Frank Delaney on St.

Patrick's Day
St. Patrick's Day has become a showing of the colours in many American big cities,
most notably, Boston, Chicago and New York. According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
34.7 million U.S. residents __________ Irish ancestry. That's more than five times the
actual population of the entire island of Ireland. One among us who is a true Irishman,
and a recent immigrant to these shores, is the writer Frank Delaney, the world's most
____________ man. (Sound bite of laughter)
SIMON: Mr. Delaney is a _______________ novelist and writer. His last two books are
a novel, "Ireland," and last year's sea saga, "Simple Courage: A True Story of Peril on
the Sea."
Frank Delaney joins us from our studios is New York. Frank, thank you so much for
being ____________________.
Mr. FRANK DELANEY (Irish Novelist and Writer): Hello, Scott. It's so nice to hear your
voice in my actual ears again.
SIMON: Tell us about, I gather, Irish families used to hold wakes when their relatives
went to the United States or Canada?
Mr. DELANEY: I used to conduct a private ___________, Scott, when I was living in
Ireland. I used to ask people, do you have a relative in the United States, because it
___________________ that everybody in Ireland has a relative in the United States.
And people would look at me blankly and say, no, no, I don't, no, no relatives there.
_________________, my mother has a cousin. Or my father had an uncle there. And I
would say, well, isn't that a relative in the United States.
An American wake, as you call it, was held when a son or daughter from a house,
usually on the Atlantic facade of the west of Ireland, was leaving to emigrate to
America. And the parents and the neighbours, sure in their blood and bones, that they
would never see that child again, held a ceremony to say goodbye to them - a tearful,
__________________ ceremony, and it became known as an American wake.
SIMON: I used to hear from my mother, who, as you know, is Irish -
Mr. DELANEY: Indeed.
SIMON: From Belfast, growing up, that in fact there is no St. Patrick's Day per se in
Ireland.
Mr. DELANEY: No, that's not true. There is a St. Patrick's Day, all right, but it didn't
have anything like the power of St. Patrick's Day here, until television came to Ireland
______________ 1960s. And then when people saw the size of the New York and the
Boston and Chicago St. Patrick's Day parades, and in Chicago - you'll know this -
__________________ they turn the river green on St. Patrick's Day.
SIMON: They certainly make an effort. They put the dye in. They absolutely do.
Mr. DELANEY: Well, there you are. Well, when we saw that in Ireland on television, we
thought, we're not going to ______________ by the Yanks, as they call them. We're
going to have our own St. Patrick's Day parade. And of course it is, and always has
been, a national holiday.
And he's pretty well documented. And of course, the thing that St. Patrick did, the
wonderful thing he did, which nobody ever _________________, in the course of
evangelizing Ireland, he taught the Irish how to write. And when he taught the Irish how
to write, the monks, who became his _______________ and apostles, they went into
the monasteries, they learned to write, and as well as copying out the scriptures. They
also wrote down their own family stories. And that is how a lot of the great mythologies
and legends have survived.
SIMON: Your next novel is called "Tipperary."
Mr. DELANEY: Hah - you said Tipperary. As a Tipperary man, I would immediately
identify you as a foreigner. Now, if you come from Tipperary, you call it Tip'rary. If you
come from outside, you call it Tipperary. And I chose it because it's the best known
place name in Ireland _________________ the song, "It's a Long Way to Tipperary,"
written by a man who had never been in Ireland. And it was a great World War I song.
And it is a novel about the Anglo-Irish in Tipperary, and it's about land and the great
land themes of the 19th century. It was the desire to get back their land that eventually
brought Ireland independence.
SIMON: Based on your experience so far, how do you ______________ the feeling
many Irish Americans seem to hold for Ireland, particularly because for the most part,
it's a country that they have never seen, or perhaps just for two weeks on a vacation,
and increasingly, a country where even their grandmothers don't have any memories
of?
Mr. DELANEY: It's a romantic thing, isn't it? Here was this tiny island, with these
_____________ colours, this green, this unusual green. And it's a craggy country, it's
in the Atlantic. There are legends about it. It is a place where, because the native
language was _______________, the people who had to learn the new language
learned to speak it more ______________ than anybody in the world speaks the
English language. It is a place that is the symbol of David versus Goliath. It is the tiny
country that won its independence from a great world empire. It is a place where story
is really _______________. Truth is whatever you want it to be - possibility is
everything.
Americans love it because it has a very powerful personality. It is a very individual
country, and it is totally, totally different in flavour to any country in the world.
SIMON: Frank, it's always a pleasure to talk to you.
Mr. DELANEY: And you, Scott. Happy St. Patrick's Day.
SIMON: And Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. Frank Delaney is speaking from our
bureau in New York. His most recent books, "Ireland, A Novel," "Simple Courage: A
True Story of ___________ on the Sea" and coming in the fall, "Tipperary." How was
that?
Mr. DELANEY: Tip'rary.
SIMON: Tip'rary?
Mr. DELANEY: Perfect.
KEY:
St. Patrick's Day has become a showing of the colors in many American big
cities, most notably, Boston, Chicago and New York. According to the U.S.
Census Bureau, 34.7 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry. That's more
than five times the actual population of the entire island of Ireland. One among
us who is a true Irishman, and a recent immigrant to these shores, is the writer
Frank Delaney, the world's most eloquent man.
(Sound bite of laughter)
SIMON: Mr. Delaney is a well-known novelist and writer. His last two books are
a novel, "Ireland," and last year's sea saga, "Simple Courage: A True Story of
Peril on the Sea."
Frank Delaney joins us from our studios is New York. Frank, thank you so much
for being back with us.
Mr. FRANK DELANEY (Irish Novelist and Writer): Hello, Scott. It's so nice to
hear your voice in my actual ears again.
SIMON: Tell us about, I gather, Irish families used to hold wakes when their
relatives went to the United States or Canada?
Mr. DELANEY: I used to conduct a private poll, Scott, when I was living in
Ireland. I used to ask people, do you have a relative in the United States,
because it was my contention that everybody in Ireland has a relative in the
United States. And people would look at me blankly and say, no, no, I don't, no,
no relatives there. Mind you, my mother has a cousin. Or my father had an
uncle there. And I would say, well, isn't that a relative in the United States.
An American wake, as you call it, was held when a son or daughter from a
house, usually on the Atlantic facade of the west of Ireland, was leaving to
emigrate to America. And the parents and the neighbours, sure in their blood
and bones, that they would never see that child again, held a ceremony to say
goodbye to them - a tearful, heartbreaking ceremony, and it became known as
an American wake.
SIMON: I used to hear from my mother, who, as you know, is Irish -
Mr. DELANEY: Indeed.
SIMON: From Belfast, growing up, that in fact there is no St. Patrick's Day per
se in Ireland.
Mr. DELANEY: No, that's not true. There is a St. Patrick's Day, all right, but it
didn't have anything like the power of St. Patrick's Day here, until television
came to Ireland in the early 1960s. And then when people saw the size of the
New York and the Boston and Chicago St. Patrick's Day parades, and in
Chicago - you'll know this - it's alleged that they turn the river green on St.
Patrick's Day.
SIMON: They certainly make an effort. They put the dye in. They absolutely do.
Mr. DELANEY: Well, there you are. Well, when we saw that in Ireland on
television, we thought, we're not going to be outdone by the Yanks, as they call
them. We're going to have our own St. Patrick's Day parade. And of course it is,
and always has been, a national holiday.
And he's pretty well documented. And of course, the thing that St. Patrick did,
the wonderful thing he did, which nobody ever alludes to, in the course of
evangelizing Ireland, he taught the Irish how to write. And when he taught the
Irish how to write, the monks, who became his adherents and apostles, they
went into the monasteries, they learned to write, and as well as copying out the
scriptures. They also wrote down their own family stories. And that is how a lot
of the great mythologies and legends have survived.
SIMON: Your next novel is called "Tipperary."
Mr. DELANEY: Hah - you said Tipperary. As a Tipperary man, I would
immediately identify you as a foreigner. Now, if you come from Tipperary, you
call it Tip'rary. If you come from outside, you call it Tipperary. And I chose it
because it's the best known place name in Ireland on account of the song, "It's
a Long Way to Tipperary," written by a man who had never been in Ireland. And
it was a great World War I song. And it is a novel about the Anglo-Irish in
Tipperary, and it's about land and the great land themes of the 19th century. It
was the desire to get back their land that eventually brought Ireland
independence.
SIMON: Based on your experience so far, how do you account for the feeling
many Irish Americans seem to hold for Ireland, particularly because for the most
part, it's a country that they have never seen, or perhaps just for two weeks on
a vacation, and increasingly, a country where even their grandmothers don't
have any memories of?
Mr. DELANEY: It's a romantic thing, isn't it? Here was this tiny island, with these
gorgeous colours, this green, this unusual green. And it's a craggy country, it's
in the Atlantic. There are legends about it. It is a place where, because the
native language was suppressed, the people who had to learn the new
language learned to speak it more colourfully than anybody in the world
speaks the English language. It is a place that is the symbol of David versus
Goliath. It is the tiny country that won its independence from a great world
empire. It is a place where story is really all that matters. Truth is whatever you
want it to be - possibility is everything.
Americans love it because it has a very powerful personality. It is a very
individual country, and it is totally, totally different in flavor to any country in the
world.
SIMON: Frank, it's always a pleasure to talk to you.
Mr. DELANEY: And you, Scott. Happy St. Patrick's Day.
SIMON: And Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. Frank Delaney is speaking from
our bureau in New York. His most recent books, "Ireland, A Novel," "Simple
Courage: A True Story of Peril on the Sea" and coming in the fall, "Tipperary."
How was that?
Mr. DELANEY: Tip'rary.
SIMON: Tip'rary?
Mr. DELANEY: Perfect.

