Irish Seisiún Newsletter
This Week’s Session 3
The players are taking
a week off!
No Session this week.
No Session this week.
It’s one of our tunes…Can we fit them all in the back room?????
Lisa you may have knock out that back wall!
Just look at all the young faces…
Our traditional music is not dead or dying!
Find out what’s happening at Tim Finnegan’s this month.
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Click here to view calendar
Finnegan’s supports us…Let’s support them!
Thought I was too loud before?????
Click here to see “Tommy Mack’s New Drum”
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Click either link to visit the site
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“That’s How I Spell Ireland”
Saturdays at 7 to 8 PM EST.
You can listen on 88.7FM or WRHU.org.
For a request please text me on 917 699-4768.Kevin and Joan Westley
Note: Show will be preempted whenever the NY Islanders have a Saturday game
Old Ireland
Recent Mail
Travel in Ireland
FAVOURITE PLACES IN IRELAND
Killorglin, County Kerry. (See it on a map here.)
We’re right in the middle of Puck Fair right now, celebrated in the town of Killorglin in County Kerry.
It’s one of the oldest festivals in Ireland.
In it, a wild male goat or “puck” is crowned “King Puck” to commence the festival – just like in the statue pictured above!
Check out this video of last years festival here where you can listen to the traditional Irish tune, An Poc ar Buile, sung during the festival.
Irish Language
Tír gan Teanga, Tír gan Anam:
A land without a language is a land without a soul.
Submitted by our own
Anita
Dia duit a Tom.
Go raibh maith agat as an obair an sechtain seo chaite Thank you for the work this past week.
As you know, I’m just back from Ireland, and learned and relearned some beautiful Irish phrases related to, unfortunately, funerals. But they are too exquisite not to share.
Here is a lovely poem with the English translation.
Teach an Doras Oscailte The house with the Open Door
Ta teach an doras oscailte There’s a house with an open door
Ait eigin thua sa speir Somewhere up in the sky
Ta cuireadh tugtha ann do chach Everyone is invited
Ta an-fhailte romhainn go leir A great welcome is there for all
Is tir na n-iontas i gan dabht It’s a wonderful place there for sure
Nil ait mar i ar domhan There’s no place like it on earth
Ni bhionn aon rud in easnamh There’s nothing missing here
Ag an te a bhionn ann To the person who is there
Ni ligtear buairt no bron isteach Sadness and grief cannot come in
Ta an ruaig ar gach donas All badness is banished
Ta suaimhneas i reim sa teach Peace lives in the house
Le haoibhneas agus sonas With beauty and happiness
A nice blessing to use when a loved one passes is:
“Ar dheis De go raibh a h-anam dilis” “May his sweet soul rest on God’ right”
“Air yesh jay guh row a hanam jeelish”
My favorite new seandfhocal I learned also is:
Is e an cinealtas eochair an chroi Kindness is the key to the heart
Iss ay on kinawltas uchar on cree
Sin e inniu.
Slan agus beannacht.
Anita
Free Irish Classes
The classes are over zoom and are held at 12:00 eastern time the 1 st Sunday of every month.
It is basic conversational Irish and open to learners of all ages, especially beginners.
All are invited.
Hope to see you there!
slan go foill. Le dea ghui,
Anita
click here to register
This week’s Irish Recipe
This strawberry Battenberg loaf gives a classic bake an Irish summer twist
Chef Shane Smith’s chequered showstopper trades traditional pink sponge for real Irish strawberries and a homemade fruit purée.
Battenberg cake has long been a fixture of British and Irish tea tables, prized as much for its neat pink and yellow squares as its taste. Now Bord Bia’s Quality Kitchen has put a fresh, fruit forward spin on the classic with a strawberry version worth adding to the baking rotation this season.
Created by chef Shane Smith for the Dunnes Stores Quality Kitchen Stage, this strawberry Battenberg loaf swaps the usual food colouring for a genuine strawberry purée, made by simmering fresh Irish strawberries with sugar, lemon juice and a touch of cornflour until thick and glossy. That purée gets folded through half of a rich, almond studded sponge batter, giving one half of the loaf its natural pink hue and a real fruity depth, while the other half stays golden and buttery.
