Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
"Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is a yearly holiday celebrated on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (circa AD 387–461), the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland."
I have always had a fascination with Ireland, the Emerald Isle,
where Cead Mile Failte is a common sentiment~ 1,000 welcomes!
Ireland is known for its fine linens and lace,
waterford crystal and fine china,
tweed jackets and aran sweaters,
shamrocks and claddagh rings,
celtic music and Ceilidh along with Guinness in the pub,
potatoes, colcannon, soda bread, Irish stew, and bram brack.
Ireland is a land of old churches and castles, as well as
charming sod houses with turf fires burning.
It's tragic history includes the Great Irish Famine, war, starvation, and prejudice and yet they persevered with courage and hope for a better future.
Many immigrated to other lands, including Canada and the United States entering the ports near Ellis Island in New York as well as Grosse-Île in Quebec.
Theirs is truly a story of struggle and perseverance!
Many Famous Authors were born in Ireland including Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, Oliver Goldsmith, Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, and Edna O'Brien.
Some current authors include Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly, Marian Keyes, Cecelia Ahern, Sheila O'Flanagan, Andrew M. Greeley, Alice Taylor and Patrick Taylor.
Some of the best celtic music comes from Ireland with musicians like
Robin Mark, Daniel O'Donnell, Enya, James Galway, and The Irish Rovers to name a few.
"Do you think them proud city folk will listen to his poor ould ballads with the heart of the boy singing through them. It's only us-- it's only us, I say, as knows the long wild nights, and the wet and the rain and the mist of nights on the boglands-- it's only us I say could list to him in the right way; and ye knowed, right well ye knowed, that every string of his fiddle was keyed to the crying of your own heart."
Rutherford Mayne
The Turn of the Road
Journey with me to the Emerald Isle: