The Unfinished Revolution

Well I have continued reading Morgan Llywelen's series on Ireland in the 20th century. most recently with 1972, which starts in 1949 where the last book leaves off, and follows Ursula Halloran's fortunes and focuses on her son, Barry as he struggles with the Republican legacy he inherited from his Grandfather Ned Halloran, who fought in the Easter Rising in 1916 and the subsequent civil war. Barry joins the IRA and takes part in some border raids where he is baptized by fire and finds his idealism confronted by the reality of war. The story climaxes with Bloody Sunday in Derry in 1972.


I always had a pretty superficial understanding of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, but this book does a good job of painting a picture of the situation and how complex and horrifying it was. The IRA had been pretty weak and powerless for quite a while, and the Catholics in the Six Counties in the North were pretty much at the mercy of the Protestant, Loyalist and Unionist forces who beat, killed and burned out poor Catholic families with impunity. When the violence got out of hand, the British sent troops in which the Catholics at first welcomed, thinking they would be afforded some measure of protection. They were quick to realize that the British troops were on the side of the Protestants and did nothing to protect them.


Couple this with the fact that the government of the Republic did everything they could to suppress and destroy the IRA, the Volunteers, as they called themselves, were not safe anywhere. They saw their mission to be to make life as difficult as possible for the British forces, government of Northern Ireland and paramilitary groups who were making life miserable for Catholics in the North. The Provisional IRA, or Provos, broke off from the Official IRA, basically over the use of force. The Official IRA was more interested in the political process than in taking action in the North.


Well pretty soon there is violence everywhere, and while the IRA gets most of the bad press, there are some horrifying acts committed by Orange and Green alike, and it is easy to see why there is so much bitterness and rancor on both sides. I am currently reading the sequel, 1999 which culminates with the Good Friday Accord. The fact that there ever was an agreement is amazing, given all the bloodshed and violence that took place.

Currently Playing:

World of Warcraft (back again)

Currently Listening to:

The Clancy Brothers
The Aquabats
XM 53 Fungus

Last Movie Seen:

Get Smart

I loved it, thought Steve Carrell played it just right, not over the top, which would have been easy to do - it could have been a Saturday Night Live skit easily.

Trying to Reconnect

I find myself doing a lot of poking around on the internet these days trying to reconnect with folks I haven't seen in a long time, more specifically - people I went to junior high with at Lanier. I went to Lanier Junior High between 1979 and 1981 and had a really great circle of friends, but we all went seperate directions for high school. Some went to Bellaire, some to HSPVA. I have had a little luck, but not much - a dead end email address or two (either that or they didn't want to talk to me) and someone who will not write back.

At any rate, I thought I would post a few names of people I am trying to reconnect with in the off chance that either someone might know them or someone might be googling themselves.

Kurt Schade
Scott McEver
Reagan Wilkins
Ken Odle
Gwynneth Nolan
Nelly Kish
Krista Polk
Rachel Raun
Karen Hart
Joy Francisco
Eric VonDohlen
Barbara Rodriguez
Robert Whyburn

Currently Reading:

Next - Michael Crichton

Currently Listening to:

Dropkick Murphy - Live on St. Patrick's Day
The Best of Billie Holiday

Currently Playing:

Guitar Hero II

Last Movie I Saw:

Speed Racer

I really enjoyed it - more than I thought I would, but then again I never missed it as a kid.

To XM or not to XM

We bought a new vehicle right before Christmas last year, a Saturn Vue, and it came with an interesting feature, a three month free trial period of XM radio. Now, I figured I would enjoy it for free, but didn't think I would be motivated enough to actually subscribe.

Part of my problem with radio is that I have such eclectic, wide ranging tastes, and like most people, I also get bored with repetition. Take rock radio, for example. Here in Houston there are not really many options. There's the Arrow, that is heavily 70's oriented classic rock, the 80's station that plays a very narrow batch of stuff, mainly the new wave bands, Pat Benatar, Bryan Adams, you get the picture. 103.7, the station that used to be KLOL-type album rock is now Jack-FM, which seems to be a mix station by another name, and other than the moldy oldies and top 40, that is it. Now a few of those stations may sound good on paper, but they have a limited play list that they repeat over and over, and after a few days you have heard it all (many times). Sad, huh.