Once baked and cooled, the two sponges are trimmed, sliced into strips and glued together with strawberry jam to recreate that instantly recognisable chequerboard pattern, before the whole thing is wrapped in a smooth layer of white fondant icing. The result is a showstopping loaf that takes the fiddly reputation out of a Battenberg while keeping all of its charm, and it’s a lovely way to make the most of Irish strawberries while they’re in season.
Strawberry Battenberg loaf recipe
Serves: 6-8 people Time: 35 min
Ingredients:
Strawberry purée:
- 125g Irish strawberries
- 25g caster sugar
- ¼ lemon, juiced
- ¼ tablesp. cornflour
Sponges:
- 290g Irish creamy butter, soft
- 290g caster sugar
- 5 Irish free-range large eggs
- 165g plain flour
- 125g ground almonds
- 1 teasp. baking powder
- 25ml milk
For the strawberry purée, place the chopped strawberries, sugar, juice and cornflour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for approx. 5 minutes until thick. Chill until needed
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line two 2lb loaf tins with parchment.
Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
Add flour, ground almonds, and baking powder, then mix. Stir in milk to reach a dropping consistency.
Divide the batter into two bowls. Add the cold strawberry purée to one and mix. Pour into tins, smooth the tops and bake for 45–50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack, then chill for 30 minutes to make trimming easier.
Trim off crusts and cut each sponge into four even strips lengthwise.
Glue strips together with the jam, alternating colours to form the classic chequered pattern.
Chill briefly while preparing the icing.
Roll the icing into a rectangle large enough to wrap the cake. Brush lightly with more jam.
Wrap the sponge in icing, smoothing and sealing the edges.
Trim the ends to reveal the pattern and store in a cool, dry place until serving.
* This recipe was originally publish on Bord Bia.
Poem of the Week
Blackberry-Picking
by Seamus Heaney
Note: Picture AI-generated by Tommy Mac
Late August, given heavy rain and sun
For a full week, the blackberries would ripen.
At first, just one, a glossy purple clot
Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.
You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet
Like thickened wine: summer’s blood was in it
Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for
Picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger
Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam-pots
Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.
Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills
We trekked and picked until the cans were full
Until the tinkling bottom had been covered
With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned
Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered
With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard’s.
.
We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre.
But when the bath was filled we found a fur,
A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.
The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush
The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.
I always felt like crying. It wasn’t fair
That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.
Each year I hoped they’d keep, knew they would not.
n Seamus Heaney’s “Blackberry Picking,” the rhythmic, memorable experience of picking blackberries is recounted in a way which illumines not only the importance of a childhood memory, but also a certain reckoning with reality that one acquires through growing older. The title “Blackberry Picking” is deceptively simple—it suggests a mere retelling of a childhood memory picking blackberries. And throughout the first and longer stanza, just such information is given. But in the shorter closing stanza, Heaney reflects on the experience from the perspective of adulthood. Here he reveals the poem’s overarching theme: our hope to retain all which we hold dear in life against the natural, inevitable reality of loss and change.
The opening line places the setting in “late August,” the time of harvest but also a time in which we have our own strong memories of falling in love, family vacations, swimming with friends, and starting school. Heaney’s memory is here too—for a “full week” given “heavy rain and sun” when the blackberries would ripen. The colorful diction describing the blackberries lights up the rural landscape of his early days: “glossy purple clot / Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.”
In line five, he employs the second person, “You ate that first one and its flesh…” which brings the blackberries as close to our mouths as to his, and the word flesh amalgamates the blackberry with his own being. The union between Heaney’s humanity and the blackberries is further supported by the next line where the berries become like “thickened wine,” the drink which humans have drunk for centuries in intimate settings of bonding and transformation—weddings and holy communion in church. Too, in the same line, the “summer’s blood” which is in the berries –suggests a mixing of Heaney’s blood with the blackberries and with summer. Do the berries now have his blood as the summer has them both?
Of course the berries leave “stains on his tongue” and a “lust for picking.” Blackberry picking is more than just a routine for Heaney, it involves the core passions of life, of childhood. The prepositional phrase “with milk cans, pea tins, jam pots” contains the rhythm of the berries hitting the pail. We hear the memory as well as he does. But nothing of value comes without hard work, the mini-theme of the next six lines: “where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.” After all, Heaney must introduce some pain here as a set-up for his thematic reflection of grave reality which encompasses the whole poem. “We trekked and picked” and “Our hands were peppered / With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard’s.” Life can be a sticky mess—it isn’t easy, and it can be as ugly and downright immoral as Bluebeard.
