A LITTLE BIT OF IRELAND IN COLUMBUS
Most people come back from Ireland with something; a sweater,
a hat, a piece of Belleek. Jim Fath came back with an idea. And that idea is on
the wall at the Patrick Pearse AOH Hall in Columbus, Ohio Actually, it IS the wall!
Look closely at the wall behind the fireplace. At first glance you may think it is some sort of new tile or wallpaper. Look again. The wall is cork, more precisely, wine corks! And it’s absolutely beautiful. Each cork is about 2 inches long and Jim says it takes 105 corks to do a square foot. He can’t think about how many are on the wall so far. The number has got to be so huge, it might keep him from finishing! He has about 3 inches, floor to ceiling, to go. Each cork is placed individually with Liquid Nails as precisely as possible, which is not easy on this not-so-straight wall in this 100 year old house. Jim does what he can.
Sitting admiring Jim’s work on the eve of the Fall Ohio State Board Meeting, I asked his wife, Kathy Sullivan, wherever did he get the idea. In Ireland, she told me. In a bar in Ireland.
If you know Jim Fath, you know he is a little partial to his olives, with a splash of gin of course. While vacationing in Ireland in 2008, way up north in Donegal, Jim went for a walk one morning to find olives for that night’s libations. He passed a pub called The Cottage Bar and made a mental note to come back later that evening. And that is where Jim got his inspiration.
The Cottage Bar is Buncrana's oldest established family-run bar, dating back to 1880. This is a highly popular local venue renowned for its charm, character, and atmosphere.
Established on the 4th of August 1880 by Owen McDaid, the Cottage Bar is situated on Lower Main Street Buncrana. A unique feature of the bar is that all the walls are covered in corks! This began with the current proprietor Liam McDaid who started to gather the used corks from stout bottles which the bar bottled themselves. Now a days - the corks range from various wine bottles to champagne corks.
Jim gets his corks from whoever will drink, I mean donate them. People from all over the country have sent him corks and the locals bring them in by the bucket full. If ever in Columbus, you have to stop at the Patrick Pearse AOH hall on Inis St. It’s a homey place, and you are sure to be welcome. Especially if you bring in a handful of corks.
Look closely at the wall behind the fireplace. At first glance you may think it is some sort of new tile or wallpaper. Look again. The wall is cork, more precisely, wine corks! And it’s absolutely beautiful. Each cork is about 2 inches long and Jim says it takes 105 corks to do a square foot. He can’t think about how many are on the wall so far. The number has got to be so huge, it might keep him from finishing! He has about 3 inches, floor to ceiling, to go. Each cork is placed individually with Liquid Nails as precisely as possible, which is not easy on this not-so-straight wall in this 100 year old house. Jim does what he can.
Sitting admiring Jim’s work on the eve of the Fall Ohio State Board Meeting, I asked his wife, Kathy Sullivan, wherever did he get the idea. In Ireland, she told me. In a bar in Ireland.
If you know Jim Fath, you know he is a little partial to his olives, with a splash of gin of course. While vacationing in Ireland in 2008, way up north in Donegal, Jim went for a walk one morning to find olives for that night’s libations. He passed a pub called The Cottage Bar and made a mental note to come back later that evening. And that is where Jim got his inspiration.
The Cottage Bar is Buncrana's oldest established family-run bar, dating back to 1880. This is a highly popular local venue renowned for its charm, character, and atmosphere.
Established on the 4th of August 1880 by Owen McDaid, the Cottage Bar is situated on Lower Main Street Buncrana. A unique feature of the bar is that all the walls are covered in corks! This began with the current proprietor Liam McDaid who started to gather the used corks from stout bottles which the bar bottled themselves. Now a days - the corks range from various wine bottles to champagne corks.
