St. Patrick’s Buffet
My Grandmother came to America to be a servant … and then have 11 children for the Catholic Church … “Jesus, Mary and Joseph!” ~ From a 2007 Poetry Reading where I make use of an Irish brogue while reading my poem, titled “My Grandmother’s Brouge.” Hear it HERE.
Although writing language down can be likened to trying to possess a butterfly, the Irish, steeped in the oral tradition of their poets, bards, and druids, embraced written language once they were finally exposed to it. To the Irish, who were said to have invented rhyme, language was a living entity and the alphabet was magical. ~More on the Irish and language HERE.
When I went to Ireland in 1999 to visit my grandmother’s hometown, I learned more about myself there than I could have in 10 years of psycho-therapy. The majority of the Irish people I met reminded me of my own family. I saw the faces of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings in their faces. And that’s not all. The Irish tend to be unpretentious, playful, tender-hearted, nostalgic, self-directed, and not overtly ambitious. They are often self-deflecting, something that can be endearing but it can also border on an inferiority complex. And I thought these traits were unique to my own family. ~ From Thirteen O’Thursday HERE.
“Say Green!” someone called out as Max Charnley snapped a photo of spoken word performers at the Café Del Sol this past Saturday night. Because the Open Mic, scheduled every third Saturday, was on St. Patrick’s Day this month many in attendance were donned in green clothing. I wore a sage green sweater that was purchased in Ireland and had the word “Blarney” sewed in the tag. “I don’t know whether blarney refers to a bunch of baloney or the gift of eloquence. It’s probably something in between,” I joked. ~ From Say Green! More HERE.
In the name of the Mother … the Sun and the Holy Wells … Ireland is a green kite … let go by the fairies … Landed in the ocean … and anchored by rock. ~ Read the whole “Ireland Loves Me, She Loves Me Not” poem HERE.
When Kathleen arrived, we questioned her choice of green, a pale mint, but she redeemed herself when she proudly pointed out the family heirloom pinned to her vest. It was an antique political button that said “Donal J. O’Callaghan, Mayor of Cork” with a black and white photo of the mayor himself. ~ From “The Charlie’s Angels of Scrabble: Play one for St. Patrick,” HERE.
Photo: The Harbor Express Ferry from Hull to Boston’s Logan airport was decorated for St. Patrick’s Day.
March 17th, 2009 5:11 am
I am married to someone who is part Irish and I can certainly see the “unpretentious, playful, tender-hearted, nostalgic, self-directed” part…but overly ambitious is he! We hope to visit Ireland as soon as we stop spending money on our soil and plants…maybe another Irish trait?
March 17th, 2009 8:53 am
I was reading your post in my rss reader and the post immediately before yours explained how you could be eligible for Irish citizenship and an Irish passport if your Grandparent was an Irish citizen. Sounded interesting, sadly, my Irish ancestors left Ireland too many generations ago for me to claim the heritage.
You can check it out at Why You Want An Irish Passport
March 17th, 2009 9:48 am
My husband and I have the same heritage. It’s funny that he is Irish/German and in his family the German trait runs strong (efficiency/logic/ambition)and my family is Irish/German as well but the Irish traits are dominant. My Irish is on my father’s side and Joe’s father was from Germany. Both our fathers were the dominant figure in the family, which makes me ponder if that determined the family personality.
March 17th, 2009 10:10 am
I was in Ireland in ’77. I met some first cousins who could easily have passed for my brothers and sisters. We have a family identification badge: it’s the high,broad “Davison” forehead. We are sure that actor, Peter Davison is related somewhere along the line since he’s got the forehead too.
Great post(s) and quotes. I loved it! Happy St. P-day!
Kat
March 17th, 2009 12:01 pm
love the Irsih poetry
March 17th, 2009 3:19 pm
Happy St. Patty’s Day Colleen! I have to admit…I love hearing about our Irish ancestry!!
March 17th, 2009 9:43 pm
How I loved living in Ireland. Always a conversation, always a biscuit and tea, always a pint. The value of people was always obvious.
March 18th, 2009 8:52 am
I would love to travel to Ireland. My dad’s family is from County Westmeath. Maybe when my babes are older, we will all go together.
Lovely blog!
March 18th, 2009 9:14 am
Hey Stranger!
I’m catching up here and was happy to read all the Irish lore/poems/reflections. I took a test about where I should live and it came up “Ireland”! WOOHOO
Hope all is well with you!
Susan
March 18th, 2009 11:18 pm
Isn’t that Do You Know video something? I showed it to my kids. They actually sat through it.