Erin Go Bragh!
For the 24 hours that constitute today, we're all Irish. For me, St. Patrick's Day has never been an excuse to head out to a bar and get wasted. I have been guilty in past years of wearing a button that says, "Kiss Me-- I'm Irish!", but I'm all in favor of kisses. The more, the merrier. *wink* I think if people spent more time kissing each other, we'd have fewer problems in this world of ours. That goes for hugs too. Feel free to give me a kiss/hug anytime. *wink*
Seriously, today is a day to celebrate the culture/heritage of Ireland, and by extension, Irish-Americans as well. I'm in this group, so it's somewhat personal for me. I'm at least a quarter Irish, with some Welsh thrown in, and a bit of Scots, so there's a fair amount of Celtic ancestry in my background. This doesn't mean I go to festivals and watch clog dancing, or wear kilts (not part of a clan, for one thing), or go about singing "Molly Malone" (despite what people may think, "Danny Boy" is NOT a traditional Irish song-- it was written by an Englishman less than a hundred years ago) or "The Star of the County Down." It DOES mean I dress in something green, have corned beef for dinner, and reflect on my Irish forebears. It also means I have shamrocks plastered all over my computer wallpaper, and I try to watch a movie with an Irish theme on the eve of March 17.
Now, I know corned beef is not a traditional dinner on St. Patrick's, and it's more of an Irish-American tradition, but it's a delicious (if fattening!) meal, and one that I usually have with potatoes and some sort of green vegetable. When I was growing up, we'd have corned beef, baked or mashed potatoes, and broccoli or something similar, or perhaps a salad. Sometimes my mother would make barmbrack or serve a similar Irish bread, maybe Irish soda bread. We kids always had a glass of green milk, and the table would be covered with a lace tablecloth, and green napkins. For dessert, there'd be something green, often mint chocolate chip ice cream. We always made sure we went to bed the night before covered in or wearing something green, so that we wouldn't get pinched, and it would be a big deal to catch one of our parents without a stitch of green on.
Tonight, I'm cooking the dinner. I've put the corned beef in to roast, prepared the new potatoes, and I've decided our vegetable will be asparagus- it's in season right now, and I just picked up a nice stand of asparagus for a dollar from the farmer's market this afternoon, along with new potatoes as well. For dessert we'll have a green pound cake with strawberries and cream.
As for the movie, it's getting a bit difficult to find a new one we haven't seen that's set in Ireland or with a major cast of Irish characters. There aren't that many to begin with. Last year it was The Secret of Roan Inish, and the year before that Darby O'Gill and the Little People. I've seen Circle of Friends and The Commitments, and even Barry Lyndon (the title character is an Irish lad). This year's selection is The Quiet Man, with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. I understand the entire film is set in Ireland, and the characters are Irish, so it qualifies. Plus it's got Maureen O'Hara. *grin* Not to mention an Oscar for director John Ford, himself Irish. So it promises to be a nice celebration.
Whatever nationality you are, or what your plans are for today/tonight, Happy St. Patrick's Day! Erin Go Bragh!
Seriously, today is a day to celebrate the culture/heritage of Ireland, and by extension, Irish-Americans as well. I'm in this group, so it's somewhat personal for me. I'm at least a quarter Irish, with some Welsh thrown in, and a bit of Scots, so there's a fair amount of Celtic ancestry in my background. This doesn't mean I go to festivals and watch clog dancing, or wear kilts (not part of a clan, for one thing), or go about singing "Molly Malone" (despite what people may think, "Danny Boy" is NOT a traditional Irish song-- it was written by an Englishman less than a hundred years ago) or "The Star of the County Down." It DOES mean I dress in something green, have corned beef for dinner, and reflect on my Irish forebears. It also means I have shamrocks plastered all over my computer wallpaper, and I try to watch a movie with an Irish theme on the eve of March 17.
Now, I know corned beef is not a traditional dinner on St. Patrick's, and it's more of an Irish-American tradition, but it's a delicious (if fattening!) meal, and one that I usually have with potatoes and some sort of green vegetable. When I was growing up, we'd have corned beef, baked or mashed potatoes, and broccoli or something similar, or perhaps a salad. Sometimes my mother would make barmbrack or serve a similar Irish bread, maybe Irish soda bread. We kids always had a glass of green milk, and the table would be covered with a lace tablecloth, and green napkins. For dessert, there'd be something green, often mint chocolate chip ice cream. We always made sure we went to bed the night before covered in or wearing something green, so that we wouldn't get pinched, and it would be a big deal to catch one of our parents without a stitch of green on.
Tonight, I'm cooking the dinner. I've put the corned beef in to roast, prepared the new potatoes, and I've decided our vegetable will be asparagus- it's in season right now, and I just picked up a nice stand of asparagus for a dollar from the farmer's market this afternoon, along with new potatoes as well. For dessert we'll have a green pound cake with strawberries and cream.
As for the movie, it's getting a bit difficult to find a new one we haven't seen that's set in Ireland or with a major cast of Irish characters. There aren't that many to begin with. Last year it was The Secret of Roan Inish, and the year before that Darby O'Gill and the Little People. I've seen Circle of Friends and The Commitments, and even Barry Lyndon (the title character is an Irish lad). This year's selection is The Quiet Man, with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. I understand the entire film is set in Ireland, and the characters are Irish, so it qualifies. Plus it's got Maureen O'Hara. *grin* Not to mention an Oscar for director John Ford, himself Irish. So it promises to be a nice celebration.
Whatever nationality you are, or what your plans are for today/tonight, Happy St. Patrick's Day! Erin Go Bragh!
posted by Mr. Sandman | 5:35 PM
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