Let's compare that to XM, shall we? It's hard to know where to start really. Sticking to our rock comparison, we will examine the beginning of the dial where there is a station devoted to the 60's one for the 70's and one for the 80's, and one for the 90's. My wife listens to the 60's and 70's stations a bit and they aren't bad, but are a little more pop oriented (this is more obvious on the 70's station). The stations that get the most play when we are in the car together are Top Tracks and Big Tracks. Top tracks is rock from the 60's and 70's, while Big Tracks is rock from the 70's and 80's. They both play a good balance, and Big Tracks, for example, plays a lot of music that got airplay in the 80's quite a bit but didn't make it to the oldies stations. It sounds a great deal like what KLOL did in the mid 80's. I have heard songs on Big Tracks that I haven't heard since the 80's. While those stations are good, there is sooo much more. there is a station for every category: general heavy metal, 80's metal, new metal, classic alternative, new alternative, grunge, obscure classic rock, acoustic rock, and even punk gets it own station. So you see there is a wide variety of stations for whatever you are in the mood for, and speaking of different moods, lets explore a little wider.

There are a lot more stations to choose from, and I'm not always in the mood for rock. There is actually a real Jazz station, not just that smooth jazz stuff (there's one of those if you want). Also, I like opera, but on broadcast radio one is limited. 88.7 usually broadcasts opera on Saturdays around noon, but that's it. XM has a whole station devoted to just Opera and vocal music, where they play whole operas, as well as lieder, choral music, and similar things. I also find myself listening to the stand-up comedy channels quite a bit.

Well, as you can see, I found myself enjoying XM quite a bit more than I thought I would, and when our free trial was up we did subscribe.

currently reading:

Blowfly - Patricia Cornwell
Dubliners - James Joyce


currently listening to:

Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
Dropkick Murphys - Meanest of Times
Flogging Molly - Float
XM112 - Vox - the opera station

Looking for:

1972 and 1999 by Morgan Llywellyn

Currently playing:

Need For Speed Pro Street - PC
Guitar Hero III - XBox 360

Just in Time for St. Patrick's Day

My reading of late has included a number of books by Morgan Llywelyn, covering a number of different aspects of Irish history. Until recently though, most of these have been from Eire's distant, sometimes mythical past, including Cuchulainn, Finn Mac Cool, and more recently, Brian Boru, the king who came closer than anyone ever had before or since to creating a completely united Ireland, til his death at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.

I have recently been reading a series dealing with more recent matters beginning with the book "1916". I am actually not finished with it yet, but it has inspired me to do alot of further research and reading. The book centers around events leading up to the Easter Uprising in, of course, 1916. The story begins a number of years earlier with the character of Ned Halloran, who is on his way to America for his sister's wedding, and is unfortunately taking this voyage on the Titanic. The book follows Ned as he goes off to boarding school, and as he becomes a part of life in Dublin, which includes immersion into the politics and factions in town. He becomes involved in an assortment of revolutionary groups that end up being an integral part in the ultimately unsuccessful Easter Uprising in 1916, in which a number of key buildings in Dublin are seized by revolutionaries, but eventually crushed by the British, leading to the execution of several of the key leaders, but ends up bringing to prominence several other revolutionaries including Michael Collins and Eamon De Valera.

I have never known that much about recent Irish history other than what I saw on the news, but this book has done a good job of cutting though and explaining all the different factions and their disagreements and sorting out all the different groups, while making it all real and immersing the reader in the whole scene. Sinn Fein really is separate from the IRA, just like they always said - who knew?

1916 is just the first book in the series that follows the fate of the Irish throughout the 20th century and their quest for Independence from Britain, the tumult of the civil war that followed, and all the way through the troubles centered around Northern Ireland culminating in the Good Friday Accord. It has encouraged me to learn more on my own, and to me that is one of the hallmarks of a good book. On a related note, I would also recommend the movie "Michael Collins" starring Liam Neeson, with Neeson as the title character. It starts with the end of the Easter Uprising following Collins through his exploits in the war against Britain and the civil war that followed. It also stars Julia Roberts and Alan Rickman. Warning - it is a bit violent, but then again, given the subject matter, that is to be expected.

Also Flogging Molly is in town tonight promoting their new album "Float", but having been sick, I am unable to go. It's a really good album though, their first one recorded in Ireland, and has a mature sound to it, and Dave King's thought provoking lyrics. Check it out if you have the chance.

