Our St Patrick's Day 09....

We're off to see the Parade...do we all really want to go?

The Irish Colleens were there....

The Italian and Portuguese wannabees were there.....

They had all arrived for a good night's crack and a ceili!

They came by whatever mode of transport they could find...

Some were even privileged to have a mounted escort!....

They marched to the tune of the pipes......

Mammies and their weins were in fine fettle!!!!.....

Everyone was having a grand time...

and yet there was someone missing......

it even drove some to madness......

others were just quietly concerned that there was something not right....

then all of a sudden out of the blue he appeared, sailing in on the crest of a rainbow clicking his heels as he walked by.....

A Genuine Irish Leprechaun......

The night was a success...we all went home happy.....

after drinking our Starbucks !!!

(no it wasn't green!!)

Ireland Rugby and Northern Ireland Football winners!!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Northern Ireland football team!!!

Northern Ireland 3 - Poland 2

This was a great result for the Northern Ireland football team on Saturday. Well done guys!!

CONGRATULATIONS

also go to the Ireland Rugby Team who won the 6 Nations Tournament the week before .

John Harper - Titanic Hero and Man of God

I found this article when I was looking for a picture of John Harper.

(click each page to read the article)

When my husband, Robert was born his parents attended Harper Memorial Baptist Church, Glasgow, his father was a deacon there.

John Harper was the first Pastor of that church. He eventually left to take up a charge in London but after he died the church decided to remember this man of God.

Such was the affection and esteem in which he was held by the church members, that, when the present stone building was opened in 1922, the church was named

“Harper Memorial Baptist Church”.

I was going to write some excerpts from a book by Moody Adams called 'The Titanic's Last Hero' before I found this article. It is an account of John Harper's life from comments of acquaintances and converts that his brother, Pastor George Harper requested be written. I would recommend the book as it covers more of his life than the last few tragic hours. I will finish with a quote from it.

"When the flames of other ambitions flickered and died,

John Harper's burned even brighter

as he sank to a watery grave.

When death forced others to face

the folly of their life's pursuits,

John Harper's goal of winning men to

Jesus Christ became more vital as he

breathed his final breaths"

Titanic Heroes

Good Morning everyone,

Here is a story that was reported on the BBC news today. There were many heroes that fateful night, tomorrow I will put up a post about John Harper who was a Pastor from Scotland and also a passenger on the Titanic.

Have a good Wednesday.

Titanic City - Belfast

I couldn't let the month about Ireland go by without mentioning its most famous creation...or is it 'infamous'? We are approaching the 100th anniversary of the beginning of its construction.

The Titanic.

No other ship in the history of ocean travel has demanded as much interest as the Titanic. Volumes of books and reels of film have been produced regarding the most infamous ship in history.

The idea of the luxury liner was first conceived of in 1907, but the Titanic construction did not actually begin until March 31, 1909 in Belfast (Ireland). The construction of the Titanic was handled by Harland and Wolff, who are still there today.

It took 3 years for building of the Titanic to be completed and in the end it cost $7.5 million dollars for the ship to be finished. More than 3000 men were employed in building the Titanic during that time span. In the months, and even years, leading up to the maiden voyage of the Titanic; the White Star Line published numerous marketing materials claiming that the ship was 'designed to be unsinkable'.

Sadly, this seemed to be shaking a fist in the face of God, with claims that even He could not sink it!

On the night of 14 April 1912, during her maiden voyage, Titanic hit an iceberg and sank two hours and forty minutes later, early on 15 April 1912. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 people, making it one of the most deadly peacetime maritime disasters in history. The high casualty rate was due in part to the fact that, although complying with the regulations of the time, the ship did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone aboard. The ship had a total lifeboat capacity of 1,178 persons even though her maximum capacity was 3,547 people. A disproportionate number of men died also, due to the women-and-children-first protocol that was followed.

Belfast is proud of the work her men did in building this great ship. Sadly, however, those in charge were only thinking of their own selfish ambition and had no thought for God or the souls of the passengers they carried to their death.

Never think your sin doesn't have consequences....

