Happy St Patrick's Day, My Friends!

When I lived ones Long Island, it seemed that every town, hamlet, and village would choose a weekend to hold its annual St Patrick's Day parade. Some communities even painted a green line on the roads designating the parade route.

 

Schools, fire and police departments, Hibernia Societies and other community groups would all participate. It seemed that, at least for that day, everyone, of all ethnicities and nationalities, were Irish.

When my children were younger, we would take them to see several parades which were considered the “big ones”, the parades which went overboard to celebrate.

Now, my son marches in many of them, including the one in New York City on St Patrick’s Day, with his police department’s drum and fife corps. He is the bass drummer, and dresses in full traditional Irish regalia. And he has been doing this for at least twenty years, even before he became a cop.

Our St Patrick’s Day dinner is a traditional one, which consists of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and homemade Irish Soda Bread, not the one from the grocery store.

We have had this meal for at least forty-five years, and generally share the meal with family and friends. Like Christmas and Easter, where we share Italian and Polish traditions with our grandchildren and our other guests, we make a day for our Irish heritage, as well.

So, on this Feast Day of St Patrick, I want to extend a few Irish Blessings to make your day seem lighter.

"May the wind be always at your back"

"May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields"

"And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand"

“May you be in Heaven an half an hour before the Devil knows you are dead”

And may the Luck of the Irish and St Patrick be with you for the whole year.