Authentic Irish Experience - Historical Tours Ireland

19/08/2024

rud amháin a raibh an ceart acu faoi sa scannán seo: tá Gaeilge cosúil le dodo i gcliabhán i músaem. caithfimid ligean don dodo imeacht as an gcliabhán, agus sult a bhaint as a shaol

16/08/2024

The Swiss Cottage is a picturesque cottage orné – a fanciful realisation of an idealised countryside cottage and a peaceful retreat for those who lived in the nearby big house. Its elegant interiors and and its peaceful situation on the River Suir was the idea location for picnics, small soirees and fishing and hunting parties.

Built in the early 1800s by Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall, who, it is believed, managed to persuade world-famous Regency architect John Nash to design it.

Access to the interior of the cottage is by guided tour only and is on a first come, first served basis (max 12 persons per tour)
Come early to avoid dissapointment

Directions from Cahir : From Cahir Castle car park turn right onto Castle Street. Take a right at the top of Castle Street onto the Ardfinnan Road (R670). Continue 2km and turn right at the brown Swiss Cottage sign. Car park in the woods on the right.

The Swiss Cottage is a picturesque cottage orné – a fanciful realisation of an idealised countryside cottage and a peaceful retreat for those who lived in the ...

14/08/2024

09/08/2024

Tobar Íosa
The Well Of Jesus
This well probably dates from pre-Christian times, the pagan custom of tying multi-coloured rags to the holly tree adjoining the well having been retained.
Up to the end of the last century the Well's Pattern Day was observed on Christmas Eve.
However Rounds of the well can be made throughout the year by anyone, regardless of creed as:
“an act of religious devotion: to pray for a particular intention: or to benefit from the reputed healing powers of the Holy water.”

Traditionally, to complete the Rounds Three pebbles are taken from the Upper Well in remembrance of devotions made.
It is said that the soldiers from Kilcommon Barracks used to come to the Well before being posted overseas.
Emigrants from Cahir also prayed here before leaving, so it is possible that there are now thousands of Tobar Íosa pebbles all over the world

It is the custom to return to the Well when a prayer has been answered and to tie a rag to the holly tree in thanks.

Behind the well itself, the upright stone with two carved crosses surmounted by a metal cross probably dates from the 7th or 8th century A.D. It rests on a slab which is said to have been used as a Mass Rock during the Penal Days of the 18th century.
The masonry covering the Well dates back only to the mid-19th century, though some of the carved stones inserted are of unknown antiquity.

Directions of making the 'Rounds' are to be found within the shrine on the Mass Rock

The traditional prayer recited here up to the start of this century is:

Go mbeannuidhe Dia Duit.
A losa Namhtha.
Táná mé go dí thú a ghearán
Mo sceil duit
A d'iarraidh cabhair i gcúnta Dé Uait
Go mbeannuidhe Di mise
losa beannuighthe Naomhtha

Or as Béarla:

I place myself in Your presence.
O Holy God and Holy Jesus I come to you
To make known my problems
Asking help through the power of God
Bless me O God.
And Holy Jesus bless me too.

04/08/2024

KERRY ARE ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONS

Result: Kerry 3-14 Galway 0-11

A superb display from Kerry who claim the Brendan Martin Cup for the first time since 1993.

At half-time they led by eight, at full-time the gap was a dozen on a day when Galway couldn't live with Kingdom's clinical attack and miserly defence.

Aoife Dillane, Hannah O'Donoghue and Emma Dineen scored the Kerry goals as fears of a third successive All-Ireland final defeat was quashed in impressive style.

09/07/2024

The Battle of the Golden Spurs (Dutch: Guldensporenslag, French: Bataille des éperons d'or), also known as the Battle of Courtrai, was a battle fought between the Kingdom of France and the County of Flanders at Kortrijk (Courtrai in French) in modern-day Belgium on 11 July 1302.

On 18 May 1302, after two years of French occupation and several years of unrest, the people of Flanders revolted against French rule and massacred many Frenchmen in the Belgian city of Bruges. King Philip IV of France immediately organized an expedition of 8,000 troops, including 2,500 men-at-arms, under Count Robert II of Artois to put down the rebellion. Meanwhile, 9,400 men from the civic militias of several Flemish cities were assembled to counter the expected French attack.

