlow , Long Beach

Sunday, Oct ober 27

St art s @ 7:30pm

SAMHAIN: a Celt ic Hallow een

An evening of Celt ic m usic, song and st ory t hat celebrat es t he pow er and m agic of Sam hain. This year w e have a cast of t hree w it h harp, flut e, bodhran and vocals It 's a sm all house, so purchase your t icket s early

LIndigo Collect ive, 2990 E Colorado Blvd , Pasadena 91107

Ticket s: (626) 796-2100 Celt ic Rhyt hm s

On-Going

Every Week

Sundays st art ing @ 4:pm Irish Music Session w it h Irish Dancers

Auld Dubliner Irish Pub Long Beach

See advert this issue on page 5

Thursdays st art ing @ 9:pm Irish Music w it h Niall Cash. Irish Music Maker from Wexford Follow him on w w w.inst agram .com / niallcash/

The Auld Dubliner Irish Pub 71 S. Pine Long Beach, CA w w w.aulddubliner.com

Every Tuesday, Friday, Sat & Sunday Fiddler Mike Kelly goes Celt Hick w it h his solo act at four different Hennessey Pubs. Check online for det ails, locat ions and t im es. w w w.celt hickm usic.com

https://open spotify com/artist/1LMtanrpqbdRDVfPBYelFM

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Unforgettable weekend of world-class piping!

A once-in-a-lifetime concert on November tat the Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church. Featuring piping legends Roddy MacLeod MBE, Stuart Liddell MBE, Jack Lee,and Bob Worrall, thisincredible event bringstogether some of the best piperson the planet! Right here in LosAngeles! The doorsopen at 6 p.m., with the concert kicking off at 7 p.m. Don? t missthe reception afterward!

But that?s just the beginning. On November 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Western United StatesPipe Band Associationpresents the Western States Solo Piping Championships, also at the Pacific PalisadesPresbyterian Church.

Watch the top solo pipersfrom acrossthe Western U S compete, with Roddy, Stuart, Jack, and Bob serving as judges!

Secure your ticketsnow at www wuspba org

Or throughPayPal www paypal com/ncp/payment/Q5KNFL9BJLXWL

Click Below to Sign Up Free

Over 20 Years ago, w e pioneered a calendar blast via AOL and t hen cont inued t he service for 10+ years using Const ant Cont act .

Our digit al edit ion of t he Irish Art s and Ent ert ainm ent is soon going t o be dist ribut ed via paid subscript ions only.

So w e are bringing back our Free Weekly for Three reasons:

As a service t o t he Irish Com m unit y and for our Advert isers. And t o help rem ind our readers of event s t hat m issed our First & Middle Mont h deadlines,

CLICK TO SIGN UP

Did you know that in the past three years the Irish Arts& Entertainment has given away THREEPAIRSof R/T Ticketsto Ireland on Aer Lingus?

We have also given away well over 200 pairs of tickets to Irish Concerts, Fairs, Theatre Perfomances, Celtic Gift Packs, and more just during the past 10 years!

See page for our current Celtic Woman CD/DVD Contest!

Next month we announce the detailsof our biggest and best EZ To Enter & WIN Contest SeriesEVER!!

Early Bird Subscription Deal and Details: CLICK HERE

The SoCal Irish Fair and Music Fest ival t hat w as planned in Torrance for t his July has been post poned t o Fat her 's Day Weekend 2025.

Please follow t he Reorganizat ion New s and Plans on t heir Facebook Page. Irish Com m unit y input is im port ant . So, please join t he page and support t he effort !

Ken O'Malley solo show www.thethreestagspub.com

www.kenomalley.com

We invite you to Advertise With Us

Our new Media Kit is available if you are int erest ed in advert ising or prom ot ing your business or event w it h us. Our proven 30 plus year t rack record speaks for it self w hen it com es t o great value w it h our niche m arket publicat ion!

We really have no equal. Now in addit ion t o our effect ive and w ell respect ed publicat ion; our t eam has

IRISH LANGUAGE An Ghaeilge

The View From Ireland Feat ure last year about t he Irish Language by our great friend and Irish Art s and Ent ert ainm ent colum nist Maurice Fit zpat rick really resonat ed w it h us We use t he m ont hs of t he year in each issue but our collect ive Irish is very lim it ed

In fact , w orking on t he folio (t he t op of each page) recent ly, I forgot t he w ord for Oct ober in Irish and had t o look it up I found t his really int erest ing YouTube video and share t he link below

I w ould like t o change m y lack of Irish t oo so st art ing now and in fut ure issues, w e w ill be

m ast ered Digit al Market ing and w e can enhance your out reach for a very cost effect ive rat e

The digit al age has been good t o us and w e have been able t o prosper and grow our subscriber base. We w ill have det ails soon on our expansion plans and our Affiliat e Program s. We are also going t o enhance our Very Irish Perks and st art a new series of very excit ing Draw ings and Cont est s!

