Heidi Lawn

Ireland is called the “Emerald Isle” for a reason: it is, as they say, fifty shades of green. Coming from the desert, greenery is always amazing to me; everything is greener (and more humid!) compared to El Paso. As much as I have traveled, it amazes me simply when there are more than three trees in a row. However, in all my travels there has never been anywhere as breathtaking as Ireland. It seems to me, then, that Heidi Lawn is the perfect place to hold meetings for the Gaelic Cultural Society.

Heidi Lawn is green, grassy, and of course, outside. In fair weather it is perfect homage to Eire. In foul weather, the Heidi patio must suffice, marked by a giant inflatable leprechaun. Either way, the Gaelic Cultural Society staff always manages to bring up topics that lead the mind to Ireland. They are adept at making the meetings worth attending and I have no doubt there meeting place was picked with a specific purpose in mind. Rest assured that any meeting with the Gaelic Cultural Society will be worth going to – there is no unnecessary information and there is always a purpose. I find that their organization lends a deal of quality to the club, making it doubly enjoyable for me.

It is of note that the Highland Games will be coming up this Saturday. This was the topic of the most recent meeting. I will attend, of course, and I will be sure to report on it in a later blog.

Photo: Heidi Lawn

Irish fact of the day: In Irish, craic (pronounced “crack”), means fun. Thus, when something is “Good craic!” it was a lot of fun. A party can also be advertised as having “craic agus ceol,” or fun and music.

We’re halfway through the first semester of this year and there is something on all the clubs’ minds: T-shirt designs. The Gaelic Cultural Society fortunately has a variety of past designs that they can reprint, so they are not scampering for a design quite as feverishly as some other clubs. However, it is noted that all their designs have something in common – sheep. Yes, sheep. Sheep flung from catapults, sheep jumping walls, sheep in a stout, and sheep holding signs. The Gaelic Cultural Society likes sheep.


Sheep may seem like a stereotype of Gaelic icons, but having been to Ireland and Scotland I can tell you that sheep really are there en masse. I have seen the infamous traffic jam of sheep stop our tour bus, just as it is depicted on the comedic postcards. With all those sheep from different farms together on unfenced government land, you may wonder how the farmers tell the sheep apart. I can honestly tell you that to differentiate sheep they spray-paint them.


Yes, you heard what I said – er, wrote. They spray-paint them.


In Scotland it is simple as picking a color and then spray-painting a large “X” on the behind of the animal. In Ireland, however, it is much more colorful. There are different combinations of colors that distinguish one set of sheep from the other. For example, Farmer A’s sheep may have a blue back, green sides, and a red behind, while Farmer B’s sheep may have a green back, red sides, and a green behind. It is all very interesting to see.


So, if you ever go to Ireland, Scotland, or somewhere similar, keep your eyes peeled. Meanwhile, the Gaelic Cultural Society will stay here and remind you every e-mail: “we like sheep.”



Irish fact of the day: The symbol for the Republic of Ireland is, not the shamrock, but the harp.