Listen to the conversation and fill in the gaps.
St. Patrick's Day has become a showing of
the colours in many American big cities, most notably, Boston,
Chicago and New York. According to the U.S. Census
Bureau, 34.7 million U.S.
residents __________ Irish ancestry. That's more than five times the actual
population of the entire island
of Ireland. One among us
who is a true Irishman, and a recent immigrant to these shores, is the writer
Frank Delaney, the world's most ____________ man. (Sound bite of laughter)
SIMON: Mr. Delaney is a _______________
novelist and writer. His last two books are a novel, "Ireland,"
and last year's sea saga, "Simple Courage: A True Story of Peril on the
Sea."
Frank Delaney joins us from our studios is New York. Frank, thank
you so much for being ____________________.
Mr. FRANK DELANEY (Irish Novelist and
Writer): Hello, Scott. It's so nice to hear your voice in my actual ears again.
SIMON: Tell us about, I gather, Irish
families used to hold wakes when their relatives went to the United States or Canada?
Mr. DELANEY: I used to conduct a private
___________, Scott, when I was living in Ireland. I used to ask people, do
you have a relative in the United States,
because it ___________________ that everybody in Ireland
has a relative in the United
States. And people would look at me blankly
and say, no, no, I don't, no, no relatives there. _________________, my mother
has a cousin. Or my father had an uncle there. And I would say, well, isn't
that a relative in the United
States.
An American wake, as you call it, was held
when a son or daughter from a house, usually on the Atlantic facade of the west
of Ireland, was leaving to
emigrate to America.
And the parents and the neighbours, sure in their blood and bones, that they
would never see that child again, held a ceremony to say goodbye to them - a
tearful, __________________ ceremony, and it became known as an American wake.
SIMON: I used to hear from my mother, who,
as you know, is Irish -
Mr. DELANEY: Indeed.
SIMON: From Belfast,
growing up, that in fact there is no St. Patrick's Day per se in Ireland.
Mr. DELANEY: No, that's not true. There is
a St. Patrick's Day, all right, but it didn't have anything like the power of
St. Patrick's Day here, until television came to Ireland ______________ 1960s. And
then when people saw the size of the New York
and the Boston and Chicago St. Patrick's Day
parades, and in Chicago
- you'll know this - __________________ they turn the river green on St.
Patrick's Day.
SIMON: They certainly make an effort. They
put the dye in. They absolutely do.
Mr. DELANEY: Well, there you are. Well,
when we saw that in Ireland
on television, we thought, we're not going to ______________ by the Yanks, as
they call them. We're going to have our own St. Patrick's Day parade. And of
course it is, and always has been, a national holiday.
And he's pretty well documented. And of
course, the thing that St. Patrick did, the wonderful thing he did, which nobody
ever _________________, in the course of evangelizing Ireland, he
taught the Irish how to write. And when he taught the Irish how to write, the
monks, who became his _______________ and apostles, they went into the
monasteries, they learned to write, and as well as copying out the scriptures.
They also wrote down their own family stories. And that is how a lot of the
great mythologies and legends have survived.
SIMON: Your next novel is called "Tipperary."
Mr. DELANEY: Hah - you said Tipperary. As a Tipperary man, I would
immediately identify you as a foreigner. Now, if you come from Tipperary, you call it Tip'rary. If you come
from outside, you call it Tipperary.
And I chose it because it's the best known place name in Ireland _________________ the song, "It's a
Long Way to Tipperary," written by a man
who had never been in Ireland.
And it was a great World War I song. And it is a novel about the Anglo-Irish in
Tipperary, and
it's about land and the great land themes of the 19th century. It was the desire
to get back their land that eventually brought Ireland independence.
SIMON: Based on your experience so far, how
do you ______________ the feeling many Irish Americans seem to hold for Ireland,
particularly because for the most part, it's a country that they have never
seen, or perhaps just for two weeks on a vacation, and increasingly, a country
where even their grandmothers don't have any memories of?
