A Pinch of Green for St. Patrick's Day

My great-grandmother is a bit of a legend in my family. She was conceived in Ireland, born in America and held both countries to be her own. Though she lived a long life, she died when my mother was still young.

Every St. Patrick’s Day, our family would be reminded of Great-Grandmother Hannigan’s opinion of American celebrations. “There be two kinds of people on St.Paddy's Day. Them that are Irish and them that wish they were."

It would seem she was right. St. Patrick’s Day gets greener every year and the rise in popularity of everything Irish has made a strong impact on American culture. Here are few of my own “pot-o-golden” Irish facts, fancies and celebrations of the almost Irish.

Let’s start with Saint Patrick himself and that story about him banishing the snakes from Ireland. In fact, it is doubtful that Ireland ever had any snakes in the first place. Many think that the “snake” in the tale represents the pagan practices St. Patrick vanquished with Christian beliefs.

St. Patrick was not the first Christian missionary to the Irish but he is credited with replacing Irish pagan religions with Christianity. In his 30 Irish years, St. Patrick established more than 300 churches.

The shamrock is part of St. Patrick’s story. Legend says he used the three-leafed plant to explain the Trinity concept. Father, Son and Holy Ghost – three leaflets on the same stalk. The shamrock is the national flower of Ireland.

St. Patrick is patron saint of missionaries as well as patron saint of Ireland. For centuries, Irish celebrated St. Patrick on the day of his death (March 17th) with prayers for missionaries.

Like the shamrock, Ireland has not one – but three patron saints: St. Patrick, St. Columba and St. Brigid. St. Brigid is the patron of Ireland, babies, midwives, blacksmiths, cows and dairy workers, poets, sailors, scholars, and travelers. St. Columba is the Patron of Ireland, Scotland, bookbinders, and poets.

My personal favorite Irish saint is St. Brendan, also known as St. Brendan the voyager or St. Brendan the Navigator. He is patron of boatmen, sailors, travelers, and whales.

Christopher Columbus or the Vikings may not have been the first persons from the east side of the Atlantic to set foot in the Americas. That honor may be St. Brendan’s. In a tale from the Middle Ages, St. Brendan and a group of monks set sail west into the Atlantic in search of a storied paradise.

The tale speaks of the monks visiting several islands. One may have been Greenland. Another, according to legend, turned out to be the back of a whale. Maps in Columbus’s time even showed an island in the western Atlantic called St. Brendan’s island.

Chronicles of the saint’s journey and descriptions indicate he may have landed in the Americas somewhere in the Canadian provinces. An expedition in the 1970’s proved the trip across the Atlantic in the type of boat St. Brendan is said to have used was, in fact, possible.

Another part of Irish lore concerns the Blarney Stone - a stone located in an Irish castle in Blarney. Legend says anyone kissing the stone would be blessed with “The Gift of Gab”. Those so blessed would become so eloquent they would be able to charm anyone.

Though the castle was built long after St. Patrick’s death perhaps the “Gift of Gab” is more Irish than the stone. In some accounts, St. Patrick rid the island of snakes by charming the creatures into going into the sea - where they drowned.
It is no surprise that St. Patrick’s Day has become such an icon of American culture. According to the 2000 census, there are ten times as many Irish Americans in the United States than there are Irish in Ireland.

The first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in America is believed to have been in the 1730’s. The first parade was in New York in 1762.

Like most things American, we have made the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day bigger and better than the original. In Ireland, it is celebrated as a religious holiday. Banks, stores and businesses are closed and most Irish go to church before returning home to celebrate.

In the late 1990’s, the Irish government took notice of the business to be had with St. Patrick’s Day. Wanting to return some of the green to the Emerald Isle and the celebration to its home, the government began a national campaign to create a truly authentic Irish national celebration.

Not wanting to be outdone by the “Yanks” in celebrating their own, the Irish have declared it to be “St. Patrick’s Festival” and expanded it to five days. St. Patrick’s Festival parades, though not as many as in America, are now becoming more the norm in Ireland.

Have a fancy for more Irish legend and whimsy. Try my favorite Irish site: www.irelandseye.com. This fascinating, informative and enchanting webzine takes a few seconds to load some of its features but it is worth the wait.

Take your time and follow all the links. If you love “Lord of the Rings” or Harry Potter, do not miss the Irish fairies links. There are magnificent illustrations with subtle animation. Discover the Dullahan which bears a strong resemblance to Washington Irving’s headless horseman. Don’t miss the Pooka whose appearance is so hideous that it can make hens stop laying eggs and cows stop giving milk.

The recipe section includes such yummies as Flakemeal Chrunchies, Potato Farl, and Dublin Lawyer. Visit castles and go on a ghostwatch or leprechaun watch.

No matter your country of heritage, everyone can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Those who be Irish – and those who wish they were.