Can We Talk 2

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

         I always thought I had some Irish blood. My mother's mother claimed we were Irish and English, maybe a little German. I thought my mother's father and his brothers looked Irish with their strong, tight bodies and chiseled jaws. Now that I've done my family tree, I know that none of my mother's people were Irish. They're mostly English and Welsh, and have been here since the 1600's. Oh, there's a wee bit of Indian which was here first.

         Now on my father's side, I'm English, Scottish, Swiss, German, French, Channel Island, Indian, Swedish, etc. The only hint of Irish depends on whether David the Immigrant came here with his daughter
Sarah, whose mother was his Irish mistress, or whose mother was his proper English lady wife. Regardless of who her mother was, I believe he came because the proper lady found out about the mistress. But I can't be sure of my lineage in that tree.

         Even if Sarah had an Irish mother, it was so many generations back, I hardly hold claim to Irish blood. Yet, I love St. Patrick's Day. I love the legends, the folk lore, the superstitions, the music, the holiness of the day. We had our corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes yesterday. Although the Irish aren't keen on desserts except in hotels, tourist attractions, and rich homes, we had green cake with chocolate frosting.

         I have read a lot of Irish stories, danced a jig with a friend who grew up in Catholic schools with proper Irish nun teachers.I listen to Tommy Makem and many others. So Top O' the Morning to You. As they say, all the world is Irish on St. Patty's Day. Forget the family tree.