Serving the Celtic Communities of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Isle of Man, Corwall, Galicia

Scottish & Irish Society Of the Black Hills

Serving the Celtic Communities of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Isle of Man, Corwall, Galicia and Brittany

Saint Patrick (Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig)

Saint Patrick (Naomh Pádraig) was a Christian According to the latest reconstruction of the old Irish Missionary and is the Patron Saint of all Ireland - along annals, Patrick died in AD 493, a date accepted by some with Brigit of Kildare and Columba. Patrick was born in modern historians. Prior to the 1940s it was believed Roman Britain and when he was about sixteen he was without doubt that he died in 461 and thus had lived in captured by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, the first half of the 5th century. Decades of contention where he lived for six years before escaping and eventually ended with most historians now asserting that returning to his family. He entered the church, as his Patrick was most likely to have been active in the mid- father and grandfather had before him, becoming a to-late 5th century. Bishop and a Deacon. He later returned to Ireland as a While Patrick's own writings contain no dates, they do missionary, working in the north and west of the island, contain information which can be used to date them. but little is known about the places where he actually Patrick's quotations from the Acts of the Apostles follow worked and no link can be made with Patrick and any the Vulgate, strongly suggesting that his ecclesiastical church. By the eighth century he had become the patron conversion did not take place before the early fifth saint of Ireland. The Irish monastery system evolved century. Patrick also refers to the Franks as being pagan. after the time of Patrick and the Irish church did not Their conversion is dated to the period 496–508. The develop the diocesan model that Patrick and the other compiler of the Annals of Ulster stated that in the year early missionaries had tried to establish. 553: The available body of evidence does not allow the dates “I have found this in the Book of Cuanu: The relics of of Patrick's life to be fixed with certainty, but it appears Patrick were placed sixty years after his death in a shrine that he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the by Colum Cille. Three splendid halidoms were found in second half of the 5th Century. Two letters from him the burial-place: his goblet, the Angel's Gospel, and the survive, along with later hagiographies from the 7th Bell of the Testament. This is how the angel distributed Century onwards. Many of these works cannot be taken the halidoms: the goblet to Dún, the Bell of the as authentic traditions. Uncritical acceptance of the Testament to Ard Macha, and the Angel's Gospel to Annals of Ulster would imply that he lived from 373 to Colum Cille himself. The reason it is called the Angel's 493, and ministered in Northern Ireland from 433 Gospel is that Colum Cille received it from the hand of onwards. Patrick's position as a foreigner in Ireland was the angel.” not an easy one. His refusal to accept gifts from kings placed him outside the normal ties of kinship, fosterage Inside This Issue and affinity. Legally he was without protection, and he Volume 12, Issue 2 says that he was on one occasion beaten, robbed of all he had, and put in chains, perhaps awaiting execution. From the President 2 Writings on the life of Saint Patrick contain a supposed John Burke February 2008 prophecy by the Druids which gives an impression of Calendar of Events 2 how Patrick and other Christian missionaries were see by Inside this issue: Quote of the Day 2 those hostile to them: “Across the sea will come Adze-head, crazed in the head, The Burns Dinner By John Duggan 3 his cloak with hole for the head, his stick bent in the Irish Laws by Gary Hamilton 3 head. He will chant impieties from a table in the front of his Minutes From January 4 house; all his people will answer: "so be it, so be it.”

Quote of the Day Our lives improve only when we take chances - and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.

Walter Anderson

Calendar of Events

February 21st - 6:30 pm Board of Director’s meeting. Celtic Connection s\down stairs. February 21st - 7:30 pm Membership meeting and social. Celtic Connection down stairs.

March 15th, - 6 pm - St Patrick’s Day Celebration - At the Elks Lodge Down Stairs.

March 20th - 6:00 pm SIS board Meeting Celtic Connection March 20th - 7:00 pm SIS general Meeting and social. Program includes Frank VanNeys presenting “The Celts in America, A Historical Prospective”. Jim Kent from South Dakota Public Broadcasting has provided March 28th - 6:00 pm @ Dublin us a link to his South Dakota Square. Black Hills Symphony Radio’s broadcast about the Celtic fund raiser “All Fools Feast”. New Year and the Ceildh. If you want to hear it CLICK HERE. It’s really May 2nd & 3rd- Th’ Gaterin’ very good. Ancient Festival O’ Beltane-The Wakeeny Kansas Celtic Festival. Jim and Wila Kent from Hot Springs. A group of members from both SIS McLaughlin Clan and COA are going down for the Andrew (Bob) Irvine from Hill City weekend. Contact John Duggan Irvine of Drum Clan for details.

Welcome to our newest members and we hope you enjoy what we try to offer. FROM THE PREZ

First of all I would like to thank the members for electing me the president of SIS. It is truly an honor. Nancy is the president of the Sons of Norway so we will call this our presidential year.

