The fifties held a promise of excitement and adventure. A defining childhood experience of St Patrick’s Day was the yearly Point to Point Horse Race. Caricklee, a townland on the border of Tyrone and Donegal was the venue for the yearly steeplechase. The races were run under the stewardship of the Master of the Foxhounds, who patrolled the races in his finery and fine horse. A Fair accompanied the races, with dice and card tables, around which we children would gather, with a dream of riches, in finding a lost penny on the ground.
The late sixties saw the decline in the point-to-point races in Ireland. The Cariclee races were cancelled in the early seventies. The sound of the horse’s hooves pounding over the racecourse was replaced with the sound of gunfire. As teenagers, we listened to the cracking of weapons fire for the first time on the border between Tyrone and Donegal, at Strabane one St Patrick’s Day. “The Troubles” had begun. The horses were never to race again.
The St Patrick’s Day of the seventies were marred with violence in the North of Ireland, celebrations were muted, the March nights long and unsafe. St Patrick’s Day was celebrated across the border in Donegal or in Dublin City.
The St Patrick’s Days of the eighties and nineties were spent out of Ireland, in different countries and cities. Good people worked to bring together artists and writers, musicians and poets, where groups of Irish people met up to share the day. One isolated and isolating experience of a St Patrick’s Day was in Sri Lanka, in the Indian Ocean. That year, no other Irish person was to be found to share the day with, it made for an experience of dislocation and pure loneliness.
The new century in Ireland sees St Patrick’s Day being celebrated in Peace. Children born on the border of North and Southern Ireland this new decade experience St Patrick’s Day without the sound of gunfire.
People of all nations now celebrate St Patrick’s Day throughout the world. The major cities in many countries have their own official St Patrick’s Day parade. New traditions are being made, and they are welcomed.
Happy St Patricks Day.
©2006 Clare O Hagan
Clare O Hagan is co-owner of O Hagans Irish Store. With fellow artist Denise Wyllie, they design, produce and sell, funky goods with an Irish twist. http://www.clareohagan.com
The artists are affiliated to leading Women’s Health Institutions internationally. See their art at http://www.wyllieohagan.com
Filed under Saint Patricks Day by 
Christmas comes but once a year, and every Christmas season I anxiously look forward to the promise of Christmas Traditions! Every year, Christmas Traditions of all shapes and sizes come with the Christmas season, whether we like it or not. Fortunately, I happen to LOVE Christmas Traditions.
During the Christmas season, everywhere you go and everywhere you look, you are bound to find people celebrating Christmas Traditions of one sort or another. Our country is just FILLED with Christmas Traditions! Actually, when you think about it, the entire WORLD is filled with Christmas Traditions! Early Egyptians spent the Christmas season celebrating with mid-winter festivals. The ancient Romans also celebrated the Christmas season with their exchanging of gifts and candies. The Celtic culture had their own Christmas Traditions and celebrated with mistletoe and holly. In England, Queen Victoria started the Christmas Traditions of decorating indoor trees. And Charles Dickens helped popularize the Christmas Traditions of a Christmas Feast.
Nowadays, our American Christmas Traditions seem to gather together several various ancient Christmas Traditions. And why shouldn’t we? These countries and cultures had the right idea when it comes to Christmas time and Christmas Traditions. What would Christmas be without Christmas Traditions such as exchanging gifts, going to Christmas parties, Christmas trees, and of course an enormous Christmas dinner? These are all wonderful and exciting Christmas Traditions that are participated in throughout the country, no matter your way of life.
And with the continuance of Christmas Traditions comes the birth of new and modern Christmas Traditions. One of the most popular modern America Christmas Traditions is, of course, Santa Claus. What American, Christmas celebrating child, hasn’t heard of Santa Claus? Or another question, what Christmas celebrating child hasn’t participated in the Christmas Traditions of writing to Santa Claus? Why, Santa Claus is practically the modern symbol of Christmas!
