#Proclamation of the Irish Republic

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1916 – The Pivotal Irish Insurrection against British Rule in Ireland Commences.

The Easter Rising of 1916 had little chance of success (which its leaders knew) and initially had limited support from the Irish population, but a series of major mis-steps by British authorities lit a fuse that ultimately forced Britain to withdraw from 26 counties just six years later. Timeline: At noon, Pádraig Pearse reads the Proclamation of the Irish Republic outside the General Post Office…

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … November 10

1855 – Quaker poet and critic, Rufus Griswold, denounces Walt Whitman as a "scurvy fellow...indulging the vilest imaginings"

In the November 10, 1855, issue of The Criterion, Griswold anonymously reviewed the first edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, declaring: "It is impossible to image how any man's fancy could have conceived such a mass of stupid filth". Griswold charged that Whitman was guilty of "the vilest imaginings and shamefullest license", a "degrading, beastly sensuality." Referring to Whitman's poetry, Griswold said he left "this gathering of muck to the laws which... must have the power to suppress such gross obscenity." He ended his review with a phrase in Latin referring to "that horrible sin, among Christians not to be named", the stock phrase long associated with Christian condemnations of sodomy.

Griswold was the first person in the 19th century to publicly point to and stress the theme of erotic desire and acts between men in Whitman's poetry.

1879 – Patrick Pearse (also known as Pádraic or Pádraig Pearse (d.1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916. Following his execution along with fifteen other leaders, Pearse came to be seen by many as the embodiment of the rebellion.

When the Easter Rising began on Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, it was Pearse who read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic from the steps of the General Post Office, the headquarters of the rising. After six days of fighting, heavy civilian casualties and great destruction of property, Pearse issued the order to surrender.

Pearse and fourteen other leaders, including his brother Willie, were court-martialled and executed by firing squad. Thomas Clarke, Thomas MacDonagh and Pearse himself were the first of the rebels to be executed, on the morning of 3 May 1916. Pearse was 36 years old at the time of his death. Roger Casement, who had tried unsuccessfully to recruit an insurgent force among Irish-born prisoners of war from the Irish Brigade in Germany, was hanged in London the following August.

The suggestion that the unmarried Pearse, a hero of Irish nationalism, may have been homosexual, has drawn fierce opposition from some Irish people. However, his biographer Ruth Dudley Edwards is clear that although celibate, he was undoubtedly physically attracted to young men men and boys.

1879 – The poet and influential critic Vachel Lindsay was born on this date (d.1931). His exuberant recitation of some of his work led some critics to compare it to jazz poetry despite his persistent protests. Because of his use of American Midwest themes he also became known as the "Prairie Troubador."

Lindsay's fame as a poet grew in the 1910s. Because Harriet Monroe showcased him with two other Illinois poets — Carl Sandburg and Edgar Lee Masters — his name became linked to theirs. The success of either of the other two, in turn, seemed to help the third.

Edgar Lee Masters published a biography of Lindsay in 1935 (four years after its subject's death) entitled 'Vachel Lindsay: A Poet in America'. In 1915, Lindsay gave a poetry reading to President Woodrow Wilson and the entire Cabinet. Lindsay was well known throughout the nation, and especially in Illinois, because of his travels which were sometimes recorded in the front page of every newspaper.

He is probably best known for this poetic apostrophe to the Salvation Army in "General William Booth Enters Heaven," although it is questionable whether he ever made it past the pearly Gates himself, since he not only liked boys too much , but also ended his days a suicide.

In his 40s, Lindsay lost his heart to the dazzlingly good-looking Australian composer and pianist, Percy Grainger, as had the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg before him.

Lindsay killed himself (horribly, swallowing Lysol) in 1931, the year before Hart Crane leapt into the sea. His only biography was published during the Eisenhower years, a decade before homosexuality was officially invented. If it took biographers almost a century to acknowledge Whitman's Gayness, Lindsay should be due for a really serious biography around 2021.

Lindsay is credited with having "discovered" the poet Langston Hughes while staying at the Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. Lindsay was dining in the hotel restaurant and the young Hughes was his busboy. When Hughes came to take his food away he left a number of his poems at Lindsay's table. Lindsay, upon reading them, was moved to declare the next day in his daily column to having "discovered a great Negro American poet." It launched Hughes' career.

1913 – James Broughton (d.1999) was an American poet, and poetic filmmaker. He was part of the San Francisco Renaissance. He was an early bard of the Radical Faeries as well as a charter member of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence serving her community as Sister Sermonetta.

Born to wealthy parents, he lost his father early to the 1918 influenza epidemic and spent the rest of his life getting over his high-strung, overbearing mother.