Mr. DELANEY: It's a romantic thing, isn't
it? Here was this tiny island, with these _____________ colours, this green,
this unusual green. And it's a craggy country, it's in the Atlantic.
There are legends about it. It is a place where, because the native language
was _______________, the people who had to learn the new language learned to
speak it more ______________ than anybody in the world speaks the English
language. It is a place that is the symbol of David versus Goliath. It is the
tiny country that won its independence from a great world empire. It is a place
where story is really _______________. Truth is whatever you want it to be -
possibility is everything.
Americans love it because it has a very
powerful personality. It is a very individual country, and it is totally,
totally different in flavour to any country in the world.
SIMON: Frank, it's always a pleasure to
talk to you.
Mr. DELANEY: And you, Scott. Happy St.
Patrick's Day.
SIMON: And Happy St. Patrick's Day to you.
Frank Delaney is speaking from our bureau in New York. His most recent books, "Ireland, A Novel," "Simple Courage: A
True Story of ___________ on the Sea" and coming in the fall, "Tipperary." How was
that?
Mr. DELANEY: Tip'rary.
SIMON: Tip'rary?
Mr. DELANEY: Perfect.
KEY:
St. Patrick's Day has become a showing of
the colors in many American big cities, most notably, Boston,
Chicago and New York. According to the U.S. Census
Bureau, 34.7 million U.S.
residents claim Irish ancestry.
That's more than five times the actual population of the entire island of Ireland. One among us who is a true
Irishman, and a recent immigrant to these shores, is the writer Frank Delaney,
the world's most eloquent man.
(Sound bite of laughter)
SIMON: Mr. Delaney is a well-known novelist and writer. His
last two books are a novel, "Ireland," and last year's sea
saga, "Simple Courage: A True Story of Peril on the Sea."
Frank Delaney joins us from our studios is New York. Frank, thank
you so much for being back with us.
Mr. FRANK DELANEY (Irish Novelist and
Writer): Hello, Scott. It's so nice to hear your voice in my actual ears again.
SIMON: Tell us about, I gather, Irish
families used to hold wakes when their relatives went to the United States or Canada?
Mr. DELANEY: I used to conduct a private poll, Scott, when I was living in Ireland.
I used to ask people, do you have a relative in the United
States, because it was
my contention that everybody in Ireland
has a relative in the United
States. And people would look at me blankly
and say, no, no, I don't, no, no relatives there. Mind you, my mother has a cousin. Or my father had an uncle there.
And I would say, well, isn't that a relative in the United States.
An American wake, as you call it, was held
when a son or daughter from a house, usually on the Atlantic facade of the west
of Ireland, was leaving to
emigrate to America.
And the parents and the neighbours, sure in their blood and bones, that they
would never see that child again, held a ceremony to say goodbye to them - a
tearful, heartbreaking ceremony, and
it became known as an American wake.
SIMON: I used to hear from my mother, who,
as you know, is Irish -
Mr. DELANEY: Indeed.
SIMON: From Belfast,
growing up, that in fact there is no St. Patrick's Day per se in Ireland.
Mr. DELANEY: No, that's not true. There is
a St. Patrick's Day, all right, but it didn't have anything like the power of
St. Patrick's Day here, until television came to Ireland in the early 1960s. And then when people saw the size of the New York and the Boston
and Chicago St. Patrick's Day parades, and in Chicago - you'll know this - it's alleged that they turn the river green on St. Patrick's Day.
SIMON: They certainly make an effort. They
put the dye in. They absolutely do.
Mr. DELANEY: Well, there you are. Well,
when we saw that in Ireland
on television, we thought, we're not going to be outdone by the Yanks, as they call them. We're going to have our
own St. Patrick's Day parade. And of course it is, and always has been, a
national holiday.
