POT o' GOLD SPRING TEA PARTY ! 17.3.14

"Beannachtai na Feile Padraig" Happy St Patrick's Day!

Welcome to a Pot o' Gold Spring Tea Celebrating Spring's longed for arrival!

Today we're Taking Irish Tea at

 Miss Courtney's Tearooms

No. 8 College St. Killarney Co. Kerry

It's sure to please

for all things tea!

Having grown up in a small town named for the homeland's,
~Killarney~

I have an affinity for all things Irish !

I am delited to share this wee bit o' Ireland with you on

 St Patrick's Day ...
*
A bit of Celtic soundtrack while we settle in ~
T with the Maggies 

Owner, Sandra Dunlea,

source

gives a bit of  the tearooms' background for us ~

Miss Margaret Courtney, my great-aunt, 

originally opened her business here in 1909 

and it has been run by four generations of ladies in my family. 

I reopened in summer 2008 as Miss Courtney's Tearooms . 

*

We are an independent tearoom 

specializing in afternoon tea fare, light lunches and breakfasts. 

We endeavor to capture the feeling of nostalgia associated with 'taking tea'. 

Expect old fashioned tablecloths, antique chinaware and glistening chandeliers........

{including servers in vintage tea dresses with pearls!} 

....take some time to 'take some tea' with us. 

Welcome to Tea at Miss Courtney's ! 

I think we've found the Pot 'o Gold at the end of the rainbow...

vintage teacups to please any teatime celebrant !

gorgeous cupcake jewels...

source

teapots , cups, and deliteful settings showcase the fab fare ~

the perfect spot for any booklover to enjoy their afternoon cuppa'

or book club discussion ...

 warmest appreciation, Sandra, for sharing 

your tearoom's loveliness with us !

It's been the perfect St Patrick's Day! 

 Every Continued Success ~

source

You'll be able to find Sandra and Miss Courtney's
on Facebook - just click to Like her! 

Thanks to each of you for taking St Patrick's Day tea 
with me today ~

*

Our Lent reflection for today is one from Henri Nouwen on
the hospitality of listening...

"Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond.  Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings.  The beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves.  Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you."

May we learn and live "Listening".

*


I leave you with a Special IRISH Blessing
for you and yours . . .   

*

*

Find and follow FHC online:

@_eHope - Goodreads - Facebook - Pinterest

*

Find More SPRING TEA Partying with  ~
* #saygdaysaturday @NatashaInOz *

* Sandi's Spring Tea Party * * Ruth's Teacup Tuesday *
*Annual St Patrick's Day Hop * * Mosaik Mondays * Monday Musings *
* Martha's Favorites * Crafty Spices * * Hope in Every Season * Pink Saturday *

*
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Review: Flight of the Earls : Heirs of Ireland book 1 - author Michael K Reynolds

Flight of the Earls

Book 1 of the Heirs of Ireland trilogy Michael K Reynolds author B&H Books publisher  * It’s Ireland in 1846. When her family’s small farm is struck by the blight of the Great Potato Famine, 24-year-old Clare Hanley heads out along with her younger brother Seamus on a harrowing journey across the ocean to the Promised Land of America. Five years prior, Clare’s older sister Margaret and her Uncle Tomas emigrated in similar fashion and were not to be heard from again.   Once arrived in New York, Clare must face her fears as she is both overwhelmed and enraptured by this coming-of-age city of intrigue, romance, the arts, squalor, wealth, uneven freedoms and corruption.  She discovers the love for which she has believed, adventure and the tragedy of a terrible secret which threatens to destroy her family and all she believes.

Dramatic Settings: Ireland, Transatlantic Voyage, Historic New York City,  Mexico [Mexican American War]
*
Flight of the Earls is the first book in a historical novel trilogy based on Irish immigration in the 1840s * My thoughts? Stunning debut novel created by a master story-teller. History came to life and included me in the telling. Authenticity of the story has obviously benefited from much research, captivating my attention throughout. 

Every emotion was impacted as I read of the grueling realities of life in 1840s Ireland and America. Characters that authentically embodied Reynolds' descriptions. Characters I cared about. Characters that roused passionate responses. The incredible hardships endured on land and at sea. The dashing of expectations time after time. The tenacity to continue. 

Flight of the Earls is a book of substance. 
A story that will live long in my memory...
*
Thank you, Michael, for sharing your gift with us. I highly recommend FLight of the Earls as a Do Not Miss read!
I anticipate Book 2 of Heirs of Ireland with pleasure. In Golden Splendor is set to release July 15th

* *With appreciation to B&H Books for providing me with an ecopy to read and review without obligation.
*

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Shared at Book Journey for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Ireland Reading Challenge 2012 - That's a Wrap!

