St. Patrick's Day

Because of the busy schedule this week, we celebrated our Paddy's Day feast a day late.  The kids didn't mind a bit because they got one of their favorite dinners and some treats to boot. At the end of the rainbow, they found Creamy Irish(AKA--Italian) Chicken over noodles, with peas and carrots to start our little party.
The menu option mimicked the colors in the Irish flag.  Over dinner I explained the meaning behind the tri-color flag.  Green is the color of the Catholic Church in Ireland.  Orange is after William of Orange (1620) and the Orange Order, otherwise known as the Protestants.  There has been civil unrest and conflict since the upper six counties were claimed by the very Protestant British crown four centuries ago. The remaining 20 counties make up the Republic of Ireland, independent of the crown, and predominantly Catholic...like 96%+, if you follow the numbers.  There has been constant warring between the two religions in as many centuries.  The white center is symbolic of the hope for peace between the two entities.

St Patrick's Day is a much bigger fare in the US than it ever was in Ireland.  It's named after the priest that went to the Emerald Isle back around 450 AD...to convert the pagan Celts to Christianity.  One of his claims to fame is he is said to have performed a miracle of driving all the snakes out of Ireland.  The miracle is said to have been performed at the Rock of Cashel.  It's on the eastern coast, and is quite beautiful, even in it's ruined state.  A friend of mine posted this cartoon on Facebook and dedicated it to me.  It was worth a repeat.

Another one of St Patrick's legacies...he used the three-leafed clover to teach the Irish Celts about the Godhead, or as they call it--the Holy Trinity. 

It was fun to share something of the history and celebrations from Ireland, my other country, with the kids. Oh...it's a good day to remind us to be more like the Irish--light-hearted, merry, and full of possibilities. "Erin Go Bragh".  That is Gaelic and means 'Ireland Forever'.