Irish Dance

Ireland has a strong dance tradition dating as far back as the 15th Century. It, together with native music was the focal point of community gatherings down through the ages. The most popular of the Irish dances are the Jig and the Reel with many involving both solo and group dancing.

From 1829 the 'Dance Master' came into existence. He was a wondering dancing teacher, who travelled from village to village teaching dances to children. These Dance Masters existed in rural Ireland right up to the early 20th Century, but gradually were replaced by the dance schools that we have today.



Soft shoes were worn for jigs and reels and then hard tap shoes were used for Set Dances and 'heavy jigs' etc.

The costumes worn by the dancers are as important as the dance itself. Each Irish Dance school has its own distinct costume and most of the dresses are adorned by embroidery designs inspired by the Book of Kells

One of my earliest childhood memories was going to dancing lessons. I was part of Mrs Tennants Dance Class in Ballymoney. We wore blue dresses for team dancing and I had a white one for solos.

Here is a great sample of solo, group, light and heavy jigs, reels and the very modern.

I hope everyone is having a good Monday. I thought I would take a minute today to review a book I just finished yesterday. It is in our Reading Roundabout and I had looked forward to reading it and was not disappointed. It is called

'Coronation Glory' - The story of Lady Jane Grey.

This was a book that was easy to read but hard to put down. It follows the true life experiences of Lady Jane Grey who is 4th in line to the throne of England. The story is told from her point of view and gives insights into life in the royal court. Jane is a girl who is modest in all the areas of her life, she loves the Lord and wants to serve Him where He has put her. We also see the struggles of her heart both within and without her family.

The emphasis in the storyline changes toward the end of the book where she is forced to stand up for her Lord and the convictions that she has about the Bible. This shows us the true character of this brave young woman who is an example to us all.

I think Deborah Meroff has done a good job in keeping this book from being too complicated with all the intricasses of court life in England at the time.

I would definitely recommend this book for ages 15 and up.

You can purchase it here

St Patrick's 'Breastplate'

St. Patrick's Breastplate is contained in the ancient Book of Armagh, from the early ninth century. Along with Patrick's authentic "Confession." St. Patrick is said to have written this prayer to strengthen himself with God's protection as he prepared to confront and convert Loegaire, high king of Ireland. There are some similarities to Paul's exhortation to "put on the whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:10-18), except that it is much more detailed.

Here are some excerpts from it...

I arise today

Through a mighty strength,

the invocation of the Trinity,

through the belief in the threeness,

Through the confession of the oneness

Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,

Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,

Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,

Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.

I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me:

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak to me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's host to save me

From snares of demons,

From temptations of vices,

From everyone who shall wish me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone and in multitude.

Christ be with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ be in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the threeness,

Through confession of the oneness,

Of the Creator of Creation.

Have a great Lord's Day and may this be the prayer of our hearts today and everyday we walk on this earth.

Fadge?

Sorry folks yesterday seem to pass and I never got to my blog once. To tell the truth Esther(13) was given a family history project to do for school and I got caught up in the Scottish records trying to trace Rob's mother's side of his family. We managed to get back to 1762!! but that's for another post.

However getting back to the post at hand....

The first ingredient that comes to mind when most people think of Irish cuisine is the potato. The potato was brought back to Ireland from the western world. It immediately became a staple of the Irish diet. It is safe to say that no meal is complete without the inclusion of the potato in some shape or form.

'Fadge' - Potato Bread.

INGREDIENTS
4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon melted butter


DIRECTIONS
1.In a pot, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer on medium-high heat until the center of the potatoes are tender when pricked with a fork, about 20 minutes.

2.Turn off heat. Drain, return potatoes to pot and allow to completely dry out over remaining heat. Mash with a potato masher until smooth.

3.Place warm mashed potato in medium bowl. Stir in flour, salt and melted butter. Mix lightly until dough forms.

4.On a well floured surface, knead the dough lightly. The dough will be sticky. Use a floured rolling pin to flatten into a 9 inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. I would encourage you to use the back of your hand before you use the rolling pin to flatten it until it is near the required thickness.Cut into quarters using a floured knife.

