It’s been said that if it wasn’t for whiskey, the Irish would rule the world!
I was named for St. Patrick. I was baptized and had my Confirmation at St. Patrick’s. I attended Kindergarten through 10th grade at St. Patrick’s school. My favorite basketball team was the Shamrocks at St. Patrick’s. I have been known to eat my way under the table on corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and soda bread, and I have been known, now and then, to visit an Irish pub. Are you sensing a theme here?
Speaking of potatoes… Did you know that before the Great Potato Famine in Ireland in 1845, the average Irish working man, living in poverty, subsisted on 10 to 14 pounds of potatoes per day topped off with a little skim milk? They were Lumper potatoes – tasteless and waterlogged, but nutritionists today say that that diet – as monotonous as it was, was enough to sustain life. Until…. sadly, the Lumper spud was the perfect candidate for the blight that decimated the entire crop. Over a million and a half starving Irish migrated to the U.S. during the famine, and among them were some of my relatives.
I’m actually only 25% Irish, but I grew up in a kind of Catholic ghetto amongst all the Gormans, Fitzpatricks, Mackeys, Duffys, Ushers, Cunninghams, O’Sheas, Murphys, Maloneys, and even an Irish setter. In that neighborhood, you were either Irish, or you better put up your dukes and fight! I think I became a full-blooded born-again Celt as a defense mechanism.
There’s two Irish customs I had the good sense to avoid. Knitting Celtic knots, and Irish step dancing. Either activity could drive one to the whiskey jug, the nearest emergency room, or the funny farm. (Actually, granddaughter Natalie broke her foot; and doing a jig once sent my niece Leanne to E.R. with a torn Achilles’ tendon that took two months to mend!)
I still don’t know how it happened, but somehow Celtic dance, with its complex reels, jigs, and hornpipes, managed to become a major activity in my demented family. At one point, a mob of my grandchildren and one daughter were actively performing and competing in Irish events in Washington state. Cheering them on in our usual feverish fashion were many family members – chauffeuring the dancers to classes, rehearsals, shows, and competitions, repairing costumes, packing lunches, scheduling events, rolling up hair in curlers, shaking out the wigs, running the hair dryer, and realizing – as the clock ticks on- that it isn’t whiskey that’s keeping you from ruling the world! It’s Irish step dancing!
Personally, I loved every minute of it. Nine of my grandchildren performed together as the Celtic Cousins. This was one of their shows. It’s 28 minutes long. If you’ve got the time, put your feet up, have a glass of green beer, enjoy the show, clap your hands, stamp your feet, and have a HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!
Fantastic and entertaining post! Happy Saint Patrick’s day to you!!! The video was so sweet.
Oh my gosh, the memories!! It’s pretty darn cool that we all got to dance/perform together. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Thank you so much for that tippy-toed tra la la down memory lane!
What a talented group of grandkids! I can’t imagine the logistics of practice for all that.
I remember this performance! How fun to see it again!
Wow, it has been a lifetime. On the one hand, I’m glad I don’t remember how this all came together because I’m sure if I did it would be harder to disassociate and pretend it’s someone else flailing around up there. But I had also clearly forgotten what a joyful group we had there. You could tell from the noises of the crowd how much good energy built up in the room, and it does feel a little sad not to remember that. On a personal note, I didn’t have a very good opinion of myself at this period in my life. But seeing that person clearly having fun and contributing to such a vivacious performance was a joyful thing in itself. Thanks to Grandma for all your wonderful recording efforts, and for the reminder to break out the whiskey today. 🙂 -Arden
So crazy to look back at!
Oh my gosh. I grinned widely the whole show! Thank you for filming and posting that extraordinary video. Perfect for St. Paddy’s Day! Thank you aunt Teresa for producing this masterpiece! What a fun and glorious memory! Thanks kids for participating! What a joy to share your talents and friendships with others. Mom! I forgot that you were named after St. Patrick! This memory will forever be my St. Paddy’s celebration! Good Luck all!
What a treat and a tug on the heart-strings, to revisit that glorious era of the Ford/Fitzpatrick clan–oh, what sweet days they were! Thanks for evoking them so richly, Pat (and for the lesson on the history of the humble lumper potato, as well–what astounding events the Irish managed to survive, before getting themselves uncolonized).
Thanks for the memories!
Keep ’em coming!
Gary
WOW! Aren’t you proud of that group! My face aches from smiling so big the whole time😊. Thanks for a memorable St. Pat’s celebration. Beautiful!
Wow, it is mesmerizing to watch that dancing! Those performances were so much fun to watch.