CARABHAT and HURLING

Hello Mr. Eterovich, I thought you might like the Gaelic (Irish) word for necktie, it is ' an Carabhat' there is an Irish song called 'an Carabhat' the 'bh' sound is equivalent to 'v' in other languages and the 'c' is a 'hard' 'C' so it is pronounced like the letter 'K' in other languages. I have visited Croatia twice in the last three years and love it there.

I was there over the Easter holidays in 2001 and on television saw a game played by small boys in peasant dress, with sticks a little like a hockey stick. In Ireland they have this game. It is the national sport of Hurling. I was alone in the house when I saw this the first time on television. My fiance came in and I asked him about the game, I drew a little picture of the boys and then just when I was frustrated the program ran again so I showed him that way what I meant. He said 'Those boys are in Zagorije and I am from Hercegovina, we don't have that game so I don't know what it is called. I have been dying to learn what it is called. I know that prior to the Slavic presence, prior to the Romans there were some Celtic tribes in what is now Croatia. I read about the Celtic artifacts in Sisak, Croatia in the Croatia Air in flight magazine the first time I was there. I wonder what the game is called and whether it is some survival of the Celtic presence so long ago on Croatian soil.

I have seen your articles in Appleby International and the CROWN website. I especially enjoyed your articles about Croats in the Old West and the Croats in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Although I am of Irish/Native American and Asian Indian heritage I always felt at home and so welcomed in Croatia. It is a lovely country.

Croats have two things to be proud of in my book, 1. Dubrovnik was the first place in the world to outlaw slavery and the slave trade. 2. Pope Sixtus V excomunicated Queen Elizebeth I. She richly deserved it. I did not know that it was this particular Pope who did that.

I love the study of history. I have enjoyed reading the things you wrote that are on the Internet.

Best wishes

Sincerly

Aileen Kane