jmg@houxk.UUCP (J.MCGHEE) (11/08/83)
The correct date for Evacuation Day in New York is November 25th. This year there will be a revival of the holiday with a party at Fraunces Tavern in the Wall Street area of New York on November 25, 26 and 27. Fraunces Tavern is a place that George Washington often went to himself when he was in New York and there was an attempt on his life in the tavern when British agents put poison in his food. Fortunately a black serving girl warned him of the poison before he ate. I hope to see you all there. I came across some stanzas of the Star-Spangled Banner which are not usually sung because they cause some discomfort and embarassment to the British. (Oh, dear me!) Try these on for size at your next athletic event. On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam In full glory reflected now shines in the stream 'Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! And where is that band who so vauntingly swore, That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion A home and a country should leave us no more? Their blood has washed out their foul footstep's pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave, And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand Between their loved home and the war's desolation! Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heaven rescued land Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto - "In God is our Trust", And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. Bill (cry-in-his-beer) Hopkins mentions "the strongly Irish character of Boston politics in this century, which might have some influence on why a city should celebrate the departure of British troops." Speaking as a Scottish- American I am constantly amazed at the lack of knowledge and neglect shown by many Americans to the contribution of the Irish to this country. The Irish were here at the start of this country and composed about 30% to 50% of the colonial armed forces at the time of the American Revolution. The U.S. Navy was founded by Commodore Barry a native of County Wexford, Ireland. The first and last naval battles of the American Revolution were won by Commodore Barry. The Marine Corps was mostly composed of the Irish and one Corporal Tom Murphy personally shot the British commander at the battle of Yorktown at a distance of 200 yards with a flintlock rifle. The state of Maine is named after two brothers in ancient Irish epics. The state of Maryland is really Mary-land named after the virgin Mary and the name Baltimore means "big town" in Irish or Scottish. Also Dallas is a name that comes from ancient Irish sagas. In fact the British Parliament blamed the Irish for the success of the American Revolution in deliberations after the war. George Washington apparently felt the same way when he made the following statement to his troops: "And when Ireland shall strike her harp to the wild notes of Erin and Liberty, the ocean breeze will bear to her shores the prayers of Americans, to cheer her in her glorious struggle, and hail her regenerate in the rights of mankind." I have a friend named Don Corcoran who conceived and designed the giant wall display systems used by the Strategic Air Command in their command centers. Sean Philip Holland, a mathematics teacher, started to design and build the first modern submarines only months after coming here from County Clare, Ireland. One of his submarines was called the Fenian Ram. Many more examples exist so why do some people persist in slandering a people who have never done any harm to this country?
dee@cca.UUCP (Donald Eastlake) (11/08/83)
To the contrary, the State of Maine (which was originally part of
Masscahusetts) was named from archaic spelling on the word "main"
as in "the main land".
+ Donald E. Eastlake, III
ARPA: dee@CCA-UNIX usenet: {decvax,linus}!cca!dee