"# "° treasure. The larger Vallely
Fine Food & Entertainment family is a cultural wave unto
itself in Ulster, both the men
Wi gs f H pe women, ana t ei, a,t
• n o o ners. They are prominent in all
FROM PAGE 1 forms of art and music.
(rendering his encounter wor- Tent funds. You are taking the Dara Vallely's art is often
thy of a YouTube video), hawk to the right place. Plus, showcased in art shows, but
Fortunately for all concerned, they are right next door to you, only rarely offered for sale. His
the bird remained quiet due to in Livingston Parish." favored artistic theme in recent
being in a state of shock. Upon At this point the rescuer con- years draws almost totally from
arriving home, the Ponchatoula fessed to a huge sigh of relief, the Rhymer (or mummer) tradi-
resident quickly put the patient "I thought I was going to have tion of Ireland.
FROM PAGE 1
I enjoy when I am in Ulster, a
place that was quite terrifying
during much earlier visits.
I first came to Belfast when
you had to be prepared to duck
bullets, reporting back in the
1970's during a fierce time of
The Troubles on the Irish sec-
tarian street war for America's
largest evening newspaper, The
Detroit News.
Thanks to American inter-
vention (President Bill Clinton
in a pet carrier and began toto figure out how to take care of
try to locate the proper agency a wild bird all weekend. I don't
to provide medical aid and up- even cook for myself. If my wife
propriate housing. "The hawk goes out of town, I am a fast
didn't seem mortally wounded," food junkie 'til she gets back."
said the rescuer, "he was really Wings of Hope Wildlife Sanctu-
struggling to deal with his bad cry now has temporary custody
luck. It seemed to me if he could of the .hawk. The staff at the
be given a fair chance he might raptor rehab center nicknamed
shake it off." him "Sam, with a nod to his
Trying various state agen- ambulance driver. Sam is now
cies, including the LSU Raptor in the company of several owls
Rehabilitation Center, led to and an American Bald Eagle
him discovering that the state's brought to earth by a bullet.
Wildlife and Fisheries Depart- Wings of Hope is awaiting
Tent is the agency responsible a report from the veterinar-
for dealing with injured wild- ian who has already examined
life. However, according to their Sam. The goal of this organiza-
Web site, the agency does not tion is to always, if possible, re-
accept calls on that topic except turn their patients to the wild.
"during office hours." Top members of their team are
Undaunted by the clock, the trained and skilled in doing just
Samaritan set to work tracking that.
down the fastest possible quali- Hopefully, soon it can be de-
fied assistance for the victim, termined that Sam's prospects
Help came via non-bureaucrat- are good for regaining the abil-
ic channels. The Tangipahoa ity to soar in the wild. Check
native contacted a friend who backin these pages to read of his
volunteers at the Livingston progress in upcoming editions
Parish animal shelter, of The Ponchatoula Times.
Valerie Heitman was quick If you would like to partici-
with a positive response, "I'm pate personally in Sam's recov-
getting the phone number you cry efforts, a (tax deductible)
need while we talk," said Heit- donation of any amount will
man, herself a veteran of count- go to help Wings of Hope treat
less animal rescues. In just a Sam and other animals who are
few minutes the contact infor- doing their best to recover their
mation for Wings of Hope Wild- independence.
life Sanctuary was produced. Mailing Address: 20591
Heitman elaborated, '°You Abe Hoover Rd. Livingston,
won't believe what this small LA 70754. Donations of sup-
charity can do to treat injured plies from a list on their Web
animals, the founder is truly site are tax deductible as well.
an angel and she does it all on Web site: http://www.wing-
a shoestring. She is licensed by sofhoperehab.org
the state but gets no govern-
TO SUBSCRIBE
Call 985/386-2877
24 Hours
American Life in Poetry
By TED KOOSER- "
U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006
One of my friends told me he'd seen a refrigerator magnet that read, PARENT-
ING; THE FIRST 40 YEARS ARE THE HARDEST. Here's a fine poem about par-
enthood, and about letting go of children, by Chana Bloch, who lives in Berkeley,
California.
a Glass
BLOCH
By C
On the crown of his head
where the fontanelle pulsed
between spongy bones,
a bald spot is forming, globed and sleek
as a monk's tonsure.