Jim gets his corks from whoever will drink, I mean donate them. People from all over the country have sent him corks and the locals bring them in by the bucket full. If ever in Columbus, you have to stop at the Patrick Pearse AOH hall on Inis St. It’s a homey place, and you are sure to be welcome. Especially if you bring in a handful of corks.
FIRST PLACE AGAIN
The 2013 Notre Dame/St. Mary’s Ceili Dance
Team won first place in the All Ireland’s dance competition at Belfast’s
Waterfront Hall on November 3, 2013. The win marks the third straight for Notre
Dame/St. Mary’s as the 2010 and 2012 teams also placed first. This prestigious competition brings the
world’s most talented Irish dancers together every two years; the Notre
Dame/St. Mary’s Ceili team is rightfully proud of their winning achievement and
their tradition of Irish dancing excellence.
Senior coach Connor Reider said the team performed their final dance called the Cross Reel, flawlessly. “ It was beautiful because it was more than just a dance; It was our hard work, our coordination, all the fun we had at practices and performances. It was all worth it and it was perfect,” said Reider.
Tara Macleod, associate teaching professor in the department of Irish Language and Literature and the faculty advisor to the Ceili Club, who traveled to Ireland with the team said its focus on competition helped the team to succeed. She went onto say, “they were wonderful ambassadors for the University…they were such a team. It was quite impressive to watch.”
The dancers are, first row, left to right: Kelly McGovern, Mary Kate McLaughlin, Katie Herman and Lauren Kepley, former LAOH Junior. Back row: Grace Deardurff, Katy Whal, Anne Marie Crowell Cathy Cichon and Coach Connor Reider.
Since it was the first visit to the Emerald Isle for many of the dancers, the team arrived in Ireland several days before the competition to enjoy their visit there. The team enjoyed visiting several places while in Ireland. They spent a day at Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. They also did sightseeing around Dublin and Belfast along with some shopping.
Lauren Kepley and her sister, Rachel Kepley, both attend St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana and as members of the Notre Dame St. Mary’s Irish Dance Team will be on the stage at the University of Notre Dame for a special Irish dance show January 17, 18 and 19, 2014. The girls each enjoyed 11 years as Junior Hibernians with both serving as president of the Golden Rose Queen of Ireland LAOH Junior Division #6 Mahoning County, Ohio.
Senior coach Connor Reider said the team performed their final dance called the Cross Reel, flawlessly. “ It was beautiful because it was more than just a dance; It was our hard work, our coordination, all the fun we had at practices and performances. It was all worth it and it was perfect,” said Reider.
Tara Macleod, associate teaching professor in the department of Irish Language and Literature and the faculty advisor to the Ceili Club, who traveled to Ireland with the team said its focus on competition helped the team to succeed. She went onto say, “they were wonderful ambassadors for the University…they were such a team. It was quite impressive to watch.”
The dancers are, first row, left to right: Kelly McGovern, Mary Kate McLaughlin, Katie Herman and Lauren Kepley, former LAOH Junior. Back row: Grace Deardurff, Katy Whal, Anne Marie Crowell Cathy Cichon and Coach Connor Reider.
Since it was the first visit to the Emerald Isle for many of the dancers, the team arrived in Ireland several days before the competition to enjoy their visit there. The team enjoyed visiting several places while in Ireland. They spent a day at Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. They also did sightseeing around Dublin and Belfast along with some shopping.
Lauren Kepley and her sister, Rachel Kepley, both attend St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana and as members of the Notre Dame St. Mary’s Irish Dance Team will be on the stage at the University of Notre Dame for a special Irish dance show January 17, 18 and 19, 2014. The girls each enjoyed 11 years as Junior Hibernians with both serving as president of the Golden Rose Queen of Ireland LAOH Junior Division #6 Mahoning County, Ohio.
THEY GET AROUND!
Pictured left to right: Donna Leary, Patricia Lavelle, Marilyn Madigan, Máire Manning, Mary Jo Rawlins, Teresa Kowalski, Mary Bridget Lavelle, Máire Leffel, and Maureen Manning.
