A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....03-17-04...Happy St. Patrick's Day

Dutchesss

[dutchess]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

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A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day

It's St. Patrick's Day, and yes, we at the Finest WILL be hosting a party, BUT before you kick up your shoes, break out the food and drink….we must first sit back and see the history of this special day.

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for thousands of years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast-on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

About St. Patrick

St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian.

After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped to Britain. In several of his writing he spoke of a revelation--an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.

Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries-spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.

The First Parade

The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Over the next thirty-five years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called "Irish Aid" societies, like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes and drums.

No Irish Need Apply

Up until the mid-nineteenth century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish began to pour into America to escape starvation. Despised for their religious beliefs and funny accents by the American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the country 's cities took to the streets on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys.

However, the Irish soon began to realize that their great numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine," became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.

Wearing the Green Goes Global

Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world.

Leprechauns

The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow." Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure. Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

In 1959, Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People, which introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cantankerous little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly involved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick's Day to share a "traditional" meal of corned beef and cabbage. Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick's Day at the turn of the century. Irish immigrants living on New York City's Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.

Shamrocks

A three-leafed clover, the shamrock is the national emblem of Ireland. The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

The shamrock was also said to be used by St. Patrick as he was spreading Christianity throughout Ireland by illustrating the Christian doctrine of the trinity. He used the three leaf shamrock to represent how the father, son and holy spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity

Music

Music is often associated with St. Patrick's Day-and Irish culture in general. From ancient days of the Celts, music has always been an important part of Irish life. The Celts had an oral culture, where religion, legend, and history were passed from one generation to the next by way of stories and songs.

After being conquered by the English, and forbidden to speak their own language, the Irish, like other oppressed peoples, turned to music to help them remember important events and hold on to their heritage and history.

Irish music continues to enjoy universal appeal today. Their music is produced with instruments that have been used for centuries, including the fiddle, the uilleann pipes, a sort of elaborate bagpipe, the tin whistle, a sort of flute that is actually made of nickel-silver, brass, or aluminum, and the bodhran, an ancient type of framedrum that was traditionally used in warfare rather than music.

An Irish Blessing

Before the celebration begins, let's all raise our glasses and join in this well know Irish Blessing

An Irish Blessing

May the roads rise to meet you.

May the wind be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face.

The rain fall soft upon your fields

And until we meet again,

May God Hold you in the palm of his hand.

Happy St. Patrick's Day Finest Friends.... Let the Celebration Begin!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 03-15-03...Military Monday 03-16-04...My Kingdom for a Horse (Rerun)

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

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[Pippin]

You're welcome! :O)

[Donaeus]

I'm glad I lived up to the reputation! :)

I haven't done research on all the different family lines. The one name I know is Garrett, the other is Timmerman (from Zimmerman) which is German. But I do know we go way back in the old countries.

[deadhead]

IRISH BLESSING

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

~~Colleen~~

Reposting, asked the moderator to remove my post #13, hope I got it right this time.

[LadyX]

{{{{{ Lotsa Irish hugs for you, Colleen !! }}}}}

[MeekOneGOP]

Re#54 Where's that at?

That pic and the links/pics were taken at my place on Valentine's day this year ...

[deadhead]

Thank You, and lots of ((((((HUGS)))))) for you Maggie.

Have a wonderful day, hope and pray you are doing well.

[LadyX]

Here are some more Irish sayings:

When the wind is howlin' in everyone's ears,
May you hear a soft, lilting breeze.
And if the rain is crashin' down,
May it only be dew at your knees.
If the ground 'neath your feet should quiver and shake,
I hope you'll be standin' with ease.
And never go hungry or wantin' for much;
May God grant you all that you need!

May your day be filled with blessings
Like the sun that lights the sky,
And may you always have the courage
To spread your wings and fly!

May we live in peace without weeping.
May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing.
And may our love fill the world,
angel wings tenderly beating.

[ohioWfan]

Yep, I am.