Before he was three, "Sunny Jim" experienced a transformational visit from his muse, Hermy, which he describes in his autobiography, Coming Unbuttoned (1993):

I remember waking in the dark and hearing my parents arguing in the next room. But a more persistent sound, a kind of whirring whistle, spun a light across the ceiling. I stood up in my crib and looked into the backyard. Over a neighbor's palm tree a pulsing headlamp came whistling directly toward me. When it had whirled right up to my window, out of its radiance stepped a naked boy. He was at least three years older than I but he looked all ages at once. He had no wings, but I knew he was angel-sent: his laughing beauty illuminated the night and his melodious voice enraptured my ears ... He insisted I would always be a poet even if I tried not to be ... Despite what I might hear to the contrary the world was not a miserable prison, it was a playground for a nonstop tournament between stupidity and imagination. If I followed the game sharply enough, I could be a useful spokesman for Big Joy.

Broughton was kicked out of military school for having an affair with a classmate, dropped out of Stanford before graduating, and spent time in Europe during the 1950s, where he received an award in Cannes from Jean Cocteau for the "poetic fantasy" of his film The Pleasure Garden, made in England with partner Kermit Sheets.

"Cinema saved me from suicide when I was 32 by revealing to me a wondrous reality: the love between fellow artists," Broughton wrote. This theme carried him through his 85 years. "It was as important to live poetically as to write poems."

Despite many love affairs during the San Francisco Beat Scene, Broughton put off marriage until age 49, when, steeped in his explorations of Jungian psychology, he married Susanna Hart in a three-day ceremony on the Pacific coast documented by his friend, the experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage. Susanna's theatrical background and personality made for a great playmate; they had two children. And they built a great community among the creative spirits of San Francisco.

In 1967s "summer of love," Broughton made a film, The Bed, a celebration of the dance of life which broke taboos against frontal nudity and won prizes at many film festivals. It rekindled Broughton's filmmaking and led to more tributes to the human body (The Golden Positions), the eternal child (This Is It), the eternal return (The Water Circle), the eternal moment (High Kukus), and the eternal feminine (Dreamwood). "These eternalities praised the beauty of humans, the surprises of soul, and the necessity of merriment," Broughton wrote.

In the Coming Unbuttoned, Broughton remarks on his love affairs with both men and women. Among his male lovers was gay activist Harry Hay.

Hermy appeared again to the older Broughton in the person of a twenty-five-year-old Canadian film student named Joel Singer. Broughton's meeting with Singer was a life-changing, life-determining moment that animated his consciousness with a power that lasted until his death. In Joel Singer he found a creative as well as emotional partner.

With Singer, Broughton traveled and made more films - Hermes Bird (1979), a slow-motion look at an erection shot with the camera developed to photograph atomic bomb explosions, The Gardener of Eden (1981), filmed when they lived in Sri Lanka, Devotions (1983), which takes delight in friendly things men can do together from the odd to the rapturous, and Scattered Remains (1988), a cheerfully death-obsessed tribute to Broughton's poetry and filmmaking.

He died in May, 1999 with champagne on his lips, in the house in Port Townsend, Washington where he and Joel lived for 10 years. Before he died, he said, "My creeping decrepitude has crept me all the way to the crypt." His gravestone in a Port Townsend cemetery reads, "Adventure - not predicament."

God and Fuck belong together Both are sacred and profane God (the Divine) a dirty word used for damning Fuck (the sublime) a dirty term of depredation God and Fuck are so much alike they might be synonymous glories I'd even go so far as to say God is the Fuck of all Fucks And boy He has a Body like you've never seen - From Special Deliveries by James Broughton

Richard Burton (R) with Elizabeth Taylor

1925 – Richard Burton, CBE (born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.;d.1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable performance of Hamlet in 1964. He was called "the natural successor to Olivier" by critic and dramaturge Kenneth Tynan. An alcoholic, Burton's failure to live up to those expectations disappointed critics and colleagues and fuelled his legend as a great thespian wastrel.

Burton was nominated for an Academy Award seven times, but never won an Oscar. He was a recipient of BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Tony Awards for Best Actor. In the mid-1960s, Burton ascended into the ranks of the top box office stars. By the late 1960s, Burton was one of the highest-paid actors in the world, receiving fees of $1 million or more plus a share of the gross receipts. Burton remains closely associated in the public consciousness with his second wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor. The couple's turbulent relationship was rarely out of the news.

