Pat Farrell

SERVING SOUTH TEXAS AND SURROUNDING AREAS FOR OVER 37 YEARS

Page 1: Pat Farrell Page 3: SABOR Page 7: The Way I See It

Featuring: Cathey Meyer Page 11: NARPM

Featuring: Brenda Davila Page 15: Associate Spotlight

Featuring: Independence Title Page 23 : Newsflash

Vol.XXXIX, No. 3 www.realestatenewsline.com March 2021 In The Month Of March - Éirinn Go Brách (Ireland Forever)!

March is the month in which we (meaning a great number of people worldwide) usually celebrate St Patrick’s Day and all that goes along with it, including green clothing, parades and parties featuring food and drink colored with green food dye, in other words a celebration of Irish culture. In particular March 17 is a day dedicated to remembering St Patrick who, during the fifth century, ministered Christianity in Ireland. During the last glacial period, thought to have started in 115,000 BC, Ireland and Great Britain were both a part of continental Europe and were periodically covered in thin sheets of ice. Toward the end of that period, during the centuries in the 10,000s BC, as the ice melted, rivers formed and separated Great Britain from Europe and Ireland from Great Britain. The result is that Ireland is now the third largest island in Europe with 84,421 acres just behind Great Britain with 229,848 acres and Iceland with 101,826 acres. The earliest indication of any human inhabitants on the island comes from the presence, in a cave in County Clare, of a butchered bear bone in about the year 10,500 BC. Prior to 4,000 BC settlers, during what is known as the "New Stone Age," introduced agriculture, animals such as sheep and cattle, and wood buildings to the island. A sheep’s tooth, cattle bones and a flint knife found in a cove in County Kerry have been carbon dated to about 4,350 BC. Although it still remains unsettled and controversial due to lack of archaeological evidence, there has been ongoing debate found amongst various studies as to how and when the island became Celtic and one prevailing view is that the Celtic language, Ogham script and culture were brought to Ireland by waves of invading or migrating Celts (Indo-European people from mainland Europe who spoke the Celtic language) beginning about 500 BC. However, there is no direct evidence to support a large invasion as their culture arrived in various stages and the migration was a lengthy process since by that time trade was active between the island, Great Britain and most of Europe. St. Patrick, born around 450 AD to a Christian Roman soldier and a native British woman on the Scottish border arrived in 432 A.D bringing with him the Catholic religion. At that time Druidism, considered to be a science rather than a religion, was prevalent and under control of the Druids who had resisted any British or Roman rule and were totally unaccepting of conversion to Catholicism. St. Patrick, a strong believer in the Catholic Church, thought anyone who was not Christian would not be “saved” and declared that he would drive all the “snakes,” a metaphor for the Druids, out of Ireland. Thus, historians note that Catholicism took over as the dominant religion on the island and that many Celtic traditions were incorporated into the “new” religion. In some of the earliest written Greco-Roman records of Ireland, the island was referred to as Hibernia or Scotia (an ancient name for Scotland but was also used to refer to Ireland). Over the years there have been many names for Ireland including: the Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann), Eire, the Ould Sod, the Land of Saints and, of course, the Emerald Isle. Way back when, the Greeks called it lournia, Ivernia, lerne or lernis, while to the Romans it was Hibernia, Nemorosa or Terra Finalia and, in Gaelic Crioch Fuindh, while the Milesians, Gaels from Spain, called it Muicinis (the island of the pig) but later, when they decided it was not a pig after all, named it Scotia. Old Celtic names for Ireland were Inis Fáil meaning destiny and Inis Eagalia meaning noble island or Insula Doctorum, the island of the learned. It is estimated that there are at least 28 different names for Ireland. According to some of the earliest written records of Ireland at least sixteen nations inhabited the island by 100 AD, and as Roman coins were found on the island it is apparent Rome was one of the inhabitants. There were rival kingdoms throughout the island each with its own king but by the 8th century all kings were subject to a succession of high kings, who claimed lordship over the entire island ruling from the Hill of Tara in the kingdom of Meath in the south and to the north, Ulster. Becoming a high king was usually accomplished through aggressive means with continuing raids of other areas on the island. One well regarded high king was Brian Boru, whose hard-won authority ended when he was killed in battle by Viking invaders. The Vikings were shortly thereafter defeated and most died by drowning while trying to get back to their ships. With Brian’s death the concept of high king was essentially over with and the Kingdom of Ireland was recreated by Henry VIII who then assumed rule over the island. On the last days of December 1739, the “Great Frost” began to cover Europe and the rivers in Ireland were frozen over. When the thaw began the destruction became apparent as hypothermia and famine had taken its toll and every potato crop throughout Ireland had been destroyed. The climatic disaster lasted well into 1741 resulting in the death of approximately one fifth of the population along with most of the fish and all of the sheep and cattle. The Irish called the Irish Famine Blian an Áir – the Year of Slaughter. A century later, from 1845 to 1849 the Irish experienced yet another famine and this time the famine reduced the population from 8 million to 4.5 million either from death or emigration. Ireland lies in the North Atlantic, west of Great Britain and separated from it by the North Channel, St. Georges Channel, and the Irish Sea. Today the Republic of Ireland, or just Ireland, with a population of almost 5 million, occupies 26 counties (five-sixths of the island). Ireland had seceded from Great Britain in 1922 and was then known as the Irish Free State until 1937 when it became, constitutionally, a republic. The remaining

