Emerald Reflections Online

Zorro of Wexford

by Brian Witt

The name of Zorro is a familiar one to most people. The masked man of the Spanish colonies in Mexico is well known to Americans from the many film and television portrayals that have taken place over the past century. A vision of a dark, swashbuckling Spaniard is the one that is most readily conjured up. But wait. That might not be the case.

Fabio Troncarelli, Professor of History at Viterbo University, claims there is "detailed proof" in the closely guarded Inquisition archives - that the real Zorro, was an Irishman from Wexford called William Lamport.

Professor Troncarelli said there were "copious references" in the secret archives to Lamport, who was born in Ireland in 1615 and died at the stake in Mexico City in 1659. "He led a double life like (the fictional) Zorro, and had a thick red beard and flashing eyes," Professor Troncarelli said. "He was quite a womanizer, and led a life even more adventurous than anything the screenwriters have dreamt up."

He said that Lamport's fame as a popular hero in Central America was "still reverberating in the 19th century, 200 years after his death".

William Lamport was born in Wexford to a landowning Catholic family. They lived well under British rule until the late 16th century, when London demanded that Irish landowners convert to Protestantism. Many families, including the Lamports, rebelled and sided with Catholic Spain in the Battle of Kinsale in 1602. Some reports say that William Lamport grew up in Spain, as a member of the Court, and would later return to Dublin and London for education by the Jesuits.

After his religious education, Lamport became a privateer, attacking the fleets of William Cromwell. (Piracy was one of the main sources of commerce for the port of Wexford.) He would later join the Irish Brigades in Spain's war against France, where he acquitted himself with his bravery. At the age of 25 Lamport made his way back to Spain. It was there he would find himself in the service of the Duke of Olivares, chief minister at the court of Philip IV of Spain. It was while he was in Spain he Latinized his name to "Guillen Lombardo".

Lamport would find himself getting in trouble for his deep attraction to women, both married and unmarried. One of these dalliances led to a scandal that forced Lamport to flee to Mexico, under the direction and assistance of Olivares.

Lamport's romantic problems didn't cause him to change his ways once he hit the shores of the New World. It was in Mexico City that Lamport, or "Lombardo", perfected his double life. Officially he moved in the highest circles and became engaged to a noblewoman named Antonia Turcios. But he had many other lovers, acted as a spy for Olivares, and assumed a false identity to befriend local Indian tribes, learning their healing skills and dabbling in astrology. Lamport developed an empathy for the poor and native Indians. He lived with them, and began to advocate liberation from slavery for them and the black slaves. William became the leader of the fledgling Mexican independence movement.

The infamous Spanish Inquisition, which hunted out enemies of the Church and the King of Spain, acted against Lamport. His interest in native sciences, as well as his rebellious activities, caught the attention of the Inquisitors. He was arrested by the Inquisition and accused of conspiracy against Spain and its Most Catholic Majesty.

He was sentenced to prison for 10 years, but escaped from his dungeon and emerged at night to paint the walls of Mexico City with his nickname and anti-Spanish writings. Lamport was on the run for the better part of the decade, fomenting rebellion amongst the Indians, who spread the legend of the nighttime fox, "El Zorro".

One thing that could be said about Lamport was that he was bravely incorrigible. He was arrested in 1652 when found in the bed of the wife of the Spanish Viceroy of Mexico, Marquis Lope Diez de Caderyta. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, at the end of which he was turned over to the Inquisition to be burnt at the stake as a heretic. In 1659 he was tied to the stake in Mexico City, but he slid under the ropes that bound him and strangled himself before the "cleansing" flames could reach him. Thus ended the life and career of The Fox, William Lamport.

Milwaukee President's Message

Congratulations to the 2002 Shamrock Club Board of Directors!

President - Joe Hughes
Vice-President - Jack Suit
Secretary - Tom McAleese
Treasurer - Sharon Murphy
Trustee - Norene Barclay
Sergeant-at-Arms - Jim Dickmann
Parliamentarian - Tim O'Brien
Membership Chair - Tom Smith

I was gratified to see several members step forward to serve on the Board for their first time. It's a time consuming and sometimes difficult job to serve the Shamrock Club Membership in this capacity, so they are to be given a lot of credit. I am confident that they can meet any challenge. I must send out a very big thank you to the outgoing board for your commitment to the club.

The installation dinner has been planned by Jim Dickmann and will be held on Thursday, July 11. Please see this issue for further details.

We also have plans in the works for the Honoree dinner set up for this fall. (We like to spread the fun out all year!) It will be held at Klemmer's on Sunday October 6th. Details will follow at our Membership meetings and in the future Reflections.