The opening line of the second stanza, “We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre,” reveals the first of Heaney’s desperate attempts to hold on to what must inevitably change. The strong verb hoarded shows just how desperate he is to hold on—just how desperate all of us are. The berries are “fresh” going in—but that’s just it, the freshness cannot last, a frightening fact he was aware of subconsciously as a child, but only fully as an adult.
The transition word “but” in the next line signals the necessary alarm—can we not simply have a nice memory of picking blackberries as a child? Not here, where reality is the great leveler, a fundamental that Heaney is compelled to reveal. The “rat-grey fungus” shows up not long after they fill the byre “glutting” on his cache. And, he says, “the juice was stinking too,” the “fruit fermented,” and the “sweet flesh would turn sour.” The repetition of the harshness of time, loss, and decomposition emphasizes just how intense this natural reality of the world is for Heaney. It is something to cry over. We cannot hold on, we cannot retain. Thus, he says, “I always felt like crying. It wasn’t fair.” I could not concur more—life isn’t fair. All the best we have passes and only death awaits—a fact which bring tears to our eyes, too.
He closes the poem by saying of the blackberries that each year he “hoped they’d keep, knew they would not.” The painful theme of love and loss, life and death flashed before his eyes as a youth, but more intensely as an adult. But even with this, I feel there may be something more—a glimmer of light which rises, minimally but mystically, from the poem: Heaney’s poetic recounting of such an experience assuages him, even provides him a respite to deal with the implacability of time and death. By expressing his deepest concerns in this rich poem, he mixes the beauty of memory with the salve of writing, giving us a context for hope.
Stories and Tales
Another special musical treat
A Kerry Song
Tony Stevens – The Village of Asdee – 1992
Is the Guinness Book of World Records Irish?
The best-selling copyrighted book of all time, a favorite tome synonymous with world records and named for Ireland’s most famous drink Guinness stout, but are the Guinness World Records actually Irish?
The often weird and wonderful Guinness World Records is a reference book synonymous with world records of both human achievement and extremes in the natural world. From its name, one might assume its origins lie in Ireland, but the truth is much more complex.
The idea for The Guinness Book of Records came back in the early 1950s when a South African man, Sir Hugh Beaver, then the Managing Director of Guinness’s Brewery in Dublin, was attending a shooting party in the North Slob, by the River Slaney, in County Wexford.
During his stay, he and his hosts got into an argument over which was the fastest game bird in Europe. They failed to find a resolution, even by using reference books.
My Goodness, My Guinness
Then in 1954, remembering his Wexford shooting party and the argument they’d had, Sir Beaver came up with the idea of a Guinness promotion based on the idea of settling arguments that usually arose while in the pub.
Beaver invited twins Norris and Ross McWhirter to compile a book of facts and figures. On Nov 30, 1954, Guinness Superlatives was incorporated, and its office opened in two rooms in a converted gymnasium on the top floor of Ludgate House, 107 Fleet Street, in London.
According to The Guinness Book of Records official site, “After an initial research phase, work begins on writing the book, which takes 13 and a half 90-hour weeks, including weekends and bank holidays. Little do the McWhirters know that taking shape is a book that will go on to become an all-time best seller and one of the most recognized and trusted brands in the world.”
World record best-selling book
The first publication was bound on Aug 27, 1955. It went on to reach the top of the Christmas best-sellers list by that Christmas. The following year, it sold 70,000 copies in the United States.
Today, The Guinness Book of World Records is a record-breaker itself. It has sold over 100 million copies in 100 different countries and has been translated into 37 languages. In fact, The Guinness Book of World Records is the best-selling copyrighted book ever.
So, is the Guinness Book of World Records Irish?
Well, it came from the mind of a South African who was the manager of Ireland’s great Guinness Brewery, who was also on vacation in County Wexford. However, the company was established and functioned out of London. Either way, we’ve decided… We’ll claim it!
What do you think? Is the Guinness Book of World Records Irish? Let us know in the comments section below.
* Originally published in 2020 and updated in Aug 2026.
Céad Míle Fáilte, and you are very welcome to this week’s Letter from Ireland.
Galway Oyster Festival 1987
Click to watch – Click speaker for sound – Click Back Arrow to return
The Holy Hour is a one hour closing restriction on pubs and hotels in the city limits of Dublin and Cork between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm.