Yes, that’s
right. You’re not seeing things. That is the Green Monster in the background of
this picture. If you know baseball, you know this is Fenway Park in Boston. And
those are some of our Cleveland girls. These girls get around, and wherever
they go, they proudly call themselves Hibernians and seek out fellow Sisters. While still at the stadium
here, they posted this picture on facebook, and a Sisiter from Boston posted
back that she was there as well. Marilyn Madigan and Maire Leffel recently went
to the National AOH Testimonial Dinner in New York and met fellow Hibernians
from Rhode Island, Conn., PA, MA, NY,
NJ, (the whole east coast). But, Marilyn will tell you, it is really rewarding
to meet Sister’s when you are not on Hibernian business, just on vacation or
visiting somewhere. There’s Mary from Cape Cod and Anne Marie from Boston. Many in Michigan, including, obviously
Maureen, and even Dee in Georgia. So don’t be surprised if one day there is a
tap on your shoulder and you turn around to see some lady in a green
“Cleveland” t-shirt. It is sure to be a Sister spreading a little Irish cheer.
THANK YOU LADIES!!
The following is from the Irish Missionaries Medina County August Newsletter's Letter from the President .
Sorry to leave this for page 2 as it deserves the headline. Thank you, thank
you to our National President Maureen Shelton, National Secretary Sue Lauster , National Chair Marilyn Madigan, and National Past President Kathie Linton for their participation in our convention. These ladies extremely exemplify what it means to give something to the office in which they hold the title.
Mary Beth Chrystal
President, Medina County Irish Missionaries
The following appeared in the Medina County June Newsletter. Anne Hickey passed away two days after I wrote this. I know she is smiling down on us all today and hopefully giving us a little guidance.
Dear Sisters,
It’s three o’clock in the morning and in lieu of doing something constructive, like sleeping, I’ve been contemplating some pretty deep things. If for no other reason than to maybe get some sleep tonight (this morning), I’d like to throw some of them out there for you to contemplate. Our Sister, Anne Hickey, was put into Hospice yesterday. That was a tremendous shock. Less than a year ago, some of us were putting 80 flags in her front yard on July 4th to celebrate her 80th birthday. Less than 4 months ago we were talking about cooking out in the summer and she was yelling at her husband to get his blood pressure checked. And today she is in Hospice. I spent some time with Anne these last few days, not because we knew anything bad but the timing was just good. I took her some pictures of her granddaughter, some flowers, sat and talked a while, but truthfully, mostly sat and watched her sleep. And, believe me, I am no hero. I just happened to have some time. But yesterday when I was with her, I thought, shame on me for not getting more of her Hibernian Sisters there to visit. If we can’t be with each other at a time like this, why are we calling ourselves a charitable Catholic organization? And it’s not that we’re bad, or intentionally ignore someone. It is that sometimes we just forget. I, for one, am making a promise to myself to be better at keeping each of us more informed of when our Sisters may be in need of something, |
like just a little company. Look at your memberships. Does someone need a ride to church? You’re going anyway. Could someone use a couple of flowers planted by their mailbox? How about just a phone call? It doesn’t have to be 80 flags put
in their yard! Let’s be better at Catholic Action – real Catholic Action. Let’s really look at that sheet that gets passed around each month. Let’s not see how many checks we can put on it. Let’s see what is NOT checked and see if there is something we cando about that. While decorating the grave of my father this past week, someone was sitting on the curb at the cemetery passing out cold bottles of water. What did that cost her, about 3 dollars? But what a kind thing to do. Let’s just try to think of little things we can do. Let’s try to come up with something to do every month, maybe just a couple of us at a time. Let’s devote more of our meeting to Catholic Action. And, for sure, let’s think every day, is ther something I can do for a Sister this week? Spread a Little Sunshine Today!! Mary Beth Chrystal Irish Missionaries |