An Nuacht

The Newsletter of

The Order of the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh - Essex Division

A 501c(3) Non Profit Organization

January 8, 2025

Inside this Edition

• Presidents Message
• Irish Org Cocktail Party
• 2025 Member Dues
• Essex Shillelaghs GAA Report
• Essex Shillelaghs Pipe Band Report
• Local Irish Org Events
• Ancient Ireland: Winter Soltice
• Welcome New Members
• Good & Welfare
• Shillelaghs Out and About; The Year in Review.
• Shillelagh Uniforms
• Member Dues
• Join a Committee

Wednesday January 15, 2025 7:30PM Start!

Due to the NYE Holiday, our January monthly meeting will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Irish Organizations Cocktail Party

Hosted by the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh – Essex Division

Please RSVP to:

President@Shillelaghclub.com

The Friendly Sons demonstrated their big hearts and generosity this Thanksgiving. Here are some of our successes:

Editor's Note: Ancient Ireland is a new feature of AN NUACHT and hopes to bring to life the richness of Irish history with curated and authored articles by members. Submissions for publication here and at AncientIreland.com are encouraged, subject to Editorial staff approval.

Winter Soltice

By Mike Palazzoto

The Birth of Christ is fixed as December 25th which, according to the ancient Julian Calendar, was the day of the Winter Solstice. Since the Gregorian Calendar was adopted the Winter Solstice occurs on the 21st of December. In the early days of the Catholic Church, and according to "The Calculation Theory of Christmas", it was the same day. The Celtic name for the winter solstice is Grianstad an Gheimhridh in Irish Gaelic and is also known as Meán Geimhridh, which means "midwinter".

The winter solstice was one of the most important celebrations in the pre-Christian world. All over the Northern Hemisphere, there were ancient festivals marking the shortest days of the year when the sun appeared to “stand still.” In OUR part of the world, the most prominent ancient site associated with the winter solstice is Newgrange, a prehistoric monument in County Meath.

Newgrange (Síd in Broga – modern Sídhe an Brugha or Sí an Bhrú). Like other passage tombs, it is described as a portal to the Otherworld and a dwelling of the divine Tuatha Dé Danann. According to Celtic myth, the solstice marked a great battle each year between the Oak King who represented the light, and the Holly King who represented the dark. Each year the Oak King would finish victorious at the winter solstice, and daylight would slowly return to the island until it was time to do battle again at the summer solstice.

Newgrange, dated at 3500 BCE, is older than the Birth of Christ, older than Stonehenge, and even older than the ancient Egyptian pyramids. Newgrange consists of a large cairn or chamber with three cavities containing huge boulders carved with spirals, triangles, chevrons, circles, and wavy lines that have come to represent the symbols and spirit of Ireland. Newgrange is covered by a very large mound of earth, 114 feet high and 130 feet in diameter. There is a long passageway through the mound leading into the chamber. At sunrise on the winter solstice (grianstad) (and about three days before and after) the rising sun shines directly along the long passage illuminating the inner chamber and revealing the carvings inside. This illumination lasts for approximately 17 minutes.

The solar alignment at Newgrange is very precise. Modern calculations show that 5,000 years ago, first light of the Winter Solstice (grianstad) would have entered exactly at sunrise and shone on the chamber's back wall.

Within the back recess of Newgrange's chamber is the renowned Tri-Spiral motif meticulously engraved on a stone at 12 inches in diameter. The triple spiral design stands out as one of the most iconic symbols in Irish Megalithic art. The spirals, intertwined in a formation known as “triskelion”, evoke a sense of balance, continuity, and perhaps a connection to celestial or spiritual concepts.

The triskelion is often interpreted as representing the cycles of birth, life, and death, or the interconnectedness of all things past, present and future in the eternal cycle of life and nature. The clockwise direction of the swirls represent the harmony of the earth and sun. Though its precise meaning remains a subject of interpretation and fascination, the triple-spiral demonstrates the rich symbolism and beliefs of our ancient ancestors who created it.

Have you seen it? I want to go and visit!

About the Writer

Mike Palazzotto has been a member of the FSOS since 2017, tracing his Irish roots to County Kerry. Mike has a background in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science with a passionate interest interests in prehistoric and ancient peoples, and their explorations & discoveries. 

With sadness we report that Raymond Paolicchi, father-in-law of member Pat Kelly passed away in Chicago on January 2nd.

With sadness we announce the passing of Margaret Albert (Nee Dillon) of Oyster Bay Long Island, mother in law of member Tom Walsh. Margaret passed away peacefully on December 13th. She was a native of Mountshannon County Clare. Funeral services were held at Our Lady Of Peace New Providence.

Ar dheis De a raibh a h'anam Dilis.

A lookback at the Shillelaghs and Friends of Shillelaghs for 2024

Stephen Schaeffer, 2024 Shillelagh Man of the Year

Rick Dyer, 2024 Shillelagh Man of the Year

Barbara Hughes, 2024 Friend of the Shillelagh

Parade Season...from Belfast to Belmar