Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts

Tuesday, 16 March 2010

St Patrick’s Day


If You're Irish Come Into the Parlour
In sweet Lim'rick Town, they say,
Lived a chap named Patrick John Molloy.
Once he sailed to U.S.A.
His luck in foreign parts he thought he'd try.
Now he's made his name, and is a wealthy man,
He put a bit away for a rainy day;
So if you gaze uponThe house of Patrick John,
You'll find a notice that goes on to say:

Chorus:
If you're Irish come into the parlour,
There's a welcome there for you;
If your name is Timothy or Pat,
So long as you come from Ireland,
There's a welcome on the mat,
If You come from the Mountains of Mourne,
Or Killarney's lakes so blue,
We'll sing you a song and we'll make a fuss,
Whoever you are you are one of us,
If you're Irish, this is the place for you!

Patrick loved the girl he wed,
But he could not stand his Ma-n-aw,
Once with joy he turned quite red,
When she got into trouble thro' her jaw.
Six police they had to take her to the Court,
She was informed a month she would have to do,
So Patrick quickly wrote
Up to the Judge a note
Explaining, "Sir, I'm much obliged to you!" 

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
March 17th is St Patrick's Day. He is the patron saint of Ireland and all patriotic Irish citizens will be wearing green and sporting the shamrock. Across the world those of Irish lineage and descent also celebrate the day. In fact, one could be forgiven for thinking that the day is more energetically marked in countries other than Ireland.
When Padraig was about 16, around AD 403, he was captured in Britain and enslaved by Irish raiders. He remained in Ireland for six years working as a herdsman before he was able to escape and rejoin his family. He then entered the church and later returned to Ireland as a bishop, carrying out his Christian ministry in the north and west.Legend has it that Padraig banned snakes from Ireland, though there were probably never any to be found there, and that he taught the unity of the Trinity through showing the three-leaved clover known as the shamrock.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
March 17th is believed to be the date of St Patrick's death in AD 460 and his place of burial is said to be in Downpatrick.The Chicago River has been dyed green each year since 1962 for the annual celebration. (More prosaically the sewer workers used green dye to check for effluent discharges and from this came the idea of turning the river green.) In 2008 the waters in the Trafalgar Square fountains were dyed green.

Monday, 1 March 2010

March 1st – St David’s Day


Welsh flag, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
March 1st is St David's Day.
St David (Dewi Sant) is the patron saint of Wales and all across the principality proud Welsh men and women will be wearing daffodils or leeks, the national symbols of Wales.


Many girls and young women also dress in national costume on St David's Day.

Young Welsh schoolgirls in traditional costume. Photograph courtesy of and copyright of Mike Kelly

Dewi was the grandson of Ceredig, King of Cerdigion (Cardigan) As a young man he undertook a pilgrimage through South Wales and the west of England and is believed to have established a religious centre in Glastonbury in Somerset. He also went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem where he was appointed archbishop.Eventually he returned to Wales, making his home in St David's (Glyn Rhosyn) where he founded a very austere religious community. He was said to have performed many miracles and was canonised in 1120 after which St David's Cathedral became a focus for pilgrimage.
St David died on March 1st, 589.