A Thanksgiving Repost

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and offer an excerpt from Peter Marshall's The Light and the Glory on the first Thanksgiving and the events leading up to it.

If any one event could be singled out to mark the turning point of their (the Pilgrim's) fortunes, it would have been what happened on a fair Friday in the middle of March. The men were gathered in the common house to conclude their conference on military instruction, when the cry went up, "Indian coming!" Captain Standish shook his head, even as he went to look out the window - to see a tall, well-built Indian, wearing nothing but a leather loincloth striding up their main street.

"Welcome!", he boomed in a deep, resonant voice. The Pilgrims were too startled to speak. At length. they replied with as much gravity as they could muster: "Welcome."

"Have you got any beer?" he asked them in flawless English. If they were surprised before, they were astonished now. The Pilgrims looked at one another, then turned back to him. "Our beer is gone. Would you like some ... brandy? The Indian nodded. They brought him some brandy, and a biscuit with butter and cheese, and then some pudding and a piece of roast duck. To their continuing amazement, he ate with evident relish everything set before him. Where had he developed such an appetite for English food? How, in fact, had he come to speak English? For that matter, who was he and what was he doing here? But they would have to wait, for obviously he did not intend to talk until he had finished his repast. Finally the time for answering questions came. His name was Samoset. He was a sagamore (or chief) of the Algonquins, from what is now Pemaquid Point in Maine. He had been visiting these parts for the past eight months, having begged a ride down the coast with Captain Thomas Dermer, an English sea captain who was known to the Pilgrims by reputation. He had been sent out to explore the coast for the Council for New England, the company to whom they would now be applying for a patent. Apparently Samoset's sole motivation was a love of travel, and he had learned his English from various fishing captains who had put in to the Maine shore over the years. Now they asked the crucial question: What could he tell them of the Indians hereabouts? And the story he told gave every one of them cause to thank God in their hearts.

This area had always been the Territory of the Patuxets, a large hostile tribe who had barbarously murdered every white man who had landed on their shores. But four years prior to the Pilgrims' arrival, a mysterious plague had broken out among them, killing every man, woman, and child. So complete was the devastation that the neighboring tribes had shunned the area ever since, convinced that some great supernatural spirit had destroyed the Patuxets. Hence the cleared land on which they settled literally belonged to no one! Their nearest neighbors, said Samoset, were the Wampanoags, some fifty miles to the southwest. These Indians numbered about sixty warriors. Massasoit, their sachem (or chief) had such great wisdom that he also ruled over several other small tribes in the general area. And it was with Massasoit that Samoset had spent most of the past eight months. Who were the Indians out on the Cape who had attacked them? These were the Nausets, who numbered about a hundred warriors. The previous summer they had attacked Captain Dermer and killed three of his men. The Nausets hated the white man, because several years before one Captain Thomas Hunt had tricked seven of their braves into coming aboard his ship on the pretext of wanting to trade with them. He had taken them, along with twenty Patuxets , to Spain, where he had sold them into slavery.

By the time he was done with his tale telling, it was nightfall. Samoset announced that he would sleep with them, and return in the morning. Captain Standish put a discreet watch on him, but Samoset slept the sleep of the untroubled. And in he morning he left, bearing a knife, a bracelet, and a ring as gifts to Massasoit. That was the last they saw of him until the following Thursday , when he returned accompanied by another Indian who also spoke English, and was of all things, a Patuxet! The second Indian was Squanto, and he was there to be according to Bradford, "a special instrument sent of God for their good, beyond their expectation." The extraordinary chain of "coincidences" in this man's life is in its own way no less extraordinary than the saga of Joseph's being sold into slavery in Egypt. Indeed in the ensuing months, their was not a doubt in any of their hearts that Squanto, whose Indian name was Tisquantum, was a Godsend.

