AIMSIR
We arrived on our 490th Saturday on a cold and drizzly day but we had dry periods too. Despite the weather we had many people signing (we post only a selection in the our monthly album) and quite a few conversations. Some of the leaflets got wet but people still accepted them.
DAOINE
Bróna, Orla, Deirdre, Eileen agus Diarmuid were the foireann today.
Jennifer Russell told us about her relatives who worked on stalls in Moore Street, including her great-grandmother Esther Kenny who later moved on to sell in Coles Lane (the road now buried under the ILAC shopping centre). There were also Betty Kenny (married name Russell), Jacinta and Patty, all of them working there.
Rene Hanlon talked to us about her great-grandmother Nelly Bermingham, who family tradition has it was in Cumann na mBan and fought in the 1916 Rising.
It was good of them to share their history with us and we also shared our knowledge of history with children who came with adults and it was heart-warming to see the adults encouraging the children to sign the petition.
EILE
It was the day after Bridget’s Day, the feast day of a Christian Saint to some, a Druidess to others, a combination of both to yet more and also a feast day of a pagan goddess. But we all forgot to bring “Bridget Crosses” (
), a four-armed pre-Christian artifact woven of rushes, said to signify the sun. The feast day celebrated the end of Winter and the beginning of the Celtic year, a time when the ewes first come into milk. There were many ceremonies and “pishogues” (pisreoigí) associated with this time of year in particular association with hearth fires and well water – many more than was ever the case with St. Patrick’s feast day. Bridget, Patrick and Colmcille (who has Derry named after him) are the patron saints of Ireland.
), a four-armed pre-Christian artifact woven of rushes, said to signify the sun. The feast day celebrated the end of Winter and the beginning of the Celtic year, a time when the ewes first come into milk. There were many ceremonies and “pishogues” (pisreoigí) associated with this time of year in particular association with hearth fires and well water – many more than was ever the case with St. Patrick’s feast day. Bridget, Patrick and Colmcille (who has Derry named after him) are the patron saints of Ireland.As may be noted, we are heading for our 500th Saturday with a campaign table on the street and there was a feeling that while we should not have to still be here fighting speculators, the City Managers and the Government, we should nevertheless celebrate this persistence of resistance and mark it in some special way.
The foireann met today and discussed the shape that celebration should take and we’ll be firming up those plans and announcing plans for the day quite soon.
UASDHÁTA
We won’t be updating on the Planning Appeals this week as we have yet further documentation to submit and we await updating also on the speculator Hammerson’s High Court case against Dublin City Council nominating a number of buildings in Moore Street for “protected historical status”.
