~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morn-O! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
March 17, 2011

Click on Hats for an bit of the Irish!

★~ Today’s Quote: I have a total irreverence for anything connected with society except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper and the old men and old women warmer in the winter and happier in the summer. ~ Brendan Behan

★~ St. Patrick’s Day:

People have been celebrating the Feast Day of Saint Patrick for over a thousand years. Saint Patrick was born and raised in Roman Britain during the fifth century. At the age of sixteen he was captured and sold as a slave to an Irish sheep farmer, but eventually managed to escape. He spent several years in a monastery before returning to Ireland as a Christian missionary. Today he is hailed as the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland.

Over the years St. Patrick’s Day has evolved from a religious observance to a worldwide celebration of Irish culture. In Ireland, men wear shamrocks on their jackets and caps, and women wear green ribbons in their hair. In the United States, cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Savannah host huge St. Patrick’s Day parades, and Chicago dyes its river bright green!

Pinch, Kiss, Eat, Drink and be Merry! No necessarily in that order.

★~ Corned Beef and Cabbage Day:

The Irish were major exporters of corned (or salt-cured) beef in the 16th and 17th centuries with exports to France, England and America.  Interestingly enough, since the majority of beef was exported, the cost of beef to the Irish people was prohibitive.  Most of the Irish peasants used their cattle for dairy products and ate pork as their main protein source instead.  That is even assuming they could afford meat.  Many subsisted on primarily potatoes.  Thus, when the potato famine occurred in the mid-1800’s, over 10% of the Irish population emigrated from the country while about 10% of the population died from hunger.

Cabbage, on the other hand, was a common source of nutrition for the farmers of Ireland which pre-dated the potato.  It was domesticated and farmed as early as 600 BC.  Irish farms could produce up to 65 pounds of cabbage per person each year.  During the potato blight that caused the Great Famine, the cabbage was used prominently again.  Needless to say, when the Irish came to America, they brought their traditions and celebrations with them so that now everyone can celebrate being green one day each year.

★~ Corndog Day!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of National Corndog Day, a movable feast celebrated not on a specific date, but the first Saturday of March Madness—which refers to college basketball, for those who don’t follow that religion.

We will be eating Cornbeef and Cabbage in our house today but will enjoy a corndog over the weekend!

★~ A Bit of St Patrick’s Day Historic ‘Lore’:

♥~ Historians believe St. Patrick’s real name was “Maewyn Succat.”

♥~ The very first St. Patrick’s Day parade in America was hosted by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston in 1737

♥~ An old legend says that, while Christ will judge all nations on judgment day, St. Patrick will be the judge of the Irish.

♥~ It’s not the custom in Ireland to wear green ties, hats or other green clothes on St. Patrick’s Day. A sprig of shamrock in the coat lapel is the preferred display.

♥~ Even Saint Patrick liked a tipple. It was once popular in Ireland to pin sprigs of shamrocks on your coat on Saint Patrick’s day in remembrance of his using shamrock leaves to illustrate the idea of the holy trinity. At the end of the day, one would “drown the shamrock” by putting a few shamrocks into a glass and covering them with whiskey.

♥~ In the olden days in Ireland, the shamrock was seen as sacred. Due to its green color and overall shape, many believed it to represent rebirth and life. The four leaves of the clover represent faith, love, hope, and of course, luck.

♥~ The national symbol of Ireland is the Celtic harp, not the shamrock.

♥~ Oscar Wilde was born Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde in Dublin in 1854.

♥~Baileys Irish Cream which was launched in Ireland in the early seventies, is now the most popular liqueur in the world.

♥~ The last witch in Ireland was supposedly Dame Alice Kytler, born in Kilkenny in 1280. All four of her husbands died, and she was accused of poisoning them. Today you can dine at Kytler’s Inn in Kilkenny, which operates in her old home.

♥~ One of the most popular radio shows in rural Ireland is still the weekly broadcast of local obituaries.

♥~ Medieval laws in Ireland allowed a man to divorce his wife if she damaged his honor through infidelity, thieving or “making a mess of everything”.

★~  Born Today:

♥~1949 – Patrick Duffy actor: Dallas, Man from Atlantis, Step-by-Step video with Suzanne Somers

♥~1951 – Kurt Russell actor: Executive Decision, Backdraft, Elvis, Used Cars, Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China, Tango & Cash, Stargate, Tombstone, 3000 Miles to Graceland

♥~1964 – Joe Cooney, Galway hurler, is born near Loughrea Ireland

♥~1964 – Rob Lowe actor: Brothers & Sisters, St. Elmo’s Fire, About Last Night, Suddenly, Last Summer, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Contact, Atomic Train, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The West Wing

★~ Did You Know:

♥~ A corndog is a hot dog sausage coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter and deep fried in oil, corndogs are served on wooden sticks.

♥~ The corndog was invented by Neil Fletcher in 1942 for the Texas State Fair. These hot dogs dipped in corn batter, deep fried and served on a stick have been a favorite of fair goers ever since.

♥~ In Australia, a hot dog sausage on a stick, deep fried in batter, is known as a Dagwood Dog or Pluto Pup or Dippy Dog, depending on region.

♥~ The correct way to eat a corndogs is to dip it in ketchup and/or mustard

♥~ A breakfast version of the corndog consists of a breakfast sausage deep-fried in a pancake batter.

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Pat and Mick landed themselves a job at a sawmill. Just before morning tea Pat yelled: “Mick! I lost me finger!”

“Have you now?” says Mick. “And how did you do it?”

“I just touched this big spinning thing here like thi…

Darn! There goes another one!”

Remember everyone is a little Irish on St Patricks Day so wear your green! If you have a morno moment leave a comment. Odd Loves Company!

♥

Click to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with my pups!