] His story really began in 1605, when Squanto and four other were taken captive by Captain George Weymouth. The Indians were taken to England, where they were taught English. When Squanto finally managed to make it back home and stepped ashore six months before the Pilgrims arrived, he received the most tragic blow of his life: not a man, woman, or child of his tribe was left alive! Nothing but skulls, bones, and ruined dwellings remained. In despair he wandered into Massasoit's camp, because he had nowhere else to go. And that chief, understanding his circumstances, took pity on him. But Squanto merely existed, having lost all reason for living. That is, that was his condition until Samoset brought news of a small colony of peaceful English families who were so hard pressed to stay alive, let alone plant a colony at Patuxet. A light seemed to come back into Squanto's eye, and he accompanied Samoset when the latter came to Plymouth as Massasoit's interpreter, for the chief himself had come, with all sixty warriors painted in startling fashion.

Out of this meeting came a peace treaty of mutual aid and assistance which would last for forty years and would be a model for many that would be made thereafter. Massasoit was a remarkable example of God's providential care for His Pilgrims. He was probably the only other chief on the northeast coast of America who (like Powhatan to the south) would have welcomed the white man as a friend. When Massasoit and his entourage finally left, Squanto stayed. He had found his reason for living. These English were like little babes, so ignorant they were of the ways of the wild. Well, he could certainly do something about that! The next day he went out and came back with all the eels he could hold in his hands - which the Pilgrims found to be "fat and sweet" and excellent eating. How had he ever caught them? He took several young men with him and taught them how to squash the eels out of the mud with their bare feet and catch them with their hands. But the next thing he showed them was by far the most important, for it would save every one of their lives. April was corn planting month in New England as well as Virginia. Squanto showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn the Indian way, hoeing six foot squares in toward the center, putting down four or five kernels, and fertilizing the corn with fish. At that, the Pilgrims just shook their heads; in four months they had caught exactly one cod. No matter, said Squanto cheerfully; in four days the creeks would be overflowing with fish. The Pilgrims cast a baleful eye on their amazing friend, who seemed to have adopted them. But Squanto ignored them and instructed the young men in how to make the wiers they would need to catch the fish. Obediently the men did as he told them, and four days later the creeks for miles around were clogged with alewives making their spring run. The Pilgrims did not catch them, they harvested them! Now the corn was planted. Pointing spoke-like toward the center of each mound were three fishes, their heads almost touching. Now said Squanto, they would have to guard against wolves, adding that the wolves would attempt to steal the fish. The Pilgrims would have to guard it for two weeks, until it had a chance to decompose. And so they did and that summer twenty full acres of corn began to flourish. Squanto helped in a thousand similar ways, teaching them how to stalk deer, plant pumpkins among the corn, refine maple syrup from maple trees, discern which herbs were good to eat and good for medicine, and find the best berries. But after the corn there was one other specific thing he did which was of inestimable importance for their survival. What little fishing they had done was a failure, and any plan for them to fish commercially was a certain fiasco. So Squanto introduced them to the pelt of the beaver, which was then in plentiful supply in northern New England, and in great demand throughout Europe. And not only did he get them started, but he guided in the trading, making sure they got their full money's worth in top-quality pelts. This would prove to be their economic deliverance, just as corn would be their physical deliverance. The Pilgrims were brimming over with gratitude - not only to Squanto and the Wampanoags who had been so friendly, but to their God. In Him they had trusted, and he had honored their obedience beyond their dreams. So Governor Bradford declared a day of public Thanksgiving, to be held in October. Massasoit was invited, and unexpectedly arrived a day early, with ninety Indians! Counting their numbers, the Pilgrims had to pray hard to keep from giving in to despair. To feed such a crowd would cut deeply into the food supply that was supposed to get them through the winter. But if they had learned one thing through their travels, it was to trust God implicitly. As is turned out, the Indians were not arriving empty handed. Massasoit had commanded his braves to hunt for the occasion, and they arrived with no less than five dressed deer and more than a dozen fat wild turkeys! And they helped them with preparations, teaching the Pilgrim women how to make hoecakes, and a tasty pudding out of cornmeal and maple syrup. Finally they showed them an Indian delicacy: how to roast corn kernels in an earthen pot until they popped, fluffy and white - popcorn! The Pilgrims in turn provided many vegetables from their household gardens: carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, cucumbers, radishes, beets, and cabbages. Also using some of their precious flour, they took summer fruits which the Indians had dried and introduces them to the likes of blueberry, apple, and cherry pie. It was all washed down with sweet wine made from wild grapes. A joyous occasion for all! Between meals, the Pilgrims and Indians happily competed in shooting contests with gun and bow. The Indians were especially delighted that John Alden and some of the younger men of the plantation were eager to join them in foot races and wrestling. There were even military drills staged by Captain Standish. Things went so well (and Massasoit showed no inclination to leave) that Thanksgiving day was extended for three days.