November has flown, bringing closure today to the
Ireland Reading Challenge for 2012

I have thoroughly participated,
posting my reviews [look for 'writer...' at Goodreads]
in as many categories as I could find with either
Irish location, topic, character or author!

The details from my original post
[the entire post, which inconveniently disappeared twice!]

included my level of participation of Shamrock that happily 

increased to Ceilidh ~

 "Any book written by an Irish author, set in Ireland, or involving Irish history 
or Irish characters, counts for the challenge –
fiction, non-fiction, poetry, audiobooks, children’s books –
all of these apply.
Choose your commitment level"
Shamrock level: 4 books

Luck o’ the Irish level: 6 booksKiss the Blarney Stone level: 8 books

                                                         Ceilidh level: 10+ books                                                                

Now for the twist:

you can earn extra entries in the giveaway by diversifying
your reading.
You will earn one extra entry for reading from these genres –
one entry per genre represented in your challenge list:

Contemporary fiction, Historical fiction
Science fiction or fantasy
Young Adult fiction
Romance, Horror, Children’s fiction
Non-fiction – history
Non-fiction – memoir or biography
Non-fiction – essays and Poetry

My list of titles? [with genre]
The Guardian Duke by Jamie Carie [young adult fiction]
The Forgiven Duke by Jamie Carie [historical ya fiction]
Welcome Home, Love by  Nicole O’Dell [short story romance]
Mixed Doubles by Jill Mansell [contemporary fiction]
A Light in the Window by Julie Lessman [historical fiction]
Quentins by Maeve Binchy [contemporary fiction]
The Jane Austen Guide to Life by Lori Smith [non-fiction essays/lessons]
Conamara Blues by John O’Donohue [non-fiction poetry]
Echoes of Memory by John O’Donohue [non-fiction poetry]
The Four Elements by John O’Donohue [non-fiction essays]
Are You Somebody? by Nuala O’Faolain [non-fiction memoir]
‘Tis by Frank McCourt [non-fiction memoir]
Leaving Dublin: Writing My Way from Ireland to Canada
by Brian Brennan [non-fiction memoir]
Beyond Belfast by Will Ferguson [non-fiction history]

also, adding [audio book]

 Anam Cara: Wisdom from the Celtic World
read in the authentic Irish brogue of author, John O’Donohue

Other fave Irish options you might enjoy that I keep on hand ~
Movies ~
Waking Ned Devine, Dear Frankie, Persuasion
[with Ciaran Hinds representing our Irish captain extremely well!]

Music / Musicians [all links included just click on name] ~ 

Robin Mark

Barra MacNeils [fab Christmas music!]
Andy Rogers
Kathryn Scott
Moya Brennan [more gorgeous Christmas!]

 from her younger sister, Enya
and their family's band , Clannad

Ready to Celebrate with me?

 Stop in at yesterday's post for your choice,

Tea or Hot Chocolate, 

at Miss Courtney's Tearooms in Killarney !

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A Wee Bit 'o Ireland for St Patrick's Day !

 Miss Courtney's Tearooms

No. 8 College St. Killarney Co. Kerry

is sure to please

for today's taste in all things tea!

having grown up in a small town named for the homeland's,
~Killarney~

I have an affinity for all things Irish !

I am delited to share this bit 'o Ireland just for you on

 St Patrick's Day ...
*

owner, Sandra Dunlea,

gives a bit of  the tearooms' background for us ~

Miss Margaret Courtney, my great-aunt, 

originally opened her business here in 1909 

and it has been run by four generations of ladies in my family. 

I reopened in summer 2008 as Miss Courtney's Tearooms . 

*

We are an independent tearoom 

specializing in afternoon tea fare, light lunches and breakfasts. 

We endeavour to capture the feeling of nostalgia associated with 'taking tea'. 

Expect old fashioned tablecloths, antique chinaware and glistening chandeliers........

{including servers in vintage tea dresses with pearls!} 

....take some time to 'take some tea' with us. 

Welcome to Tea at Miss Courtney's ! 

I think we've found the Pot 'o Gold at the end of the rainbow...

vintage teacups to please any teatime celebrant !

gorgeous cupcake jewels...

teapots , cups, and deliteful settings showcase the fab fare ~

the perfect spot for any booklover to enjoy their afternoon cuppa'

or book club discussion ...

 warmest appreciation, Sandra, for sharing 

your tearoom's loveliness with us !

It's been the perfect St Patrick's Day! 

 Every Continued Success ~

You'll be able to find Sandra and Miss Courtney's
on Facebook and Like her! {just click}

Thanks to each of you for taking St Patrick's Day tea
with me today ~

*

I leave you with a Special IRISH Blessing
for you and yours . . .   

*

*

Find and follow FHC online:

@_eHope - Goodreads - Facebook - Pinterest

Partying with  ~

*Annual St Patrick's Day Hop at Cuisine Kathleen's *

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