5.Sprinkle a little flour into the base of the skillet and cook the farls for 3 minutes on each side or until evenly browned. Season with a little salt and serve straight away.

Again this bread is traditionally served as part of an Ulster Fry(see yesterday's post).

Have a good weekend,

Oh and happy belated first day of Spring.

A Flavour of Home....

If you went to visit Ireland and were told you were going to have Soda Bread you might think you were going to have a piece of this...

We would call this a 'Fruit Farl'

The word 'farl' is derived from the Gaelic word 'fardel' which literally means 'four part' and this refers to the way that these griddle breads are typically cut and served in quarters.

This is what would actually be served to you...

Irish Soda Bread

3.5 cup flour

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 to 2 1/2 (see note below) cup buttermilk

1. Lightly grease a heavy skillet.

2. Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl; make sure the soda is evenly distributed.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add about half the buttermilk. Stir until you have a raggy dough that is very squashy but which looks more or less dry. Add more liquid sparingly until you achieve this texture.

4. Blend until all the flour has achieved this consistency; then turn out immediately onto a lightly floured board and knead for no more than a minute or a minute and a half. Overkneading makes this bread very tough, and it's very easy to overdo it.

5. Shape the dough into a circle about 9 inches by one inch thick and cut into four wedges or "farls." Place in the preheated skillet, with cut edges about half an inch apart. Cook slowly on the stovetop over low-to-medium heat; it should take about 20 minutes for the farls to puff up and turn a light brown on the pan side. Turn them and cook for another 20 minutes.

6. For a softer crust, wrap in a dishtowel after baking.

7. Notes: You will need somewhere between 1 1/4 and 2 1/2 cups of buttermilk, depending on how much liquid your flour tends to absorb. Try to avoid using regular milk. If you must, use baking powder instead of baking soda. Serves 8.

This can be served 2 different ways -

1. You can split them and spread with butter and your favourite flavour of jam, along with a good cup of hot tea this goes over a treat.

2. You can split it and fry it along with 'Fadge'(recipe will be posted tomorrow) bacon, sausage, mushrooms, black pudding, eggs, tomato, and you will have for yourself an 'Ulster Fry'. Typically eaten for breakfast but many also have it traditionally on a Saturday night for 'tea', again you need a big mug of hot tea to swill it all down!

If you would like more history on the Irish Soda Bread you can take time to read all about it here.

Have you ever seen Riverdance?

I decided this morning to have a little reprieve from St Patrick and inject a little humour to my blog but remain with the theme of Ireland.At the St Patrick's Day Parade yeasterday we saw lots of Irish dancing(pictures will follow in a day or two) but we didn't see any quite like this......

This is a take off of 'Riverdance' it is from a wonderful movie called First Snow of Winter. Our kids still love to watch it. (Pause the playlist before playing)

Enjoy!

Here is the real thing....

I used to be able to do something similar....thankfully there is no video of that!!

of course you may prefer this version!......

Have a good day!

Chapter 7 - Patrick's Faith

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy St Patrick's Day.

I think it is fitting that we are looking at the foundation of the Patrick's life and why he was committed to preaching the good news of the gospel to the Irish people.May I also challenge you not to dwell too much on green popcorn, parades, music and superstition but rather on the real Patrick. Think about what he really stands for and on, the Word of God, and ask yourselves 'Is this what I am building my life on or am I building it on the imagination and superstitions of men?

Be like the wise man and Patrick, who built his house on the rock so that when the storms of life crash around you, you have a solid foundation of Christ and His word to stand on...

Patrick was a man of one book. The foundation of his faith was the Bible. His writings are full of scripture quotations and are his sole authority and inspiration for his life.

He does quote from one other source apart from the scriptures near the beginning of his 'Confession'. He sets out a simple scriptural statement of belief, from a creed probably adopted by the British church and thus is of considerable historical interest. Here is part of it...