Surely one moment stood out in the Pilgrims' memory - William Brewster's prayer as they began the festival. They had so much for which to thank God: for providing all their needs, even when their faith had not been up to believing that he would do so; for the lives of the departed, and for taking them home to be with Him; for their friendship with the Indians - so extraordinary when the settlers to the south had experienced the opposite; for all his remarkable Providences in bringing them to this place and sustaining them.

As I said earlier, this excerpt was taken from Peter Marshall's excellent book, The Light and the Glory, the first in a series he wrote on American history.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Like I Need More Books...

I have recently discovered an author whose books I have been trying to track down. Her name is Morgan Llywellen and she writes about all things Irish. Her fiction usually gets put in the fantasy section, but covers a variety of different topics, some historical fiction both recent and reaching back to the dawn of Irish history, some based on mythological figures. The first book of hers I read is 'Druids' and it is the story of the Celtic tribes of Gaul, focusing on a tribe in northern Gaul around present-day Chartres where the sacred druid grove was. The tale centers around Ainvar, the Chief Druid and his friendship with Vercingetorix, the warrior who united the Celtic Gauls against Julius Caesar and the Romans. A fascinating story of the Gallic wars from the other perspective. It did make me want to find a translation of Caesar's 'The Gallic Wars' which I haven't done yet. The sequel to it dealt with Ainvar and his tribe fleeing Gaul for Ireland after the Roman's victory and the capture of Vercingetorix. I found a couple more at Half-Price Books dealing with Cuchulain and Finn Mac Cool. Irish history and mythology has always fascinated me but I have never known where to start, and it's funny to see all the old familiar place names that I knew from playing Hibernian characters in Dark Age of Camelot come to life and find out about the real places they were based on. Of course it is readily apparent that Irish history and mythology have a habit of intertwining and it's not always easy to tell what is truth and what is myth.

music I'm currently listening to:

Ella Fitzerald

books I am currently reading:

Star Wars: Truce at Bakura
Red Branch by Morgan Llywellyn
Ragamuffin Gospel (yes, again) by Brennan Manning
(I was inspired by his recent visit to our church for a weekend conference)

currently playing:

World of Warcraft

Evan Almighty

My wife and I recently went to see Evan Almighty, and I thought I would give my take on the film, which was enjoyable, but had some pleasant surprises in it. Seeing as how Tom Shadyac directed it, and having seen Bruce Almighty, I had a good idea what to expect. Shadyac is the director responsible for Ace Ventura, Liar,Liar, and Bruce Almighty, So I expected his trademark brand of irreverent humor, but this film has more to it than meets the eye. Steve Carell plays Evan Baxter, a former news anchor who gets elected to congress, and has just moved into his new home in a DC suburb when strange things start happening. It culminates with Morgan Freeman, reprising his role of God, showing up to inform Evan that he wants him to build an ark. Steve Carell is funny, playing Evan, a smart dressing, neat freak who starts growing a beard he cannot shave off, and some of the plot is kind of predictable, but still very funny. I don't watch The Office, but I am familiar with Carell and think he is a good fit for this movie.
The comedy aspect of Evan Almighty was funny, but pretty much what I expected. What I didn't expect was the attitude of the film towards things of God. I did not hear the cynicism I thought I would when topics such as prayer and faith were brought up, but the pleasant surprise was Morgan Freeman's expositions as God. In a scene with Evan's wife, God explains, that "when you pray for patience, I don't fill you with patience, I give you the opportunity to exercise patience. When you pray for your family to be closer, I don't fill you with warm, fuzzy feelings, I create situations that will help your family grow closer together." ( I don't have the quote exactly right, but you get the idea)
This is also a family friendly film with no sexual innuendo or foul language to speak of so I would highly recommend this movie. The closest thing to questionable is a scene where Evan eschews his Noah robe God provided him and puts his suit back on, which dissappears as soon as he steps out his front door, much to the surprise of the female Postal Carrier on the sidewalk. It's a lot of fun. There are some hysterical animal scenes, and John Goodman is a good heavy. Wanda Sykes is actually not as irritating as usual either.