A Little Q & A

A few questions I couldn’t answer as a teacher and now I can because of this trip:

#1. In Ireland’s mythology- what is the difference between a “shee” and a “banshee”? A “shee” is an evil fairy and should be feared while a “banshee” is the “queen bee” over all the fairies and she should terrify you as she wails before someone is about to die.

#2. Where did the sayings “he is a dead ringer “ or “saved by the bell”? These sayings trace back to a time in history when people where mistakenly buried alive and being afraid of burying a person alive- a small rope was buried with the dead and then the rope was attached to a bell above the gravestone so if some poor soul was buried alive they could grab the rope and ring the bell.

#3. Why would an Irishman sign up to become a soldier in the British army especially knowing the hard feelings that existed between the two countries? Many Irishman were left no choice during and after the potato famine, as they needed a job to survive. The British army also changed their rules and allowed Catholics to serve in the military, as they needed more men.

#4. Name one country that has been an alley for Ireland? Spain. At one point the Spanish came to help defend the Irish port city of Kinsale. The Spanish fought side by side the Irish.

#5. What is the significance of the name-WORKHOUSE, which was for the poor, starving men and women during the famine? Many of the wealthy and people in power felt that if the poor received a hand-out they would always be expecting a hand out and not work. At workhouses the poor would often be given jobs like building roads or walls around graveyards.