Also keep that weekend open for the Badger game in Madison on Saturday, October 5. Please contact Tom Smith for more details.

Shamrock Club Elections

The slate of candidates for the Shamrock Club Milwaukee chapter was inadvertently omitted from the May issue, due to space issues. The names were placed on the Shamrock Club's website for the May, 2002, Emerald Reflections after it was realized that the slate was not listed. However, this was a violation of article X of the Shamrock Club bylaws, which states that candidates shall be announced at the April meeting and shall be listed in the May issue of the official publication of the Shamrock Club of WI, Inc., the Emerald Reflections. My sincere apologies for this omission.

Please include the following information:

Name:
Day Phone:
Evening Phone:
No. of Reservations $10 @____________
Total Amount Enclosed $_____________

Please make checks payable to the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin

Mail to: Jim Dickmann, 1448 Woodland Dr.,
Grafton, WI 53024-1207 by June 30, 2002

South Central

On April 14, Shamrock members of the South Central Club met at Longley's in Reedsburg. Jack Gavin, president, opened the meeting with an early bird door prize, donated by a member, won by Gerry Nemeth, of Reedsburg.

A short business meeting followed the group voting on our 2003 St. Patrick's celebration. All present voted to have our St. Pat's Day Party at the Wintergreen in Lake Delton. A thank you note was read from Don McConoghy. It was decided a board meeting will be held in September to set up the calendar for 2002-2003.

Bob Hanes gave an interesting and enlightening talk on the economy of Ireland. Bob and his wife Pat visited Ireland in October 2001.

The final meeting of the year was held on Wednesday, May 22, at Fischer's Supper Club in Lake Delton. Election of officers for the coming year was held. A social hour was followed by dinner off the menu.

Dane County Shamrock Club

UPCOMING EVENTS

• JUNE 11, Board Meeting at Jingles, 6:15 p.m.

• JULY 9, Summer potluck at the Knights of Columbus Club House on Verona Road. This is a family event with entertainment for adults and children. More information will be available in the next Emerald Reflections as well as in our own newsletter.

At the State Advisory Board Meeting in Green Bay on Saturday, May 4, 2002, we discussed the incorporation of our club. The reason for the incorporation is for protection of the club, the board members and club members against possible lawsuits.

In the July issue of the Emerald Reflections we will report the new officers for the Dane County Shamrock Club and provide information about each of the new officers.

The O'Fitchburg Days celebration was May 17, 18 and 19. Our Club members manned a booth on just the 18th and 19th since the 17th was devoted largely to teenage activities. Our booth was located in the Cultural tent. This allowed us to greet new members, distribute new information and reacquaint ourselves with other organizations, including the Celtic Madison Organization. Last year this club gave us encouragement, helpful insights and a stimulus to pursue a resurgence in our club activities and in attracting new members. Deneen Grow was especially helpful to us.

Margaret Courtney has graciously accepted another year as our Sunshine Chairperson. Members should notify her of any illnesses or deaths so she can respond accordingly. Margaret can be reached at 249-2479.

The potluck that we are planning for July needs volunteers from the club. We need people to call about working on the food and entertainment committees. This is a chance to show involvement in club activities. We welcome all help with open arms!

A highlight of our May meeting was the talk by Al and Colleen Schams on their recent trip to Ireland. In the Northwest part of Ireland, they visited Knock, where the Blessed Virgin appeared. The trip through Northern Ireland included walking on the Giant's Causeway. Before arriving in Dublin they stopped in the Boyne valley where they viewed the Neolithic burial site at Newgrange. Here the tombs are older than the Egyptian pyramids. In the South, they visited Cobh (Cove) Heritage Museum near Cork where they saw a display about the history of Irish immigration and the stories of the ill-fated super liners: the Lusitania and the Belfast built Titanic.

Thanks to Landa Cleary Travels for an active, fun-filled and very busy tour. They discovered and visited places that were unfamiliar to them, even though they had visited Ireland several times before. The fact that they saw so many different aspects of Ireland should prompt the club to plan another trip with Landa Cleary based on the uniqueness of this tour.

Wishing you a pot of o' gold ... and all the joy your heart can hold.

Rock County

UPCOMING EVENTS

• JUNE 18 - Regular meeting; 7 p.m.

• No Meeting in JULY

• AUGUST 20 - Club Picnic

At the June meeting we will have the election of officers. We hope we will have a good turnout of members and show our support for the new officers.

The club picnic will be August 20 and we will give you the location and other details next month.

Celtic Woman of the Year

Left to right: Jean Bills, President Celtic Women International; Mary Munnelly, Mg. Dir. Connemara Celtic Crystal; Dolores Keane, Exceptional Celtic Woman 2001; Morgan Llywelyn, Exceptional Celtic Woman 1999.

As I motor along the roadway of life, I have come to appreciate more and more the little lay-bys, happy halting sites and serendipitous stop-offs that come my way. Devitt's old Dublin pub on Camden Street in the heart of the city's Liberties was the venue for my most recent resuscitative rest stop. The excuse was the presentation of her "Celtic Woman of the Year" award to that Irish songstress of fame and renown, Dolores Keane. An eclectic mix of friends, supporters and well-wishers turned up to see Dolores receive her rewards - a framed illuminated address and a beautifully engraved piece of Celtic crystal - from CWI founder Jean Bills.

Normally, Dolores would have received her honor at the CWI conference last October, but the aftermath of September 11th prevented her from traveling to Milwaukee. Anyway, on Thursday, March 21st last, Devitt's Pub was positioned somewhere half way between Milwaukee and Galway!

With the formalities out of the way, we were seduced into a singing session of massive proportions, reminiscent of "noble calls" of long ago. Frances Black weaved her spell with her achingly beautiful ballads of love and loss. Her brother Martin had us laughing with his humorous Dublin come-all-ye's. Conor Clancy did a gloriously rollicking version of the "Jug of Punch" that I'm sure had his late father Paddy knocking sparks off the floorboards of Heaven. There were many other singers and songs in this egalitarian expression of the joys of the good song well sung. But the evening belonged to Dolores. In the silence "Take Me to an Island," "Caledonia" and "A Song for Ireland" generated in the crowded room. You couldn't hear a pint drop down a gullet. Truly a night to remember, and fair play to Celtic Women International.

This locally originating organization has been enriching our community for some years now. Their annual conference at the ICHC has brought together noted speakers from the Celtic world, authors, craftspeople and the community at large in a brilliant exploration of common heritage. The special spirit of coming together to celebrate things Celtic that permeates this gathering is a palpable and precious part of its life-enhancing success.

It was inevitable that success and growth would shift emphasis to the international aspect of CWI's mission. This year's conference will be held in New Orleans and a great line-up of speakers and participants is already in the works. In 2003, the conference moves to Toronto, and an Irish venue is slated for 2005. We can be justly proud of another Milwaukee contribution to the international world of Celtic education, heritage and tradition.

Locally, CWI will continue its ongoing program of events, including the very popular "First Fridays," an excellent series of talks that has covered everything from archaeology to tartans, from Welsh love spoons to the folklore of Celtic saints.

Founded by Jean Bills, a tireless worker for all that's good in the community, with the help and support of other key volunteers, CWI is indeed worthy of all our support and encouragement.

Color Guard News & Notes

The month of May saw "your" Color Guard, Pipes and Drums make a return visit to the Burlington Chocolate Days Parade May 19; "how sweet it was." On May 27 the Unit marched "smartly" in the Menominee Falls and Milwaukee Memorial Day parades. A very special tradition which we have established is the presentation of the "MIA-POW" flag for military parades and at the conclusion of our march in the Milwaukee Memorial Day parade, we proceeded to the War Memorial to honor all veterans of all wars with a very "touching/moving" rendition of Amazing Grace; we hope you were there to enjoy our salute.

Banner Carriers Wanted - would you like to participate with the Color Guard, Pipes and Drums but cannot make a year long commitment to all our parades? Check-out the Parade Schedule and select one or two parades in which you'd like to help represent the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin-Milw., give us a call and that's it, you're part of the group!

UPCOMING APPEARANCES

• June 1 - Highland Games (Bavarian Inn) Glendale, WI; 12 noon

• June 9 - Flag Day Parade, Waubeka, WI; 1:30 p.m.

• June 30 - Reedsville Days Parade Reedsville, WI; 11:30 a.m.

• July 3 - Menominee Falls 4th of July; Menominee Falls; 7 p.m.

• July 4 - Greenfield 9:30 a.m.; New Berlin 1:00 p.m.

• July 13 - South Shore Water Frolics; Bay View; 11 a.m.

• July 20 - Pt. Washington Fish Days; Port Washington; 9 a.m.

• July 27 - Heritage Days; South Milwaukee; 11 a.m.

