How many times have you said this, or heard someone else utter these words on St. Patrick’s Day?  Seems wherever people live on this big round ball, if it’s Saint Patrick’s Day, they at least feel Irish.

 

I have issues with most holidays, for lots of reasons, but I absolutely adore this one.  There are no presents to buy, wrap, and deliver, no huge meal to cook, and you aren’t required to spend the day with relatives.  St. Patty’s day is all about having fun, eating corned beef and cabbage, and drinking lots of beer, green or not.  It’s about lively music, people hanging out together a local pub, and maybe playing darts.  How bad can a holiday filled with so much fun be?  It’s the only day of the year that you can get by with asking someone you may not know to give you a kiss, without feeling the least bit of guilt.  That alone makes it a holiday worth celebrating.

St. Patty’s day also plays well into my love of fantasy.  You can’t get more fanciful than to believe in leprechauns.  These little fellows are usually described as being about 2 feet tall, make their own shoes with turned up toes, live out of sight in the forest, wear funny green hats, and all have a hidden pot of gold.

Many years ago, on St. Patty’s day, one of the local TV stations played what became my favorite movie “The Luck of the Irish” shot in black and white, which added to its charm.  The story’s about a rich business man who travels to Ireland, falls in love with a beautiful Irish lassie, but has to return to the States and marry a very wealthy woman of high social status.   Well, the fellow meets a leprechaun while in Ireland, and this little fellow notices that the businessman has developed quite the fancy for the Irish lassie, and she for him.

When the American goes back to New York, he is overwhelmed with work, and trying to meet the demanding social schedule of his fiancé.  He decides that he needs a man servant to help him stay on course.  He contacts an agency to find a domestic helper, and guess who shows up?  I can’t tell you the rest of the story because I want you to find the movie, and rent it.  It’s magical, and beautiful.  No one should go through life without seeing it at least once.  It will give you a very warm fuzzy feeling at least, and hope, which is why I became so enchanted by it.

My brother Jerry also had a fantasy about Ireland.  While he was my roommate, over 10 years ago, he said he wanted to go to Ireland before he died, and kiss the Blarney Stone.  I was quite surprised to hear this.  Jer wasn’t really into magical mystical things, so for him to suggest this was quite out of character.  It seemed to be important though as he would mention it fairly often.  He hadn’t been in the best of health for a few years, but felt he could make this trip.  Not wanting to travel alone, he tried to persuade me to accompany him.  Unfortunately he hated to fly in his later years, which would mean taking a cruise line.  Although it would have been a really interesting experience, for both of us, we just didn’t have the resources.

Jer subsequently moved to Oregon when I relocated to Santa Rosa, but we talked every Sunday until he passed away.  He never let go of the desire to kiss the Blarney Stone, and I wish I could have made his dream come true.  I think the part of us that is Irish was alive and well throughout our lives.  It was something we were never at odds about, and he stowed his fantasy in the back of his mind where he could visit it whenever he liked.

Here I am, on March 13^th, and thinking about all the abundance of merriment that will be happening all over town, just 4 days away, and the only plans I have are to make a big bowl of popcorn, grab a cold Miller Light, and hope that my well worn video of “The Luck of the Irish” will still track.  Not a robust way of celebrating, but a nice warm fuzzy one.

Whatever you do on March 17^th, I hope it’s full of magic, and an abundance of fun.

“Near a misty stream in Ireland in the hollow of a tree

Live mystical, magical leprechauns

Who are clever as can be

With their pointed ears, and turned up toes, and little coats of green

The leprechauns busily make their shoes and try hard not to be seen.

Only those who really believe have seen these little elves

And if we are all believers

We can surely see for ourselves.”

For a bit of Irish history, Saint Patrick, shamrocks, and other bits of information about this special holiday, visit: www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/historyofpatrick.htm

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!!

© Shari Adams