When the two armies met outside the city of Kortrijk on 11 July, the cavalry charges of the mounted French men-at-arms proved unable to defeat the armoured, well-equipped and well-trained Flemish militia infantry pike formation on a battlefield. The result was a rout of the French nobles, who suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Flemish. The battle was a famous early example of an all-infantry army overcoming an army that depended on the shock attacks of heavy cavalry.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the Battle of the Golden Spurs became an important cultural reference point for the Flemish Movement. In 1973, the date of the battle was chosen to be the date of the official holiday of the Flemish Community in Belgium.

The origins of the Franco-Flemish War (1297–1305) can be traced back to the accession of Philip IV "the Fair" to the French throne in 1285. Philip hoped to reassert control over the County of Flanders, a semi-independent polity notionally part of the Kingdom of France, and possibly even to annex it into the crown lands of France.

In the 1290s, Philip attempted to gain support from the Flemish aristocracy and succeeded in winning the allegiance of some local nobles, including John of Avesnes (Count of Hainaut, Holland and Zeeland). He was opposed by a faction led by the Flemish knight Guy of Dampierre, who attempted to form a marriage alliance with the English against Philip.

In Flanders, however, many of the cities were split into factions known as the "Lilies" (Leliaerts), who were pro-French, and the "Lions" (Liebaards), who would later be referred to as the "Claws" (Klauwaerts), led by Pieter de Coninck in Bruges and seeking independence.

In June 1297, the French invaded Flanders and gained some rapid successes. King Edward I of England had been at war against Philip for three years but was obliged to withdraw most of his attention from France to face the First War of Scottish Independence. He entered negotiations with France leading to the 1299 Treaty of Montreuil, while the Flemish and French signed the 1297 Truce of Sint-Baafs-Vijve, a temporary armistice which halted their conflict.

When the truce expired in January 1300, Edward had just married Philip's sister Margaret and the French invaded Flanders again. By May, were in total control of the county. Guy of Dampierre was imprisoned and Philip himself toured Flanders while setting up a French-controlled administrative apparatus.

After Philip left Flanders, unrest broke out again in the Flemish city of Bruges in the form of a rebellion against the new French governor, Jacques de Châtillon. On 18 May 1302, rebellious citizens who had fled Bruges returned to the city and murdered every Frenchman they could find, an act known as the "Bruges Matins".

With Guy of Dampierre still imprisoned, command of the rebellion fell to his allies John and Guy of Namur.

Most of the towns of the County of Flanders agreed to join the Bruges rebellion, except for the city of Ghent which refused to take part. Most of the Flemish nobility also took the French side, fearful that of what they perceived as an attempt by the lower classes to seize power.

To quell the revolt, Philip sent a powerful force led by Count Robert II of Artois to march on Bruges. Against the French, the Flemish under William of Jülich fielded an army of mostly infantry, drawn mainly from Bruges, West Flanders, and the east of the county. The city of Ypres sent a contingent of five hundred men under Jan van Renesse, and despite their city's refusal to join the revolt, Jan Borluut arrived with seven hundred volunteers from Ghent.

The Flemish forces were primarily town militia who were well equipped and trained.
The militia fought primarily as infantry, were organized by guild, and were equipped with steel helmets, mail haubergeons, spears, pikes, bows, crossbows and the goedendag, a specifically Flemish weapon made from a thick, five-foot-long (1.5 m) wooden shaft and topped with a steel spike.
All Flemish troops at the battle had helmets, neck protection, iron or steel gloves and effective weapons, though not all could afford mail armor.
They were a well-organized force of 8,000–10,000 infantry, as well as four hundred noblemen acting as officers, and the urban militias of the time prided themselves on their regular training and preparation.

About 900 of the Flemish were trained crossbowmen.
The Flemish militia formed a line formation against the French cavalry with goedendags and pikes pointed outward.

Because of the high rate of defections among the Flemish nobility, there were few mounted knights on the Flemish side; the Annals of Ghent claimed that there were just ten cavalrymen in the Flemish force.

The French, by contrast, fielded an army built around a core of 2,500 noble cavalry, including knights and squires, arrayed into ten formations of 250 armored horsemen.

During the deployment for the battle, they were arranged into three battles, of which the first two were to attack and the third to function as a rearguard and reserve.
They were supported by about 5,500 infantry, a mix of crossbowmen, spearmen, and light infantry.

The French had about 1,000 crossbowmen, most of whom were from the Kingdom of France and perhaps a few hundred recruited from northern Italy and Spain.

Contemporary military theory valued each knight as equal to roughly ten footmen.

