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"Top of the morning to you, and the
rest of the day to yourself!"
As St. Patrick's day nears, I'm reminded to
buy a new Shamrock plant . . . and again vow not
to kill it. Most importantly it's time to get
together with family and friends, feast on corned
beef and cabbage and have lots of fun.
Saint Patrick's Day was
in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737 and the first St. Patrick's Day
parade was held in New York in 1779. As the saying goes, on this day
"everybody is Irish!" Over 100 U.S. cities now hold Saint Patrick's
Day parades, the largest held in New York City. Take a look at
the 2003 schedule of St. Patrick's Day Parades across America
- click
here.
Nine of the people who signed our Declaration of
Independence were of Irish origin, and nineteen Presidents of the
United States proudly claim Irish heritage . . . including our first
President, George Washington.
The Irish attempt on
Mount Everest was a valiant effort, but it failed: They ran out
of scaffolding.
Test your luck with an Irish-English
quiz: What's A Taoiseach?
Read Irish
Proverbs: "A silent mouth never did
any harm." Enter an Irish Limerick
Contest: "On St. Patrick's Day everyone's Irish, Shades of
green are considered stylish, So wearing black gear Earns you a
pinch on the rear, Conform or you'll be considered
standoffish."
Did you hear about the Irishman who was tap
dancing? He broke his ankle when he fell into the
sink.
 Besides
the beloved St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland for whom
we celebrate on March 17th every year, Ireland
boasts ten other major Saints worthy of your
attention. Click
here for their names
and links to brief bios. If you've wondered which Paton
Saint to call upon, then check out the Paton
Saint Index - a
compilation of 4,307 saints.
What are the best ten years of an Irishman's
life? Third
grade.
Free Celtic
Clipart. For crafts, games, cards and more
fun stuff at Kids
Domain. And,
tons more St. Patrick's Day crafts at making friends -
click here.
Free St. Patrick's Day electronic greeting
cards - click
here. Free animated
St. Patrick's Day cards -
click
here. And, more
animated eCards - click
here. 
Enjoy the music while
you check out these nifty St. Patty's Day games and projects at
Alphabet
Soup. Green and
White art at the activity place is full of fun - click here. Download games and party projects -
click
here. A Wee Bit
About Leprechauns - click
here. And,
read the cute Leprechaun Story. St. Patrick's Day fun for kids of all ages
- click
here. Play an interactive word search game
- click
here.
Do an online interactive St. Patrick's Day crossword puzzle -
click
here. Here's
an interactive online "Green
Quiz." Hidden Ireland: A Guide to Irish
Fairies.
Then there
was the Irishman who sued the local baker for forging the Irishman's
signature on a hot cross bun....
At "How
Stuff Works" you will learn about Saint Patrick, the history and
lore surrounding him, the day that honors his life and
accomplishments, the legend of the shamrock and the Blarney Stone
and, yes, green beer. Or, try the virtual directory, which features
over 100 links to help you make your St. Patrick's Day great
- click here. Words to Irish Folk Songs - click here.
Irish eyes
will be smiling on Monday, March 17 at
7pm for A Short History of Ireland and
to explore the legends and lore of the Emerald Isle!
Click
here.
Here are photos of
The
Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle in Ireland.
Cooking for St.
Patrick's Day is always more fun when you can choose from a lot of
authentic Irish Recipes - click
here. St.
Patrick's Day Recipes for traditional dishes - click
here. Healthy
alternative recipes of some traditional dishes will also appeal to
vegans - click
here.
 Read The Irish Times, an online
newspaper at Ireland.com. Irish Abroad is an extensive resource for Irish all
over the world - click here. And, learn Irish slang, get travel tips, learn Irish
traditions on their Irish page - click
here.
 At the Bushmills Heritage
Web Site you can get Genealogy Tips, Genealogy Resources, Irish
County Search, Bushmills History. On February 11, 2003
Bushmills launches its new St. Patrick's Day Genealogy Site
by offering 500 Free Genealogy Searches randomly to
Irish-Americans. Ancestry.com
is another good source for searching out your
Irish roots. Traditional Irish Names for Boys and Girls.
O'Connell was staggering home with a pint of
booze in his back pocket when he slipped and fell heavily.
Struggling to his feet, he felt something wet running down his
leg. "Please, God," he implored, "let it be
blood!"
Ireland in American? You bet!
 If a trip to Ireland is not possible, then discover
Lake Michighan's Beaver Island, also known as American's Emerald
Isle. History of Beaver
Island.
The most remote inhabited island in the
Great Lakes, with a year-round population of 550 - a large
percentage, of Irish descent. The residents' isolation, independence
and respect for nature and traditions of the Island have made time
slow down. More pictures and info.
Because Beaver Island offers a serene, relaxed life-style,
 many visitors have become regular vacationers, property
owners and permanent residents. The residents
welcome visitors to discover Beaver Island and decide where it
may fit into your life.