And he's pretty well documented. And of
course, the thing that St. Patrick did, the wonderful thing he did, which nobody
ever alludes to, in the course of
evangelizing Ireland, he taught the Irish how to write. And when he taught the
Irish how to write, the monks, who became his adherents and apostles, they went into the monasteries, they
learned to write, and as well as copying out the scriptures. They also wrote
down their own family stories. And that is how a lot of the great mythologies
and legends have survived.
SIMON: Your next novel is called "Tipperary."
Mr. DELANEY: Hah - you said Tipperary. As a Tipperary man, I would
immediately identify you as a foreigner. Now, if you come from Tipperary, you call it Tip'rary. If you come
from outside, you call it Tipperary.
And I chose it because it's the best known place name in Ireland on
account of the song, "It's a Long Way to Tipperary,"
written by a man who had never been in Ireland. And it was a great World
War I song. And it is a novel about the Anglo-Irish in Tipperary, and it's about land and the great
land themes of the 19th century. It was the desire to get back their land that
eventually brought Ireland
independence.
SIMON: Based on your experience so far, how
do you account for the feeling many
Irish Americans seem to hold for Ireland, particularly because for
the most part, it's a country that they have never seen, or perhaps just for
two weeks on a vacation, and increasingly, a country where even their
grandmothers don't have any memories of?
Mr. DELANEY: It's a romantic thing, isn't
it? Here was this tiny island, with these gorgeous
colours, this green, this unusual green. And it's a craggy country, it's in the
Atlantic. There are legends about it. It is a
place where, because the native language was suppressed, the people who had to learn the new language learned to
speak it more colourfully than
anybody in the world speaks the English language. It is a place that is the
symbol of David versus Goliath. It is the tiny country that won its
independence from a great world empire. It is a place where story is really all that matters. Truth is whatever you
want it to be - possibility is everything.
Americans love it because it has a very
powerful personality. It is a very individual country, and it is totally,
totally different in flavor to any country in the world.
SIMON: Frank, it's always a pleasure to
talk to you.
Mr. DELANEY: And you, Scott. Happy St.
Patrick's Day.
SIMON: And Happy St. Patrick's Day to you.
Frank Delaney is speaking from our bureau in New York. His most recent books, "Ireland, A Novel," "Simple Courage: A
True Story of Peril on the Sea"
and coming in the fall, "Tipperary."
How was that?
Mr. DELANEY: Tip'rary.
SIMON: Tip'rary?
Mr. DELANEY: Perfect.
- In broadcast journalism, a sound bite is a
short piece of actual sound from the event reported on.
- Wake (ceremony), a ritual which
takes place during some funeral ceremonies. Velatorio
-
Contention: Opinion. It is her _________ that ella sostiene que
-
Blankly:
inexpresivo
- mind you(informal) used to
add sth to what you have just said, especially sth that makes it less strong (a
decir verdad):
I’ve heard they’re getting divorced. Mind you, I’m not
surprised—they were always arguing.
- per se adverb(from Latin) used meaning ‘by itself’ to show that you are
referring to sth on its own, rather than in connection with other things:
The drug is not harmful per se, but is dangerous when taken
with alcohol
- outdo: sobrepasar, superar, ser mejor
-
allude to sb/sth(formal)
to mention sth in an indirect way
-
adherent noun(formal)
a person who supports a political party or set of ideas
SYN supporter
- on account of sb/sth because of sb/sth:
She retired early on account of ill health
- account for sth to give an explanation of sth
SYN explain: How do you
account for the show’s success?
- Craggy: having many crags:
a craggy coastline.
- Crag: (peñasco)a high steep rough mass of rock:
a castle set on a crag above the village
-
Suppress: reprimir
- Colourful: interesting or exciting; full of variety,
sometimes in a way that is slightly shocking:
a colourful history / past / career one of the book’s most colourful characters
-
Peril: riesgo, peligro
-
colours [pl.]
(especially BrE) a flag, badge, etc. that represents
a team, country, ship, etc.:
Most buildings had a flagpole with the national colours
flying. sailing under the French colours
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