- In broadcast journalism, a sound bite

is a short piece of actual sound from
the event reported on.

- Wake (ceremony), a ritual which

takes place during some funeral
ceremonies. Velatorio
- Contention: Opinion. It is her
_________ that ella sostiene que
- Blankly: inexpresivo
- mind you(informal) used to add sth
to what you have just said,
especially sth that makes it less
strong (a decir verdad):
I’ve heard they’re getting divorced.
Mind you, I’m not surprised—they
were always arguing.
- per se adverb(from Latin) used
meaning ‘by itself’ to show that you
 are referring to sth on its own, rather
than in connection with other things:
The drug is not harmful per se, but
is dangerous when taken with
alcohol
- outdo: sobrepasar, superar, ser
mejor
- allude to sb/sth(formal) to mention
sth in an indirect way
- adherent noun(formal) a person
who supports a political party or set
of ideas
SYN supporter
- on account of sb/sth because of
sb/sth:
She retired early on account of ill
health
- account for sth to give an
explanation of sth
SYN explain: How do you account
for the show’s success?
- Craggy: having many crags:
a craggy coastline.
- Crag: (peñasco)a high steep rough
mass of rock:
 a castle set on a crag above the
village
- Suppress: reprimir
- Colourful: interesting or exciting;
full of variety, sometimes in a way
that is slightly shocking:
a colourful history / past / career
one of the book’s most colourful
characters
- Peril: riesgo, peligro
- colours [pl.] (especially BrE) a flag,
badge, etc. that represents a team,
country, ship, etc.:
Most buildings had a flagpole with
the national colours flying. sailing
under the French colours