Burton was married five times, twice consecutively to Taylor. From 1949 until 1963, he was married to Sybil Williams. His marriages to Taylor lasted from 15 March 1964 to 26 June 1974 and from 10 October 1975 to 29 July 1976. Their first wedding was at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Montreal. Of their marriage, Taylor proclaimed, "I'm so happy you can't believe it. This marriage will last forever." Their second wedding took place sixteen months after their divorce, in Chobe National Park in Botswana. Taylor and Eddie Fisher adopted a daughter from Germany, Maria Burton (born 1 August 1961), who was re-adopted by Burton after he and Taylor married. Burton also re-adopted Taylor and producer Mike Todd's daughter, Elizabeth Frances "Liza" Todd (born 6 August 1957), who had been first adopted by Fisher.

Burton acknowledged homosexual experiences as a young actor on the London stage in the 1950s. In a February 1975 interview with his friend, David Lewin, he said he "tried" homosexuality. He also suggested that perhaps all actors were latent homosexuals, and "we cover it up with drink". In 2000 Ellis Amburn's biography of Elizabeth Taylor suggested that Burton had an affair with Laurence Olivier and tried to seduce Eddie Fisher, although this was strongly denied by Burton's younger brother Graham Jenkins.

1955 – Roland Emmerich is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films, most of which are Hollywood productions filmed in English, have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide, more than those of any other European director. His films have grossed just over $1 billion in the United States, making him the country's 14th-highest grossing director of all time.

He began his work in the film industry by directing the film The Noah's Ark Principle as part of his university thesis and also co-founded Centropolis Entertainment in 1985 with his sister. He is a collector of art and an active campaigner for the lesbian and gay community, himself being openly gay. He is also a campaigner for an awareness of global warming and equal rights.

in 1990, Emmerich was hired to replace director Andrew Davis for the action movie Universal Soldier. The film was released in 1992, and has since been followed by two direct-to-video sequels, a theatrical sequel, and another sequel released in 2010.

Emmerich next helmed the 1994 science-fiction film Stargate. At the time, it set a record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film released in the month of October. It became more commercially successful than most film industry insiders had anticipated, and spawned a highly popular media franchise.

Emmerich then directed Independence Day, an alien invasion feature that became the first film to gross $100 million in less than a week and went on to become one of the most successful films of all time. His next film, the much-hyped Godzilla, did not meet its anticipated box office success and was largely panned by critics. Taking a short break from science-fiction, Emmerich next directed the American Revolutionary War film The Patriot.

After teaming up with new writing partner Harald Kloser, Emmerich returned once again to directing a visual effects-laden adventure with 2004's The Day After Tomorrow. Soon afterwards, he founded Reelmachine, another film production company based in Germany.

Emmerich's most recent efforts have been 10,000 BC, a film about the journeys of a prehistoric tribe, and 2012, an apocalyptic film inspired by the theory that the Mayans prophesied the world's ending in 2012.

In 2006, he pledged $150,000 to the Legacy Project, a campaign dedicated to Gay and Lesbian film preservation. Emmerich, who is openly Gay, made the donation on behalf of Outfest, making it the largest gift in the festival's history.

1986 – Andy Mientus is an American stage and television actor. He is known for his role as Kyle Bishop in the television series Smash.

Mientus has toured with the first national touring company of Spring Awakening as Hanschen and appeared in the 2012 Off-Broadway revival of Carrie: The Musical.

In 2013, Mientus was cast in season two of the musical drama television series Smash as series regular Kyle Bishop. Following the cancellation of Smash, Mientus and co-stars Jeremy Jordan and Krysta Rodriguez joined the cast of Hit List, the real-world staging of the fictional rock musical created for season two of Smash. The show ran for three performances on December 8—9 at 54 Below.

Mientus made his Broadway debut in the 2014 revival of Les Misérables as Marius.

In 2014, Mientus appeared in several episodes of the ABC Family series Chasing Life. That same year, he was cast in a recurring role on the CW series The Flash as the Pied Piper.

Mientus is openly bisexual. He is engaged to fellow Broadway actor Michael Arden. Mientus and Arden both planned to propose to each other on the same exact day while on a trip in England. Michael had planned a scavenger hunt for Andy to complete and eventually lead to a proposal. However, Andy was able to execute his proposal first. Andy's proposal was a video of a young boy talking about marriage which quickly cut to all of their friends saying why Michael should say yes. The couple set the wedding to take place Autumn of 2015.

1992 – The Louisiana Baptist Convention voted 581-199 to exclude congregations which condone homosexuality. A similar resolution was approved the same day by the North Carolina State Baptist convention.

[shetheyshenanigans]

Sometimes I think about Irish independence and everything we went through to get here and I have to cry a little because we did SO MUCH, our very proclamation of nationhood and independence tells us we did,

"In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the past three hundred years they have asserted it in arms."

