A wee bit o knowledge for the Irish fact deficient…
To begin, most importantly, for the love of God, it’s St. Paddy’s Day NOT St. Patty’s Day folks… follow along!
Marcus Campbell breaks it down succinctly: “Paddy is derived from the Irish, Pádraig, hence those mysterious, emerald double-Ds. Patty is the diminutive of Patricia, or a burger, and just not something you call a fella. There’s not a sinner in Ireland that would call a Patrick, ‘Patty.’”
So, to recap and reiterate (per Irish Central)…
It’s Paddy, not Patty. Always.
Saint Patrick’s Day? Perfect.
Paddy’s Day? Sure.
St. Pat’s? Aye. Okay.
St. Patty? No! Never, ye goat!
With that resolved, let’s review the official St. Patrick’s day war cry – Erin go Bragh (sometimes Erin go Braugh). This is the anglicisation of the Irish phrase, Éirinn go Brách, used to express allegiance to Ireland. It is most often translated as “Ireland Forever.” Feel free to shout it loud and proud.
Forty shades of Green
A few Irish facts and legends (sometimes intertwined so as to be indistinguishable).
To most people, St. Patrick is the man who brought a day of good times and green beer to pubs across the world. In reality, St. Patrick wasn’t made a saint until centuries after his death and he wasn’t even Irish (WTH!). St. Patrick was born in Britain to a wealthy family. During his childhood, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland. During his years in slavery he converted to Christianity and once freed he spent the rest of his life teaching the Irish about the religion, but he was soon forgotten after his death. It wasn’t until many years later that monks began telling the tale of St. Patrick forcing all the snakes out of Ireland. Something he never could have done as there never were any snakes in Ireland (but that is an entirely different legend altogether).
The Shamrock, with its three leaves, is more than the unofficial symbol of Ireland (and one of the marshmallows in Lucky Charms). It has held meaning to most of Ireland’s historic cultures. The Druids believed it was a sacred plant that could ward off evil and the Celtics felt it had mystical properties due to the three heart-shaped leaves (three was a sacred number). Some Christians also believed the Shamrock had special meaning – with the three leaves representing the Holy Trinity.
Not for nothing – there are nine Native Dogs of Ireland, two Hounds – the Irish Wolfhound and Kerry Beagle, three Gundogs – the Irish Water Spaniel, Irish Red Setter and Irish Red & White Setter, four Terriers – the Irish Terrier, Irish Glen of Imaal Terrier, Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier.
Legends of the Emerald Isles
Faeries exist in some form in mythology all over the world but hold a special importance to the Irish. According to legend, an Irish fairy can take any form she wishes, but will usually choose a human form. They are said to be beautiful, powerful and hard to resist, which is unfortunate because most love to bring misfortune to those who come near them.
The leprechaun is likely the most widely known type of Irish fairy. Ireland’s mythical sprite-like characters have become iconic all over the world, featured in numerous legends, myths and tales. Many of these stories they are portrayed as mischievous and untrustworthy characters. Some believe that the name leprechaun derives from the word ‘leath bhrogan‘, meaning shoemaker and supposedly the leprechaun’s main vocation. While today’s view of them as is a small, childlike, red-haired, chubby-cheeked little sprite with a green suit and bowler hat, traditionally, leprechauns are tall fairies and often appear to humans as an old man As legend holds, Leprechauns love to collect gold, which they store in a pot and hide at the end of a rainbow. If a human catches a leprechaun, the fairy must grant the human three-wishes before he can be released.
The story of the Children of Lir comes from the Irish Mythological Cycle. Lir was the lord of the sea with a wife and four children. When Lir’s wife died, he married his wife’s sister, Aoife. Aoife was jealous of Lir’s children and wanted to be rid of them. One day Aoife took the children to a lake. While they were swimming she performed a spell on them and turned them into swans. Under the spell the children were to remain swans until they heard the sound of a Christian bell. The swans swam from lake, to river to stream for years waiting for the sound of that bell, but it wasn’t until St. Patrick came to Ireland that the children could be free of the curse – 900 years later.