The combined Flemish forces met at Kortrijk on 26 June and laid siege to the local castle, which housed a French garrison. Anticipating a French attempt to break the siege, they prepared to face their enemies in a field battle. The size of the French response was impressive, with 3,000 knights and 4,000–5,000 infantry being an accepted estimate. The Flemish ultimately chose to break off the siege and the two forces clashed on 11 July in an open field next to the Groeninge stream.

The field near Kortrijk was crossed by numerous ditches and streams dug by the Flemish as Philip's army assembled. Some drained from the river Leie (or Lys), while others were concealed with dirt and tree branches, resulting in an uneven terrain that made cavalry charges, the main French battle tactic, less effective by limiting the momentum and maneuverability of horsemen and their mounts.

The French assigned scouting parties to cover the marsh with wood planks, but they were driven off before the task was finished. The Flemish placed themselves in a strong defensive position, in deeply stacked lines forming a square. The rear of the square was covered by a curve of the river. The front presented a wedge to the French army and was placed behind larger rivulets.

The 1,000 French crossbowmen began the battle by attacking their 900 Flemish counterparts and succeeded in forcing them back.
Eventually, the French crossbow bolts and arrows began to hit the main Flemish infantry formations' front ranks, but inflicted little damage due to the strong defensive lines.

Robert II of Artois expressed concern that his outnumbered infantry would be overwhelmed by the Flemish soldiers positioned on the other side of the brooks.
Furthermore, the Flemish would then have their formations blocking the brooks physically and a successful French cavalry crossing would be extremely difficult.
He therefore recalled his foot soldiers to clear the way for 2,300 heavy cavalry arranged into two attack formations.
The French cavalry unfurled their banners and advanced on the command "Forward!"

Some of the French footmen were trampled to death by the advancing cavalry, but most managed to get around them or through the gaps in their lines.
The cavalry advanced rapidly, hoping to give the Flemish no time to react.
The brooks presented difficulties for the French horsemen and a few fell from their steeds.
Despite this, the crossing was successful in the end.
The French then hastily reorganized themselves for a direct assault.

Ready for combat, the French knights and men-at-arms charged at a quick trot and with their lances ready against the main Flemish line.
The Flemish crossbowmen and archers fell back behind the pikemen.
A great noise rose throughout the dramatic battle scene.
The disciplined Flemish foot-soldiers kept their pikes ready on the ground and their goedendags raised to meet the French charge.
The Flemish infantry wall did not flinch as expected and a part of the French cavalry hesitated.
The bulk of the French formations continued their attack and fell on the Flemish in an ear-splitting crash of horses against men.

Unable at most points to break the Flemish line of pikemen, many French knights were quickly knocked from their horses and killed with the goedendag, the spike of which was designed to pe*****te the spaces between armour segments.
The few that managed to break through ran right into the Flemish reserves; they were swiftly routed and cut down.

Realizing that the attack had failed, Artois ordered his rearguard of 700 men-at-arms to advance. As trumpets blared, he then rode forward with his own knights to lead them.

The rearguard failed to obey Artois' orders in full; after the initial advance, they soon turned back to protect their vulnerable baggage train. Without support, the count and his men were unable to break through the Flemish line.
As they were surrounded and cut off from their forces, the men-at-arms showed great courage as they fought for their lives.
Artois in particular was said to have defended himself skillfully.
His horse was struck down by a lay brother, Willem van Saeftinghe, and the count himself was soon felled by multiple wounds.
According to some tales, he begged for his life, but the Flemish mocked him by claiming they did not understand French.

The death of Artois, coupled with the collapse of their advance, shattered the resolve of the surviving knights and they were soon driven back into the marshes.
There, disorganized, unhorsed, and encumbered by the mud, they were easy targets.

A last-ditch effort by the garrison to reinforce their countrymen failed when they were ambushed by Flemish troops waiting to prevent such an attempt.

By this point, the only remaining French soldiers were the recalled infantry. Overcome with fear, they abandoned their lines and tried to retreat. The Flemish charged forth and killed many while pursuing the rest over 10 km (6 mi). Unusually for the period, the Flemish infantry took few if any of the French knights prisoner for ransom, in revenge for the French "cruelty".

The Annals of Ghent concludes its description of the battle:

“And so, by the disposition of God who orders all things, the art of war, the flower of knighthood, with horses and chargers of the finest, fell before weavers, fullers and the common folk and foot soldiers of Flanders, albeit strong, manly, well armed, courageous and under expert leaders. The beauty and strength of that great [French] army was turned into a dung-pit, and the [glory] of the French made dung and worms.”