And I know that we are The Republic of Ireland, that we are our own people and our own government but my ancestors don't. Our ancestors and our generations past tried to win their freedom, fought for our country to be ours, and died before they saw the results. When they died, they were in The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and they never got to know themselves as citizens of the Republic of Ireland, Éire, ár dtír féin.

They gave so much for it and they never got to see our freedom.

[arts-dance]

25 Most Beautiful Libraries in the World

For travelers who love books and reading, there’s no place more enchanting than a big, beautiful library. Being surrounded by thousands of books is a dream for many, but there are some libraries that take things to the next level with their jaw-dropping interiors. These are the kinds of places that act like shrines to the written word, whether they are steeped in centuries of history or are the cutting edge of modern design.  To help you add to your bucketlist, we’ve compiled this list of the most beautiful libraries in the world, many of which could vie for the title of the world’s best library.

The Library of the Benedictine Monastery in Admont, Austria Admont Abbey Library in Admont, Austria There’s little doubt that one of the best libraries in the world is the glamorous Admont Abbey Library of Austria. Full of exquisite frescoes set within Baroque architecture, you only need to take one look at this library to see what makes it special. Pristinely decorated in white and gold, this Austrian library dates back to 1776, although the monastery itself is considerably older.  Besides its grandeur, Admont Abbey also holds the title of largest monastery library in the world, containing around 70,000 volumes. One detail that’s tough to miss is the series of frescoes by Bartolomeo Altomonte that cover each of the library’s seven cupolas.

Bookshelf inside Peabody Library a research library for John Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA George Peabody Library in Baltimore, Maryland, USA At a glance, one could easily mistake the George Peabody Library of Baltimore, Maryland, for a luxury hotel or venue. That should give you an idea of what kind of glamor we’re talking about with this library at Johns Hopkins University. Gazing up from its elegant marble floor past five tiers of balconies to its expansive skylights, it’s hard to believe this is a research-focused academic library and not something far more extravagant.  Interestingly, this library was funded in 1878 by philanthropist George Peabody as a resource open to the public. Today it houses nearly 300,000 volumes, earning it the nickname of “the Cathedral of Books” in Baltimore.

Library of the Mafra National Palace in Portugal Mafra Palace Library in Mafra, Portugal It seems incredible that the Mafra Palace Library is said to be the highlight of a visit to this Portuguese palace. After all, we’re talking about quite an immense and stately royal palace with centuries of history behind it. But when it houses a Rococo masterpiece like the Mafra Palace Library, with marble floors, an intricate ceiling, and books on ornate shelves lining its 88-meter-long hall, that’s absolutely the case.  The library in Mafra dates from 1755, but the collection spans from the 14th to 19th centuries and even includes some volumes that were added only by special permission from the Pope, due to their “forbidden” nature.

The Long Room in the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin. Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland A beautiful library that really needs no introduction is the ever-popular Trinity College Library at the university in Dublin. One of the most famous libraries in the world, Trinity College Library is a classic Dublin tourist attraction, with crowds from all over the world visiting to see the stacked shelves of its iconic Long Room. The most impressive building of the library is the Old Library, where the Long Room is found, which dates back to 1592.  Beyond its gorgeous wooden architecture and arched ceiling, what makes the library so important is its vast collection, including the historic Book of Kells and a copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic, not to mention the incredibly symbolic Brian Boru harp.

Abbey Library Saint Gall in Austria Abbey Library of Saint Gall in St. Gallen, Switzerland Although St. Gallen may not be one of the better-known towns in Switzerland, it hides a pretty major attraction overlooked by many. This underestimated feature is the UNESCO heritage-listed Abbey Library of Saint Gall, a worthy contender for the title of world’s most beautiful library.  The Abbey Library of Saint Gall originated in 719 AD, and among its considerable archives lie thousands of books and manuscripts from the Middle Ages. But it’s really the striking carved woodwork and sublime Rococo ceiling that will make you fall in love with this library. Royal Portuguese Reading Room in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil T photography / shutterstock.com

Royal Portuguese Reading Room in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Few associate South America with enchanting libraries, and that’s part of what makes the Royal Portuguese Reading Room of Rio such a delightful surprise. Built in 1837 to store the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal, it seems to have also adopted the Portuguese love of captivating libraries as well. Step into the main reading room of the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading and you’re sure to be overwhelmed by the dark woodwork and golden detail of its three stories of bookcases, not to mention the chandelier and stained-glass ceiling overhead.