The Holidays are alm ost here and w e w ill be doing Special issues for Hallow een and for Christ m as!

offering our readers a few w ords or phrases in our Mot her Language

Also, if you are in t he LA area,t he Celt ic Art s Cent er has ongoing Irish lessons. As w e expand around t he US, w e w ill add m ore such links More on t his project in com ing issues.

CLICK ICON FOR A QUICK LESSON

OWEN DARA is back at The 1881 Club in Pasadena!

8 PM t o 11 every Tuesday night . Says Owen about the show, " I mix some Irish songs with comedy and original songs It?s always a fun night And there?sno cover charge. The 1881 hasa variety of beers winesand mixed drinks And the Guinness there is exceptionally good! Especially on a Tuesday night!!"

at 9 30 am Kenos Rest aurant

Wednesdays

The Harp Inn Irish Pub Pour House Trivia Every Wednesday Evening at 7;00pm THE HARP

130 E. 17t h. St . Cost a Mesa, CA w w w.harpinn.com

PUB QUIZES & TRIVIA

Mondays

The Auld Dubliner

Every Monday w e host Trivia Night , gat her your friends and com e in t o com pet e and enjoy a pint

The Auld Dubliner

71 Pine St . Long Beach, CA w w w.aulddubliner.com

O'Brien's Irish Pub St andard Trivia Night s are Mondays and Wednesdays Monday

st art s at 8PM t ill 10:30PM WED: 8PM t o 10PM Form a t eam or t ry t o form one at t he pub. Play for cash prizes of $150. No ent ry fee O'Brien's Irish Pub 2226 Wilshire Sant a Monica, CA w w w.obriensla.com

Wednesdays

Ye Olde King's Head

Brit ish Pub & Rest aurant Trivia in t he pub at 7:30pm 116 Sant a Monica Bl Sant a Monica, CA

Check our FACEBOOK PAGES for Daily Updat es:

Irish Art s & Ent ert ainm ent

VERY IRISH PERKS VIP GROUP

All subscribers become members of our VIP Group.

Current ly w e are offering som e really good prom ot ions and as t he Pandem ic eases w e w ill add m ore

At Present :

O'Brien's On Wilshire in Sant a Monica w ill give our subscribers a Free Appet izer w it h purchase. w w w obriensla com

Go t o t he m enu click here

An am azing offer for our ow n VIP Mem bers and Subscribers!

Buy a GIFT SUBSCRIPTION bet w een now and Decem ber 23rd. and w e w ill give you a FREE ONE YEAR EXTENSION on your ow n subscript ion.

PubGuide E New s LA Count y Irish Event s

Irish Arts & Entertainment's VERY IRISH PERKS (VIP) PRIMER

The VIP program is a very im port ant com ponent of our subscript ion program It has a m ult it ude of posit ive fact ors built int o t he program . It serves as a bonus/ rew ard syst em for spending hard cold cash on our publicat ion AND it is a good net w orking t ool for t he Publisher We are able t o at t ract subscribers and advert isers t o our publicat ion and keep t hem int erest ed w hile delivering great Irish int erest cont ent and inform at ion t o our readers. The advert isers benefit by having a readership int erest ed in our excit ing niche m arket and t hey can t arget our readers w it h special offers The volum e m akes it w ort hw hile for t hem t o part icipat e.

The Pandem ic has set us all back a bit in one w ay or anot her and w e are rebuilding our VIP benefit s package We w ere count ing on discount s and deals at pubs and event s but t hat plan is now on t he back burner as t here are few event s and pubs need volum e t o m ake t he discount s pract ical. In t he m eant im e, w e are w orking hard t o line up new offers for our subscribers Throughout t his Buying Guide, w e have som e list ings on good deals and w e w ill be adding special offers t o our w ebsit e as w e find t hem . One VIP, w e have now of int erest is Buy ONE SUB and get a Gift Subscript ion!

Be sure t o check out t he Very Irish Perks each issue and on our Facebook pages.

We are expanding and w e are using new and im proved m et hods for reaching out t o our readers!

We have set up a new affiliat ed Irish Art s & Ent ert ainm ent Channel on Telegram .

We also have updat ed our Websit e.

w w w.irishart sandent ert ainm ent .com

First publicat ion ever of t he post er for "A Lesser Gift " t o be released lat er t his year. "A Lesser Gift " t ells t he st ory of an Irish couple w ho are facing challenges aft er having t heir first child Their sit uat ion is furt her com plicat ed w hen an Am erican w om an ent ers t heir lives. Set in pict uresque Ireland, w rit t en and direct ed by Ow en Dara. His t hird feat ure film is current ly in post - product ion in Los Angeles For More on Owen Dara and his films may we suggest the following links and digital resources:

w w w.ow endara.com

Owen Dara on...

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