St. Patrick's Day | Boutique Reneé

St. Patrick's Day and Ireland

I have a bit of Irish in me, so I've always been interested in a variety of things that have an Irish flair. Although I've never visited Ireland, I sure would like to someday, if that is a plan God would have for me. If not, I am happy to revel in whatever Irish is at my disposal; from eating Irish food, reading Irish authors, and learning about the Irish people and their culture. Of course, one can't have an interest in Ireland without some knowledge about St. Patrick. So, let's start there!

St. Patrick

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the product of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.

It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family.

At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. There is some dispute over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.

After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice—which he believed to be God's—spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland. To do so, Patrick escaped, walking nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation—an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission—to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.

Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.

St. Patrick's Day Celebrations

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for thousands of years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the litigurical Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.

Over the next thirty-five years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called "Irish Aid" societies, like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes (which actually first became popular in the Scottish and British armies) and drums.

Up until the mid-nineteenth century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to two million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish began to pour into America to escape starvation. Despised for their religious beliefs and funny accents by the American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the country's cities took to the streets on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys.

However, the Irish soon began to realize that their great numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine", became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.

Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17th. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows.

What's the deal with . . .

. . . the Shamrock

A three-leafed clover, the shamrock, is widely believed that St. Patrick used the shamrock to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Ghost), this idea cannot be proven.

The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism.

As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

. . . the Leprechaun

The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow." Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure.

. . . the Corned Beef

Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick's Day to share a "traditional" meal of corned beef and cabbage. Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick's Day at the turn of the century.

Irish immigrants living on New York City's Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.

And, what in the world
does this mean?

The name Ireland in Gaelic is Éire or Éireann, translated as 'forever'.

Thus the phrase ‘Erin Go Brag’ in Gaelic would be 'Éireann go Brách' and is pronunced 'Erin guh brawk'. The popular phrases ‘Erin go Bragh’ or ‘Erin go Braugh’ mean “Ireland Forever”. They are the anglicised versions of the Gaelic phrase known to many Americans.

However, some have it interpreted as 'Ireland Go Brave'. And this may stem merely from further anglicised versions translating 'bragh' as brave.

However it is translated, we do know it was a battle cry of freedom with the slogan being incorporated into the song lyrics, which refer to the Easter Rising of 1916, which was an indignant loss, but eventually paved the road to Ireland's independence from the British crown in December 1921.

Érin go Brách

I'll tell you a story of a row in the town,

When the green flag went up and the Crown rag came down,

'Twas the neatest and sweetest thing ever you saw,

And they played the best games played in Érin go Brách.

One of our comrades was down at Ring's end,

For the honor of Ireland to hold and defend,

He had no veteran soldiers but volunteers raw,

Playing sweet Mauser music for Érin go Brách.

Now here's to Pat Pearse and our comrades who died

Tom Clark, MacDonagh, MacDiarmada, McBryde,

And here's to James Connolly who gave one hurrah,

And placed the machine guns for Érin go Brách.

One brave English captain was ranting that day,

Saying, "Give me one hour and I'll blow you away,"

But a big Mauser bullet got stuck in his craw

And he died of lead poisoning in Érin go Brách.

Old Ceannt and his comrades like lions at bay,

From the South Dublin Union poured death and dismay,

And what was their horror when the Englishmen saw

All the dead khaki soldiers in Érin go Brách.

Now here's to old Dublin, and here's her renown,

In the long generation her fame will go down,

And our children will tell how their forefathers saw,

The red blaze of freedom in Érin go Brách.

The Claddagh Ring

By tradition the ring is taken to signify the wish that love and friendship should reign supreme. And has been exchanged by lovers and friends alike for hundreds of years. The hands signify friendship, the crown loyalty, and the heart love. The ring worn on the right hand, crown turned inward tells your heart is yet unoccupied; worn with the crown turned outwards reveals love is being considered. Worn on the left hand the crown turned outward shows all - your heart is truly spoken for.

The idea of the design is a matter of conjecture, but one story reports that Richard Joyce was captured by Agerian corsairs and while being transported as a slave to the plantations of the West Indies was captured by Mediterranean pirates and sold to a Moorish goldsmith who trained him in his craft.