There are over 600 pubs in Dublin and in none of them will you be served drink during the Holy Hour.
The Holy Hour was introduced in the 1920s by Justice Minister Kevin O’Higgins in an effort to curtail afternoon drinking by the workforce.
Members of the Dublin-based Licensed Vintners Association have voted 60 per cent to 40 per cent in favour of putting an end to Holy Hour. The result of the ballot was announced at the Annual General Meeting of the Licensed Vintners Association.
Michael Madigan of the Vintners Association outlines the reason why they want the Holy Hour abolished. As food becomes more and more part of the pub trade, Mr Madigan believes that the pubs should be in a better position to cater for this growing demand, particularly for tourists during the summer season.
The Dublin vintners also have the support of Cork publicans in favour of a holy hour abolition. He also points out that sporting fixtures which are often shown in pubs also clash with the current pub opening times.
The Director General of Bord Fáilte Michael McNulty welcomed the vintners decision. He would also like to see restaurants be able to serve spirits and beer in the same way as pubs serve food
Click to watch – Click speaker for sound – Click Back Arrow to return
Keeping the Christmas Holly and more….
Click to watch – Click speaker for sound – Click Back Arrow to return
Keeping the Christmas Holly and more….
Here is a 24 minute recording that I made back in 2018 of Alice Sheehan and Seamus Bolger from outside Gorey where Seamus talks to me about Keeping the Christmas holly for Shrove Tuesday. I heard of this via my own mother and was delighted he had it. Rather than just isolate this clip, I’ve include the full chat which is called “Local Calendar Customs and Traditions”. As you know, everything I share with you is based on the real stories and voices of people, nothing re-invented and re-hashed.
- Christmas Holly Kept for Pancake Tuesday and Cooking with Gríosach and Bóithleáns (0min 00sec – 2min 24sec)
- Lent and Dances in Arklow (2min 24sec – 3min 01sec)
- Easter Salt and Gugging for Eggs (3min 01sec – 5min 33sec)
- Easter Eggs, Cooking on Open Fire and Tay Drawers (5min 33sec – 7min 32sec)
- Blest Palm, Dogs and Lightning (7min 32sec – 8min 50sec)
- The May Bush, Buying/Selling on May Day and Witch Taking Milk Profit (8min 50sec – 11min 57sec)
- The May Altar (11min 57sec – 12min 38sec)
- Making St. Brigid’s Crosses and Protecting the Animals (12min 38sec 17min 52sec)
- All Souls’ Day Memories and Family Story (17min 52sec – 24min 11sec)
Just to stress these are not finely polished, single-narrative documentaries, instead they are field recordings which capture traditions, customs and memories in the midst of meandering conversations between myself and the interviewees, where topics rise and flow and people are allowed to spark and remember.
I know most of you hear understand this work and see why I am recording these things – as if we don’t we will get gobshites telling our history and folklore and to honest, I’ve had to deal with a few after I put up that Nollaig na mBan/Little Christmas post.
So here you have it – real voices, real stories and real practices.
On This Day: Dublin’s Kilmainham Gaol received its first prisoners in 1796
Dublin’s Kilmainham Gaol (jail), first opened in 1796, is where many Irish leaders and rebels were held captive and executed.
On August 12, 1796, Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin received its first prisoners. Here’s a look back at some of the famous figures in Irish history who have been held captive within its walls.
Many famous Irish leaders and rebels met their ends at Kilmainham Gaol, so it is not surprising that ghosts are said to wander the prison’s desolate corridors or that spirits have been sighted in the courtyard where executions were held.
Kilmainham Gaol also holds an important place in the history of Ireland’s fight for independence as the Dublin jail was used in 1916 to imprison the leaders of the uprising, and many of the leaders were executed there.
On 12 August 1796, Kilmainham Gaol received its first prisoners. Describing the new gaol, Faulkner’s Dublin Journal reported that ‘for safety, healthfulness, convenience and compactness is said to be superior to any Prison in Europe’. pic.twitter.com/FhRdJ5KIdc
— KilmainhamGaolMuseum (@OPWKilmainham) August 12, 2020
People have said they sensed ghosts around the prison chapel, where 1916 Easter Rising leader Joseph Plunkett married Grace Gifford only hours before his execution by firing squad.
James Connolly was one of the last of the leaders to be executed after the Rising. He had been so severely wounded that he had to be carried out in a chair to the courtyard, where he bravely faced a firing squad.