Burns Dinner was an interesting affair on several fronts. We pulled it off and I think it went very well, The Men of Worth were fabulous and gave us our moneys worth. The Gary and Spenser Preping the Haggis Jim Burns Ode to the LeMays were equally as good as always. Lassies

St. Pat’s will also be something new and fresh. We are going to try the Elks Club for the venue, They’ll supply the basement which offers more seating, a stage, and will work with us on the menu. There will be entertainment and fun to be had. Men of Worth Please be active this year. We already have the spring meeting entertainment planned Siaryn’s Ode to the and it will be interesting, educational, and Haggis fun. On January 26th 2008 the Scottish and Irish Society held it’s annual Robert Burns Dinner. String Thaw and Erin Go Braugh Men of Worth put in a great performance for the sold John Burke out crowd. The dinner provided by the folks at the School of Mines and Technology’s Dinning Facility was awesome. Our heart felt thanks to them for their hard work. Men of Worth put on an outstanding show The Burns Dinner that lasted until 10 pm and was non-stop great entertainment. I didn’t see anyone leave during their performance. Jim Byrnes did a truly outstanding and Only An Irishman eloquent “Ode the Lassies” and Aliyah Sanders retort was inspired. Siaryn Duggan’s ode to the Haggis again A quote from George Donaldson. brought visions of Robert Burns first performance.

Having been to America, I now understand why you yanks eat mainly with forks. While the pioneers were traveling in the covered wagons, they ran out of knifes throwing them at the Indians. every year for the Sturgis Motor Cycle Rally. Realtors would like this law. ‘How many things add to the price of land? A wood, Irish Law - Mary Dowling Daley presented by Gary Hamilton a mine, the site of a mill, a highway a road, a IRISH LAWS great sea, a cooling pond for cattle. Add three This will seem to be more of a book report than cows to the price if it is near a chieftain’s anything else. So be it! house or a monastery.’ The book, IRISH LAWS, is a title ‘The husband who through listlessness, available in our SIS library. The library will be does not go to his wife in her bed must pay a more accessible than it has been in a couple of fine.’ I have heard that Celtic women can be years. Pat Hamilton, our SIS librarian (and demanding. librarian in real life), will be setting up shelves More on the subject of amore, ‘If a at the Celtic Connection. Members will be able woman makes an assignation with a man to to check out materials at monthly meetings. come to her in bed or behind a bush, the man is Back to IRISH LAWS. Mary Dowling not considered guilty if she screams. If she has Daley has assembled a short text listing not agreed to a meeting, however, he is guilty traditional Irish laws. As Daley relates in the as soon as she screams.’ introduction, these rules for living have existed ‘It is illegal to give someone food in through tradition for some 3000 years. They which has been found a dead mouse or weasel.’ were first recorded, however, in about 600 AD. Ergo, we can thank the Irish for establishment The recorded laws were used up into the 17th of the FDA. Century. The set of ‘barbarous’ and ‘lewd’ The seminal public safety law, ‘The laws was prohibited by the conquering British blacksmith must rouse all sleeping customers and the Catholic church. Most texts were before he puts iron in the fire. This is to guard subsequently destroyed. against injury by sparks.’ However, unlike US Fortunately a few manuscripts survived laws, ‘Those who fall asleep again will receive the purge. They have been donated to various no compensation for injuries.’ libraries and universities. Scholars have And finally, for those of us nearing interpreted them from the old Gaelic. We have retirement, ‘When you become old your family the privilege of reading a number of quaint, must provide you with one oatcake a day, plus sometimes humorous translations of the Irish a container of sour milk.’ We can be thankful laws in Daley’s book. that it is not a rice cake. ‘Every three years the roads must be IRISH LAWS is a very short book. It is cleared of brambles, weeds and water to about 60 pages on 4x6 inch paper, but is worth prepare for the great assembly.’ For us in the read for the historical perspective as well western South Dakota our roads are cleared the droll comedy. Officers and Board of Directors President John Burke [email protected] Vice President Kerry Smith Secretary Heather Payden (Sally Knight, co- secretary) Treasurer Carole Conrad Serving the Celtic Communities of Board Members Aliyah Sanders, John Duggan, Jim Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Isle of Man, Byrne, Paul Smith Cornwall, Galicia and Brittany Past President Bill Knight PO Box 765, Membership Sally Knight Rapid City, SD 57709-0765 Web Site Gary Hamilton Newsletter John Duggan [email protected] Phone: 605-381-1500 E-mail: [email protected] If you would like to contribute an article or story, list an We’re on the Web at event, submit a photo, etc. to the newsletter, please email www.blackhillscelticevents.com the item to me by the 5th of each month.

SIS Board Meeting 1-17-08 Treasurers Report-$1962 Net loss of $1055. Took in $1150 in dues. Old Business A. Elections-Heather and sally-secretary- John Burke-president, Kerry Smith-VP Jim burns- board, Paul smith-board, John Duggan-board, Aliyah Sanders -board Carole Conrad-treasure Bill Knight - past president Ayes have it. B. Burns Dinner -Not sure about having it at Dublin Square. Under age attendees need to be gone at 10 o'clock. Roast beef minty peas. School of mines catering. We have to bring the Haggis and desserts. Decorating!! 1 o'clock on that Sat. Mention of the Guinness Kegs lifted the mood of this lot. C. Hogmanny-Close to breaking even. D. IS and COA merger? Copy the COA bylaws on the next newsletter please or link to website. Committee-John Burke John Burnes Mark Rowland Aliyah Sanders Carol Conrad Susan and Pete Peterson. The SIS Library is now ready. Books can be lent out from the checkout. Allocate $100 for storage. Work party is Sally Pat Bill Laurie Cregun. New Business- A. St Patrick’s Day-parade dinner and ceili. Get together with COA? Worth looking at. Decide next month. John Burnes and Jim Burke Pat. Standing Business A. Fund Raising- B. Website- C. Next 3 months programs-Feb. Meeting-Susan program on the bagpipes. Meeting Ajourned