National Library of the Girolamini Oratory in Naples, Italy The National Library of the Girolamini Oratory made headlines in 2013, although not for its rich interior or its status as one of the oldest libraries in Italy. Reports stated that the then-director and accomplices had looted the library, but fortunately most of the missing volumes were recovered following the arrests of the culprits. However, the news did rekindle a well-deserved interest in the 16th-century library. Rooms and halls inside the Biblioteca Girolamini vary in look, from modest rooms completely lined with historic wooden shelves to sublime chambers bearing magnificent fresco ceilings. Aerial view of main floor of the public Central Library in Seattle, USA Andriy Blokhin / shutterstock.com

Seattle Central Library in Seattle, Washington, USA While there are plenty of historic libraries that are beautiful, it’s possible to find beauty in modern ones as well, as the Seattle Central Library proves. Easily one of the coolest libraries in the world, the Seattle Central Library opened in 2004 in the city’s downtown area with a hyper-modern design. Still eye-catching today, the building is made of steel and glass, with an abstract design that’s just as interesting from the inside as the outside. The diamond-shaped lattice that wraps around its box-like design lets in lots of light, creating an open, fresh, and inviting feel uncommon with most libraries. Interior of new public library in Stuttgart, Germany Sasa Komlen / shutterstock.com

Stuttgart City Library in Stuttgart, Germany It’s difficult to imagine a more bright and contemporary public library than the Stuttgart City Library in Germany. In fact, since reopening in its new location in 2011, it’d be fair to say that this Stuttgart institution is a true contender for the distinction of best public library in the world.  The cube-like exterior of the library has drawn some strong public responses, but few could argue with the gleaming, minimalist main foyer of the library and its large central skylight. Some might even see in the library’s geometric heart a reminiscence of the incredible, dizzyingly patterned stepwells found in India.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 11.12 (before 1970)

954 – The 13-year-old Lothair III is crowned at the Abbey of Saint-Remi as king of the West Frankish Kingdom. 1028 – Future Byzantine empress Zoe takes the throne as empress consort to Romanos III Argyros. 1330 – Battle of Posada ends: Wallachian Voievode Basarab I defeats the Hungarian army by ambush. 1439 – Plymouth becomes the first town incorporated by the English Parliament. 1835 – Construction is completed on the Wilberforce Monument in Kingston Upon Hull. 1892 – Pudge Heffelfinger becomes the first professional American football player on record, participating in his first paid game for the Allegheny Athletic Association. 1893 – Abdur Rahman Khan accepts the Durand Line as the border between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the British Raj. 1905 – Norway holds a referendum resulting in popular approval of the Storting's decision to authorise the government to make the offer of the throne of the newly independent country. 1912 – First Balkan War: King George I of Greece makes a triumphal entry into Thessaloniki after its liberation from 482 years of Ottoman rule. 1912 – The frozen bodies of Robert Scott and his men are found on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. 1918 – Dissolution of Austria-Hungary: Austria becomes a republic. After the proclamation, a coup attempt by the communist Red Guard is defeated by the social-democratic Volkswehr. 1920 – The 1920 Cork hunger strike by Irish republicans ends after three deaths. 1920 – Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes sign the Treaty of Rapallo. 1927 – Leon Trotsky is expelled from the Soviet Communist Party, leaving Joseph Stalin in undisputed control of the Soviet Union. 1928 – SS Vestris sinks approximately 200 miles (320 km) off Hampton Roads, Virginia, killing at least 110 passengers, mostly women and children who die after the vessel is abandoned. 1933 – Nazi Germany uses a referendum to ratify its withdrawal from the League of Nations. 1936 – In California, the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens to traffic. 1938 – Nazi Germany issues the Decree on the Elimination of Jews from Economic Life prohibiting Jews from selling goods and services or working in a trade, totally segregating Jews from the German economy. 1940 – World War II: The Battle of Gabon ends as Free French Forces take Libreville, Gabon, and all of French Equatorial Africa from Vichy French forces. 1940 – World War II: Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov arrives in Berlin to discuss the possibility of the Soviet Union joining the Axis Powers. 1941 – World War II: Temperatures around Moscow drop to −12 °C (10 °F) as the Soviet Union launches ski troops for the first time against the freezing German forces near the city. 1941 – World War II: The Soviet cruiser Chervona Ukraina is destroyed during the Battle of Sevastopol. 1942 – World War II: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal between Japanese and American forces begins near Guadalcanal. The battle lasts for three days and ends with an American victory. 1944 – World War II: The Royal Air Force launches 29 Avro Lancaster bombers, which sink the German battleship Tirpitz, with 12,000 lb Tallboy bombs off Tromsø, Norway. 1948 – Aftermath of World War II: In Tokyo, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East sentences seven Japanese military and government officials, including General Hideki Tojo, to death for their roles in World War II. 1954 – Ellis Island ceases operations. 1956 – Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia join the United Nations. 1956 – In the midst of the Suez Crisis, Palestinian refugees are shot dead in Rafah by Israel Defense Force soldiers following the invasion of the Gaza Strip. 1958 – A team of rock climbers led by Warren Harding completes the first ascent of The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. 1961 – Terry Jo Duperrault is the sole survivor of a series of brutal murders aboard the ketch Bluebelle. 1969 – Vietnam War: Independent investigative journalist Seymour Hersh breaks the story of the My Lai Massacre.