The prison was built in 1796 to hold criminals after their arrest until sentencing, and in the early years, public hangings would take place at its entrance. Prisoners at Kilmainham Gaol included the leaders of the 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867, and 1916 uprisings; Éamon de Valera, Pádraig Pearse, and Charles Stewart Parnell were all housed there.
One inmate of the prison was Robert Emmet, a rebel leader who was hanged, drawn, and quartered in 1803. During his trial, Emmet asked that his grave go unmarked until Ireland was free, and the whereabouts of his body are still a mystery today. His ghost, however, is said to haunt not the prison but Dublin’s oldest pub, the Brazen Head, where he once held Resistance meetings.
Kilmainham Gaol was closed in 1924. At the time of its closing by the Irish Free State government, there was no interest in preserving a building that was a site of so much suffering and oppression.
Restoration of the prison began in the 1960s thanks to the Kilmainham Jail Restoration Society. The building reopened to the public 11 years later and it is still one of the city’s most famous attractions. During the restoration, a plaque was placed in the courtyard with the names of the brave men who were executed there.
During the early years of the restoration, Governor Dan McGill, who was overseeing the work being done there, stayed in the prison with his family, just above the courtyard.
As he was getting ready for bed one night, he noticed lights on in the chapel across the courtyard. He went to the chapel, looked around, and turned off the lights. Returning to his chambers, he glanced back and saw that the lights were on again. He returned and turned them off, but he had to go back to turn off the lights three times that night.
Another incident that occurred during the restoration involved a painter, who was said to be blown off his feet and into a wall by a sudden gust of wind while he was working in the dungeon. He was held against the wall for some time before he could free himself. He refused to go back to the prison from that point on. Other workmen claim to have heard footsteps and voices coming from the halls and the cells.
Since the historic landmark opened to the public, several visitors also claimed to have experienced disturbing events at the prison, and many children have refused to enter the jail at all, sensing something sinister behind its walls.
For those souls not afraid of spectral spirits, and for anyone with an interest in Ireland’s history, Kilmainham Gaol is open as a museum for tours year-round. Visit HeritageIreland.ie or KilmainhamGaolMuseum.ie for more information.
H/T: HiddenDublinWalks.com, BBC.com, SpookyIsles.com.
* Originally published in 2016, updated in Aug 2026.
News From Ireland
Nearly 800 Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents
reported in Ireland in 2025
An Garda Síochána continues to encourage victims and witnesses to report Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents.
An Garda Síochána published figures today, Friday, August 14, on Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents reported across Ireland during 2025.
According to the figures, the number of Hate Crimes and Hate Related (non-crime) Incidents increased by 15%, rising to 780 in 2025 from 676 in 2024.
688 were reported as Hate Crimes, up from 592 in 2024, while 92 were reported as Hate Related (non-crime) Incidents, up from 84 in 2024.
An Garda Síochána says the rise supports an increase in reporting of such matters.
In Ireland, a Hate Crime is a criminal offence, while a Hate Related Incident is a “non-crime” incident.
The report, the fifth of its kind, was produced to align with the introduction of the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act, 2024. The legislation prescribes discriminatory motives associated with the following protected characteristics: Race, Colour, Nationality, Religion, National or Ethnic Origin, Descent, Gender, Sex Characteristics, Sexual Orientation, and Disability.
An Garda Síochána has today published figures on Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents reported during 2025.
The report has seen the number of Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents increase by 15% in 2025.
To view the full report visit: https://t.co/B6ZQibw7OX pic.twitter.com/MtbQmD7BIA
— Garda Info (@gardainfo) August 14, 2026
Motives of Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents in Ireland in 2025
An Garda Síochána said on Friday that anti-race remains the most prevalent discriminatory motive at 40% of all motives, and has increased from 39% in 2024.
Anti-nationality decreased to 23% of all motives, from 25% in 2024.
Anti-sexual orientation has remained static at 70 incidents in 2025, though this represents a drop from 10% to 8% as a proportion of all motives recorded annually.
Top crime incidents where hate motives were evident in Ireland in 2025
Hate motives were evident in a variety of reported criminal incidents in 2025. The largest percentage was recorded in public order (32%), followed by minor assaults (16%), criminal damage (not by fire) (13%), assault causing harm (7%), and murder/ threats (4%).
Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents in Ireland by region in 2025
As was the case in the previous three years, just under half (49%) of all Hate Related Incidents occurred in the Dublin Metropolitan Region.
There has been a year-on-year increase in incidents reported in all but the Southern Region.
The three other operational regions recorded were Eastern Region (20%), Southern Region (14%) and the North-Western Region (16%).
Reporting Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents in Ireland
An Garda Síochána recognizes that Hate Crime and Hate Related Incidents can go unreported for a variety of reasons, and is advising victims and witnesses that reports will be taken seriously and acted upon accordingly.
An Garda Síochána has a dedicated mechanism to report such incidents via the Online Hate Crime Reporting Portal. Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents can also be reported directly to any Garda Station or via the Garda Confidential line on 1800 666 111.
An Garda Síochána said it is continuing in its efforts to strengthen its network of Garda Diversity Officers to support victims and those affected by hate in communities around Ireland.
There are currently more than 600 Garda Diversity Officers working across every Garda division, who engage with minority communities and individuals daily to provide them with reassurance and address issues of concern.
Up to the end of 2025, 4,500 Garda personnel had undertaken a certificate programme in Human Rights and Policing. The course is delivered in collaboration with the University of Limerick.
Victims and witnesses encouraged to engage
Welcoming the publication of the 2025 statistics, Chief Superintendent Jane Humphries, Garda National Community Engagement Bureau (GNCEB), said, “While we note that these figures do represent an increase in reporting of hate-related matters, An Garda Síochána does welcome the fact that more people feel confident to make contact with us and make a report. It is acknowledged that Hate Crime and Hate Related Incidents are under-reported in Ireland, and this is why we encourage victims and those who witness such incidents to engage with us.
“When a person or group is targeted because of a fundamental characteristic, it has a very deep impact on that individual or group and as such cannot, and should not, be tolerated in Irish society as it tarnishes our values and what we stand for.
“Together, we must continue to reject hate and discrimination and consistently remind one another that everyone has a right to live safely and free from prejudice. Incidents of this nature are not, and never will be, acceptable.
“And so today, I want to encourage anyone who has experienced an incident or crime which has been motivated by hate, to please come forward and report your experience. An Garda Síochána is committed to upholding the human rights of all, and will support you in any way that we can.”
Case Studies
An Garda Síochána published the following eight case studies of Hate Crimes and Hate Related Incidents reported in 2025:
1. In March 2025, in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR), a person was attacked, assaulted and robbed by a male and female known to them. Following investigation, a male and female (aged in their early 20s) were arrested and charged with robbery and assault causing harm, aggravated by hatred relating to the person’s gender identity. Both suspects were convicted, with the male being sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, and the female to 12 months imprisonment.
2. In April 2025, in the Louth / Cavan / Monaghan Division, an individual reported that a derogatory name relating to their skin colour had been written on their car overnight. Following investigation which included the viewing of CCTV, a juvenile female was identified and referred to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme, where a caution was administered.
3. In April 2025, in the Mayo / Roscommon / Longford Division, an individual was in a playground with their two children, one of whom had dark skin. Two teenagers in the playground made animal sounds and used derogatory language relating to the colour of their skin. Following investigation, two male juveniles were identified and referred to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme, where a caution was administered.
4. In April 2025, in the Cork City Division, two males used derogatory language and actions towards a same sex couple at a licensed premises. Following investigation, two males (aged in their 40s) were arrested and charged with public order offences. Upon conviction in court, they were fined a total of €850.
5. In April 2025, in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR), a non-national taxi driver was physically and verbally abused by a non-national passenger on religious grounds. Following investigation, a male (aged in his 30s) was identified and charged with various offences. He was convicted in court and fined €300.
6. In August 2025, in the Cork City Division, a person was verbally abused in relation to their gender identity in a library. Following investigation, two male juveniles were identified and referred to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme where a caution was administered.
7. In October 2025, in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR), a gay male was attacked and robbed by four males. Following investigation, four males (aged in their 20s and 30s) were identified and charged in connection with the robbery. This case is ongoing with a Circuit Court appearance pending.
8. In November 2025, in the Louth / Cavan / Monaghan Division, a non-national person reported windows of a house being broken and a front door damaged. Following investigation, a male juvenile was identified and referred to the Garda Youth Diversion Programme where they were deemed unsuitable for caution. This male juvenile was charged and is currently before the courts.