Take a virtual tour of
Beaver Island.
Click
here.
Photos:
Top photo is aerial view of
Beaver Island. Bottom photo is of one of the two light
houses on the island.
"The hospitality of an
Irishman is not the running account of posted and ledgered
courtesies, as in other countries; it springs, like all his other
qualities, his faults, his virtues, directly from his heart."
~ Daniel O' Connell
 About the
Island . . .
Beaver Island covers an area of 6 x 13 miles.
It has Seven Inland Lakes, Hiking Trails, Campgrounds, Seven
Nearby Islands, General
Stores, Motels, B & Bīs, cabins, vacation homes,
Restaurants, Car, bike, & boat rentals. Bank, Medical center,
Library, Taxi service, Laundromat, Car wash, Gift shops, Art
gallery, Churches, a Beautiful harbor, two airports, two
marinas, and two lighthouses. Map at right is of Beaver
Island.
Beaver Island is in
the upper part of Lake M ichigan,
about 30 miles due north of Charlevoix
Distances to
other major cities:
Chicago
- 300 miles
Detroit - 267 miles
Lansing - 200 miles
 Sault Ste. Marie - 110
miles
One resident on Beaver Island is a
gentleman whose humorous sayings appear on this page. He is
Richard Gillespie, a fifth generation Beaver
Islander, real estate broker with a web site worth visiting, especially his
St. Patrick's
Day page and
his Irish
Humor pages.
Rich is also one of the organizers for
the group trip to Ireland in March. Check out his photos from
last trips, it's like a mini vacation. Ireland
Trip. Photo at right is the Donegal Castle in
Ireland.
~ Toasts and Blessings
~
 If you're
going to an Irish Pub on St. Patrick's Day this glossary
of Irish Drinking
Terms is a must along with the following toasts and
blessings..
May the roof above us never fall in, and may the
friends gathered below never fall out.
May God grant you
always a sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm
you, a sheltering angel, so nothing can harm
you. 
May you have warm
words on a cold evening a full moon on a dark night and the road
downhill all the way to your door.
Here's health
to your enemies enemies.
May your pockets be heavy and
your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and
night.
May you always walk in
sunshine. May you never want for more. May Irish angels rest their
wings right beside your door.
May you live to be a hundred
years with one extra year to repent.
May the grass grow long on the
road to hell for want of use.
May St. Patrick guard you
wherever you go, and guide you in whatever you do, and may his
loving protection be a blessing to you always.
May you always
have walls for the wind, a roof for the rain, tea
beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and
all your heart might desire.
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon
your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields and, Until we meet
again, May God hold you in the palm of His
hand. 
May you have the hindsight to
know where you've been the foresight to know where you're going and
the insight to know when you're going too far.
For each petal on the
shamrock. This brings a wish your way Good health, good luck, and
happiness For today and every day.
May the Irish hills caress
you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish
enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold
you.
May you always have work
for your hands to do. May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane. May the rainbow be
certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near
you. And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer
you.
May your thoughts be as glad
as the shamrocks, May your heart be as light as a song, May each day
bring you bright, happy hours, That stay with you all the year
long.
May the good saints protect
you, And bless you today. And may troubles ignore you, Each step of
the way.
May joy and peace surround
you, Contentment latch your door, And happiness be with you now, And
bless you ever more.
For more Toasts and
Blessings, see Elaine's entire collection. Click
here.
How can you
identify an Irish pirate? He's the one with patches over both
eyes.
~
What's good luck on Saint Patrick's Day?
~
Finding a four-leaf clover (that's double the good luck
it usually is).
Wearing green.
(School children have started a little tradition of their own --
they pinch classmates who don't wear green on this holiday).
Kissing the blarney
stone.
~ Lucky
Charms ~
Leprechauns
are Ireland's most famous fairies, and certainly the luckiest for a
mortal to meet. The leprechaun's main job is shoe making, as fairies
constantly wear out their shoes from incessant dancing. If you meet
a leprechaun, here are the three things you must
know:
He always carries a purse with two coins.
One is magic and always replenishes itself after being
spent.
If you catch him he will usually give you the other
coin. While you are examining it, he will make his
getaway.
Leprechauns know the location of buried treasure,
and if you catch one he must tell you. But do not take your eyes off
him for even a split second, or he will be gone before you can
ask
Erin Go Braugh
- Ireland Forever
These
things, I warmly wish for you-
Someone to love, some work to
do,
A bit of o' sun, a bit o' cheer.
And a guardian angel
always near.
Ritch
Richard A. DeBiaso
3205
Whipple Road
Union City, CA
94587-1218
510-429-4803
Serving
customers coast to coast since 1986
"I'm
only an email
away"
Before you leave, please sign our Guestbook.
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