In 1689 he was released from slavery as a result of a demand from King William III. The Moor offered him his only daughter in marriage and half his wealth, if he would remain in Algiers, but Joyce declined and returned home to Galway and set up his shop in the Claddagh, the oldest fishing village in Ireland. And brought with him the idea of the Claddagh ring.

Some 400 years ago in a fishing village called Claddagh overlooking Galway Bay, lived Richard Joyce, a master goldsmith, of the Joyce Tribe, one of the renowned "Fourteen Tribes of Galway" City. It was he who crafted the first of the popular design that has become part of the Irish heritage.

The Claddagh ring belongs to a widespread group of finger rings called Fede (or "Faith") rings, which date from Roman times. They are distinguished by having the bezel cut or cast in the form of two clasped hands, symbolizing faith, trust or "plighted troth". Fede rings were popular in the Middle Ages throughout Europe. The "Claddagh" ring is a particularly distinctive ring; two hands clasp a heart surmounted by a crown.

The Blarney Stone

The Blarney Stone is also known as the Stone of Eloquence and is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in a stone castle in 1210. The present day castle was completed by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster in 1446.

The stone itself is believed to be half of the Stone of Scone which originally belonged to Scotland. Scottish Kings were crowned over the stone, because it was believed to have special powers. One tale was that McCarthy was given the story of the stone by an old woman whom he saved from drowning. This lady turned out to be a witch. As a reward, she told him the secret of a certain stone in the castle that would give him the gift of eloquence in return for a kiss. Kissing the stone gave the king the ability to talk sweetly. He was able to talk anyone into doing things.

Yet another record puts forth the stone was mentioned in the Bible as "Jacob's Pillow" and was supposed to have been brought to Ireland by Jeremiah the Prophet. It was more likely to have been brought back during the Crusades which legend applies also to the Stone of Scone now at Westminster Abbey.

Queen Elizabeth I wanted the Irish chiefs to agree to hold their own lands under title from her. Cormac Teige McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, handled her every Royal wish with clever promises keeping loyalty to the Queen without "giving in". The term "blarney" was introduced into the English language by Elizabeth 1 of England and is defined as "pleasant talk, intending to deceive without offending".

In all reality, it's tough to reach the stone -- it's between the main castle wall and the parapet. Kissers have to lie on their back and bend backward (and downward), holding iron bars for support. All that to kiss something that has had people's lips all over it for some 500 years? Okay. I would.

Luck of the Irish

1000 years of invasion, colonization, exploitation, starvation and mass emigration . . . you call that Irish luck?

The saying may very well refer to the fact that the Irish people have come through a lot of peril and have come out on top and it must be luck!

Some believe the phrase was spawned from the life and works of a kidnapped Brit who was enslaved and found God on the hills herding sheep. He escaped and returned as a Bishop (St. Patrick) to bring the faith to the pagan Irish who believed in the Druids. Lucky for the Irish, indeed!

In truth, this term has a happier, if not altogether positive, American origin. During the gold and silver rush years in the second half of the 19th century, a number of the most famous and successful miners were of Irish and irish

American birth. For example, James Fair, James Flood, William O'Brien and John Mackay were collectively known as the "Silver Kings" after they hit the famed Comstock Lode.

The Comstock Lode was a huge silver-mining area near Virginia City, Nevada, and its discovery made people want to go west all over again (after the initial Gold Rush of the 1850s). Over time this association of the Irish with mining fortunes led to the expression "luck of the Irish." Of course, it carried with it a certain tone of derision, as if to say, only by sheer luck, as opposed to brains, could these fools succeed.

The Irish Potato Famine

Was the potato the only thing they ate? In many cases, pretty much!

Between the years of 1845 and 1849 a fungus attacked the large potato crops of Ireland resulting in what would later become known as the Irish Potato Famine. Though many reasons were posited by the Irish people, the cause was actually an airborne fungus originally transported in the holds of ships traveling from North America to England.

Leaves on potato plants suddenly turned black and curled, then rotted. The attacked plants fermented while providing the nourishment the fungus needed to live, emitting a nauseous stench as they blackened and withered to the utter disbelief of the Irish people. The blight spread throughout the fields as fungal spores settled on the leaves of healthy potato plants, multiplied and were carried in the millions by cool breezes to surrounding plants. Potatoes dug out of the ground at first looked edible, but shriveled and rotted within days.

