What’s So Special About St. Patrick’s Day?
The Greens of Ireland
Ah, I love the Irish. I toured Ireland with my husband, Robert, in 2009 to visit my first cousins, who, prior to that, I hadn’t met.
I fell in love with the land and its people. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated now world-wide, wherever the Irish are and where the people who love them live.
March 17th, the day Saint Patrick died, commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. But why celebrate his death? Because in the Christian religion, that’s the day he began living with God, his Father in Heaven. According to the church, that’s when true life begins.
The Three-Leafed Shamrock photo by Diana Stevan
On St. Patrick’s Day many wear shamrocks and/or green clothing (known as the “wearing of the green”).
It is believed that St Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to tell the story of the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish.
I loved Ireland so much that I incorporated a lot of what I saw into my debut novel, A Cry From The Deep, where half my story takes place.
In the following excerpt from my prologue, which takes place in 1878, Margaret O’Donnell prays to St. Patrick, thanking him for his help.
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While her father went off to arrange a rowboat, her grandmother braided some fresh primroses into Margaret’s long auburn hair. She couldn’t see the ocean from where she sat, but the thought of James waiting for her on the ship was enough to make her squirm.
“Now, Margaret, you’re goin’ to make your old granny cross if you don’t put a stop to your movin’. I can’t promise you a handsome head if you keep twitchin’ this way and that.”
“Sorry, Granny, I’m too—”
“I know, child. You don’t have to tell me,” said the old woman as she wove in another primrose.
“All I can say is the good Lord’s been lookin’ out for you. Goodness knows what you would’ve done if he hadn’t come back.”
What she would’ve done was marry Barnaby Athol, the middleman for their landlord, to keep from starving in the future. After she’d accepted his offer, she’d prayed to St. Patrick, telling the saint it wasn’t Barnaby’s withered leg that repulsed her, rather it was his mean ways with his tenants. She silently thanked the saint for bringing James back.
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And may the luck of the Irish be with you. Any comments or shared stories are always appreciated.
I have got to remember to wear green. St. Patrick has an interesting history. Some stories claim he came from the land of Israel.
That’s really interesting, Julia. I read that he converted to Christianity. Do you know any more of that story re: his coming from Israel?
I say St. Patrick’s Day is special, Irish or not 🙂
I like the prologue of your novel, would like to know when you finish. I’ve been trying to write two and they are both in beginning stages….there’s just not enough time in a day, so on occasion I end up writing short stories instead. Thanks for linking up at Thursday Favorite Things. Can’t wait to see what you’ll share next week! XO
My novel is finished if that’s what you mean. Half of A Cry From The Deep takes place in Ireland. Short stories I think can be even more challenging. You have to cut to the chase much more quickly. Good luck with your writing. Hang in there. One word leads to another.
My husband was half Irish which was the part of his heritage he was most proud of. Neither he nor I ever traveled to Ireland, but our daughter has grown up with a great pride in her heritage. We will proudly wear green on St. Patrick’s day.
I fell in love with Ireland when my husband and I travelled there in 2009 to meet my first cousins. Their father served in the Canadian air force during WWII, fell in love with an Irish lass, and never came home.
Photos of the country do not do it justice. I tried to do just that to describe what my protagonist, Catherine Fitzgerald discovers about the land when she flies over to cover the hunt for one of the lost ships of the Spanish Armada. A lot of research, but oh, so much fun. Thanks for visiting my blog. 🙂
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