Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ireland Slide Show-Photos by my Brother
O'Keltic-Ghost in The Hills (Wesminster Pipe Band)-Wild Cats of Kilkenny-Dropkick Murphys-Worker's Song


What Shall I Say About the Irish?
The utterly impractical, never predictable,
Sometimes irascible, quite inexplicable, Irish. Strange blend of shyness,
pride and conceit,
And stubborn refusal to bow in defeat.
He's spoiling and ready to argue and fight,
Yet the smile of a child
fills his soul with delight.
His eyes are the quickest to well up with tears,
Yet his strength is the strongest
to banish your fears.
His hate is as fierce as his devotion is grand,
And there is no middle ground
on which he will stand.
He's wild and he's gentle,
he's good and he's bad.
He's proud and he's humble,
he's happy and sad.
He's in love with the ocean,
the earth and the skies,
He's enamoured with beauty wherever it lies.
He's victor and victim, a star and a clod,
But mostly he's Irish—
in love with his God.

An Irish saying. Video Photos of Ireland are Mine

HAPPY ST. PATRICK' S DAY!

Traditional Irish Stepdancers

Video created by Me

Irish Blessings

My fave Colonge

Halloween has Celtic Origins

The origins of Halloween can be traced to the Celtic New Year
http://www.archaeology.org/online/interviews/butler.html

Irish Halloween Traditions
http://www.ireland-information.com/articles/irishhalloweentraditions.htm

Colcannon-A Traditional Recipe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colcannon

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Literally Happy Summers' end

Samhain {Meaning ‘summer's end’} The Celts of modern-day Ireland and the UK two and a half millennia ago braced themselves for winter with this festival, which is pronounced "sowen," literally means "summer's end" and falls on November 1. It heralds the beginning of the dark, cold half of the year. The harvest was gathered in to protect against the wintry blast of the faeries' breath, and Samhain was an occasion for thanksgiving, sacrifices, divination and prayers. In each home the hearth-fire was extinguished the night before and relit on Samhain from the central bonfires of the priestly Druids.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY !

The first official parade in New York City was held in 1766 by Irishmen in a military unit recruited to serve in the American colonies. For the first few years of its existence, the parade was organized by military units until after the war of 1812. At that point in time, Irish fraternal and beneficial societies took over the duties of hosting and sponsoring the event. In those days, the parade was quite small, marching from their meeting halls to Old St. Patrick's Cathedral in Lower Manhattan on Mott & Prince Streets. By 1851, the groups had banded together, nominating a Grand Marshall and increasing the size of the parade. This was when the Irish 69th Regiment (now the 165th Infantry) became the lead marchers and the Ancient Order of Hibernians became the official sponsor.


To this day, the St. Patrick's Day Parade remains true to its roots by not allowing floats, automobiles and other commercial aspects in. Marching is what you'll see. Great bands, be they bagpipes or an entire orchestra, over 150,000 people from all over the country and the world march each year.

When law can stop the blades of grass
from growin' as they grow,
An' when the leaves in summer time
their color dare not show,
Then I will change the color, too,
I wear in my caubeen;
But till that day, plaise God,
I'll stick to the Wearin' o' the Green.
~Author Unknown

The Pogues and The Dubliners - Jack's Heroes

The Laden Table

After evening meal on Christmas eve the kitchen table was again set and on it were placed a loaf of bread filled with caraway seeds and raisins, a pitcher of milk and a large lit candle. The door to the house was left unlatched so that Mary and Joseph, or any wandering traveller, could avail of the welcome.

The Wren Boy Procession

During Penal Times there was once a plot in a village against the local soldiers. They were surrounded and were about to be ambushed when a group of wrens pecked on their drums and awakened the soldiers. The plot failed and the wren became known as 'The Devil's bird'.

On St. Stephens day a procession takes place where a pole with a holly bush is carried from house to house and families dress up in old clothes and with blackened faces. In olden times an actual wren would be killed and placed on top of the pole.

This custom has to a large degree disappeared but the tradition of visiting from house to house on St. Stephens Day has survived and is very much part of Christmas.

