A day for celebrating Ireland. The land of saints and scholars.
The Republic of Ireland. Not to be confused with Northern Ireland which is part of the U.K.
We haven't had the good fortune to visit Ireland, but it's not so far away so perhaps we will. My maiden name is Gleason which is Irish in origin so I suppose it would be fittin' to visit the homeland.
The Irish do have their troubles. In fact, the decades-long conflict between Catholics and Protestants is actually known as "The Troubles". But it doesn't stop there - they've got some pretty serious economic troubles not unlike most of the rest of the world.
But neither of those have anything to do with today.
Did you know that St. Patrick lived in the 5th century and was an ordained bishop? In Ireland, the holiday is a holy day of obligation (you Catholics know what I'm talking about).
And if you're not Catholic . . . a holy day of obligation means that if you are Catholic, you are obliged to participate in Mass on these designated days (and obviously Sunday). It's the law - the Code of Canon Law, that is (see canon 1247 for more information).
So back to today's saint . . . St. Patrick's Day celebrates the date of his death - March 17. The year is debated, but most believe he died in the year 493.
Legend has it that he banished all the snakes from Ireland, but evidence suggests Ireland didn't have any snakes at that time. Guess he was good at what he did.
And what do shamrocks and leprechauns have to do with him? Nothing.
Legend has it that St. Patrick used the clover to illustrate the holy trinity, but that legend didn't get started until 1200 years after his death so there may be questions as to its accuracy. It is a good story though.
The leprechaun is a fairy in Irish folklore. Usually a bearded old man, the size of a child, dressed in red or green with a pointed hat, making shoes and keeping his gold coins at the end of the rainbow. Kinda sounds like a gnome.
And speaking of gnomes. Ross saw this little gnome displayed like something valuable in a glass case at the kringwinkel. He decided Randi needed it so the lady opened the glass case with a key and we bought him for 50 cents. He was right next to a valuable Smurf. We probably should have bought him too.
But back to Ireland. I'm sure you've heard of the Blarney Stone? Well, it's a block of bluestone at Blarney Castle in Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone gives the kisser the gift of gab. I know a few people who don't need to kiss that stone.
Ever heard of the Shamrock Shake? Me neither. McDonald's introduced the Shamrock Shake in 1970. I have never seen it on a menu, but apparently it is still available today at some restaurants. In the U.S. Not in Ireland.
According to the McDonald's website . . .
"it all began with a little girl, a football team, and a visionary doctor." Philadelphia Eagles tight end Fred Hill's daughter was diagnosed with leukemia and began treatment. The Hills camped out on hospital benches and in waiting rooms and saw other families doing the same — families that traveled long distances and could not afford hotel rooms. So the Hills decided to do something about it.
Fred and his teammates rallied to raise funds. Jim Murray, the team's general manager, called a friend from McDonald's advertising and suggested they team up during the next promotional push, which happened to be St. Patrick's Day. The shake was a perfect vehicle for the cause. It was green, like the Eagles' uniforms. Enough funds were raised to buy a four-story house, which became the first Ronald McDonald House. From 1975 on, a portion of each Shamrock Shake sold went to the Ronald McDonald House Charity.
And if your hometown McDonald's doesn't offer this shake, you can make one for yourself with the recipe below from foodtv.
McDonald's Shamrock Shake
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
8 drops green food coloring
Blender! Enjoy!
There are a lot of Irish toasts, but I like this one best.
May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.
I am Irish as well and love learning about "the homeland"...thanks! and just today I was listening to priest explain St. Patrick's "snakes" as driving out the demonic spirts which had kept Ireland captive to paganism and he also mentioned the depiction of the Trinity as clover leaf. I like that analogy as well.
ReplyDeleteAbout the milk shake....I bet Creme de Menthe would be GREAT in a vanilla milk shake!!! Kinda like a giant grasshopper, one of my fav. after dinner drinks.