Already a struggling and troubled country, Ireland, for decades prior to the famine, was on the verge of starvation, the population was rapidly increasing, three-quarters of the laborers were unemployed, housing conditions were appalling and the standard of living was unbelievably low.

Although the ravaged potato crops were throughout Europe, the impact in Ireland was disproportionate because by the early 1840s almost half the Irish population, primarily the rural poor, including farmers and laborers had come to depend almost exclusively on the potato for their diet.

Disproportionate yet again, was the share of the potatoes grown in Ireland were of a single variety, the Irish Lumper. The large dependency on this single crop, and the lack of genetic variability among the potato plants in Ireland, were two of the reasons why the emergence of blight had such devastating effects in Ireland and less severe effects elsewhere in Europe.

Because the peasantry was unable to pay its rents and the landlords soon ran out of funds with which to support them, the result was that hundreds of thousands of Irish tenant farmers and laborers were evicted during the years of the crisis. Under the terms of the harsh 1834 British Poor Law, enacted in 1838 in Ireland, the “able-bodied” indigent were sent to workhouses rather than being given famine relief.

During the famine, approximately one million people died and approximately two million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by between 20% and 25%. The British government’s ineffective measures to relieve the famine’s distress intensified the resentment of British rule among the Irish people. And, much of that resentment remains today among Irish descendants. By the time Ireland achieved independence in 1921, its population was barely half of what it had been in the early 1840s.

Where'd Ya Get That Red Hair?

Ireland has a high proportion of red haired people in comparison to the rest of the Western world. The fact that Ireland, along with Scotland and Wales are the only three countries in Europe in which over 10% of the population have red hair suggests that the gene may come from the peoples’ Celtic origins.

Centuries ago, Ireland was inhabited by Picts in the north and a people called the Erainn in the south, the same stock apparently, as in all the isles before the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. About the 4th century B.C., tall, red-haired Celts arrived from Gaul or Galicia.

They subdued and assimilated the inhabitants and established a Gaelic civilization. By the beginning of the Christian Era, Ireland was divided into five kingdoms—Ulster, Connacht, Leinster, Meath, and Munster.

O' - I Didn't Know Any Better

Misguided English bureaucrats assumed the O stood for the word "of" (as in top o’ the mornin') and added the apostrophe when compiling official records and census data.The apostrophe, which suggests a contraction, is a legacy of British colonialism.

Traditional Irish names follow these basic guidelines:

A man's surname is generally formed by Ó ("descendant"; historically Ua) or Mac ("son") followed by a name or definite noun (often a profession) in the genitive case, e.g. Ó Dónaill (literally "descendant of Dónall") and Mac Siúrtáin (literally "son of Jordan"). When Ó is followed by a vowel, a (lowercase) ⟨h⟩ is attached to the vowel, e.g. Ó hUiginn (O'Higgins) or Ó hAodha (Hughes).

A woman's surname replaces Ó with Ní (reduction of Iníon Uí "descendant's daughter") and Mac with Nic (reduction of Iníon Mhic "son's daughter"). In both cases the following name undergoes lenition, except for when Nic is followed by ⟨c⟩ or ⟨g⟩. Thus the daughter of Seán Ó Dónaill has the surname Ní Dhónaill and the daughter of a Pól Mac Siúrtáin has the surname Nic Shiúrtáin. In Ulster it is common for a woman who adopts her husband name to just use Ní or Nic rather than the other forms.

Over the centuries, many families dropped the O’, which accounts for the existence of both O’Sullivan and Sullivan, O’Mahoney and Mahoney, etc. In recent decades many people in Ireland, and a few in the States, have dropped the apostrophe in favor of the more traditional spelling.

The Island of Ireland

Ireland is situated in the Atlantic Ocean and separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea. Half the size of Arkansas, it occupies the entire island except for the six counties that make up Northern Ireland. Ireland resembles a basin—a central plain rimmed with mountains, except in the Dublin region.

There’s only one ‘isle of Ireland’ but it is divided into two parts; Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is under the United Kingdom, while the Republic of Ireland is an independent country. Ireland became a republic in 1949, fully independent from Britain. In 1998, a peace agreement was signed between Great Britain, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. As part of this agreement, Ireland gave up control of Northern Ireland to the United Kingdom.