Another of the ever famous Christmas Traditions that has expanded with the modern age is the sending of Christmas cards. Even ten and twenty years ago, while people all over the country celebrated the beginning of the Christmas season, and the onset of another year, by mailing Christmas cards to family and friends. This is one of the basic Christmas Traditions everybody seems to treasure. And now, with the birth of the modern age, people are saving time and money while participating in these Christmas Traditions by sending out Christmas e-Cards. These e-Cards can even be customized to include Christmas photos of family members. What a fun way to modernize such one of our favorite Christmas Traditions!
Christmas Traditions are held dear by everybody who celebrates Christmas. Some Christmas Traditions are celebrated universally throughout the country and throughout the world. Other Christmas Traditions are more specialized and cater to each particular family’s Christmas wishes. But whatever your Christmas Traditions, celebrate Christmas with all your heart! Christmas is a special time! Christmas is a time that should be treasured. Christmas is a time that should be anxiously awaited by people everywhere. And with Christmas, Christmas Traditions should be loved and adored.
What Is Your Favorite Christmas Tradition?
And with the continuance of Christmas Traditions comes the birth of new and modern Christmas Traditions. One of the most popular modern America Christmas Traditions is, of course, Santa Claus. What American,…. Learn more at Christmas Traditions and Christmas
Filed under Christmas Traditions by
There really is no explaining it. On March 17th every year, much of North America adopts the green and becomes Irish, at least to have a reason for a party.
For a Saint Patricks Day Menu, Americans think of green beer and corned beef and cabbage. That food and drink was not and is not a common Irish tradition. Originally, most people in Ireland could not afford or did not have access to beef. Their food was most often boiled cabbage and potatoes and, if they were fortunate, a bacon joint would be added to enhance the flavor of the meal.
Green beer was unheard of then and you’d be thought a fool in Ireland if you went to a pub and asked for one today.
How and when Americans adopted the tradition of corned beef and cabbage and green beer as part of the celebration is somewhat unclear, but here is what we do know. The St. Patricks Day celebration began in the U.S. in 1737 when the city of Boston decided to celebrate the day of Saint Patricks death as the Irish had been doing for many years.
The Boston celebration spread to other cities in America every year until the entire country, it seems, was celebrating the day.
It was in the late 19th century that corned beef and cabbage began to become more popular with the Irish emigrants in America and Canada, where both salt and meat were cheaper than in their native country.
They treated beef the same way they would have treated a bacon joint at home in Ireland. They soaked it to draw off the excess salt, then braised or boiled it with cabbage, and served it in its own juices with some pepper and bay leaf.
So pretend you’re Irish if you are not, get out the green, put on a shamrock, and have a party with friends and family, or at least recognize the day by eating Corned Beef & Cabbage, a Reuben Sandwich, Corned Beef Cabbage Soup, Corned Beef Hash for breakfast or another more truly traditional Irish meal such as Guinness Beef or Mutton Stew and go ahead, toast the Saint and the Irish, not with a green beer, but with a stout beer (that’s the Irish national drink and its black) or an Irish Coffee or Hot Double Irish or an Irish Cream Stinger.
An Irish Toast To You And Yours!
Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.
Article written by Donna Hager
Donna Hager has owned and operated an American-style restaurant for over two decades. More articles can be found in her e-newsletter, “Whats Cookin?” and on her website that features real restaurant recipes, menus, cooking tips, and much more at Real Restaurant Recipes.
Filed under Saint Patricks Day by
First of all consider, planning your Valentine’s Day celebration with your partner. Surprises are great and your partner may really appreciate your thoughtfulness and planning but one way to ensure your partner is thrilled with your plans for Valentine’s Day is to involve her in the planning process. Planning a special Valentine’s Day together gives you and your partner the opportunity to enjoy even more time together and to make plans which you know you will both love.
