St. Patrick's Day

My father told me one day that I must be Irish. According to him, I have the gift of Blarney. Of course, it’s possible that at some time, in some prior existence, I kissed the Blarney stone. So far as I can recall, I haven’t, but it would explain my fear of heights. Just imagine – right after kissing it, the person who was holding me by my ankles, let go and I fell to my death . What a tragic thing to be given the gift of gab, only to lose it! The more I think about it, the more sure I am–that is the only possible explanation. So in tribute to my former Irish self, Happy St. Patrick’s Day – the day of leprechauns, corned beef and cabbage, parades and the color green...right?

Well, actually not quite. Blue is the color associated with St. Patrick. “St Patrick’s Blue” is used on Ireland's flag and the uniforms of the Irish Guard.

St. Patrick is the patron Saint of fishermen and the Irish have observed his holiday for over a thousand years. According to legend, on the day of Judgement, while Christ judges all other nations, St Patrick will be the judge of the Irish.

I love a good Irish story:

Two Irishmen met and one said to the other, 'Have ye seen Mulligan lately, Pat?'
Pat answered, 'Well, I have and I haven't.'
His friend asked, 'Shure, and what d'ye mean by that?'
Pat replied, 'It's like this, y'see...I saw a chap who I thought was Mulligan, and he saw a chap that he thought was me. And when we got up to one another...it was neither of us.'

The first St Patrick’s Day parade took place in 1737 in Boston, followed in 1762 by New York. George Washington allowed his soldiers a holiday on March 17, 1780 as “an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence.”

Here’s one for Keith:
An Irishman went to a pet shop and asked how many budgies were in stock. "We have 99" replied the shop owner "Give us the lot" said the Irish man, paid for them and left. He went to a tailors shop and had 99 pockets sewn into a jacket, put a budgie in each pocket, went up to the Post Office Tower and jumped off. He hit the ground with an almighty smack and lay there groaning until a passer-by came and asked him what had happened. "I don't know sur" he replied "but that's the last time I try that budgie jumping"

According to Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. They were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure. Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, until 1959, when Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly evolved into the symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.

You have to blame Dennis for this joke:
Q: Why can't you borrow money from a leprechaun?
A: Because they're always a little short.

Chicago is famous for a somewhat peculiar annual event: dyeing the Chicago River green. The tradition started in 1962, when city pollution-control workers used dyes to trace illegal sewage discharges and realized that the green dye might provide a unique way to celebrate the holiday. That year, they released 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the river—enough to keep it green for a week! Today, in order to minimize environmental damage, only forty pounds of dye are used, making the river green for only several hours.

And Orlo for this one:
On the bus Paddy got chatting to Murphy who was carrying a bag on his back.
'What's in the bag?' asked Paddy
'I'm not going to tell', replied Murphy
'Go on, do.' pleaded Paddy.
'Ah, all right then, it's ducks.' announced Murphy
'If I guess how many ducks you have in the bag, will you give me one of them?' enquired Paddy
'Look', said Murphy, 'If you guess the correct number, I'll give you both of them.'
'Five!' said Paddy triumphantly.

And Francis for this one:
Reilly is walking through a graveyard when he comes across a headstone with the inscription "Here lies a politician and an honest man."
'Faith now,' exclaims Reilly, 'I wonder how they got the two of them in one grave.

I love the fact that so much of Irish humor relies on word plays. It’s great and the world would be a boring place without it and without that grand people.

Most people think of Corned beef and cabbage as being Irish. Alas, it’s another American invention. It should be Bacon and Cabbage, but bacon became so expensive that corned beef was subtituted

Bacon and cabbage
1 (1/3-pound) piece Irish bacon (available at specialty foods shops) or Canadian bacon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
5 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 small head Savoy cabbage, cored, thinly sliced, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

In small saucepan, combine bacon and cold water to cover. Cover, bring to boil over moderate heat, and skim foam from surface. Reduce heat and simmer 7 minutes. Drain and cool, then cut into 1-inch chunks. Set aside.

In 6-quart heavy stock pot over moderate heat, melt butter. Add onion and sauté, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and sauté 2 minutes. Add stock, bay leaves, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to moderately low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add cabbage and simmer 5 additional minutes. Discard bay leaves. Working in 3 batches, in blender purée soup until smooth (using caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pot, stir in bacon, and rewarm if necessary. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.
Extracted from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bacon-and-Cabbage-Soup-237876

to make it authentic, serve with
Parsley Sauce:
4 tablespoons unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup bacon cooking liquid
1 1/4 cups hot milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

and

Whole-Grain Mustard Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter
1 Small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Teaspoons whole-grain mustard
1 1/4 cups bacon cooking liquid, plus more as needed
1 1/4 cups half-and-half, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste