Ireland's Lost Leprechauns, Magic

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The WoodsTock IndependenT
March 13-19, 2013
Congratulating TSP; celebrating DGPs birthday

Now that it is over, I am glad Paul Lockwood, who is president of TownSquare Players, asked me to be a guest spelling bee contestant for the March 9 performances of TSPs current production, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. During the week leading up to the performance, I wasnt sure saying yes to his request was a good idea. I awoke several mornings fearing I would embarrass my husband, Jim, and our four oldest grandchildren, Calvin, Cameron, J.T. and Reagan, who would be in the audience. I also had concerns about being a quality representative of The Woodstock Independent. You see, spelling is not one of my strengths. I read and spell phonetically, because I was taught to sound out words. The English language doesnt lend itself to spelling words by sounding them out. I decided to study. The morning of the performance, I spent a few minutes searching the Internet for Putnam County Spelling Bee words. I paled when I saw words like syzygy, strabismus, capybara, lugubrious, antediluvian .... Undaunted, I studied for about 30 minutes. Later in the day, I showed the list to Cameron, 10, and Reagan, 7, and enlisted their help. Reagan really tried to help, but after a few minutes, she said, Grandma, youre missing too many of these words. Can you resign from the spelling bee? I couldnt resign, so I arrived at the Opera House 30 Cheryl minutes before the Wormley curtain as Paul had directed. He was there to greet me Declarations and assured me some of the words would be easy. He also told me there would be a second guest speller Scott Stantis, Chicago Tribune editorial cartoonist. Long story short, I had a great time. Some of the words were, in fact, easy. I survived the first round, spelling Mexican correctly. The spelling words I had found on the Internet were given only to the cast. Whew! Best of all, I delighted in being on stage with the actors and being pulled into one of the musical numbers. I went down in the second round. Im still not certain what the word was. Jim thought he remembered its definition. I didnt. During the performance, my mind was fixated on the pronunciation. Late Sunday afternoon, Jim suggested the word might have been epicalyx. Its definition wasnt what he remembered from the night before, but the pronunciation was what I remembered. Scott advanced through rounds one and two. He correctly spelled his word in the third round only to be given another word, which he misspelled. Obviously, the script called for him to go down in the third round. When Scott and I met briefly before the performance, he suggested we meet at Stage Left after. Through a series of events, Scott had been invited by Paul to participate in the bee and had accepted. As a result, Scott and his wife visited Woodstock for the first time. In addition to chatting about the fun we had in the show, Scott talked enthusiastically about Woodstock. Congratulations to TownSquare Players for lots of laughs and a truly professional performance. Our grandchildren quoted lines from the show all day Sunday, laughing again and again over the ones they remembered as exceptionally funny. Congratulations to Paul for asking Scott to be a guest speller, which brought him to Woodstock. Check Scotts blog at news.blog.chicagotribune.com/takinga-stantis. If participating in the bee sounds like fun, buy a ticket to an upcoming performance, arrive 30 to 45 minutes before the curtain goes up and enter the drawing for a spot on stage. You could be one of four chosen. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee continues Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons through March 24. The Wormleys and the Stantises highly recommend it. Happy 50th birthday, Denise Graff Ponstein On my 50th birthday, Denise Graff Ponstein, co-founder of The Independent, surprised me with a full-page birthday greeting complete with pictures from my childhood through high school, college and early adult years. Now, its her turn to be feted. Denises 50th birthday is Saturday, March 16. In her 50 years, Denise has won the hearts of and earned the respect of hundreds of people in our community and McHenry County. She is a civic leader and a compassionate relative, friend and neighbor. Happy birthday, Denise.
Cheryl Wormley is publisher of The Woodstock Independent.
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Irelands lost leprechauns, lost magic

During a study abroad trip to Ireland in 2007, I spent a good deal of time gathering information for a special project I was working on for my final semester of college. As Ive always been fascinated with the world of the fairy folk, my project revolved around Irish author William Butler Yeats 20th century quest to discover authentic fairy and folk tales of Ireland and my own personal experiences looking for any remnants of the legends in the 21st century. One day while I attended a lecture at Dublin University, my professor touched briefly on the role of fairy tales in Ireland and of the leprechaun in Irish culture in particular. With the invention of the television, Irish country folk who once entertained themselves with fanciful stories found something new to provide amusement. It seemed the leprechaun, like other creatures of the old world, became nothing more than a misty memory of Irelands past. I thought it would be wonderful to find locals who could still spin a few good yarns. Unfortunately, as one member of the Irish family I stayed with explained, thanks to globalization the years had altered Ireland as theyd altered the rest of the world. Rhonda Old ways were often Mix brushed aside many times, with enthusiasm. He said Mix Id be hard-pressed Messages to find truly authentic stories, but, perhaps out in the countryside I would uncover a few answers. I heard a handful of tales as I traveled through various counties. There was the one about the witch who dropped rocks on the hills of Loughcrew to form the ancient cairns. As I walked through the Hill of Taras ruins, a guide mentioned the fairies who guarded the burial sites of the ancient high kings of Ireland. At Blarney Castle, I kissed the Blarney Stone the stone rumored to give the gift of gab. However, most of the stories were relayed by guides who viewed them purely as entertainment for tourists. I didnt exactly find what I was looking for, though I did get in touch with my Irish roots and experienced a bit of magic along Irelands wild western coast. As I stood at the edge of the Cliffs of Moher and stared at a glorious display of ocean, towering cliffs, ruins and undulating green hills, it was not difficult to believe the fairies and leprechauns of Ireland were still very much alive and well. Ireland, I concluded, always will retain a certain bewitching quality capable of convincing even the most devout skeptic that fairy tales could be true. The leprechaun really isnt lost at all its just that people have stopped looking. In celebration of St. Patricks Day and
all things Irish, here is a word of advice from yourirish.com. You may end up being the luckiest person alive if you ever manage to catch a leprechaun, but, there again, it could bring more than enough trouble for what its worth . As a cousin of the clurichaun they are known to [have] inhabited Ireland well before the arrival of the Celts . It is said that every leprechaun has a pot of gold hidden deep in the Irish countryside. To protect the leprechauns pot of gold the Irish fairies gave them magical powers to use if ever captured by a human or an animal . [Leprechauns] are known to have wild music sessions at night, which in Ireland are known as Ceilis, with hundreds of Irish leprechauns gathering to dance, sing and drink. The leprechaun is fond of drinking Poteen, moonshine, but must not be mistaken by [its] Irish cousins the clurichauns, who are drunken creatures who love to cause chaos around Ireland at night time. It is no easy task to catch a leprechaun as they remain very well hidden from us humans. Happy St. Patricks Day!
Rhonda Mix is a staff writer for The Woodstock Independent.
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The Woodstock Independent (Usps #001287) is published weekly at 671 e. calhoun st., Woodstock, IL 60098-3213. periodicals postage paid at Woodstock, Illinois. POSTMASTERS: Forward address changes to The Woodstock Independent, 671 e. calhoun st., Woodstock, IL 60098-3213. Subscription rates/year: $35 in Woodstock and Wonder Lake, $37 in Mchenry county, $42 for snowbirds and $50 outside Mchenry county. Letters to the editor: We welcome letters of general interest to the community and reserve the right to edit for clarity or length. Letters should be fewer than 400 words, and writers are limited to one letter per month. Letters are due at noon Wednesday and must be signed and include the writers address and a telephone number for verification purposes only. Corrections: The Woodstock Independent strives for accuracy. To suggest corrections or clarifications, email news@ thewoodstockindependent.com.
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Cheryl Wormley Publisher c.wormley@thewoodstockindependent.com John C. Trione General M anaGer gm@thewoodstockindependent.com Mike Neumann news editor news@thewoodstockindependent.com Katelyn Stanek Creative direCtor katelyn@thewoodstockindependent.com Jay Schulz editorial assistant/sPorts editor jay@thewoodstockindependent.com Rhonda Mix staff writer rhonda@thewoodstockindependent.com Jason Reinhardt GraPhiC desiGner jreinhardt@thewoodstockindependent.com Display Advertising Melissa knight, melissa@ thewoodstockindependent.com Other Advertising Jen Wilson, jenwilson@ thewoodstockindependent.com; Barb gessert, barb@thewoodstockindependent.com Columnists John daab, Lisa haderlein, dick hattan, Lisa kelly, paul Lambert, debbie skozek, Tony casalino, Beth ryan, peter anderson, Laura Witlox, paul Lockwood Editorial Cartoonist Jim pearson Photographers Michelle krenger, ken Farver, alisa ellegood Proofreaders Tricia carzoli, don humbertson Reporters Tricia carzoli, carolyn handrock, elizabeth harmon, Jason Learman, Megan Ivers Sports interns Marilyn chakkalamuri, Mallory Bellairs and Brandon Lewis Special Correspondent don peasley
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OpiniOn

The WoodsTock IndependenT

March 13-19, 2013

Congratulating TSP; celebrating DGPs birthday

Cheryl Wormley is publisher of The Woodstock Independent.

Irelands lost leprechauns, lost magic

Rhonda Mix is a staff writer for The Woodstock Independent.

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