~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morn-O! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
March 17, 2013

Click on Card for some St. Patricks Day Fun! 

★~ Today’s Quote:

May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been
the foresight to know where you’re going
and the insight to know when you’re going too far. ~ Irish Proverb

★~ St. Patrick’s Day:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/KTU7xfVOat0[/youtube]

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.

★~  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:

♥~ Leprechaun tales date back to medieval times first appearing in a book called The Adventure of Fergus, Son of Leti. In one of the stories, Fergus mac Leti, a King, ends up passing out on a beach and wakes up to find himself being dragged to sea by three “luchorpain”. He manages to subdue his captors and they grant him three wishes in exchange for their freedom

♥~ Although we love leprechauns in America, the Irish find them to be brute, bastardized versions of a Celtic legend ruined by Walt Disney. A film called Darby O’Gill and The Little People received great critical reception after Walt Disney did it following a trip to Ireland, and it was seen as a great fantasy of Gaelic tall stories. Unfortunately, it reinvented the leprechaun and actually changed its colors from red to green in popular culture forever. The Darby O’Gill movie has been attributed to part of what has cemented the leprechaun to St. Patrick’s Day, even though the little people had absolutely nothing to do with the patron saint of Ireland or his esteemed day.

♥~ Lucky, the Lucky Charms Leprechaun first appeared in 1964 when the cereal was introduced. Despite its worldwide popularity, the cereal is not available widely in the United Kingdom, and one theory is that General Mills, the cereal’s manufacturer, feared the mascot might offend the European people.

♥~ The Fenian Cycle, “a legendary Irish poem that depicts Ireland’s past, has a verse in which a harp-playing dwarf named Cnu Deireoil claimed that Lugh the Long-Armed Warrior A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann] was his father.” This has lead to the  belief, that since they are so small in stature, leprechauns are direct descendants of the musical dwarf Cnu Deireoil. “Dancing Leprechauns” play mostly Irish instruments like the tin whistle and the Irish harp.

♥~ An ancient book called “A History Of Irish Fairies” reveals that there are no evidence of there being a female leprechaun — ever.

♥~ The Sliabh Foy Loop trail in the town of Carlingford is the official protected land for the country’s 236 remaining living leprechauns.

♥~ The Clurichaun, often considered the Leprechaun’s “cousin,” is an Irish fairy who is supposedly always drunk and often rides sheep and dogs for sport. If you treat a Clurichaun with the respect and courtesy he doesn’t deserve, he will protect your wine cellar. If you don’t, he’ll royally screw up your wine and generally wreak havoc and chaos on your home and loved ones.

♥~ Leprechauns are skilled shoemakers, tinkerers and artisans.  A leprechaun can fix anything and is a sign of good luck in the household.

♥~ So how do you catch a Leprechaun? Stare him in the eye. If you were to catch him with his pot of gold in-hand he would freeze. If you are able to make eye contact with him (it is very difficult to make eye contact with a leprechaun since they are always dancing, playing music or pulling practical jokes), and approach him for long enough to grab him (while holding a steady gaze), you  might catch a leprechaun and  claim his pot of gold.

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In the spirit of St Patricks Day (Thank you El Morno friend Julianne)….

A priest and a nun are on their way back from the cemetery when their car breaks down.

The garage doesn’t open until morning so they have to spend the night in a B&B. It only has one room available.

The priest says: “Sister, I don’t think the Lord would object if we spend the night sharing this one room. I’ll sleep on the sofa and you have the bed.”

“I think that would be fine,” agrees the nun.

They prepare for bed, say some prayers and settle down to sleep.
Ten minutes pass, and the nun says: “Father, I’m very cold.”
“OK,” says the priest, “I’ll get a blanket from the cupboard.”
Another ten minutes pass and the nun says again: “Father, I’m still terribly cold.”
The priest says: “Don’t worry, I’ll get up and fetch you another blanket.”
Another ten minutes pass, then the nun murmurs softly: “Father I’m still very cold. I don’t think the Lord would mind if we acted as man and wife just for a night.”

“You’re right,” says the priest. “Get your own blankets.”

 

Everyone is a little Irish on St Patricks Day, so wear your green, and offer a toast to friends and family alike, “May you be in heaven a full half-hour before the devil knows you’re dead.” Amen.