All things Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day to All

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow and may trouble avoid you wherever you go!

Irish Tradition

Many people will be eating Irish food such as Irish Stew and Corned Beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. Corned Beef is not an Irish dish. It is what Americans think the Irish eat. A more traditional meal would be ham and cabbage or bacon and cabbage. Some say that in Ireland on St. Patrick's Day the traditional green beer is prominent. However, in Ireland, many years ago, St. Patrick's Day is considered a holy day and Pubs were not open for business. There were no parades and no drinking.

Irish Humor

Courtship is a time during which the girl decides whether she can do better or not
Definition of an Irish husband: He hasn't kissed his wife for twenty years, but he will kill any man who does.
Irish Sayings
A man that can't laugh at himself should be given a mirror.
A narrow neck keeps the bottle from being emptied in one swig.
Better the coldness of a friend than the sweetness of an enemy.
Be nice to them on the way up. You might meet them all on the way down.
If a man fools me once, shame on him. If he fools me twice, shame on me.
Let your anger set the sun and not rise again with it.

Irish Superstitions

When yawning, make the sign of the cross instantly over your mouth, or the evil spirit will make a rush down and take up his abode with you.
It is unlucky to offer your right hand in salutation, for thee is an old say, "A curse with the left hand to those we hate, but the right hand to those we honor."
If the palm of your hand itches you will be getting money; if the elbow, you will be changing beds.
Breaking a mirror brought seven years of bad luck, while two people washing hands in the same basin at the same time courted disaster.

Shamrock

The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and St. Patrick's Day is partly due to the natural abundance of clover plants in the country, but largely due to its strong association with Christianity. Legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock to visually illustrate the concept of the Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) when trying to convert polytheistic pagans to Christianity.
It was through the retelling of this story that the shamrock became associated with St. Patrick and Ireland's conversion to Christianity. As a result, the shamrock is a widely used to commemorate Saint Patrick's Day, and in modern times has been appropriated by secular institutions as a symbol for the Irish.

Four-Leaf Clover

Although clovers are most often found in nature with three leaves, rare four-leaf clovers do exist. Finding one is thought to bring someone extreme luck. The folklore for four-leaf clovers differs from that of the Shamrock due to the fact that it has no religious allusions associated with it. It is believed that each leaf of a four-leaf clover represents something different: first is hope, the second is faith, the third is love, and the fourth is happiness.

Leprechauns

Just what does a mythical leprechaun look like and why are they so special? A leprechaun looks like a little old man and dresses like a shoemaker with a cocked hat and leather apron. A Leprechaun's personality is described as aloof and unfriendly. They live alone and pass the time by mending the shoes of Irish fairies. The legend is that the fairies pay the leprechauns for their work with golden coins, which the "little people" collect in large pots--the famous "pots of gold" often associated with leprechauns. If you listen closely for the sound of their hammer you might be able to capture one. If you do you can force him (with the threat of bodily violence) to reveal where he's hidden his treasure. Be careful! Do not take your eyes off him for if you do he will surely vanish and your hopes of finding his treasure will vanish with him.

Green

So why do we all wear green? Probably because you'll be pinched if you don't! School children started this tradition. Green is also the color of spring, the shamrock, and is connected with hope and nature. Historically, green has been a color used in the flags of several revolutionary groups in Ireland and as a result it appears in the official tri-color country flag, adopted in 1919.
In addition to that, Ireland is often called the "Emerald Isle" due to the lush natural greenery found on the island. One of the things that strikes people all the time is how Ireland is incredibly green--it's very far north, but it doesn't get frozen. When people say that 'Ireland has 40 shades of green,' they are right!"

Want to be lucky this St. Patrick's Day? Follow this advice:

1. Find a four-leaf clover.

2. Wear green (so you don't get pinched).

3. Kiss the blarney stone.

4. Catch a Leprechaun if you can.