Just cleaned a bit around the ping pong table in the basement. I'm guessing that's one of the first places he'll head when he gets home. He's REALLY good. :o)

[Right Wing Professor]

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibhse, FReepers!

Is do John Gaelach-bréige Kerry, go salaí scata Fomhórach ólta do chuid airgid caim.

The Irish curse engine, an invaluable infernal resource for calling down doom on your enemies, is at

http://hermes.lincolnu.edu/~focal/scripts/mallacht.htm

[Pippin]

HEE! HEE! HEE!

He's gonna be having some catching up to do! :O)

BTW, My nephwe who' s in S. Korea is supposed to be coming home in May with his fiance. (Yes, he met someone in S. Korea, she's not Korean, she's from California)

And guess what, they are expecting a baby!

I'm gonna be a great aunt!

I'm starting to feel OLD!

They are supposed to get married next May when she is discharged for service. I'll tell you more when I get more information.

[Right Wing Professor]

I'm out for the rest of the day (guess where) so I better provide a translation: Blessings of St. Patrick's Day to yourselves, Freepers. And to John fake-Irishman Kerry, may a group of drunken Formorians soil your ill-gotten money.

[jwfiv]

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all the Finest.

Thank you, Miss Dutchess, for this marvelous post with the green thread running through it...love the Pledge pic.

I have two nephews in Ireland at the moment, one writing the great novel, the other playing guitar and singing Johnny Cash songs in a hotel bar.

It's wonderful life, and a good day to be Irish...)

[Molly Pitcher]

HAPPY ST. PAT'S DAY TO ALL!!!

Thanks for the thread, dutchess and Billie...Wonderful theme and decorations!

[Fiddlstix]

Click Here for Music

WHO THREW THE OVERALLS IN MRS. MURPHY'S CHOWDER ?

Mrs. Murphy gave a party just about a week ago.
Everything was plentiful, The Murphys, they're not slow.
They treated us like gentlemen, we tried to act the same,
If it weren't for what happened...Well, it was a doggone shame.

When Mrs. Murphy dished the chowder out, she fainted on the spot.
She found a pair of overalls at the bottom of the pot.
McGinty, he got roaring mad, his eyes were bulging out,
He jumped onto the piano and loudly he did shout......

"Who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder?"
Nobody spoke, so he shouted all the louder,
"It's a rotten trick that's true, I can lick the drip that threw
The overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder."

They dragged the pants from out the soup and laid them on the floor.
Each man swore upon his life, he'd ne'er seen them before.
They were plastered up with mortar and had patches on the knee,
They'd had their many ups and downs as we could plainly see.

And when Mrs. Murphy, she came to, she b'gan to cry and pout,
She'd put them in the wash that day and forgot to pull them out.
McGinty, he excused himself for what he said that night,
So we put music to the words and sang with all our might....

"Who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder?"
Nobody spoke, so we shouted all the louder,
"It's a rotten trick that's true, and we'll lick the drip that threw
The overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder."

[GailA]

A St. Patrick's Day Wish For You

May your life be long
May your heart be true
May your path be clear
and your skies be blue

May your soul be happy
and your spirit light
May you know deep joy
May your dreams take flight

May God bless you
on this special day and always!

[JulieRNR21]

Kerry's Irish Lies


There once was a man from Nantucket
Whose misstatements could fill up a bucket.
Oft the truth he has bent,
Like his "Irish descent."
Of his record he says, "I'll just duck it."

Ed Gillespie, the Republican Party chairman

---

Irish, Too

Must he make it so hard to keep track?
First he's French, then he's Jewish, then black
Aye and begorra,
Sure'n tomorrow
It's the Irish John Kerry comes back.

— F.R. Duplantier

[Billie]

Little red x's - and a green background - wish I could see the pictures. Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody.

[Mama_Bear]

Thank you, dutchess, for this fun and informative thread today. Beautifully done!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to my sistahs and FRiends, one and all!

[Mama_Bear]

Cute Irish bears! Thank you. :-)

[lonestar]

leprechauns were cranky souls

Now I know why I love leprechauns!

I've been here already.

Weinie