Construction worker Rachel Foley
becomes first Irish person to be crowned Miss Galaxy International
Rachel Foley, a Leitrim woman who works as a Health and Safety officer, has been crowned as Miss Galaxy International.
An Irish construction worker has hammered her way into the history books as the first Irish woman to be named Miss Galaxy International.
Rachel Foley, who hails from Leitrim, fought off stiff competition to represent Ireland at the grand final in The Bahamas and nab the coveted title.
The accolade is the first time a person from Ireland has been crowned with a winning ‘Miss’ title since Rosanna Davison famously won Miss World in 2003.
For Rachel, who works as a Health and Safety officer, becoming a pageant star was the counterweight to a lifetime of stereotypical male pursuits.
“A huge part of my platform has focused on representing and encouraging women working in traditionally male-dominated industries,” she explained per RTÉ.
Rachel admitted that walking onto construction sites can make her feel like she has something to prove, but she’s determined not to let being a woman hold her back.
By competing in pageants, she wants to highlight that women don’t have to fit into neatly defined roles.
She said: “I can wear my hard hat and my high-vis to work and then put on a gown and compete in pageants on an international stage.
“I want to continue using my voice and my platform to encourage women as young girls not to limit themselves because of the stereotypes.”
Commenting on her win, Rachel said that she is “so proud” to bring the Miss Galaxy crown home to Ireland
Rachel shares her win with Ms Galaxy, Saffron Corcoran from the UK, Miss Teen Galaxy, Alexis Dorgerville from the Bahamas, and Mrs Galaxy, Joelle Krinickas from North America.
*This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.
Irish American labor leader appointed
as Grand Marshal of NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade
NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade organizers say the 2027 Grand Marshal is an “outstanding choice.”
John Samuelsen, International President of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), has been unanimously appointed by the Board of Directors of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade to serve as Grand Marshal of the 2027 NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Samuelsen was proposed for Grand Marshal duties by Vice Chairman Brendan Benn and seconded by Chairman Sean Lane, receiving the unanimous support of the Parade Board.
A proud Brooklyn native, Samuelsen’s Irish heritage runs deep. His mother’s family traces its roots to Co Derry, while his father’s family has roots in Co Cork.
Parade officials say his selection brings together two traditions deeply intertwined with the history of New York’s Irish community: pride in Irish heritage and a lifelong commitment to the labor movement.
Samuelsen serves as International President of the Transport Workers Union of America, representing more than 160,000 workers across the airline, railroad, transit, university, utility and service sectors. He began his career with New York City Transit in 1993 as a track worker and rose through the ranks of organized labor to become an influential national voice for working men and women.
His ties to the Irish and Irish American communities are equally strong. Samuelsen serves as President of the James Connolly Irish American Labor Coalition, is a founding sponsor of the James Connolly Visitors Centre in Belfast, and is a member of the New York City Transit Authority Emerald Society. His career has reflected the longstanding relationship between Irish America, New York City and the organized labor movement.
“The Board is honored to select John Samuelsen as our 2027 Grand Marshal,” Sean Lane, Chairman of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, said on Thursday.
“John’s lifelong commitment to working families, his distinguished leadership in the labor movement, and his deep pride in his Irish heritage make him an outstanding choice to lead the world’s greatest St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
“I’m also proud to note that my father Patrick Lane was a TWU bus driver for many years before we moved back to Ireland.”
About the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade
First held on March 17, 1762, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade predates the signing of the Declaration of Independence by 14 years and is recognized as the oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world.
For more than two and a half centuries, generations of Irish immigrants and Irish Americans have marched through the streets of New York City in celebration of St. Patrick, Irish faith, heritage and culture. Today, the Parade continues its historic march up Fifth Avenue each March 17, bringing together approximately 150,000 participants and as many as two million spectators.
The 266th New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Wednesday, March 17, 2027, when Grand Marshal John Samuelsen will lead marchers up Fifth Avenue in one of New York City’s most enduring and celebrated traditions.
Additional details regarding the 2027 Parade and events honoring Grand Marshal John Samuelsen will be announced in the coming months.
Jokes
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Good night to you all….Tommy Mac
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Well, that's it for this week.
Slán abhaile
Pronunciation: slawn a-wol-ya
Meaning: Safe Home
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Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo arís!
Pronounced – Guh merrimid byo egg on owm shuh a-reesh
Meaning: May we be alive to celebrate this time again!
Tommy Mac
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