We haven't--but we've tried, haha!
I just love celebrating St. Patrick's Day!
I never thought I'd miss corned beef and cabbage. As a kid, I thought it stunk (I still don't like cooked cabbage; the taste or the smell) but I do miss my grandmother Evelyn making it. My Grandpa Larry LOVED it; his mother was Irish. When I visited, I would have a few bites of the beef and as many potatoes as I could get away with, haha!
Did you know that "Kerry" is a county in Ireland, and back in the 1970's, it was more commonly used as a boy's name than a girl's? For years, I wanted to be "Kerri" or "Keri" or even "Carrie" (which is a whole other pronunciation, don't get me started) just so I could have all the girly things in the touristy places and at the craft fairs imprinted with my name on them. Alas, that was never to be, and I when I named my daughter Kailyn, I knew it'd be the same for her. Maybe in Ireland it'd be different?
Here in the US, March 17th is a pretty big deal, whether you're Irish or not. Parades, parties, special masses, and pub crawls are for everyone.
I really miss when my kids were little and believed in leprechauns. We still pretend some years, haha! I'm currently finishing up the first draft of Love on the Brain, and it was super fun "celebrating" this fun holiday with little Noah and the Crane's Cove crew!
The list below was copied and posted from a post I made years and years ago. I likely copied it from a friend....
For all my friends who are planning to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, here are 10 quick facts to know!
1. March 17th is the day St. Patrick died, not the day he was born. 2. There are more than 34 million Americans of Irish descent living in the US, while there are only 4.3 million people living in Ireland. 3. St. Patrick was a slave until the age of 22 when he escaped to an English monastery. 4. St. Patrick's Day in Ireland was a "dry" holiday, meaning all the pubs were closed until 1970. 5. St. Patrick was not Irish. His parents were Roman citizens who lived in Scotland and Wales. 6. St. Patrick's Day in the US started as a means for Irish politicians to come together and flex their political and social power in an effort to end Irish discrimination. 7. St. Patrick's color was blue, not green. Green was presumed later because of the natural beauty of the Irish countryside making it the "Emerald Isle". 8. St. Patrick didn't drive the snakes out of Ireland. Many scholars believe "snakes" is more figurative for pagan religious beliefs and customs. 9. Your odds of finding a 4-leaf clover are 10,000 to 1. 10. Although extremely popular, the shamrock is not the symbol of Ireland, the harp is.
Now you are ready to partake in our celebration because everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day! Have a Safe and Enjoyable holiday!
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