Erinn Go Brach!

March 04, 2011

Aye, and did you know March is Irish American Month? Not much surprise there since St. Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in America.

A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle.  Heavy reliance on potatoes as a food staple led to hardships and famine when a blight killed most of the crop in 1845. That and other problems caused a huge wave of immigration to the United States.

Never dread the winter 'til the snow is on the blanket. The Irish brought a variety of customs and foods to America that has become part of our national identity. Most of us enjoy Irish stew, Irish soda bread, and Irish coffee for example. If you're interested in Irish food, MCPL has A Taste of Ireland by Theodora Fitzgibbon. A fine Irish lass, I'm sure. As for me, I'm ready to check out, Guinness: the 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint by Bill Yenne. Maybe a wee sample, even!

Slainte (Health!) The Irish are known for their blarney, I mean "gift of eloquence", and many people rely on various Irish toasts at weddings, funerals, and any evening involving a pint of Guinness. Not sure though how this little toast would go over at a wedding: "Man is incomplete until he marries. After that, he's finished!" or "You can't kiss an Irish girl unexpectedly. You can only kiss her sooner than she thought you would." Check out, Irish Wedding Traditions-Using your Irish Heritage to Create the Perfect Wedding by Shannon McMahon-Lichte. A natural follow-up would be an Irish baby name book!

If you're interested in Irish American history, our reference department has 1001 Things Everyone Should Know about Irish American History by Edward T O'Donnell. Many other books about Ireland are in the circulating collection.

CDs by the Chieftans and Scartaglen can set the tone for your Irish American month and can be found at the library. So come in, get your Irish on, and enjoy the month.

Here's to your roof, May it be well thatched, and here's to all under it, May they be well matched.

Rox P.
North Independence Branch