Holly

The placing of a ring of Holly on doors originated in Ireland as Holly was one of the main plants that flourished at Christmas time and which gave the poor ample means with which to decorate their dwellings.

All decorations are traditionally taken down on Little Christmas (January 6th.) and it is considered to be bad luck to take them down beforehand.

The Candle In The Window

The placing of a lighted candle in the window of a house on Christmas eve is still practiced today. It has a number of purposes but primarily it was a symbol of welcome to Mary and Joseph as they traveled looking for shelter.

The candle also indicated a safe place for priests to perform mass as, during Penal Times this was not allowed.

A further element of the tradition is that the candle should be lit by the youngest member of the household and only be extinguished by a girl bearing the name 'Mary'.
The Gaelic greeting for 'Merry Christmas' is:
'Nollaig Shona Duit'
......which is pronounced as 'null-ig hun-a dit'

The Pogues - Fairy Tale Of New York - 'Christmas time in the Drunk Tank'

Notre Dame Football !

Happy St. Patrick's Day ! 2007

Drink Guinness Responsibly !

St. Patrick

St. Patrick
The patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures.
Patrick (Pádraig) the National name of Ireland, from Latin meaning 'noble', Latin word patricius indicates a member of the Patricians, Roman nobility


Taken Prisoner By Irish Raiders
It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)

Guided By Visions
After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.

To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.)

Bonfires and Crosses
Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. (Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries-spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.)
St. Patrick's Grave Stone

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Down Patrick

Photos are my Brothers

Irish Immigration

The Irish were the largest group to enter the United States. Today, there are over 43 million that claim Irish descent. The first wave was the missionary effort of the early medieval Christian church. The second was the fight of the Roman Catholic nobility. Finally, the third was the mass emigration since the great potato famine of the mid-19th Century.

Irish Immigration

The Irish Americans: The Immigrant Experience
(Recommended book)
Amazon

Lavishly illustrated with paintings and vintage photographs, this coffee-table book tells the story of the seven million Irish who immigrated to America and their more than 40 million living descendants.

The Irish--rich and poor, Protestant and Catholic, fortune seekers and refugees--have been coming to America from the beginning. They fought in the Revolution, and the Civil War. During the Famine they came by the hundreds of thousands seeking a new life. And when Ellis Island opened in 1892, it was a young Irish girl--fifteen-year-old Annie Moore from County Cork--who was the first immigrant officially welcomed to America. Today, there are more than three times as many people of Irish descent in the United States as there are in Ireland.

The Irish Americans tells the story of the Irish in America, paying tribute to their courage and their success. The remarkable contributions of these immigrants and their children, from Civil War generals to Robert Redford; from Eugene O'Neill to William Kennedy; from Andrew Jackson to John F. Kennedy, and thousands of others are celebrated in this extraordinary look at the Irish in America. The more than 200 illustrations, many in full color, including drawings, paintings, and photographs, offer visual proof of the grace, srength, passion, and spirit of these remarkable people.

The Irish Potatoe Famine

Recommended Book

Beginning in 1845 and lasting for six years, the potato famine killed over a million men, women and children in Ireland and caused another million to flee the country.

The Great Famine or the Great Hunger (Irish: An Gorta Mór or An Drochshaol), known more commonly outside of Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine, is the name given to the famine in Ireland between 1845 and 1849. The Famine was due to the appearance of "the Blight" (also known as phytophthora)– the oomycete that almost instantly destroyed the primary food source for the majority of the island's population. The immediate after-effects of The Famine continued until 1851. Much is unrecorded, and various estimates suggest that between 500,000 and more than one million people died in the three years from 1846 to 1849 as a result of hunger or disease. Some two million refugees are attributed to the Great Hunger (estimates vary), and much the same number of people emigrated to Great Britain, the United States, Canada, and Australia (see the Irish Diaspora).



Potato Blight

Potato Blight is caused by a fungus Phytophthora infestans. It spreads through the air and develops when the weather conditions are warm and humid. The British summer, as we laughingly call it.

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland. Based in Dublin. The airline is 28% owned by the Irish government; (the government previously owned 85% of the airline).

