What next?
On 17th March Ireland celebrates the Feast of St Patrick, the Patron Saint. For many years the day was more celebrated by those outside the country than the residents on home soil. American street markings turned green and so did the Guinness, that last bit is sacrilege pure sacrilege! Baino danced on Bondi Beach. It seemed like the whole world was Irish for the day. All the politicians travelled abroad for a free shindig to represent their country at parades, dinners etc across the globe. The only person left at home to mind the house country was the President.
The ordinary men and women in the street were feeling neglected so they decided too have their own party. Thus St Patrick’s Festival was born. I was in Dublin last year for the Parade and the party at the Storehouse afterwards.
If you are unable to come over and join in the Craic and the céilidh in person, then how would you like to own a little piece of Ireland no matter how far from the Emerald Isle you are!
You heard me! You can buy a piece of the ould sod and feel more Irish than the Irish on the day! Mind you I think you will have to provide your own rain to water it! ;) Maybe by next year someone will have discovered how to sell Genuine Irish Rain! Maynard, stop your laughing. It is not such an outrageous idea after all. Conrad, please don’t confuse Irish rain with Irish Mist or Tullamore Dew they are different entirely.
Over across the channel in mainland UK they have gone even further. I think you better sit down for this one…. Someone look at the calendar please; is it 1st April today?
Right so. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin…
I was reading an article the other day in the Guardian online that The National Trust is selling jam jars of fresh, ’stress-relieving’ country air to city folk!!!
All that is left now is for someone to come up with scratch and sniff cards for smelly sox… 
I think I need to lie down!
Rhyleysgranny said,
March 16, 2010 at 7:23 am
Right I’m off to set up a web site selling bottles of Irish rain. With every bottle the purchaser will receive a jar of clean authentic Irish air half price All sold in nice green bottles and jars of course. Now should I colour the water green too …………………………..?
Grannymar said,
March 16, 2010 at 7:52 am
Rhyleysgranny - The air for the jars must be collected AFTER the local farmers have sprayed the fields with natural fertilizer! There is nothing like it for clearing the lungs!
rhyleysgranny said,
March 16, 2010 at 9:43 am
Oh yes I am all for the organic scented stuff
Nick said,
March 16, 2010 at 9:52 am
I’ve never quite understood why St Patrick is venerated as the patron saint of Ireland when he spent the first 16 years of his life in Britain. If only all immigrants to Ireland were treated so well!
Grannymar said,
March 16, 2010 at 10:39 am
Rhyleysgranny - How will you cope with the fermentation?
Nick - If you spent years tending sheep on Slemish, you would rate sainthood, but where would you find a High King these days to convert? You would need at least one of those for Patron!
Baino said,
March 16, 2010 at 11:14 am
St Pats tomorrow and my Boss’ name is Sean O’Toole . .some serious schmoozing will be done . .pay rise anyone? Good on St Pat I say, he drove the snakes from Ireland although I doubt there were any there in the first place . .sent him over here!
Maynard said,
March 16, 2010 at 12:15 pm
ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!
Grannymar said,
March 16, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Baino - I think there are a few snakes still around… they are hiding in the long grass of The Dail! Good luck with the pay rise.
Maynard - I knew you would find it funny!!
Magpie11 said,
March 16, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Interesting Wiki entry about Ceilidh…and the English Ceilidh entry was interesting… makes my hackles rise, the eCeilidh movement…they say the old players used to play slowly so that people could “step” the dances. Twaddle…thay played slowly because they were old players and in their dotage…. I met some of them.
I have record of Tracy Swartz playing music for stepping at 150 beats a minute, the practise tracks start at 116 bpm.
Sorry ’bout that…. rant over. That’s a folk dance joke . The rant being a dance step from the NE of England….which is nothing like the step described in the Wikipedia article. Doh!
wisewebwoman said,
March 16, 2010 at 5:19 pm
Gawd, GM, I hate the Paddywackery which goes on incessantly in Canada. I miss the Irish-born gatherings in Toronto and the ‘real’ music and the spoken Irish….
Call me uim boig (which is the Irish origination of the word humbug)….
XO
WWW
Grannymar said,
March 16, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Magpie - I thought you would appreciate that link.
WWW - It might be difficult to fine the traditional entertainment in Ireland too.
Cardi said,
March 16, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Shwmai GM - our claim to fame…
Legend has it that St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland was born in Banwen (South Wales) in 385 AD. His Welsh name was said to be Maewyn Succat and that his father Caiphurnius was a Roman official based at the Roman marching fort at nearby Coelbren. Maewyn was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. After six years in Ireland he escaped to France and entered St Martin’s monastery in Tours where, he became a priest. The Pope named him Patricius and sent him on a mission to Ireland in 431AD where he died on March 17, 461 AD.
It’s near to Max Boyce country – he’d probably tell you that he was there …
if this is true - he was well preapred to look after sheep on Slemish!!!!!
Erin Go Bragh
Cardi said,
March 16, 2010 at 8:51 pm
prepared not preapred - sorry - French wine and Guinness……….
Grannymar said,
March 16, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Cardi - There were various claims to the origin of Patrick, alas I was not around then to verify which one was true. I do remember being told he was kidnapped in Wales and brought to Ireland in 432. We really need Paddy Bloggit to teach us the correct version.
Cardi said,
March 16, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Indeed, GM, I agree - his wisdom and unquestionable opinion would be extremely valuable … he might not always be right, but would undoubtedly present a convincingly valid argument … (or succeed in starting an one).
Perhaps your good self might be able to get him off the Wanderley Wagon … Maewyn Succat’s Bloggit definitely doesn’t have the same ring to it as Pady Bloggit, somehow.
Conrad said,
March 16, 2010 at 11:33 pm
I’ve always known that Tullamore Dew is collected from the blades of young, fine grass early in the morning, not from the rain. Of course, I know it isn’t actually Leprechauns doing it … I’m not ignorant. It is collected by wee maidens chosen for their purity and bright outlook!
Grannymar said,
March 16, 2010 at 11:43 pm
Conrad,
You discovered my secret…. My father told me I would be beautiful if I washed my face early every morning in the fresh dew…. I put what was left in the bottle!
Rummuser said,
March 17, 2010 at 7:19 am
Cardi and Grannymar, both of you are likely to be wrong as would Paddy if he gets involved in this shindig. St. P was an Indian called Patturuthi. The Brits hijacked a lot of things from India including Sakesa Appa Iyer who became Shakespeare.
Grannymar, I had suggested that you start an export business of your rain to India. Big market and you seem to have so much surplus. Now you can add fresh air and blarney as well to the products that you can export
Grannymar said,
March 17, 2010 at 11:47 am
Ramana - Well that is a new one on me. Next you will tell me your middle name is Paddy!
Rummuser said,
March 19, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Thathaasthu1