[thewaltoncollection]

Thomas MacDonagh 1916 Poster: Remembering a Shining Intellectual Light

Who was Thomas MacDonagh, the poet and revolutionary leader who played a pivotal role in the Easter Rising of 1916? Born on February 1, 1878, in County Tipperary, he was not only a signatory of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic but also the Commandant of the 2nd Battalion of the Dublin Brigade. A dedicated educator and cultural advocate, MacDonagh’s commitment to Irish nationalism led to his execution on May 3, 1916, at the age of thirty-eight. To know more, read this blog and visit our website.

[celticcraftnaas]

Proclamation of the Irish Republic #1916 #easterrising

[poem-today]

A poem by Thomas MacDonagh

John-John

I dreamt last night of you, John-John, And thought you called to me; And when I woke this morning, John, Yourself I hoped to see; But I was all alone, John-John, Though still I heard your call; I put my boots and bonnet on, And took my Sunday shawl, And went full sure to find you, John, At Nenagh fair.

The fair was just the same as then, Five years ago to-day, When first you left the thimble-men And came with me away; For there again were thimble-men And shooting galleries, And card-trick men and maggie-men, Of all sorts and degrees; But not a sight of you, John-John, Was anywhere.

I turned my face to home again, And called myself a fool To think you'd leave the thimble-men And live again by rule, To go to mass and keep the fast And till the little patch; My wish to have you home was past Before I raised the latch And pushed the door and saw you, John, Sitting down there.

How cool you came in here, begad, As if you owned the place! But rest yourself there now, my lad, 'Tis good to see your face; My dream is out, and now by it I think I know my mind: At six o'clock this house you'll quit, And leave no grief behind; — But until six o'clock, John-John, My bit you'll share.

The neighbours' shame of me began When first I brought you in; To wed and keep a tinker man They thought a kind of sin; But now this three years since you've gone 'Tis pity me they do, And that I'd rather have, John-John, Than that they'd pity you, Pity for me and you, John-John, I could not bear.

Oh, you're my husband right enough, But what's the good of that? You know you never were the stuff To be the cottage cat, To watch the fire and hear me lock The door and put out Shep — But there, now, it is six o'clock And time for you to step. God bless and keep you far, John-John! And that's my prayer.

Thomas MacDonagh (1878-1916)

Image: A section of The Derby Day (showing the thimble-men) painted by the English artist William Powell Frith over 15 months from 1856 to 1858.

Thomas MacDonagh was a poet and revolutionary born in Cloughjordan, County Tipperary, who went on to become a poet, university lecturer and noted critic. In 1916 he signed the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and was executed by the British army on May 3rd, 1916.  As a poet, MacDonagh was just beginning to mature at the time of his death. Yeats wrote of him:

He might have won fame in the end So sensitive his nature seemed So daring and sweet his thought.

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1916 – Approximately 1,000 copies of The Proclamation of the Irish Republic are printed in Liberty Hall in a print office set up by James Connolly.

The proclamation would be read by Pádraig Pearse outside the General Post Office on Sackville Street (now called O’Connell Street) on Monday 24th April. The proclamation was printed secretly on an old and poorly maintained Wharfedale Stop Cylinder Press in the printing office that had been set up by James Connolly in the basement in the original Liberty Hall in Beresford Place, Dublin. All seven…

[dougielombax]

Today in 1916.

Yeah I nearly forgot to mention this.

It was a shitshow and a half, but it was also a foundation for modern Irish republicanism.

But that doesn’t mean it should be glorified or sanctified like so many idiots have been doing with it both today and beforehand.

Also this too.

[optikestrav]

The Long Room, Library of Trinity College

Proclamation of the Irish Republic (1916)

© optikestrav (2023)

[brookston]

Holidays 12.26

Holidays

Alexandria Day

Annabel Nostra’s National Cozy Day

Awful Tie Day

Boxing Day [26th unless Sunday, then 27th, but generally ignored] (a.k.a. ... 