Antonio, Texas San Permit #1416

six counties, covering onesixth of the island, belong to Northern Ireland which has remained, geopolitically, a part of Great Britain and has a population, as of 2020, of 1.6 million. Ireland, comprised of low-lying mountains which surround a central plain, has several navigable rivers which extend inland and its lush green vegetation is a product of its mild climate which is not subject to extremes in temperatures. And, influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the island’s has milder winters but cooler summers with abundant cloud cover and rainfall. During the Middle Ages most of Ireland was woodland but today woodlands account for only about 10% of the island, little of which is native. Census figures show an Irish population of 8.2 million in 1841, but only 6.6 million a decade later and many of the emigrants to the United States of that time were unprepared for the new country’s industrialized, urban centers and although these immigrants were not the poorest people in Ireland, by American standards, they were destitute. It should be noted that although the Irish took on unskilled, low paid work as many Irish American men labored in coal mines and built railroads and canals and Irish American women became servants or domestic workers, many were abused and mistreated as immigrants. History shows that many Americans at the time didn’t welcome this new influx and movements like the Know-Nothings (anti-immigrants) sprang up in retaliation from the 1840s onwards. Despite their initial treatment, the Irish immigrants who entered the United States between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries were no doubt changed by America, but also changed this country. They and their descendants made exceptional contributions in politics, industry, organized labor, religion, literature, music, and art. For example, many have become familiar with the works of Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, Bram Stoker and Jonathan Swift to name only a small number of noted Irish writers. The members of the Catholic Church in the U.S. increased greatly with the arrival of immigrants during the 1840s as 90% of them were Catholic. In the sport of boxing John L. Sullivan and James J. Corbett (Gentleman Jim) excelled as did Connie Mack (Cornelius McGillicuddy) in baseball. NFL Hall of Famers include George Connor, TackleLinebacker, John (Blood) McNally, Halfback and Ed Healey, Tackle and still active today is Tom Brady, Quarterback! Once on this side of the Atlantic, Irish immigrants adapted the different ingredients available to them in the United States to make traditional meals like those familiar to them from Ireland. The famous Irish American meal of corned beef and cabbage was developed here to replace the bacon and cabbage popular at home and they introduced other foods like soda bread and colcannon to American recipe books. Irish beer, especially Guinness, is popular in America as it is estimated that 13 million pints are consumed on St. Patrick’s Day alone. So, until March 17th when the only music on the radio most likely consists of Irish ditties and everyone is wearing something green, I bid you “Slán Agus Beannacht” (Goodbye and Blessings).

- Pat Farrell / Contributing Writer

A PUBLICATION OF JDC3 ENTERPRISE HOLDINGS LLC

(210) 508-0888

Real Estate Newsline 14546 Brook Hollow Blvd. #129 San Antonio, Texas 78232

Managing Editor...........Courtney Smith Contributing Writers:......Cathey Meyer ..................................................Pat Farrell Columnists.....................Rebecca Byers ...........................................Brenda Davila Business Development.......Joyce Orts Area Sales Director..........Rose Stewart .............................................210.386.6544

Real Estate Newsline is not responsible for the opinions or facts expressed by non-staff writers or for errors and any byproducts in advertising or editorial copy.

Real Estate Newsline takes the pandemic situation very seriously, we do not endorse or condone any behavior contrary to current CDC guidelines. To that end, please be aware, some pictures in this issue may have been taken pre-covid and should not be considered to represent anyone being irresponsible or careless in any shape or form.

REALTOR® is a registered trademark. The word REALTOR® sometimes appears in this publication without the registered trademark symbol (®), for the purpose of saving space. Wherever the word REALTOR appears in this space, the registered trademark should be assumed.

We welcome submissions of photos, press releases or articles. Email to: editor@realestatenewsline.com