22/06/2024

Please join me in writing to the minister for defence and the minister for justice

Micheál Martin
Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister for Defence
137 Evergreen Rd, Turners Cross, Cork
(021) 432 0088
(01) 619 4000
[email protected]

Helen McEntee
Minister for Justice
Cannon St, Kells, Co. Meath
(046) 925 2955
(01) 618 3253
[email protected]

08/06/2024

Knockgraffon Motte

12/05/2024

13/04/2024

Today marks the Catholic Emancipation Act (1829), an important milestone for Irish Catholics who had been reduced to second-class citizens under British rule.
The Act of Union, which formally established the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, allowed Irish men to take seats as MPs for the first time. However, while Catholics made up the majority of the Irish population, they were not permitted to become MPs. To improve the political rights of Catholics, Nationalist leader Daniel O’Connell formed the Catholic Association. In 1828, O’Connell won a large majority in the County Claire by-election, forcing the British Government to pass the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829. While this did allow for Catholics to sit as MPs and hold public office, it actually reduced the number of Irish peasants who qualified to vote.
The allowance for Catholic MPs allowed in later years for the rise of Home Rule and its subsequent impact on the Irish Revolution.
To learn about those impacts, visit us here at the GPO Museum.

25/03/2024

20/03/2024

Níl Taoiseach isteach

16/03/2024

We now have two weeks since the two referendums. I’ve since had time to read more documents on both sides of the debate.
I would still vote yes/yes, for the very simple reason that both adjustments don’t go far enough, but at least this would open the door to further adjustments. The No vote means it won’t be touched by any government for another 30 years.

On the use of the word mother I still don’t get why the adjustments still would use outdated language like him and her. The word mother should have been replaced by parent or guardian and that might be a male or female.
The majority of women still have to stop working when they get pregnant as there is no childcare available. It could be either parent or a guardian though who stays at home. Or perhaps he/she is a single parent.
Or how about stepchildren? It doesn’t have to be a biological parent either that cares for the children .

Likewise there should be no need for parents to give up work if they don’t want to and childcare should be affordable and available for everyone.

Same with care. It should be available for everyone and affordable.

My main worry is that it looks like the referendums were used to send a message to the government, whereas by doing so they have shut the door to further or better amendments in the near future.

I agree that the language in the amendments was unnecessarily vague and didn’t go far enough. I also agree that unfortunately the amendments also wouldn’t give any assurances to women or carers or guardians, that are lacking already, but by rejecting both referendums it means no future government will want to make the necessary adjustments.

The constitution of Ireland was quite a progressive document when first written in 1937, but that is almost a 100 years ago and that was in a very, very different Ireland.

While it has some excellent assurances and still is a necessary document, it has to be updated and perhaps rewritten. Will any government be brave enough to do so and will it not have to be done of Ireland would reunite? The constitution was written as an all Ireland document, but it is perhaps not acceptable to the unionist community in Ireland, who currently still make up 20% of our population.

Might we use reunification, if it happens, as an opportunity to update/rewrite our constitution in a way that it cares for all people on the island, regardless of their age, s*x, lifestyle, race, background or religion?

We live in hope

The electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB) comprises the Acts of the Oireachtas (Parliament), Statutory Instruments, Legislation Directory, Constitution and a limited number of pre-1922 Acts.

07/03/2024

Had a very interesting evening at Lismore Heritage Centre on Monday as we had a discussion with Alistair Christie, emeritus professor of applied social studies at University College Cork on the rise of the far right in Europe, and the challenges and opportunities this brings.
It is a discussion that is needed as the far right are definitely becoming bigger and more prominent in Ireland, like in the rest of Europe.

22/02/2024

Mary McCarthy, known as Moll Carthy (1902-20/21 November 1940), was a smallholder, pr******te, and murder victim from Marlhill, near New Inn, County Tipperary in Ireland. Henry "Harry" Gleeson (1903–23 April 1941) from Holycross, County Tipperary, was convicted of her murder and executed, but granted a posthumous pardon in 2015.

Mary McCarthy or Carthy, known as Moll, was an unmarried mother who had seven children by at least six different fathers between 1921 and 1940.

She lived in a rundown cottage on a two-acre plot beside a farm belonging to John Ceasar, from whose well she drew water.
She lived by bartering s*xual favours for produce and services.

Her scandalous lifestyle attracted opprobrium and the cottage's thatched roof was destroyed by arson in 1926.

Local judge Seán Troy refused two applications to have her children taken into an orphanage, persuaded that she was a good mother.

