Beautiful Old Broads Celebrate St Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

And

May you have food and rainment

A soft pillow for your head

May you be forty years in heaven

Before the devil knows you’re dead!

Usually sometime during the week before St. Patrick’s Day, a brown paper wrapped parcel arrived at our house.  Mother was so pleased.  She would promptly sit at the table, open it and sniff and inhale the contents.  A bit of Ireland she would say as she  unwrapped the damp clump of dark green moss or shamrocks and hold it up for me to admire.  Every year her sister, my Aunt Ger would ship us this bit of Ireland in time for St. Patrick’s Day.

For my part, I wasn’t quite as thrilled as Mother for I knew come St Patrick’s Day; I’d be wearing some wilted sprigs of the shamrock on my bolero lapel. Before leaving for school, my mother would anchor ‘a bit of Ireland’ attached to a green hanky on my uniform.  Then she’d beam at me and say “Patsy, you’ll be the only child with some true Irish green on your outfit.”

 The thing is I was green with envy seeing the O’Rourke’s and Donnelly’s and Burns all decked out in bright shiny green pins and ties.  No one noticed my unusual green corsage, but I never told Mother that I’d rather have a store bought pin.  I couldn’t disappoint her.  However, fate intervened. 

When I was in eight grade, Aunt Ger developed knee problems and could no longer dig up the treasured package to send us.  I tried to be sympathetic but truly, my Irish eyes were smiling.  Finally, I’d wear a new shiny green pin printed with Irish greetings.

That was many years ago.  This year I plan to wear green plastic shamrock earrings that blink on and off.     A little Irish bling!!

Erin Go Bragh!