I was the earliest pinch of civilization,
the one who laced him
into shoe leather
when he stumbled into walking upright.
"Shoes are unfair to children," he'd grouse.
Through a pane of glass
that shivers when the wind kicks up
I watch my son walk away.
He's out the door, up the street, around
a couple of comers by now.
I'm in for life.
He trips; my hand flies out;
I yank it back.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation~ publish-
er of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2009 by Chana Bloch from her
most recent book of poems, Blood Honey, Autumn House Press, 2009, and reprinted
by permission of Chana Bloch and Autumn House Press. Introduction copyright
©2010 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as
United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from
2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts but The Ponchatoula Times
does welcome the work of local poets for possible publication.
Some of his rare works will and peace envoy George Mitch-
be on display at this year's ell) and the resulting (1998)
Krewe of Erin Celtic Art Show Good Friday Accord, the atmo-
November 5-6 in the Atrium of sphere in Ulster today is much
Rockefeller's Restaurant. They more relaxed, and since the
are from a local private collec- breakthrough, government has
tion of Dara Vallely's work that been investing in "peace and
is rare in this country, reconciliation" programs, as the
Actually, there is a sibling ri- Rhymers provide.
valry for the top artist title in The area I visited represents
Ireland, with many lining up the ancient past, the heart of
behind Brian Vallely, Dara's The Troubles, and some say the
painter brother who has almost happy future of "Northern Ire-
singlehandedly revived the use land," which is not the same as
of Uilleann (Irish for "elbow") "Ulster."
bagpipes, and has staged suc- Stick with me on this. Four
cessful bagpipe festivals in U1- provinces make up the island of
ster. Not surprisingly, this great Ireland. Three of them are to-
artist often uses pipers as his tally in the Republic of Ireland.
subjects. The fourth province, Ulster,
The full-throttled Highland was partitioned along religious
pipes favored by the Scots and lines to provide for a supposed-
the Irish so rattled the English ly pro-English majority. So six
on and off the battlefield that of the nine counties in Ulster
the English outlawed them, were cut out to form Northern
leading to the invention of Uil- Ireland.
leann pipes that got their air The other three, including
from a bellows worked by the the home county of my father's
piper's elbow, pipes that could people, Monaghan, are part of
be played indoors, the Republic of Ireland. So all
Brian Vallely brought the of Northern Ireland is in Ulster,
Uilleann pipes, the national but not all of Ulster is in North-
bagpipe of Ireland, back from ern Ireland.
the cliff's edge of extinction, It is here in Ulster that the
and began teaching the man- great epic heroes of Ireland
ner of playing them to the Irish have always done their mighty
youth, and created societies and deeds.
festivals to fan the flame of in- Feats of the early epic heroes
terest so that now they are no were best recorded by Lady
longer a rare sight, or sound, in Augusta Gregory (co-founder
Ireland. of the Irish national theatre,
It was good being with both the Abbey) in her Cuchulain of
Vallely artists and their news- Muirthemne, the Irish epic.
paper publisher brother Niall She successfully found and
(whose noT de plum is Dcoin collected epic story fragments
Glic, "cunning duck" in Irish) scattered among 13 separate
on this visit to Armagh. We all and profoundly different dia-
attended a funeral for a revered lects of Irish, translated them
local teacher that was held in all into the Kiltartan dialect,
the Catholic cathedral, St. Pat- and from there to English.
rick's, on a twin hill adjacent Her work was at the center
to one that supports the Prot- of my college thesis entitled "In
estant cathedral, also St. Pat- Search of the Hound," a refer-
rick's, in what is known as the ence to Ireland's epic hero Cu-
ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, chulain, "The Hound of Ulster."
