Irish One Day a Year

Why pretend to be Irish? I don't have to. I'm Irish through and through... Okay, so maybe there's more of a drop than a pint of Irish blood running through my veins, but I still think of myself as Irish, at least on St. Patrick's Day.

The why is as simple as it is complicated. I am a product of the American Melting Pot. There's some Irish mixed in there along with some Swedish, Norwegian, English and a hodge-podge of other nationalities.

So what does that make me? An American.

I am an American, but as a culture America is very young. It's like a sapling whose taproot is deep enough to give it life and show its potential, but young enough yet to be swayed by ever-changing winds. To be a part of a culture that goes back hundreds and hundreds of years is a temptation to powerful to resist. My Scandinavian roots surface during the Christmas season, but In the Springtime I'm Irish.

Who but the Irish can demand a kiss and get it?
They have a Patron Saint to call their own.
A gift of blarney. I always wanted to be a story teller
I love the color green
I like shamrocks
Great toasts and sayings
Great music
They make an awesome stew
I'd rather be called lass than ma'am
They're great dancers
They can drink more than one beer without sliding under the table.
They can eat cabbage without grimacing
"The Luck of the Irish" sounds like something I could use

If you want to pose as an Irish lad or lass, there are a few basics you need to know. (Actually, when it comes to your adopted heritage, there's more to learn than can be covered in this lens.) But there are some basics that you absolutely must know.

1. The Pretty Four Leaf Clover The four leaf clover is a symbol of luck, and it does bring you luck. A lawn full of clover instead of grass doesn't need to be mowed. Instead of spending hours pushing a mower, the Irish lay in the clover and think up awesome sayings and proverbs. If they are rolling in the clover with a likely lass or lad so much the better. (The odds of having a yard full of dandelions instead of clover doesn't factor into the equation.)

2. Saint Patrick. As we're celebrating St. Patrick's Day, it would be a good idea to know who Saint Patrick was. (Before I started doing my research, I thought he was the Patron Saint of Guinness. Why else would they celebrate his day is a bar and sponsor drinking contests in his honor?)

St. Patrick was one of the early missionaries. He preached the word of God using the shamrock to illustrate the trinity. According to legend he drove the snakes from Ireland. It's kind of hard to refute that. Ireland is a Garden of Green Delight without the hiss and slither of forked-tongued demons. There are no snakes in Ireland, not a one.

May you be poor in misfortunes,
and rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness,
from this day forward,
May good luck be your friend,
In whatever you do,
And may trouble be always,
A stranger to you.

1. Guinness. A pint Guinness is the most popular beer of all time, and the favored drink of the Irish worldwide. If you prefer a light beer in favor of the burnt flavor of a dark glass of Guinness, your Irish blood is thinner than you think. If you can't handle the brew you can still maintain the façade. Be a good little Catholic and give up drinking for lent.


2. The Blarney Stone. According to the legend kissing the blarney stone will endow the kisser with the gift of gab. As I know a lot of motor-mouths, there have been a few more trips to Ireland than I know about.

Dang nabbit! I've held fast to my roots though they run thin in every direction. I have Irish blood in my veins. It's an undeniable fact. Well, I thought that little bit of blood would bring be a wee bit of luck...it has.

Oh yeah! I'm Irish.

The Irish have their fair share of luck, unfortunately it's mostly bad. According to Answers.com the term "Luck of the Irish" is simple irony. As a race, the Irish people have been trod upon time and time again. "The Luck of the Irish" Yep. I can understand that. It happens to me all the time. Some of us are lucky, and then there are some of us that the Fates use for comic relief.

Have you ever had your lucky rabbit's foot clog the drain in the wash machine? Have you ever broken out in a rash from your lucky medallion? Have you ever received a parking ticket just to look around and see another fifty cars illegally parked, but nary a ticket in sight?

You're Irish!

Wherever you go and whatever you do, May the luck of the Irish be there with you.
~Irish Blessing