Happy St. Patrick's Day!

**Squidge** · 03-17-2011, 05:52 AM

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Ireland!

This year my SO and I will be staying in and watching a movie to celebrate. I will have some Baileys Irish Cream (Irish whiskey and cream-based liqueur) to mark the occasion, but that's about it.

Anyone have any exciting plans for today? Will you be dying anything green?

**frugalwarrior2** · 03-17-2011, 06:26 AM

Happy St. Patricks Day!!!
We willl make corned beef (hold the cabbage)
some potatoes and rolls
Exciting no,Delicious hopefully.

**Lady_V** · 03-17-2011, 06:32 AM

I am making a corned beef, potato, carrot, onion and turnip dinner in the crock pot today. -- I skipped the cabbage, they aren't fond of it unless it's in an eggroll

**Squidge** · 03-17-2011, 07:07 AM

Sounds delicious

I had to look this up - I had no idea that a corned beef and cabbage dish was a St. Patrick's Day tradition in other parts. We don't have that here, which is a shame because corned beef is yummy!

Lady_V everyone is indeed Irish on March 17th

**Demented Duck** · 03-17-2011, 07:09 AM

Happy St Patricks Day !!

**Momto5RN** · 03-17-2011, 08:45 AM

wearing my green - my kids had a dress down day for school and are wearing green too.
on the news shows the irish bars are open in philly and people are already partying lol
sadly my day is rather boring - work and some medical tests at the radiology center - home- take dd to get glasses etc .

a irish blessing/toast for you :

May your neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.

**englishcottage1** · 03-17-2011, 09:31 AM

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Putting on my green, making corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, soda bread, and green poke cake for dessert. Once the kids are in bread, we'll have a toast with some uisce beatha na hÉireann (irish whiskey)

**Debbie-cat** · 03-17-2011, 10:56 AM

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Wearing the green and corned beef and cabbage for dinner with a pint of green beer!

**MaryCarney** · 03-17-2011, 11:04 AM

It's my birthday today, so I'm doing a whole lot of nothing!!
When I was a little girl (I'm from Chicago) my grandpa Lawson had me convinced that they dyed the Chicago River green for ME as a birthday present

Funny thing is this, I am not Irish!!!
PS The Billboard #1 song on March 17, 1955 was The Ballad of Davy Crockett. The doctor that delivered me told my mom that the world was going to hell in a handbasket if that was the best song in the country!!!

**Russ** · 03-17-2011, 11:44 AM

Happy St. Patricks day!

Fun Facts about St. Patrick's Day:

St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The actual color of St. Patrick is blue. Green became associated with St. Patrick's Day during the 19th century. Green, in Irish legends, was worn by fairies and immortals, and also by people to encourage their crops to grow.

St. Patrick did not actually drive snakes out of Ireland; the snakes represent the pagans that he converted to Christianity.

The very first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1737.

In Chicago, on St. Patrick's Day, the rivers are dyed green. Mayor Daley is also of Irish descent.

In Seattle, there is a ceremony where a green stripe is painted down the roads.

Most Catholics attend mass in the morning and then attend the St. Patrick's Day parade.

Shamrocks are worn on the lapel on this day.

In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair

Many young people dye their hair green for the special day.

Many people wear green on this holiday to avoid being pinched.

The phrase, "Drowning The Shamrock" is from the custom of floating the shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish believe that if you keep the custom, then you will have a prosperous year.

Many bars in the United States, and abroad, serve green beer to celebrate St. Patty's Day. Bars in Ireland were closed on St Pats day until 1970.

**Russ** · 03-17-2011, 11:47 AM

Irish stew only has 239 beans in it.

One more and it would be 2farty.

**shoiji** · 03-17-2011, 11:53 AM

Happy Saint Patty's Day! Just finished baking a loaf of Irish Soda Bread. Will be taking it with me tomorrow. Thats all the celebrating I will be doing.

**moasmom** · 03-17-2011, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by Squidge

I had to look this up - I had no idea that a corned beef and cabbage dish was a St. Patrick's Day tradition in other parts. We don't have that here, which is a shame because corned beef is yummy!

I just read on egullet.org that the corned beef tradition is an Irish American one, likely from New Englanders (boiled dinner). In Ireland, lamb or mutton is much more likely to be served with cabbage and potatoes.

But yes, here in the US, corned beef is firmly entrenched as a St. Patrick's Day tradition, so much so, that it's on sale in all the grocery stores.

DH and I spent last weekend at a Celtic Faire in Sonora, CA (Sierra foothills/gold country) with lots of friends and great music (our friends' band The Wicked Tinkers, and a new one to us: Blaggards, from Houston TX - they rock!), so that was our St. Patrick's Day celebrating.

I might have a drop more whiskey tomorrow night, just because it tastes so good!

Kara

**pollypurebred39** · 03-17-2011, 12:24 PM

Corned beef, stir fried cabbage and potatoes as always.

I'm part Scotch-Irish or Ulster Scots (or so I've been told by the family historians), and we mixed with the Irish. However, I'm not sure when we settled in Ireland. We started our heritage in America from the birth of this country, my Uncle on the Mayflower, my Aunt and their children on the boat that followed. A very rich and traceable history. That was my Grandmother's line, my Grandfather's line has been harder to trace in Ireland, only the area and clan. He had no Scottish line, only Irish, he was half Irish & half Native American. (he also had English in him, long bred out by the time he came around, but still carried the name) Some of my family have been to Ireland to meet our relatives. I think someday I'd like to do the same.