Armagh. So you can see, I am tied
Dara and I later took in ato Ulster by blood, by literary
Celtic jam session in the At- study, and with Terry Ann and
magh 'City Hotel convened, I our friends the Armagh Rhym-
feel certain, under the Vallely ers, by an effort to bring peace
influence in a hotel located on to the province, with a Louisi-
THE PONCHATOULA TIMES, SEPTEMBER 23,20010, PAGE 3
iii!ililili!iliiii~ !iiiiiiiiii!iil;!ili~iiii!i~! ii;i;?!!¸ ii¸ ~'~
Archbishop Hannan scientists
Hannan students in Tannny Freeman's biology class
were given a lab assignment on the pH levels in various liq-
uids. Pictured from left are local students Sarah Freeman,
Tammy Freeman, and Eric Clark working on their assign-
ment. (Courtesy Photo)
Science experiment
Archbishop Hannan High School Biology students in Ms.
Tammy Freeman's class were given the assignment to test
the effect of temperature change on cold blooded animals.
They students used live crickets in this hands-on applica-
tion of the scientific method. Pictured from left are Brooke
Laigast, Giavanna St. Philip of Ponchatoula, Ryan Gravo-
let, and Madeline Booksh testing the water before submerg-
ing the crickets. (Hannan Photo)
Better business banking.
985.386, 1002
WHITNEY
the site of St. Brigid's Well and ana twist.
a later Franciscan monastery. Profound friendships gar-
Dara Vallely's paintings are nered along the way have me
a featured attraction at the At- trussed permanently to this
magh City Hotel. historic and storied Irish lo,-
Such regular cultural events cation. Trust me, you haven t
in public places are to be ex- experienced Ireland until you
pected but also treasured as have been to Ulster.
you chance upon them during NEXT WEEK;
your Irish visit. Scotland
These are some of the people and the Isle of Skye
"Reason is always
See additional photo of
Darn Vallely's art on
Page 8
l
LIVE MUSIC
EVERY SUNDAY
3pro,till 7pro
This
SOUTHERN
IMAGE
a kind of brute force;
those who appeal to
the head rather than
the heart, however
pallid and polite, are
necessarily men of
violence. We speak
of 'touching' a man's
heart, but we can do
nothing to his head
but hit it."
G.K. Chesterton
P H RA P H Y
} Studm, i C{ me To You
Photographer- Derick Hingle
5:' { } ! ii'l} I S P{ } ]( IS, t: I) l ) 1 N (; 5,;, l'{ :} R 1 R A 1 & l N S [ i R A N C I2£ !}[ R P()S i:2S
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! I i'] [( 31 tR()M l)IX l!2 Y{)I i %S!!B 'M I, )NI.|NI!I BII;}:C}RI I I II.:Y {::;{)NI
www.a!ly reflect.com
CALL (985) 507-8380 for info/schedu/ing
FROM PAGE 2
Old Hwy. 51 South, Manchac, LA 70412
(985) 386-7902
ton.
With the boys in black and
gold playing on Monday Night
Football, which happened af-
ter my column's deadline, I
just had to get a Who Dat ref-
erence in here somehow, right?
We're only a couple weeks into
the season, but a couple things
have kind of surprised me.
Tampa Bay, Chicago, Kansas
City, and Houston all boast un-
defeated records thus far. And
maybe a bit more shocking, a
lot of the national media's pick
to represent the NFC in the Su-
per Bowl, the Dallas Cowboys
are 0-2.
Tony Romo looks lost behind
center, and the team as a whole
is playing lackluster, mistake-
filled, uninspired football. At
least Cowboys fans can look
forward to watching their team
lose in the comfort of a 1.3 bil-
lion dollar stadium.
,% .......