Harry Gleeson was Ceasar's nephew by marriage and worked the farm for him.

On 21 November 1940, Gleeson reported finding McCarthy's body, with two gunshot wounds to the face, in the "Dug-Out Field" of his uncle's farm.

The Garda Síochána arrested Gleeson on 30 November, claiming he was the father of McCarthy's youngest child, who had recently died in infancy, and that he feared his uncle would disinherit him if he found this out.

Gleeson denied any "immoral association" with McCarthy or "hand, act or part" in her murder.
He was tried at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, found guilty on 27 February 1941, and sentenced to death.
Appeals to the Fianna Fáil government for clemency were rejected, and he was hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint in Mountjoy Prison and buried in the prison yard.

Seán MacBride was junior counsel to James Nolan-Whelan in defending Gleeson, and later claimed his opposition to the death penalty was prompted by his certainty that Gleeson was innocent.

The Farcical Trial of Harry Gleeson, privately published by Gleeson's friend Bill O'Connor in the 1980s, maintained that Gleeson was framed. The book spurred historian and lawyer Marcus Bourke to write Murder at Marlhill, published in 1993, which offered evidence of Gleeson's innocence.

Cathal O'Shannon presented a documentary on RTÉ in 1995 based on Bourke's book. The Justice for Harry Gleeson Group was established locally to gather evidence and campaign, and it later contacted the Irish Innocence Project, the Innocence Network's Irish affiliate at Griffith College Dublin.

In 2013 the Irish Innocence Project sent its file to the Department of Justice and Equality.

Minister Alan Shatter sent it to Máire Whelan, the Attorney General, who got senior counsel Shane Murphy to review it.

Deficiencies in the case were noted:

medical evidence suggested the death was probably on 21 November, when Gleeson had an alibi, whereas the prosecution exaggerated the likelihood that it was on 20 November
failure to call John Ceasar or his wife Brigid as witnesses
the Garda stage-managed a confrontation between Gleeson and two of the McCarthy children to reflect badly on him
failure to introduce the local shotgun register in evidence

Murphy reported that the conviction was based on "unconvincing circumstantial evidence" and recommended a pardon. On 1 April 2015, Shatter's successor as minister, Frances Fitzgerald, announced that the government would direct the President of Ireland to exercise his right to pardon under Article 13.6 of the Constitution of Ireland.

President Michael D. Higgins formally signed the pardon order on 19 December 2015

This was presented to Gleeson's family at a ceremony on 13 January 2016.

Some family members complained that the document used "Harry" rather than "Henry" as Gleeson's forename.

Kieran Fagan believed that Marcus Bourke knew who was responsible for McCarthy's murder and chose not to name the murderer in his 1993 book.

Fagan, in 2015, published The Framing of Harry Gleeson, which claimed McCarthy was murdered by local Irish Republican Army (IRA) members suspecting that she was an informant for the local Garda sergeant, Anthony Delaney. Fagan suggests Seán MacBride's past as IRA Chief of Staff prevented him following up this angle.

Other possible culprits mentioned by Brendan Ó Cathaoir in 2001 were the Gardaí or the father of the seventh child.

Fagan's book caused controversy by naming the alleged fathers of McCarthy's children, many of them married.

Of those, he alleges that one was involved in the murder and others knew that Gleeson was innocent, but were content to have the scandal of their relationship to the victim kept hidden.

We Are Seven, a 1955 novel based on McCarthy's life, was written by Una Troy, daughter of the judge Seán Troy who had kept McCarthy's children with her.

A 1958 film adaptation, She Didn't Say No, was banned by the Irish Film Censor for immorality.

Thanks to the European initiative A Season of Classic Films of the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE), the film has been digitised in early 2021 and made possible to release online with an introduction on the film’s preservation and history.

Carlo Gébler's 2011 novel The Dead Eight is also based on the murder case.

22/01/2024

When Freyja and the Bible meet

18/01/2024

A Chara, the McGrath Cup Final has been changed to Saturday 20th of January at 2pm in Páirc Ui Rinn. Your tickets are valid for the new date. If you are unable to attend please message back by Friday 19th of January at 4pm and a refund will be issued. Regards Munster GAA

If anyone wants to avail of my ticket….

02/01/2024

Let’s reach our goal!
https://www.autismassistancedogsireland.ie/fundraisers/jorgenhartogs/80k-january

80K in January 2024
I'm taking on the 80K in January Challenge!
Thank you for supporting me on my 80K in January Challenge. I am delighted to be taking part in this fundraiser and help raise vital funds for the training of life transforming Autism Assistance Dogs. With your donation, we can continue to transform the lives of children with autism.