Queen Maedh (or Old Irish spelling Medb) is one of the most famous queens in Ireland. Much of her story is featured in the Tain Bo Cuilnge (Cattle Raid of the Cooley) saga. She is known as the ‘Warrior Queen of Connacht’, and is believed to have taken over from her father who was the King of Connacht when he became High King of Ireland. Maedh’s first husband was Conchobar Mac Nessa, the High King of Ulster, with whom she had a son, Amalghad. Maedh supposedly left Conchobar after taking a disliking to him and went on to marry four other kings during her lifetime.
A mythological warrior and giant, Finn Mac Cool (or Fionn mac Cumhaill) features in several Irish myths and legends. However, he is probably most famous for his connection with the Giant’s Causeway along Ireland’s north coast.
The Banshee was a woman who carried with her an omen of death. Sometimes you saw the Banshee as an old woman dressed in rags, sometimes you saw her as a young and beautiful girl and sometimes you saw her as a wash woman, ringing out bloody clothing. Whenever she was seen, she let out a horrible cry and legend has it this cry brought death to any family that heard it. King James I of Scotland thought he was approached by a Banshee. Shortly after, he died at the Earl of Atholl.
The Pookas are a certain type of fairy- one bent on creating havoc in the mortal world. The Pooka appeared at night across rural Ireland and the seaboard. On a good day, the Pooka would cause destruction on a farm- tearing down fences and disrupting the animals. On a bad day, the Pooka would stand outside the farmhouse and call the people outside by name. If anyone came out, the Pooka would carry them away. The Pookas also loved to mess with the ships pulling away from Ireland, and were blamed for many shipwrecks along the rocky coast.
As legend has it, female fairies often give birth to deformed children. Since the fairies prefer visually pleasing babies, they would go into the mortal world and swap with a healthy human baby, leaving behind a changeling. While the changeling looked like a human baby, it carried none of the same emotional characteristics. The changeling was only happy when misfortune or grief happened in the house. The changeling legend has lasted for centuries. William Shakespeare talks of a changeling in his play, “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.” Three hundred years later, Scarlett O’Hara believed Rhett Butler’s illegitimate child was a changeling in “Gone with the Wind.”
In Irish mythology, the Dagda was a high priest who had a large and beautiful harp. During a war, a rival tribe stole Dagda’s harp and took it to an abandoned castle. Dagda followed the tribe and called to the harp. The harp came to Dagda and he struck the chords. The harp let out the Music of Tears and everyone in the castle began to cry. Dagda struck the chords again and the harp played the Music of Mirth and all the warriors began to laugh. Then, Dagda struck the chords a final time and the harp let out the Music of Sleep. Everyone but Dagda fell into a deep sleep, allowing him to escape with his magical harp unharmed.
Irish Limericks
Limericks originated in the Irish town of Limerick and can be traced to the fourteenth century. Limericks consist of five anapestic lines, the pattern of the rhyme is a-a-b-b–a.
Lines 1, 2, and 5 of Limericks have seven to ten syllables and rhyme with one another.
Lines 3 and 4 of Limericks have five to seven syllables and also rhyme with each other.
Typically the content of Limericks can often border on the indecent, the dirty, or even the obscene, but they’re designed to make people laugh! Good limericks should be short and easy to remember so no great talent is necessary to compose one. Limericks are a form of poetry that everyone should give a try (especially when inebriated, as this is the most creative time).
Here lies an Atheist
All dressed up
And no place to go.
There was an old man of Kilkenny
who never had more than a penny
he spent all that money
in onions and honey
that wayward old man of Kilkenny
Irish Toasts
“Saint Patrick was a gentleman,
Who through strategy and stealth,
Drove all the snakes from Ireland,
Here’s a toasting to his health.
But not too many toastings
Lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good Saint Patrick
And see all those snakes again.”
“May you always have a clean shirt, a clear conscience, and enough coins in your pocket to buy a pint!”
“Here’s to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold pint– and another one!”
“In all this world, why I do think
There are five reasons why we drink:
Good friends,
good wine,
lest we be dry
and any other reason why.”
“If you’re lucky enough to be Irish…
You’re lucky enough!”
‘Sláinte!’