On 6 February 2007, the airline announced its intention to form a new alliance with JetBlue Airways. The company employs 4,000 people and has revenue of €906.8 million as of 200.

Irish Dancers

Riverdance

Irish Step Dancers

Guinness

Guinness beer is based upon the porter style that originated in London in the early 1700s. It is one of the most successful beer brands in the world, being exported worldwide. The distinctive feature in the flavour is the roasted barley which remains unfermented. For many years a portion of the beer was aged to give a sharp lactic flavour, but Guinness has refused to confirm if this still occurs. The thick creamy head is the result of a nitrogen mix being added during the serving process. It is extremely popular with the Irish and is the best-selling alcoholic drink of all time in Ireland, where Guinness & Co. makes almost €2billion annually.


Guiness Home Page

Baileys

Baileys Irish Cream, is an Irish whiskey and cream based liqueur, made by R. A. Bailey & Co. of Dublin, Ireland

Bailey's Irish Cream is a unique Irish spirit made from a mix of cream, sugar, cocoa and the finest Irish spirits. Each bottle of Bailey's is 50% fresh cream, combined with triple distilled Irish Whiskey. It contains no additives or preservatives, and has become the best known irish cream in the world since it's initiation in 1974.

Used in 363 drinks

Irish Mist

Irish Mist is an exquisite blend of Irish heritage and international sophistication.

A taste of aged Irish whiskey blended with honey, herbs and other spirits to an ancient recipe dating back more than 1000 years. Sophisticated, sweet, aromatic, warming - a wonderfully complex flavour that is uniquely Irish Mist.

Used in the following 10 drinks
* Apple Pie Shot #3
* Banshe
* Dublin Driver
* Irish Hammer
* Irish Kiss
* Irish Pirate
* Irish Twist
* Platinum Grand Margarita
* Rusty Mist
* Winter Parker

Irish Coffee

A classic Irish coffee consists of hot coffee, Irish whiskey and sugar, with double cream, whipped until it begins to stiffen, floated on top.

The older Irish coffee, or so the lore would have it, was invented at Foynes by Mr. Joseph Sheridan, the head chef there. (Foynes was the precursor to Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland). The coffee was conceived as a warmer for trans-Atlantic travelers in the 1940s.

Stanton Delaplane, travel writer for the San Francisco Chronicle claimed to have brought Irish coffee to the U.S. when he convinced the Buena Vista bar in San Francisco to start serving Irish coffee on November 10, 1952. Since then, the Buena Vista has become famous for its Irish coffee.

Different variants of the beverage have evolved over the years, such as Kentucky coffee, substituting Bourbon whiskey for the Irish whiskey. Another variation is to add a shot of Baileys Irish Cream to a cup of black coffee.
THE IRISH COFFEE STORY

The Blarney Stone and Castle

Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland

Blarney Castle was originally a timber hunting lodge built in the 10th century, which was replaced by a stone castle in 1210. The present day construction was completed by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster in 1446. The Castle remained the ancestral stronghold of the McCarthy family until the arrival of Oliver Cromwell with cannon guns in 1646. Fifteen years later with the arrival of King Charles II on the English throne saw the return of the McCarthys to the Castle.
Following the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, all Irish chiefs were stripped of their powers and the McCarthys were again forced to leave Blarney Castle. The Castle was sold to Sir James Jefferyes, Governor of Cork in 1703. The Castle is now owned and managed by the Trustees of the Blarney Castle Estate.


The Blarney Stone is a block of limestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney about 8 km from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the Stone and tour the castle and its charming gardens.

The stone is believed to be half of the Stone of Scone which originally belonged to Scotland. Scottish Kings were crowned over the stone, because it was believed to have special powers.

Blarney Stone
Echoing the power of the stone, an Irish bard of the early nineteenth century, Francis Sylvester Mahony, wrote:

There is a stone there,
That whoever kisses,
Oh, he never misses
To grow eloquent.
'Tis he may clamber
To a lady's chamber,
Or become a member
Of Parliament

Recomended Guide To Ireland

A pub in Ireland !

Photos are my Brothers