May luck be our companion
May friends stand by our side
May history remind us all
Of Ireland's faith and pride.
May God bless us with happiness
May love and faith abide.
~Irish Blessing
I am from an Irish family that loves celebrating St. Patrick's Day. I started to wear my "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" T-shirt today, but I didn't think it would be appropriate work attire *sigh* But I am thinking about our St. Patrick's Day dinner cooking at home.
Our menu for tonight includes:
Slow Cooked Corned Beef with Cabbage and Potatoes
Bangers and Mash
Irish Soda Bread
I will put up the recipes for these in the recipe section.
A Little St. Patrick's Day Trivia for you
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 reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.
In 1848, several New York Irish Aid societies decided to unite their parades to form one New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world 's oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants.
Each year, nearly three million people line the 1.5-mile parade route to watch the procession, which takes more than five hours. Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah also celebrate the day with parades involving between 10,000 and 20,000 participants.
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. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions and fireworks shows.
For many Americans, St. Patrick’s Day has become a popular night out for drinking and celebrating with friends and family taking advantage of the local eateries and bar specials. Please be safe!
