Tea at Trianon: Irish and Celtic Symbols

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Irish and Celtic Symbols

From Ancient Origins:

The Irish harp, also known as the Gaelic harp, Celtic harp, or Clarsach, is a lesser-known traditional symbol of Ireland. It is believed to represent royalty and the immortality of the soul. In ancient times, bards and musicians used to play the harp for their chieftains and the tradition continued for later kings. The harp on a green background symbolizing Ireland first appeared in July 1642, furthering the link between the instrument and Irish people. And that connection was cemented in the 1798 rebellion, when the Society of United Irishmen used a seal of an elaborate harp with two mottoes: “It is now strung and shall be heard” and “Equality." Even today, the harp remains among the most popular Celtic instruments. It also appears on coins, uniforms, and on the Guinness beer logo. (Read more.)