#irish things

"The Claddagh ring, a ring depicting two hands holding a heart with a royal crown, is a popular Irish symbol. The Claddagh is typically passed down within a family. A person begins by wearing the ring with the heart facing outward on their right ring finger. If they enter a serious relationship and are not available to other suitors, they turn the ring around so it faces their body, signifying their commitment.

Once engaged, the ring is placed facing outward on the left ring finger. On the wedding day, and usually during the ceremony, the couple turns the ring around on that finger to signify their lifelong commitment."

Legend has it that shortly before he was due to be married, a fisherman Richard Joyce was captured at sea by pirates and sold into slavery in Algeria.

He became the property of a rich Moorish goldsmith, who sensing his potential began to train him in his craft. In time Richard Joyce became a fully proficient master craftsman and with thoughts of the girl he had left behind close to his heart, he fashioned the first Claddagh Ring. The heart symbolizing love, the pair of hands representing friendship and the crown for loyalty and fidelity.

In 1689 after an agreement with King William III to release all his subjects held in slavery, Richard Joyce found himself once more a free man.

His master, who had by now grown very fond of him offered his only daughter in marriage and half his wealth, if he would remain in Algiers, but Joyce declined and returned home to Galway.

There he found that his sweetheart had waited for his return, and presenting her with the Claddagh Ring they were married.

...

Ok sincere thanks to the anon who suggested I might like this video. It is PHENOMENAL start to finish.

I particularly appreciated:

Open discussion on Irish peoples historical ability to be evil bastards

Discussion on the ONGOING AND HORRIFIC racism against Irish Travellers by Irish settled people and the Irish state.

"Most Irish media is, incidentally, an ugly, distorted mirrorfor a more beautiful and interesting thing. Most Irish media is eight, nine, ten layers deep on mirrors, reflecting mirrors of what Irishness is supposed to be."

"Irishness, [...] is actually very relativistic and you can easily fail to achieve it just as easily as you can fail to do masculinity or do heterosexuality. It's also clear to me that in Ireland we have a very parochial culture and that it being parochial and localized is a more accurate reflection of Irishness than any kind of Pan-Irishness could ever hope to be."

at 1 hour 25 minutes in when Neilly brought up the. erm. "postmodern paddywhackery" engaged in in Banshees of Inisherin. A film where APPARENTLY? A COP? ISNT FULLY AWARE WHETHER HE IS SUPPORTING THE GUERILLA FORCES IN A CIVIL WAR OR NOT????

The fact that pan-irish identity is a tool used to uphold white supremacy in america AND racism within ireland AND is cultivated to strengthen and unify those forces both sides of the atlantic.

Cork Cat Action Trust (CAAT) has one goal: to stop the cycle of "suffering caused by uncontrolled breeding of feral cats". To do this, the rescue has a humane Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programme, meaning that they safely trap feral cats and bring them to a vet for neutering, before returning them to their home territory.

A single pair of breeding cats can produce up to 20,000 kittens throughout their lives. Without the charity's intervention, feral colonies can grow rapidly, leading to suffering for the cats and challenges for local communities.

CAAT also provides much-needed veterinary care for sick and injured cats, covering everything from vaccinations to amputations, and has already helped over 600 cats this year. The rescue is a volunteer not-for-profit organisation and does not have a sanctuary, meaning that their space is always limited, especially when it comes to fostering in-need cats and kittens.

With vet bills costing the volunteers €11,000 every month, the charity has been forced to launch a GoFundMe campaign in the hopes of keeping them afloat - and able to help more cats. They wrote: "Despite working tirelessly to keep costs down, our funds are nearly gone. We rarely launch appeals like this, but we must be honest without urgent support, we don’t know how much longer we can continue...

"Together, we can keep saving lives. With your help, Cork’s most vulnerable cats will have a future worth living."

The charity says that every donation, no matter how small, goes directly to:

- Veterinary bills, including neutering, emergency care, surgeries and medicine

- Food and litter for foster cats and kittens

- Equipment and supplies for Trap-Neuter-Return

LINK TO FUNDRAISER:

Yaaaaaassss 🔥 he's a national treasure!

The man. The myth. The Mattress Mick.

Anyways the film is called Retirement Plan, directed by John Kelly and voiced by Domhnall Gleeson (yes that Domhnall Gleeson) and was entirely done in Moho. The whole thing is 7 minutes long and it's on Disney (might just be on the Irish version but I know yous all know how a VPN works)