"....every tongue should confess...that Jesus Christ is Lord and God;and we believe in Him and await his coming which will happen soon, as judge of the living and the dead...the Holy Spirit....makes those who believe and obey to be the sons of God and co-heirs with Christ and we confess and adore Him, one God in the Trinity of sacred name."


He taught the resurrection of the body and emphasized the return of Christ. He also had deep conviction regarding a coming day of Judgement from which said he, "...no one will be able to escape or hide."

Patrick never separated his doctrine from his lifestlye and mission. He believed that Christians were a 'letter of Christ' and he said, in effect, I cannot keep silent, I want to tell the world about His goodness and grace.

Chapter 6 - His Writings

As mentioned in an earlier post, there are two writings that we have of Patrick. One, a 'Letter' and the other his 'Confession'. The 'Letter' is by far the shorter of the two. It was written to a tyrant king and his soldiers condemning attacks on recently baptized believers and calling for others who had been taken captive to be released.

The other work, his 'Confession' was so named by himself in the very last line - "this is my confession before I die".It was not in any way a confession of sin but rather a record of God's dealings with him and a statement of his faith.

Patrick could have added a great deal more to our knowledge of pre-christian Ireland than he did,but that was not the reason why he wrote. He wrote to glorify God. He wrote about spritual matters. they were composed, as he says himself, in the knowledge that one day he would stand in judgement for any false or idle words that he might use.

Tomorrow - Patrick's Faith

Chapter 5 - Ireland Again

The Ireland Patrick came back to was inhabited

by barbaric Celtic tribes.

There were no proper roads, no towns,

and no structured form of central government.

The population would have been less than half a million.

The roof of his meeting house was the sky.

He came with his Latin bible(or part of it), some form of financial support, and the backing of a few Christians. He determined he would never leave again. It became his adopted country and for some 30 years he spread the gospel far and wide, believing he was fulfilling the 'Great Comission'. Bear in mind the great continent of America had not yet been discovered and so when he looked across the waters of the Atlantic he believed he was in those uttermost parts of the earth!!

Patrick marvelled at the fact he had returned to bring the gospel to those who had dealt so treacherously with him and his family...."Who compelled me?" he asked and then gave credit to the Spirit of God. "...it was not my doing, this holy compassion that I have towards that nation which once took me captive and dealt havoc among the men and women servants of my father's house."

Chapter 4-Back in Britain

During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia...

begging him, "come over to Macedonia and help us"

...we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia

concluding that God had called us

to preach the gospel to them.' - Acts 16:9,10

Shortly after his conversion he deserted his master, travelled 200

miles across country and found a ship about to sail.A slave on the run would have been exposed to considerable dangers and hardship but Patrick gives us few details except to say that he journeyed without fear and that the Lord guided him. After a 3 day sea crossing and a series of fascinating adventures he eventualy made it back to his parents' residence in Britain.

For 6 years he was denied all those things which we would regard as vital to any real quality of life, but speaking of that period he would later testify that the Lord "guarded me and comforted me as a father would his son." His association with Ireland , however, had not ended - it was only the beginning.

One night he says he had a vision in which he saw a man called Victoricus coming to him with a great number of letters. He read the title of one which said " THE CRY OF THE IRISH" and at that moment he seemed to hear the voice of the people who lived by the *Wood of Voclut*.Unitedly they said "Holy youth come and walk among us." Patrick was so moved that he could read no more. *See below



A return to Ireland was hardly in his plans but this changed everything. It would seem that from that moment there was born in his heart a burden to bring the gospel to that nation from which he says. pointedly, "I was only just able to escape."

Some years of preparation now followed. He became a 'deacon' in the local church and then was appointed an 'overseer'- typically he remarks "...I was not worthy." Some friends tried to persuade him to call off his mission to Ireland but he refused to be moved. Again typically, he says "...no thanks to me, it was God who prevailed in me."

*This area has been fairly positively identified as being in the north of Co.Mayo near the present day town of Killala in the west.This would strongly suggest that it was here and not Slemish in Co.Antrim that Patrick spent his years of captivity and would also explain why he had to travel 200 miles to get passage to Britain. Slemish is only approx 30-50 miles from the north and east coast.