• July 28 - Random Lakes Days; Random Lake, WI; 12 noon

For further information regarding parade performances, special occasion appearances or if you'd like the join the Unit, please contact:

Jim Dickmann: Director/Commander
Shamrock Club Color Guard, Pipes & Drums
Telephone (262) 377-2601
Fax (262) 377-3901

Attn: Milwaukee Football Fans

UPDATE: Badger-Penn State football game October 5 at Madison. Tickets have been sent for. We will travel on Badger Coach Lines. Ticket price is $24 a ticket. Bus fare is $14 a person round trip total package is $38 a person. This is based on 35 people. If interested please contact Tom Smith as soon as possible. (414) 384-4119. email JESmith26@aol.com

Rhapsody In Blue Recital

Rhapsody in Blue, Cashel Dennehy Irish Dancer's annual all-school recital, will take place on Saturday, June 22, 2002. There will be two shows: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. All Cashel Dennehy Irish Dancers will perform in costume, from baby beginners to championship dancers. Dance Master, Kathy Dennehy, provides fabulous championship-winning steps. Dance Instructor, Kate Walrath, provides show-stopping choreography.

This event will take place at Whitefish Bay High School, located at 1200 E. Fairmount Ave. Tickets are available at the door. Ticket prices are $10 adults, $5 children (12 and under). For more information call (262) 783-6812.

All proceeds benefit the W.O.N. fund. This helps finance dancers to The World Championships, The MidAmerica Regional Championships (Oireachtas) and The Nationals (The North American Championships).

Celtic Women Int'l First Friday Lecture

Friday, June 7: Speaker: Jean Bills, "The Scottish Kilbarchen Project". Newly returned from North Carolina and the Scottish Craft Exhibition, Jean will have stories to tell and samples to show of theunusual Tartan exhibition week-end. Of special interest to Celtic Women will be the samples of the proposed Celtic Women International Tartan. You will be among the first to see these tartan designs, one of which will be the official CWI Tartan.

July and August: there will be a summer break from First Friday lectures. They will resume again in September.

As always, the public is invited to CWI lectures, men and women, members and non-members alike. Admission is $5 per person. You may also enjoy a cup of tea and biscuits while soaking up Celtic culture prior to the 5:30 lecture. We hope to see you at the above First Friday lectures at the ICHC, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee.

New Members

NOTE: Please send your dues to your Membership Chairperson in your chapter. All names and addresses are listed in Emerald Reflections.

DANE CO. - Al and Rosie Lecheler; corrections: Ruth Ellickson; Matt Gibbons.

MILWAUKEE - Maureen Beaman; Denny Daggett; Grobow family: Terry and Laune, Mariya, ReAnna, Sam; James M. Lynch; Joe and Laury Lynch; David Payne; Jeff Pritchard; John and Amy Quinlan; Maureen Stapleton; Rita B. Strobl; John and Annette Thomson (referred by Tom and Marlene Wiseman); Julie Ann Trotier; Wayne Whitty.

SOUTH CENTRAL - Jerry and Joanne O'Donnell.

MEMBERSHIP REPORT - MILWAUKEE CHAPTER:

• March: 66 memberships up for renewal, 46 paid, 20 dropped.

• April: 47 memberships up for renewal, 32 paid, 15 due

.• May: 43 memberships up for renewal, 15 paid, 28 due.

During March and April Milwaukee signed 31 new members. Thank you to all for your membership and the people who helped with this great effort.

FAMILY GOLF AND DINNER
OUTTING REGISTRATION

Please list the names in your party who will play golf; who will play golf and have dinner; and who want dinner only.

GOLF AND DINNER PACKAGE:

Name 1:________

Name 2:________

Name 3:________

Name 4:________

Please list preferred Tee Times.
We will do the best we can to accommodate your requests.

(1)_____ (2)_____ (3)_____ (4)_____

No.______ @ $32 each=_________

Tel.#_________________________

GOLF ONLY:

Name 1:________

Name 2:________

Name 3:________

Namd 4:________

Please list preferred Tee Times.
We will do the best we can to accommodate your requests.

(1)_____ (2)_____ (3)_____ (4)_____

No.______ @ $16 each=__________

Tel.#__________________________

DINNER ONLY:

Name 1:________

Name 2:________

Name 3:________

Name 4:________

No.______ @ $16 each=___________

Tel.#___________________________

TOTAL ENCLOSED:

$_______________________________

REGISTRATION ENDS AUGUST 15, 2002

(No "AT DOOR" payments / registration on day of event can be permitted, except for "Dinner Only" - Cost $20.)

TEE TIMES WILL BE BASED ON DATE OF RECEIPT OF PAYMENT.

Make all checks payable to the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin.

Send your completed registration to

Tom Tibbals, 5761 N. 81st Street, Milwaukee, WI 53218.

Please call (414) 462-4673 if you have any questions.

**Please include daytime (______)______________________ and nighttime (______)______________________telephone numbers.

(You will be notified of your Tee Time August 19-22)