There were green alligators and long-necked geese. Some humpy-backed camels and some chimpanzees. Some cats and rats and elephants, as sure as you're born. And the loveliest of them all was the unicorn.
Posted on 03/17/2018 11:41:01 AM PDT by son of terrence
Sometime in the 1970s or early 1980s Peter Jones discovered a collection of century-old letters in his parents' attic in Bethesda, Maryland. The letters had been sent by his great-great-great grandfather, Byran Hunt, to his son, Jones' great-great grandfather, John Hunt,[a] who had emigrated from Kilkelly, County Mayo, to the United States in 1855 and worked on the railroad. As Byran was illiterate, the letters were dictated to the local schoolmaster, Pat McNamara (d. 1902), who often wrote letters on behalf of his neighbors who were unable to read and write. Covering the years 1858 to 1893, the Hunt letters shared family news of births, deaths, and marriages, and reports of the annual harvest. The last letter, dated February 1893, was written by John Hunt's brother, D. Hunt, informing him of the death of their father. Peter Jones decided to compose a ballad based on the contents of the letters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N76kAivCb20
And for a little levity...
Question: How many Irishmen does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Answer: Twelve. One to hold the lightbulb and eleven to drink until the room starts spinning. ;o)
There were a few nights that I could lay in bed and accomplish that on my own.
lol
Great song. I heard it an a cd I got from the library.
Ping.
Very moving song. Made me cry.
Yes, they were such hardships they went through. I have Lynch, Gannon, and Leary ancestors. The Gannons were from County Mayo.
“There were a few nights that I could lay in bed and accomplish that on my own.”
And once you urped out everything in your guts things generally started getting better except for the headache.
The choice in the 1850’s was quite stark: emigrate and live, or stay and die. It is estimated that during this time period, one half of the Irish population either left for America, England or Australia or died. One half!
CC
There were green alligators and long-necked geese. Some humpy-backed camels and some chimpanzees. Some cats and rats and elephants, as sure as you're born. And the loveliest of them all was the unicorn.
And now we have such wonderful places as Boston, Massholchusetts.
One of my favorites, but I like the version by Theiss and O’Connor, a group local to the Milwaukee, WI area. I have it on CD and play it in my car on long trips and always shed a tear, or two, when I hear it.
Why did the Arabs get all the oil and the Irish all the potatoes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcI_X3aF4FA
You can thank me now, for the above. In my opinion Boston is one of the finest cities in this country but run by a criminal cast like DC. This song link resonates with those from the Bronx and Manhattan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcI_X3aF4FA
Because God has a sense of humor. I hope he cradles them in his hands and takes a boxing stance.
Thanks.
I was being pithy.
Why did the Arabs get all the oil and the Irish all the potatoes?
Because the Irish got to pick first.
It’s a joke I heard in a John Cleese Sherlock Holmes parody a long time ago.
Thanks much. Love that song.
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