Boxing Day (UK, Commonwealth) 

Day of Goodwill (South Africa, Namibia)

Family Day (Namibia, Vanuatu)

J’Ouvert (Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Le Lendemain de Noël (Quebec, Canada)

Thanksgiving (Solomon Islands)

Dissolution of the Soviet Union Day

Father’s Day (Bulgaria)

Holiday Magic Days begin (Mystic Seaport, Connecticut) [thru 1.1]

Junkanoo (Bahamas)

Lava Day (French Republic)

Lunes Siguiente a Navidad (Spain)

Maomas

Mauro Hamza Day (Houston, Texas)

Mummer's Day (Cornwall, UK)

National Homeowners Day

National Ranboo Day

National Safety Day (South Africa)

National Thank You Note Day

National Whiner's Day

Proclamation Day (South Australia)

Recyclable Packaging Day

Sakewa (Sikkim, India)

Second Day of Christmas (Baltic states, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden)

Shenandoah National Park Day

Sports Day (Falkland Islands)

Stairway to Heaven Day

Utamanduni Day (Kenya)

Wren Day (a.k.a. Day of the Wren; Ireland, Isle of Man, Wales)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Blessing of the Wine (Luxembourg)

Candy Cane Day

Coffee Percolator Day

Irish Pub Day

Kitty Dukakis Day (Challenge to Drink 750ml in 24 Hours)

National Leftovers Day (Australia)

Unbottling Day

4th & Last Tuesday in December

Charity Giving Day [4th Tuesday]

National Co-op Day [4th Tuesday]

Independence Days

Essexia (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Independence and Unity Day (Slovenia)

Istria (Declared; 1935) [unrecognized]

Marienbourg (Declared; 1935) [unrecognized]

Monmark (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

West Sayville (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Abadiu of Antinoe (Coptic Church)

Day of Horus (Pagan)

Day of Theotokos (Byzantium)

Dionysius, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Fools, Day 1 (St. Stephen's Day)

Full Moon [12th of the Year] (a.k.a. ... 

Bitter Moon (China)

Christmas Moon (Colonial)

Cold Moon (Amer. Indian, Celtic, North America, Traditional)

Fruit Moon (South Africa)

Hoar Frost Moon (Traditional)

Long Night’s Moon (Alternate, Amer. Indian, Neo-Pagan)

Moon of the Popping Trees (Traditional)

Oak Moon (England, Wicca)

Peach Moon (Choctaw)

Snow Moon (Cherokee)

Southern Hemisphere: Honey, Rose, Strawberry

Unduwap Full Moon Poya Day (Sri Lanka)

Winter Maker Moon (Traditional)

Iarlath (Christian; Saint)

James the Just (Eastern Orthodox Church)

John Calvin Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Kwanzaa, Day 1: Umoja (Unity)

Linnæus (Positivist; Saint)

Maurice Utrillo (Artology)

Proclamation Day (Australia)

Saka Sirhind Martyrdom Day (India)

Scudge (Muppetism)

2nd Day of Noodlemas (Pastafarian)

Stephen (Western Church)

Synaxis of the Mother of God (Greek Orthodox Church)

Synaxis of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Twelve Holy Days #1 (Aries, the head; Esoteric Christianity)

Twelvetide, Day #2; St. Stephens Day (a.k.a. the Twelve Days of Christmas or Christmastide) [until 1.5]

Veer Bal Dias (India)

Zartosht No-Diso (Zoroastrianism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

The ABC Murders (BBC TV Mini-Series; 2018)

The Art of Self Defense (Disney Cartoon; 1941)

Brighton Beach Memoirs (Film; 1986)

The Exorcist (Film; 1973)

Fast & Furious Spy Racers (Animated TV Series; 2019) [F&F]

The Glass Menagerie (Play; 1944)

Happy, by Matthew West (Album; 2003)

I Want To Hold Your Hand, by The Beatles (US Song; 1963)

King Lear, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1606)

The Last Edition or Five-Scar Final (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S3, Ep. 138; 1961)

Magical Mystery Tour (BBC TV Special; 1967)

Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension (WB LT Cartoon; 1997)

Mati Hari (Film; 1931)

Measure for Measure, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1604)

Monterey Pop (Music Documentary; 1968)

Pluto’s Blue Note (Disney Cartoon; 1947)

The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (Adult Film; 1974)

Purple Haze, lyrics written by Jimi Hendrix (Song; 1966)

Queen Christina (Film; 1933)

Rashomon (Film; 1951)

Red-Headed Baby (WB MM Cartoon; 1931)

Rickety Gin (Disney Cartoon; 1927)

The Ritz (Film; 1976)

Road to Andalay (WB MM Cartoon; 1964)

Spice World (Film; 1997)

Subway Finish or An Underground Round (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S3, Ep. 137; 1961)

Tequila, by The Champs (Song; 1957)

We Bought a Zoo (Film; 2011)

Wool: The Unraveling, by Hugh Howey (Novel; 2011)

Today’s Name Days

Stephan, Stephanie (Austria)

Iosif, Yosif (Bulgaria)

Kruno, Krunoslav, Stjepan (Croatia)

