The Rosary

My mother taught us the rosary.  She was a firm believer in the power of prayer.  Every July we made the novena to St. Anne (mother of Mary).  I've
always had a special place in my heart for Mary and always felt closer to
my own mother who died when I was 13.  I think somewhere along the line
they just merged together.  I feel closer to my earthly mother when I pray to
our heavenly mother.  If people only really knew the power of the rosary,
they'd say it every day.  There are so many graces and blessings that Mary
herself promised us at Fatima and Lourdes and many other apparition sites...like Knock in Ireland.
Two of my grandchildren are rather young but still I want them to know
about Our Lady.  They have been here for prayer and yes they fidgeted and
"acted" bored....but they were here.  While here, they experienced others praying the rosary. They saw for themselves that the people who
came opened their hearts in prayer and left their intentions with her.   Everyone who was here commented on the peace they felt while praying. That is one of her blessings for us.  We can come in all worried but leave
with a peaceful feeling knowing that she understands our worries and burdens and that she
petitions her Son on our behalf.

The Lady of Fatima Pilgrim Statue

The Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady has been at my house all week....more later

Faith

Whatever would we do without our faith!  We take it for granted. My father and ancestors, in spite of all they went through, clung to it. They passed it
on to us.  When I was young, it was just part of who I was. Now that I am
a "granny", I realize just how it sustained me throughout my life and I am
truly grateful.  I try to be part of the community of people it takes to raise a
child in their faith by sharing my own stories and making sure they are confident in their prayers. 

Irish Grannies on Retreat

Spent a wonderful weekend with 3 of my favorite "Irish Grannies".  We were able to spend some quality time just catching up on girl talk plus lots of
stories re our parents (who were all from the same part of Ireland)....County Mayo.  Will be back with more in a day or so....just catching up with emails
and all the things that await us after a few days away.

Dad's Poems

I was always surprised at how my dad could remember the poems of his youth.
He could recite Longfellow's "The Village Blacksmith" perfectly.  A few years before he died unexpectedly, I taped him reciting that poem.  I am so glad I have
it now. When we had him in our lives, I never heard his brogue but it is so evident  now on these tapes.  I guess your ears just don't hear it after so many years together.  I LOVE hearing his brogue now...and so thankful that I took
the time to record him.  Do yourself a favor and record those voices whether it is your young child or elderly parent, you will treasure them after they are gone. Make it a date on your calendar and just do it!  You'll be so glad you did.  We all have the family videos saying "hi" but get them talking about family tree stories or for your younger ones, a little song they learned or even a poem.  No one teaches poems anymore. There minds are sharp as tacks and they'll never forget the words in their adult years.  They'll remember you teaching them as well so it's a "win win".

Irish Hospitality per my dad

Whenever someone came to the house, even if it was the insurance man,
you'd offer them something....tea, coffee, a cool drink of water. You asked also if they'd like something along with it.  It could be as simple as a cookie.
  If the person said, "no thank you", then  you'd  ask again. "Would
you like something to drink or eat?".  If they said, "Thank you, I'm good";
you'd say, "Are you sure?"  That dialogue on for a minimum of  three times.  It was the "Irish way".  Now if you entered a house that DID NOT offer you anything, then you "skiddaddled" out  of there as fast as you could.  They weren't  hospitable!

passport picture of my dad

I look at his picture and I see hope and great expectations. He had so little in Ireland.  He always told me that the people  told him you will find
streets in American paved in gold! Dad always had a sense of adventure and fun.  He always loved a good joke or laugh.  He had an easy disposition but
would not back down from a fight either. He LOVED horses and taking chances. He was an optimist so he  always believed that things were "half full".  He never met a stranger and would "light up a room" with his presence. He was bigger than life to my sister and me.  We were lucky to have  had him until we were in our late thirties...but we still miss him.  He got to meet his grandchildren and that is a blessing.  He taught us so much on what it meant to be Irish and which I'll share in future blogs. Just thought you'd like to see his photo.

My father's passport photo 1920's

My dad, my inspiration....Dominick James Sweeney.  Photo taken in Dublin, Ireland for his passport picture.  More later.

Interesting Comparison

As you can tell, Irish Granny loves to read.  I am now reading a book called
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (Indian writer...as in India).  Found their way of life  so similar to the first generation Irish.  They try to take their children back to India. Teach them the Indian traditions. Associate mainly with Indian people. Cook Indian foods and then....their children become Americans!  I am halfway through but seems so familiar with how we were brought up...(following Irish traditions)...at this point in the book the children are young professionals responding to the American culture. I'll have to let you know if somewhere along the way they go back to what their parents instilled in them.

Irish Granny Book Picks (so far)

Looking for a great read ....real page turners...here they are!!  Do you have any Irish book suggestions?  Just comment.  Would love to hear from you.
I'm going to be talking about some of the aspects of these books and how they related to my Irish upbringing.

The Yellow House

This Irish story is the easiest and most enjoyable book that I have read in awhile.  I raced through it.  Found out that the author Patricia Falvey knows the author of Galway Bay ...it is a similar format.  Galway Bay focuses on the time of the famine while this book concentrates more on the time of the "troubles" about 1917-22.  As much as I LOVED Galway Bay, this book just flows.  The characters are real and you can really get caught up in the story. I've always been a bit confused on the things that went on with all of the politics (the names of the groups etc) but by putting the story in a family format and following along with their lives, it turns out to be an easy way to understand the times and struggles. 

Irish Soda Bread

Made Irish Soda Bread today with my oldest grand daughter, Dunovan.  She is nine and loves to bake.  The other younger grandchildren were here but that soon proved to be a total disaster  with them so I concentrated on Dunovan. She copied the recipe onto a piece of paper.  She is keeping her "recipes" together.
She misspelled a couple of the words as she copied it but I didn't say anything.
I wonder if she will keep these and how fun it will be to look back at them when she
is older.  The good news is that it came out GREAT. I had the oven nice and hot when she came over so after mixing everything together (the liquids and the drys),  we popped it into the oven at 360 for one hour.  Not sure if I mentioned how long to bake in my last post but if the oven is good and hot, then one hour would be perfect esp if baked in the lower part of the oven.

Hospitality

I haven't posted in awhile because I had out-of-town company. I get quite a lot of company (the staying- over kind) because it is partly who I am.  The Irish are famous for their hospitality.  When I was a kid growing up, there were always people staying at our house.  During the war years, soldiers who were friends of friends were given our number so they'd have a place to stay.  People who were "down on their luck" also had a meal and lodging.  It always seemed so natural to me.  When I first went to Ireland as a young woman of 21, I understood where all this came from.  It is a part of the culture.  No matter how poor or how little there is in the house, the guest is always served tea and something else...whether it is a sandwich or baked goods but always something.  More on this in my next blog.