Monday, March 17, 2008

‘Tis the day everyone wants to be Irish




Putting aside the abomination that is green beer and the many off key renditions of Danny Boy that one might hear on St. Patrick’s Day, the celebration of the patron saint of Ireland is indeed a global event of grand proportions.

Considering the Diaspora that has left the island over the centuries, many nations now stake a claim to the celebration, putting their own particular imprint on it, yet keeping true to the spirit of the event as a great gathering of free spirits (both of the human and the libation kind).

To help you get in the mood for your own particular contribution to the day, we’ve put together a little highlight package of things Irish that we’ve come across over the last few days as we made our own Podunkian preparation for the day.

A wee bit of History.

The Music— There’s no shortage of Irish music to take in to set the mood for the day, from The Chieftains traditional melodies to the raucous efforts of the Pogues there’s a wide selection to explore. We’ll provide a few samples that we’ve come across. We also stumbled across a list of the top 40 Albums in Irish rock history, on a day when everyone wants to talk let the debating begin.

The Chieftains--Live over Ireland opening






Enya--The Celt's






The Waterboys--Fisherman's Blues






U2--Sunday, Bloody Sunday






The Pogues--Thousands are Sailing



The MoviesThe Irish have seen a growth industry in film over the years, a thriving community of film makers who are never short of a story to tell.

A Database of Irish Films


The Writers – Three of the best known of course are Yeats, Wilde and Joyce, to whom the homage is paid, but there have been hundreds if not thousands that have followed weaving tales of the land and of those that left and those that stayed behind.

James Joyce--Walking into eternity Dublin Tour Part 1






James Joyce--Walking into eternity Dublin Tour Part 2




William Bulter Yeats--Easter Rising 1916






The Food and drink





Bailey's


Irish News Links--A selection of Irish newspaper and media sites



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And of course everyone loves a Parade, and there’s no more remarkable St. Patrick’s Day Parade than the one that wanders down O'Connell Street in downtown Dublin.

If you’re in the mood to get up at 5:30 am Pacific Time, RTE is providing a live link on their website of the day’s activities in the Irish capital. All the fun of the grand day, without having to find a parking spot…

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