Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hope you enjoy a special day if  you're Irish

or

Like the old saying goes,

"Everyone's Irish Today"

My father was Irish 

and

growing up we always celebrated this day

with a meal of corned beef and cabbage or Irish stew.

I can still recall the cozy aroma of those meals in my memories.

Wonderful preparations made by my mother,

who was an awesome cook!!

Ireland is about the size of West Virginia,

 and this tiny island has some of the richest history of the Western world.

Some important dates are 600 B.C. when the Celtic arrived on Irish soil.

 In A.D. 432 St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland. 

During the time from 500- 800 known as the Golden Age of Ireland, 

great music, literary creativity made Ireland the most accomplished in Europe

 When the Vikings invaded Ireland in 800,

 they founded the first towns including Dublin in 988.

 In 1002 Ireland is united for the first time under one leader

 and by 1801 Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. 

1845 saw a million and a half Irish starve to death due to the Great Potato Famine

 and a million more people emigrate to avoid the same fate. 

By 1922 Ireland becomes a free state within the British Commonwealth

 except for six counties of Northern Ireland

 which still remain part of the United Kingdom.

 Leaving the year of 1949 to see the twenty six counties of Ireland become an independent republic.

St. Patrick is the man who converted the Irish to Christianity 

and is the most famous Irishman of all time.

 No one is sure where exactly the patron saint was born or buried,

 but they do know when he died, which is March 17Th.

 So on this day, the Irish worldwide celebrate the holiday in honor of his name. 

The shamrock is the symbol of Ireland and comes from Gaelic Seamrog, 

which refers to the plant's three leaves. 

As the story goes, 

It was in a heated debate with a Druid priest that St. Patrick bent down,

 picked a shamrock 

and used it to demonstrate the Christian trinity 

using the three leaves held together by one single stem.

 We don't really know for sure if the story is true or not, but still regarded today as the national plant of Ireland and worn in many forms on St. Patrick's Day.

William Churchill once said," We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English"

My grandfather was from Dublin and came to this country residing in Pennsylvania in 1921.

Here is a picture of Dublin today overlooking the River Liffey.

 Shown is a portion of the Ha'penny Bridge.

 The Dome building in the background is the Custom House.

Some of my favorite books!

Some pictures from these book are among my favorites.

 Pottery and shamrock bowls, ending with spring roses!

I hope you enjoy a bit of the Irish on St. Patrick's Day

 and may your day be filled with blessings and good cheer!

 The following pictures are a bit of Irish in my home.

Vintage porcelain bells from Ireland.

Thank you for stopping by,

 ERIN GO BRAGH "Ireland Forever"

 Smiles,

 Celestina Marie~


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