It costs €25,000 and takes 2 years to train and place an Assistance Dog. They do not charge families for these life transforming dogs. The charity is entirely supported by fundraising and donations. Please donate what you can and support me and this wonderful charity.

I'm raising money for a cause close to my heart and would love your support.

28/12/2023

PLEASE if you have a cat make sure it's spayed so that you won't have hundreds of kittens over the years and countless meaningful lives end prematurely!

If you care for animals you get them spayed!

26/12/2023

Strange question to people in the Ballingarry area, especially on the Bruff Line.
Salome was missing for about 2,5 years and then just before Christmas she came back to us. I’m assuming she must have been living with someone locally for the last years.
We are moving soon so would like to take her with us, but hoping that’s okay with the other family where she has been hanging out for the last few years.
Anyone know where, with who, she has been and if they would be okay with her moving?

26/12/2023

https://www.autismassistancedogsireland.ie/fundraisers/jorgenhartogs/80k-january

80K in January 2024
I'm taking on the 80K in January Challenge!
Thank you for supporting me on my 80K in January Challenge. I am delighted to be taking part in this fundraiser and help raise vital funds for the training of life transforming Autism Assistance Dogs. With your donation, we can continue to transform the lives of children with autism.

It costs €25,000 and takes 2 years to train and place an Assistance Dog. They do not charge families for these life transforming dogs. The charity is entirely supported by fundraising and donations. Please donate what you can and support me and this wonderful charity.

I'm raising money for a cause close to my heart and would love your support.

26/12/2023

St Stephen’s Day breakfast doesn’t get much better than this.

Athea sausages and Athea white pudding.
Organic tomatoes from Limerick, some Colombian coffee, roasted and ground in Limerick, and raw milk from Adare.

Some organic eggs from Guiry’s in Knockaderry and of course some freshly baked sourdough bread.

💯 Irish and apart from the coffee all sourced in Limerick.

No rashers, or black pudding as I’m not very fond of it.

No beans and no hash browns as they don’t belong on a breakfast in my opinion.
And certainly no fried soda bread or potato bread.

Would we be able to call this a Limerick or a Munster fry?
Up Munster! Stand up and fight!
Munster Rugby

26/12/2023

This day marks 12 months without drinking a drop of alcohol or any kind of fizzy drink.
No sugary drinks and a minimum of caffeinated beverages like tea or coffee.

6 months now without eating bread, cakes or anything sweet.
I’ve been gluten free and almost entirely carb free for 6 months.

I’ve been vegan, only eat raw food, and have been exercising three hours a day for the last two weeks.
All the food I eat is organic, raw, and 💯 vegan.
I’m going to the gym every day, go for a walk, or go swimming every day.

The change in my body has been fantastic, I lost weight, feel great and my way of thinking is very positive

My wish for 2024 is to keep this up and go for more, because I choose to!

No alcohol, healthy eating and above all else exercise every day!!!!

I don't know whose status this is but I was so happy for them that I copied and pasted It.

26/12/2023

Giving our feline children a proper education.

Capital: A Critique of Political Economy (German: Das Kapital. Kritik der politischen Ökonomie), also known as Capital, is a foundational theoretical text in materialist philosophy and critique of political economy written by Karl Marx, published as three volumes in 1867, 1885, and 1894.

The culmination of his life's work, the text contains Marx's analysis of capitalism, to which he sought to apply his theory of historical materialism "to lay bare the economic laws of modern society", following from classical political economists such as Adam Smith, Jean-Baptiste Say, David Ricardo and John Stuart Mill.

The text's second and third volumes were completed from Marx's notes after his death and published by his colleague Friedrich Engels. Das Kapital is the most cited book in the social sciences published before 1950.

Marx's theory of historical materialism posits that the economic structure of society – in particular, the forces and relations of production – are the crucial factors in shaping its nature. Rather than a simple description of capitalism as an economic model, Das Kapital instead examines capitalism as a historical epoch and a mode of production, and seeks to trace its origins, development, and decline. Marx argues that capitalism is a form of economic organization which has arisen and developed in a specific historical context, and which contains tendencies and contradictions which will inevitably lead to its decline and collapse. According to Marx, Das Kapital is also a scientific work based on research and reasoning, and containing a critique of both capitalism and bourgeois political economists who argue that capitalism is a harmonious, efficient and stable system.