Nowhere Man, Live, 1966

From Barry's Pen

A few pieces from my pen. Above 'An Tarbh Donn' and below my 'An Mhuc Bhán.'
My leaping Lion...

On Speaking Irish

I can speak Irish fairly well. One should say, I can speak Gaeilge or Gáidhlig, fairly well, as those are the real names of the language. Not to get too complex, but calling the language 'Irish' is a modern political phenomenon, designed to broaden the appeal of speaking Gaeilge, actually there's more to this name business, but I digress.

Speaking Irish I find very satisfying. I've never really studied the language in a formal academic manner that would lead one to a degree. I just speak it, read it, etc., as time allows each day. I have done a summer time course back in 1981, the type where you spend a month in the Gaeltacht. Most of the Irish I have I picked up from just listening and talking to people in Ireland.

Why you ask? Why would a Mississippi lad learn Gaeilge (said Gale-ga). Well, I am a Gael, in the ethnic sense, my people, the McCains, are from mid Argyll, in the Scottish Highlands. They moved to Donegal in the 1500s. There were many Scottish Gaels relocating to parts of Ulster in those years, this was part of the ebb and flow of politics and wars going on with the English. They, the McCains, clann Mhic Eáin, would have spoken Argyll Gaelic, which was not too far removed from the Ulster Gaelic that I speak. I descend from Gaeldom.

Circa anno domini 1400
Gaelic speaking areas are in blue in the map. This map shows how widely Gaelic was spoken in Scotland, even in parts of what are now called 'the Lowlands' at this point in time. Ireland and the 'blue' areas of Scotland in the map, were all part of Gaeldom.

Scot's Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are the same language, each being a dialect of the tongue. Irish Gaelic is the western dialect and Scots Gaelic is the eastern dialect. Ulster Gaelic shares some qualities of Scots Gaelic, or one could say Ulster Gaelic has been influenced by the eastern dialect, because of the interaction of Scottish Gaels in Ulster circa 1500 onward.

I personally, do not think you can really understand Gaelic society, without speaking Gaelic at least at a minimal level. Gaelic is a door, you learn it, and the door opens. You enter the wonderful, beautiful, world of the Gael. It gives meaning and quality. Those are very good things.

It is not hard to learn Gaelic, people are doing it all over the world now, in everywhere Gaels have settled, in the Diaspora as it is called. I recommend it highly.

Gaelic is a more powerful language than is English. I would need to take many words to explain that rather strong statement. Gaelic has retained something, has retained values, that English has lost. It largely has to do with the nature of English; it is spoken by so many people and societies not connected to the history of English, that one aspect. Gaelic is still connected, by blood, to its origins, and that gives it great power. I think everyone of Gaelic ancestry should learn Gaelic, it will make your children happy, your love life improve, make you immediately interesting (that's hard to do with some of you), and could very likely land you into some pleasant predicament in your life.

Ancestors

I am in the final stages of writing a memoir on my 40 year odyssey to find my people in Ireland and Scotland, a successful odyssey I should add. All made possible through Y chromosome DNA testing and many hours of research in the primary source records of Argyll and Ireland. It is absolutely amazing how genetic genealogy allows one to search one's past, recover lost family history, locate your cousins on the other side of the water. My story is a Gaelic one, Gaels from Kilmichael Glassary in Argyll, who moved to Ireland in the 1500s, and then to the Colonies in 1718.

It was a long journey and a good one. I learned Gaelic along the way, have travelled many times across the sea to the homelands of the Gael. It has been very satisfying reconnected with distant cousins in Ireland and Scotland.

The Beatles

Quite simply, the best musicians of the past several centuries. It is odd, as time pasts, I go back and examine their body of work, and find it many light years ahead of the rest. Let's face it, no one is in their league.

Red Wasps

Life in Oxford, Mississippi and the battles that rage in my garden.


the wee beast himself














Above you see the Red Wasp, particularly numerous around the McCain Compound. His Latin name Polistes carolina. He has a wonderful skill which I have observed many times this summer. He will kill and eat a tomato worm.


the crimminal, infamous, Tomato worm

It is like this you see, anyone or thing that will kill and eat a Tomato Worm is OK in my book. Several tomato worms can ruin a garden in a matter of days, almost as bad a deer.

Tomato worms are huge evil beast and how the red wasp can consume one and then fly off is one of God's great mysteries, yet they do it as I've seen the lads at work.

I'd just like to say well done to them all.

Seamus O'Kane

Seamus O'Kane himself....

Murrough O'Kane

Here something for you lads and lassies. The young man on the flute is Murrough O'Kane, one of the better trad musicians in the world, also a great fellow. His dad is the very famous Seamus O'Kane, bodhrán maker and player of legend status. Murrough played a venue with my son Donovan and myself, when we did a music tour of Ireland in the autumn of 2004. He sat in with us when we played Sandino's in Derry city and we all had a great time. This is the real stuff, enjoy...

Peregrine Falcon

Every day I see at least two Peregrine falcons circling my house. They are works of art, one of the Creators finer pieces. Lethal mind you; they are machines of death. You should see the squirrels and song birds make themselves scarce when the Peregrines patrol.

This morning on my way into Oxford town for supplies I saw one dead in the road. That's bad. As well as being beautiful, they are also very useful to Man. (I still think that sort of relationship good). They kill a lot of the things that plague farm and yard alike.

There seems to be a good supply of Peregrines around Oxford, still I hope the one I saw in the road was not one of two I often see over my house. It was only about a mile from my house where I saw the unfortunate bird.

Indigo Buntings

Well, today, as I was sitting in my backyard, I saw a Indigo Bunting. A lovely, beautiful little bird, that we are graced with every summer. It is electric blue, much more blue than a 'blue bird'.

The humming birds are doing their annual wars. Anyone that feeds them knows of what I speak. The amazing aerial combat they launch into at this stage in summer. I've had them pass not more than inches from my head going a ba-zillion miles per hour.