HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!
my mom was danish. she thought she was irish. she loved irish culture. she married an irish man and adopted his cultural heritage. on st patrick's day she would dig out her gramaphone (record player) and play all her favourite irish music. she loved "danny boy" best. she would sing "paddy mcguinty's goat at the top of her lungs.
we would go to the st patrick's day concert at(where else?) st patrick's hall. joe healy , would direct the concert. joe must have worked on broadway. he was a genius at musicals. all the children in parish would perform. dressed in green and white and wearing top hats with shamrocks.
today i couldn't be further away from that life. i am in florida. it is cool ( a mere 50 degrees!). it's quiet. we did go to the social club for coffee and donuts. a few people sported green. no one sang though and i haven't heard a peck of irish music. it warms the cockles of my heart to know that my sister jackie is singing " danny boy" , "when irish eyes are smiling", "on the rocky road to dublin" and " an irish lullaby" ( toora loora, loora)
and that somewhere in mother's heaven my mom is singing paddy mcguinty's goat.
and best of all i get to spend the day with a true irish colleen by the name of pat what could be more irish? i'll get her to tell me stories about her colourful irish bootlegger granny..........