Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
When I think of anything “Irish,” the remembrance of Irish tunes I heard while growing up, come to mind. My father loved to sing Irish songs, partly because he was a charming man, and partly to irritate my mother who was not Irish. He would wake up, with a tune on his lips, that was hard for her to take before her second cup of coffee.
“Oh, Do You Know the Muffin Man, the Muffin Man, the Muffin Man? Oh, Do You Know the Muffin Man who Lives in Drury Lane?” – was a favorite tune, as was any song sung by Burl Ives who was popular, at the time. Of course, the Clancy Brothers were a favorite in our home and they seemed to have hit “the big time” in the 1960s. “Oh, Danny Boy,” is a plaintive, perennial favorite, with its haunting melody and words.
Dad was known to break into song with “The Wearin’ o’ The Green,” another favorite tune. He would have loved “Riverdance,” and “Celtic Woman.” There are many terrific Irish song and dance artists, it seems, but we, in America, only hear of the big names who have money to bring their music and dance to us.
A very enjoyable book that provided many insights to me about Irish Culture is the novel, Trinity. Before reading the book, I had no idea what “banshees” were.
I love the folklore of Ireland, the lush green fields, the secret mysteries hidden in peat bogs of men who lived long ago, the Druids, etc. I like limericks and Leprechauns, and I still hope to find the pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow. My ancestors lived in the County of Kilkenny.
Yesterday, I received a copy of the premier issue of Irish Quilting magazine. The part I liked the best was a photo of “Molly Malone,” a celebrated Dublin fishmonger about whom I sing, in the traditional song, “Cockles and Musselss.”
The magazine is very avant garde, featuring American designers to some extent, inasmuch as Ireland does not seem to have a longstanding (separate, country) quilting tradition that was developed, traditionally-speaking. Patchwork quilting seems to be just “catching on” there. There are some beautiful quilts in that issue, including quilts by Americans, Ricky Tims, and Pat Sloan. We look forward to seeing future copies of this magazine.
In the meantime, wear green, and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day today! On this day, everyone is Irish!
Slainte,
Patricia Cummings