Štěpán (Czech Republic)

Stefan (Denmark)

Sten, Taban, Tahvo, Teho, Tehvan, Tehvo (Estonia)

Tahvo, Tapani, Teppo (Finland)

Étienne (France)

Stephan, Stephanie (Germany)

Constantios, Emmanouela, Emmanouil, Emmanuel, Manolis, Panagiotis (Greece)

István (Hungary)

Santo (Italy)

Dainuvite, Gija, Saulvedis (Latvia)

Gaudilas, Gindvilė, Steponas (Lithuania)

Stefan, Steffen (Norway)

Dionizy, Szczepan, Wróciwoj (Poland)

Štefan (Slovakia)

Esteban (Spain)

Staffan, Stefan (Sweden)

Joseph, Josephine (Ukraine)

Esteban, Estefania, Estefany, Estevan, Stefan, Stefanie, Stephan, Stephanie, Stephany, Stephen, Steve, Steven, Stevie (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 360 of 2024; 5 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of week 52 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 1 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Jia-Zi), Day 14 (Wu-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 14 Teveth 5784

Islamic: 13 Jumada II 1445

J Cal: 30 Zima; Nineday [30 of 30]

Julian: 13 December 2023

Moon: 100%: Full Moon

Positivist: 24 Bichat (13th Month) [Linnæus]

Runic Half Month: Eihwaz or Eoh (Yew Tree) [Day 1 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 6 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 5 of 31)

Calendar Changes

Beth (Birch) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 13 of 13]

Eihwaz or Eoh (Yew Tree) [Half-Month 1 of 24; Runic Half-Months] (thru 1.12)

[parcival2]

Proclamation of the Irish Republic read at 1916 Rising commemoration

[sharonandtonyseuropeantour2023]

We then went into the Long Room. The main chamber of the Old Library is the Long Room; at nearly 65 metres in length, it is filled with 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books and is one of the most impressive libraries in the world.

When built (between 1712 and 1732) it had a flat plaster ceiling and shelving for books was on the lower level only, with an open gallery. By the 1850s these shelves had become completely full; largely as since 1801 the Library had been given the right to claim a free copy of every book published in Britain and Ireland. In 1860 the roof was raised to allow construction of the present barrel-vaulted ceiling and upper gallery bookcases.

Marble busts line the Long Room, a collection that began in 1743 when 14 busts were commissioned from sculptor Peter Scheemakers. The busts are of the great philosophers and writers of the western world and also of those connected with Trinity College Dublin - famous and not so famous. The finest antique bust in the collection is of the writer Jonathan Swift by Louis Francois Roubiliac.

Other treasures in the Long Room include one of the few remaining copies of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic which was read outside the General Post Office on 24 April 1916 by Patrick Pearse at the start of the Easter Rising. The harp is the oldest of its kind in Ireland and probably dates from the 15th century. It is made of oak and willow with 29 brass strings. It is the model for the emblem of Ireland.

Most of the books have now been removed as they are going to reasses the storage and make changes to the long room before returning the books.

[greybitch]

The first known observance of Decoration Day (now called Memorial Day) was in Charleston, South Carolina in 1865.

Freedmen (freed enslaved Africans) celebrated at the Washington Race Course, today the location of Hampton Park, and each year thereafter. African Americans founded Decoration Day at the graveyard of 257 Union soldiers and labeled the those Union soldiers buried there the “Martyrs of the Race Course” on May 1, 1865. Few remember that it was Black Charlestonians who created the American tradition of Memorial Day.

The friendship between General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, New York, and General John A. Logan, who helped bring attention to the event nationwide, was a strong factor in the holiday’s growth. On May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic the organization for Northern Civil War veterans, Logan issued a proclamation that “Decoration Day” should be observed nationwide. It was observed for the first time on May 30 of the same year; the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a battle.

The Memorial Day speech became an occasion for veterans, politicians and ministers to commemorate the war dead and at first to rehash the atrocities of the enemy. They mixed religion and celebratory nationalism and provided a means for the people to make sense of their history in terms of sacrifice for a better nation, one closer to God. The point was often made that the German and Irish soldiers had become true Americans in the “baptism of blood” on the battlefield. By the end of the 1870s the rancor was gone and the speeches praised the brave soldiers both Blue and Gray. By the 1950s, the theme was American exceptionalism and duty to uphold freedom in the world.

Ironton, Ohio lays claim to the nation’s oldest continuously running Memorial Day parade, it has been a tradition since 1868. The first parade was held May 5, 1868.

Searching in the 19th Century sources, like those in the Accessible Archives database, for information on Memorial Day will not turn up much information because the name Memorial Day did not come into common use nationwide until after World War I.