The$Scottish$CovenantersA"short,"55"minute,"documentary"on"some"of"the"origins"of"the"Presbyterian"influence"that"grew"in"17th!century!Scotland.!!The$Covenanters$were$absolved$to$denounce$Catholicism$and$profess$to$follow$the$“Scots$Confession$of$Faith”,$and$denounce'Roman'Catholic'doctrine'in'seeking'to'follow'their'ideals'of'what'religion'would'be'the'most'important'in'Scotland.In#1637#King#Charles#I#and#the#Archbishop#of#Canterbury#sought#to#squelch#the#uprising#of#Presbyterianism#but#the#people#were$not$having$it.$$There$were$various$battles$fought$over$the$years$and$there$are$memorials$dotting$the$countryside$to$commemorate(the(lives(that(were(lost(in(seeking(their(freedom(of(religion.((People(were(not(only(tried(and(executed(they(were$deported$as$well$and$undoubtedly$ended$up$as$some$of$the$Scottish$slaves$that$populated$the$Caribbean$islands$during'those'years.One$has$to$realise$that$these$people$and$their$offspring$were$of$great$influence$in$the$forming$of$the$United$States$and$policy'making'when'it'declared'its'independence'from'England.''It’s'not'that'they'decried'that'other'people'had'different'religions,*they*simply*felt*the*right*should*be*their*own*to*believe*as*they*chose*to.**When*war*did*come*to*fruition*in*1776,%these%men%volunteered%in%great%numbers%to%fight%against%England.It#remains#to#be#an#amazing#example#of#how#a#people’s#belief#would#stay#embedded#and#strong#as#to#resist#the#auspices#of#the$monarchy$in$it’s$efforts$to$control$what$would$be$the$religion$for$the$country.$$For$as$many$times$as$they$would$be$defeated&and&lose&countless&numbers,&they&would&grow&and&rise&up&again&to&voice&what&they&felt&was&right&for&them.&&Even&after&facing&total&defeat&at&the&hands&of&Oliver&Cromwell&in&1650,&they&refused&to&abandon&what&they&knew&was&right&and&again,&they&fought&on&and&lost&and&fought&on.&&Available&on&disc&through&Netflix.Slainte,Richard(McKenzie

Moran&TaingMany%thanks%to%Vicki%and%Dan%Neary%and%Vicki%Benedict% for%hosting%our% table%at% the%Scandinavian%Fair.% I%understand%everyone%had%a%ripping%good$time!

Election)TimeDon’t& forget& the&December&meeting& is&election&time!& If&you&are& interested& in&holding&an&office&or&getting& involved&please& let&us&know.&Help&is#always#appreciated!

Renewal'TimeDon’t& forget& to&renew&your&membership!

Flagstaff Sessiun: Every Sunday afternoon/evening, Uptown Pubhouse

The KnockaboutsCollins Irish Pub: Friday, December 4th 7PM

Roast Turkey with Thyme & Onion Stuffing

Ingredients

7 kg turkey, oven readySalt, black pepper and a little flour2 tablesp. softened butter8 slices streaky bacon

Stuffing16oz bread broken into pieces6 tablesp. fresh parsley chopped2 tablesp. fresh thyme chopped1 medium onion, cut into quartersSalt and black pepper5oz butter, softened

Method

To make the stuffing

Place the bread, parsley, thyme and onion in a food processor.Process until you have fine breadcrumbs and the onion is finely chopped.Remove to a bowl, season and mix in the butter.

To stuff the turkey

Losen the skin at the neck end with your hands.Pack the stuffing in, pushing it up between the flesh and the skin, but not too tighlty because it will expand during cooking.Tuck the neck flap under the birds back and secure with a coctail stick.Any remaining stuffing can be cooked in a covered baking dish with the turkey.Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time. Allow 30-40 minutes per kg. (Allow 20-30 mins per kg for turkeys weighing over 8kg).Place the turkey breast side up in an oiled roasting tin.

To cook the turkey

Set the oven at Gas Mark 7, 220°C (450°F).Season the turkey with salt and pepper and dust with a little flour.Rub all over with the butter, then lay the bacon slices on the breast, overlapping each other.Cover the bacon with a piece of buttered grease proof paper. This will keep the bacon in place.Wrap the turkey in foil androast in the preset oven. After the first 30 minutes, reduce the heat to Gas Mark 3 (170°C or 325°F).Baste a couple of times during roasting.For the last half hour, remove the foil.To check if the turkey is cooked, pierce the thickest part of the leg, the juices should run clear.When the turkey is cooked remove from the oven andtransfer to a large plate.Reserve the cooking juices in the tin to make the gravy.Cover the turkey loosely with foil and allow to rest for half an hour in a warm place until you are ready to serve it.

We know Thanksgiving is an American thing but it looks like the Irish may be getting into it as well!

Celtic Warriors

For hundreds of years, the Celtic warrior represented the quintessential barbarian warrior to the settled peoples of the Mediterranean. To the Romans, Greeks and other "civilized" people, the Celts where a re-occurring nightmare that unpredictably erupted from darker Europe. It was a well-earned reputation, and they repeatedly gave the Mediterranean world reason to fear them. Celtic warriors stood a head taller than their Mediterranean opponents and are described as having muscular physiques. The Celtic warriors, or Gauls as they were called in the French part of their range, spiked their hair up with lime and wore horned and winged helmets to emphasize their large stature. Their attacks on the battlefield were fearless, wild and savage, but they were also skilled and deadly. As the Celts spread over their vast range, having conquered most of Europe at their height, their warriors developed different styles of warfare. In Spain, they became master swordsmen accustomed to up-close combat with their short swords. In southern Gaul they developed impressive armor and preferred long swords, while in Britain they continued to fight from chariots that they had adapted to rough ground. However, whether in Asia Minor or Ireland, the Celtic warrior remained essentially the same, a capable warrior and someone to be feared. This was a fact the Romans never forgot, as it had been forever planted in their psyche when the young republic was sacked by the Celtic warchief Brenus. The effect this had on the Romans changed history as they poured their energies into their military with single-minded focus that would eventually win them an empire.