St Patrick's Day, and a Little More

McQuillan walked into a bar and ordered martini after martini, each time removing the olives and placing them in a jar. When the jar was filled with olives and all the drinks consumed, the Irishman started to leave. "S'cuse me," said a customer, who was puzzled over what McQuillan had done. "What was that all about?" "Nothing," said the Irishman, "my wife just sent me out for a jar of olives."

OK it is that time of year... March, and pretty soon we will be approaching St. Patrick's Day, filled with boiled dinners and beer or as some like to call it amateur day, of coarse the joke is if you are Irish you're not an amateur. I am not Irish, nor do I pretend to be either, I can do a pretty good Irish brogue though. I am Italian through and through, and I actually love my Irish friends, and love to give them a hard time....because they are Irish, sorry guys, but the joke is on you.

Weather you are Irish or not, does anyone really know anything about St. Patrick? And why we celebrate the day on March 17? I always thought it was because no one knew exactly when St Patrick died since they were too intoxicated to remember if it was March 8th or 9th so they just added the days together to come up with March 17th....OK I will stop with the jokes and provide you with my history lesson for the month.

Saint Patrick is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. St Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Most of what is known about him comes from his two works; the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and his Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish Christians. Saint Patrick described himself as a "most humble-minded man, pouring forth a continuous paean of thanks to his Maker for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshipped idols and unclean things had become the people of God."

Saint Patrick is most known for driving the snakes from Ireland. It is true there are no snakes in Ireland, but there probably never have been - the island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the Ice Age. As in many old pagan religions, serpent symbols were common and often worshipped. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to that pagan practice. While not the first to bring Christianity to Ireland, it is Patrick who is said to have encountered the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites. The story holds that he converted the warrior chiefs and princes, baptizing them and thousands of their subjects in the "Holy Wells" that still bear this name.

There are several accounts of Saint Patrick's death. One says that Patrick died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, on March 17, 460 A.D. His jawbone was preserved in a silver shrine and was often requested in times of childbirth, epileptic fits, and as a preservative against the "evil eye." Another account says that St. Patrick ended his days at Glastonbury, England and was buried there. The Chapel of St. Patrick still exists as part of Glastonbury Abbey. Today, many Catholic places of worship all around the world are named after St. Patrick, including cathedrals in New York and Dublin city

Why Saint Patrick's Day?

Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide. 

So, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish spread out around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th. Being a religious holiday as well, many Irish attend mass, where March 17th is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries worldwide before the serious celebrating begins.

The Shamrock

"Shamrock" is the common name for several different kinds of three-leafed clovers native to Ireland.

The shamrock was chosen Ireland's national emblem because of the legend that St. Patrick had used it to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. The Trinity is the idea that God is really three-in-one: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.

Patrick demonstrated the meaning of the Three-in-One by picking a shamrock from the grass growing at his feet and showing it to his listeners. He told them that just as the shamrock is one leaf with three parts, God is one entity with three Persons.

The Irish have considered shamrocks as good-luck symbols since earliest times, and today people of many other nationalities also believe they bring good luck.

Erin Go Braugh

The first thing you need to understand is the trinity of sisters known as Albana, Banba and of course Erin. The original term of this statement was Banba Go Brea. Banba being one of the original names of Ireland. It was used primarily as a battle cry especially during the Norman invasions. The Scottish also used there own form of this cry and it was Albana Go Braugh. Albana being one of the names for Scotland. To answer the rest of your question the name Erin being used as a term for Ireland only started to come about in the 1200's though by the time it was used in the Fenian rebellion it was well known. In terms of what it actually means that's more complected due to the fact that Irish words in general have about ten different meanings and the only way to know what is being said is to understand the context it's being used in go brea can mean good, wonderful, excellent, etc.. but in this context it means only what the person is using the words for it's either a rebel cry, a statement of the love of Ireland itself.

Leprechauns

The mythical leprechaun described as being a little old man somewhat aloof and unfriendly. Live alone and pass the time by mending the shoes of Irish fairies. The legend is that the fairies pay the leprechauns for their work with golden coins, which the "little people" collect in large pots--the famous "pots of gold" .

Green

So why do we all wear green?

Green is the color of spring, the shamrock, and is connected with hope and nature. Green because of Ireland often called the "Emerald Isle" due to the lush natural greenery found on the island.

The Blarney Stone

The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney.

The word "Blarney" has come to mean nonsense or smooth flattering talk in almost any language. Tradition says that if you pay a visit to Blarney Castle in County Cork and kiss the Blarney Stone, you'll receive the gift of eloquence and powers of persuasion, a true master of the "gift of gab."

The origins of the Blarney Stone's magical properties aren't clear, but one legend says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning. Kissing the stone while under the spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly.

So there you have it all you may ever have wanted to know about St. Patrick's Day and the history around it, from a true Italian!

I know this.....In My Life I may be an Italian, but it doesn't hurt to have some proud Irish friends! Happy St. Patrick's Day!