Another way to make sure your Valentine’s Day with someone special is a great day is to really put a great deal of time and effort into the planning. It can be difficult to plan a truly spectacular Valentine’s Day at the last minute because you are likely to run into a series of mishaps as a result of others trying to plan a great Valentine’s Day for themselves. To avoid this type of problem, plan way ahead and make all necessary reservations way in advance. If you put a great deal of time into planning your Valentine’s Day celebration, your partner is bound to notice. Conversely, if you try making plans at the last minute, she is likely to notice this as well and will likely feel disappointed that you didn’t spend more time planning.
Consider a weekend getaway for a truly memorable Valentine’s Day with someone special. A weekend getaway can be as elaborate as a long weekend on a tropical beach or a couple of days in a new city. It doesn’t matter where you go or what you do as much as it matters who you are with for this trip. If you are spending time with someone you love and going to a location you will both enjoy, it is sure to be a spectacular trip. For example a couple of sports enthusiasts might love a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY while a couple who loves the outdoors may appreciate a camping trip in the mountains of CO.
If you are spending Valentine’s Day with someone special, you might want to consider giving your loved one a truly unique gift. For example red roses are one of the most traditional Valentine’s Day gifts but you can put a spin on this old fashioned idea. For example, if your girlfriend loves gardening you might give her a gift such as a few gardening tools and some bulbs that you can plant together in the spring. It may not seem like the most romantic gift to others but if you know it is something your loved one will cherish; it can be a great Valentine’s Day gift.
Another way to spend a memorable Valentine’s Day with someone special is to cook a dinner for her yourself. Many couples view Valentine’s Day as a time to go out to expensive restaurants and enjoy elaborate meals but other couples enjoy staying home and enjoying a quite meal together. You can take charge of the planning and do all the cooking yourself or you can involve your girlfriend and turn the cooking into part of the date. For example if you know how to make a particularly difficult dish, you might ask your partner to help you so you can teach her the basics of how to make the dish. The two of you can spend some time preparing the meal together and then enjoy the dinner by candlelight.
Filed under Valentines Day by
Roses can be very expensive on Valentine’s Day but they are not the only flowers you can give on this special day. Any type of flower which your partner really likes and will appreciate can be an appropriate gift on Valentine’s Day. In fact your partner may be extremely touched that you knew them well enough to pick out a different type of flower which you knew they would like. This shows that you put a great deal of thought and effort into buying flowers as opposed to buying red roses which may be more expensive but do not require nearly as much effort.
Another way to give the gift of flowers on Valentine’s Day is in the form of potted plants. These last much longer than fresh flowers which means your partner will be able to enjoy the gift for much longer. You will also have the option of choosing from a large variety of different types of plants. If you know what type of plants your partner will like, selecting a plant will be easy. However, even if you are not sure you can simply select a plant which you think your partner will find aesthetically appealing. The one caveat to buying potted plants is that you should seek out a plant which is relatively easy to care for so your partner will not have a difficult time caring for the plant.
You might also want to consider giving artificial flowers on Valentine’s Day. This may not seem overly romantic but artificial flowers are now actually made to look quite lifelike and some women may actually prefer artificial flowers to real flowers. This may be because artificial flowers require very minimal maintenance and do not require any special abilities to maintain the appearance of the flowers. Unlike potted plants which can be difficult to maintain and may die as a result of too much water, not enough water, too much sunlight, not enough sun or any number of factors artificial plants only need to be cleaned and dusted regularly to maintain their appearance.
A final way to give the gift of flowers on Valentine’s Day is to give your partner seeds or bulbs which they can plant in their own backyard. This can be a great deal of fun because it can be something you and your partner can do together. This type of gift is especially a good idea if your partner has an interest in gardening. However, even if your partner does not have much of an interest in gardening you can include a few books on gardening and a homemade coupon offering your services for an afternoon of work in the garden. This will make the give more special and will allow the two of you to spend some quality time together planting the flowers.
Filed under Valentines Day by