“Inherently in us as Irish people, wherever you are in the world, when you hear an Irish accent, it’s like a moth to a flame. There’s a real personable pride and camaraderie about being Irish.” ~ Jessie Buckley
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
Top to the Morning’ to ya friends! I can NOT believe it is Saint Patrick’s Day already! Heck I can’t believe we turned the clocks forward this past weekend. And yes I am STILL recovering from that. I do love all the sunshine we have been getting. We are quite well, lucky. Sorry I couldn’t resist my very poor Saint Patrick’s Day pun innuendo. But after this last year, I will take all the humor good or bad where I can get it!
Irregardless of whether you are Irish or not, I hope you all are able to celebrate at least somewhat today! Thanks to my paternal grandmother, who was very proud of her Irish blood, I am a quarter Irish. Alas, it was honestly never a big deal and I have never been a huge fan of Saint Paddy’s Day, like some people are. Of course much like Valentine’s Day, the last year has taught me to celebrate the big and the small…So why the heck NOT celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day? I am not living it up like I did in the city, but I will still subtly celebrate in my own way.
Growing Up
As I mentioned my family on my Dad’s side are Irish, so my Mom always tried to make it special, cooking Irish cuisine, setting Leprechaun Traps and even following the trail of Shamrocks that the Leprechaun left for a Scavenger Hunt to find the pot of gold and maybe a rainbow too. I always wore green, not necessarily because I wanted too, but I had siblings who would definitely use it as an excuse to tease and pinch me. (siblings!)
It wasn’t a huge day, but as kids it was always made special. Even in school we would read about Irish folklore, Leprechauns, the meaning of shamrocks, and history, and had fun Saint Patrick’s Day themed activities. As we got older, it became another day, albite one you could let loose a bit more on as an adult on and no I am not talking about binging on chocolate gold coins.
In New York Everyone is Irish
I discovered a greater appreciation for Saint Paddy’s Day when I moved to New York. I remember my second week in the Concrete Jungle, after finishing that day’s yoga training, I joined my cousin for a Saint Paddy’s Day celebration at George Keely’s, her local Irish dive bar on the Upper West Side. It was a celebration that I am pretty sure would have rivaled Mardi Gras in New Orleans. With the Saint Patrick’s Day parade, which is always entertaining, having finished, everyone was piling in and out of bars, especially the Irish establishments. Many people had been drinking since the morning and EVERYONE was going crazy celebrating.
It didn’t matter whether you were actually Irish or not, because on Saint Patrick’s Day in the city everyone is, not unlike Cinco de Mayo Cinco De Mayo which is celebrated only a few weeks later. Perhaps it is because spring is in the air and everyone is celebrating the warmer weather in the city, but on those two holidays EVERYONE is enjoying themselves and feeling the days. Even if you didn’t want to celebrate, you did and it was always a blast.
Celebrating the big and the small
After my years in New York, I definitely have a greater appreciation for the shamrock filled holiday. And after this past year with the pandemic, as I mentioned before, I think we can all use something to celebrate, especially to break up the monotony of constantly being at home. While you won’t find me cooking corn beef and cabbage or drinking green beer, I will still be rocking some green, probably my Dudley Stephens which is perfect for this holiday.
I decided to decorate a little bit here and there. And I also decided, since I have a mug for what seems like every other holiday lately, I needed a Melsy’s mug for Saint Patrick’s Day. She has several cute designs, but I chose the Lucky Charm’s design if for nothing else because I REALLY want the Illustrations shoes! I am not crazy festive, but it is enough to bring some cheer along with the sunshine.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to ALL!
How are you celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day? DO you have any traditions?
Happy St. Patty’s Day, pretty girl! It just occurred to me that I didn’t wear green today…clearly I’m a mess. I loved watching your stories on Instagram and I loved that you got to spend some time by the water; I know that always makes your heart full! <3 <3
I always drink a toast (or three 😁) to my Irish ancestors to celebrate! (BTW, I could totally see myself buying a coffee mug because I want the illustrated shoes on it! 😂)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I happened to be in New York once during St. Patrick’s Day. The vibes and setting were fantastic! I love the cheery festive settings that each holiday brings, no matter how big or small the occasion is.