Durham Irish Association of Canada
Thanks for visiting the new home of The Durham Irish Association of Canada ! This is the place where you can check out all the latest news and photos. Be sure to check out the different pages on our site and sign up for the newsletter before you leave. Come back often as we will be updating the site frequently.Thanks !
We are starting off 2010 on a great note, which is that our own Jonathan O'Mara is remaining as the official DIA Webmaster and will continue to put together a website that we can all browse and is easy to follow.
Please check below for the details on this and feel free to add things that you think would be of interest to the members from time to time. Thanks,
Marian
Note to DIA members:
Any submissions you may have can be sent to me through my email address or through this site on our Contact Us page. I hope you find the site easy to navigate.
While we strive to maintain accuracy and respect for the people portrayed either in print or image, sometimes errors or omissions can occur. If you have any concerns, questions or complaints about this site, please contact J. O'Mara, website administrator @ jon.omara@sympatico.ca or go through our "Contact Us" page on this site.
I thought perhaps the DIA members might be
interested in knowing that the National
Archives of Ireland (in partnership with the Canadian government) has digitised
the Irish 1911 census for all 32 Counties in Ireland. It is
FREE for anyone to view.
Ireland is
unusual among English-speaking census-taking countries in that the original
household manuscript returns survived. These are the forms filled out and signed
by the head of each household on census night.
I think the DIA members will find it very exciting
to look up their ancestors in the 1911 Irish Census and see their grandparent's,
or great grandparent's handwriting and signature. Here's the link: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/
Enjoy!
Frances
Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins hits
Whitby:
I had the opportunity to meet and talk at some
length with rock n' roll legend, Ronnie Hawkins, when he visited Whitby this past
week. He appeared as spokesperson for Cambria, a Minnesota based company
specializing in the production of quartz surfaces, at the open house for Eire
Kitchens and Carpentry on Thickson Road in Whitby, on Saturday, Sept. 13th.
Ronnie Hawkins, 74, is a very funny and charming
Southern gentleman, and is no doubt familiar to most readers, having been a
strong presence on the Canadian music scene since the late 1950's, when he moved
up here from Arkansas and became a permanent resident. Even before he settled
here, he was already a teen idol by 1958 with hits such as, "Hey, Bo Diddley"
and "Marylou". He has received many awards including Junos, and a SOCAN award
for outstanding contribution to music in Canada, as well as being a member of
the Canadian Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. He has played for every Prime Minister
since Diefenbaker and has played for U.S. President Bill Clinton's inauguration,
and Polish solidarity and government leader , Lech Walesa.
Having been a part of the very beginnings of
rock n' roll, he knows most of the people who started it all. He told me
intimate stories about Johnny Cash (a failed car salesman!) , Buddy Holly, Carl
Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, The Band (which he was responsible for forming and who backed Bob Dylan
before branching out on their own), former Beatle, John Lennon and Yoko Ono (who
stayed on his Mississauga farm with him for a week in 1969 and who sent him to
China as a peace emissary), DJ Alan Freed, Hank Williams and his son, Hank
Williams Junior, Bo Diddley (whom he really loved), Canada's Bobby Curtola,
Stompin' Tom Connors, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young, former
Beatle, Ringo Starr, whom he appeared with in Martin Scorcesie's film about The
Band called "The Last Waltz", President Clinton, a fellow citizen of
Akansas, and so many more. Ronnie Hawkins was instrumental in
bringing much Canadian talent into the open by promoting and, in some cases,
giving exposure through his band to people like David Clayton Thomas, Burton
Cummings of The Guess Who, producer/composer David Foster, Jeff Healey, Lawrence Gowan,
and Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band, to name just a few. Ronnie appeared in
several movies and even hosted his own television show in Canada. What a
wonderful opportunity it was to talk to someone who was a pioneer of rock n'
roll himself and who knew and interacted with so many of the seminal artists!
He was very forthcoming and generous with his time. Ronnie Hawkins says he has
slowed down somewhat and only plays about six concerts a year now, but you can
catch him this October at Kitchener's Oktoberfest. Jonathan O'Mara
Sept. 13, 2009
On behalf of the DIA, I would like to thank the owner and staff of Eire Kitchens and Cabinetry for a wonderful open house and BBQ which they hosted today. Rock n' roll legend, Ronnie Hawkins, was on hand to talk and sign autographs. He was very charming and extremely generous with his time, regaling us with tales of his association with the likes of Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, John Lennon and Ringo Starr of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and countless other luminaries. He is a fine southern gentleman. Everyone on hand had a wonderful day. The food and drink were exceptional. We had a chance to go into the showroom and see the very intricate and beautiful cabinet work that Brad and his staff produce. Any of you who are thinking of remodeling your kitchen or need cabinetry of any sort, you would do well to drop in on Eire Kitchens at 108 Thickson Rd. in Whitby. This fine business will be featured on our "Links" page very soon. If you would like to see some photographs of the day, please visit our "Photos" page on the website. 'Bye for now. Jonathan O'Mara
Dear Irish Friend,
As Founder/Publisher of Irish America Magazine and Irish Voice newspaper, I wanted to let you know that IrishCentral.com was launched on St.Patrick’s Day and is now the largest and fastest growing Irish community portal on the web. We had well over 250,000 readers on our first day. It was an extraordinary performance from a standing start. Among those who picked up IrishCentral stories were The New York Times, Washington Post, People, Huffington Post, ABC News and Yahoo News.
We believe we are creating the first ever attempt to link the Irish family from sea to shining sea and we would love you to be part of it. Suggestions, submissions and Irish videos are all welcome. A luxury trip to Ireland, valued at $10,000, is also on offer for one of our lucky first viewers. You can click here to enter our Irish Getaway contest.
Niall O'Dowd, Founder, IrishCentral.com
|
