Happy St. Patrick's Day

St Patrick's Day offers a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the many contributions of the Irish people to our country and community.  William Butler Yeats, Katherine Tynan, Colette Bryce, Oscar Wilde, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Dolores O'Riordan, are just a few of the wordsmiths hailing from Ireland.  In America, we have colloquialisms that arise from Irish impact on our culture.  In this poem, I attempt to utilize some of them to reflect the positive impact on the Irish on the American language, as well as use some Irish folklore references to shine a most positive light on the Irish.

Since this was inspired by St. Patrick's day, the first lines reflect the story of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland into the sea.

The phrase "Irish goodbye" means to leave a gathering without any fanfare, just show up, have a good time with your friends, and leave without making a big deal.  Not a rude walk out, just leaving without any long, drawn out farewell.

A "shamrocked shillelagh" would be a walking cane or club adorned with the image of a three leaf clover.  The three leaf clover was a symbol used by St. Patrick to explain the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity to the Druids.  The Celtic druids believed three was the perfect number and had mystical powers, the three leaves of the shamrock may have represented the underground, earth, and sky to them.

Irish whiskey is my favorite spirit to enjoy responsibly.  Getting together with friends and having a sip or two (not going overboard) while socializing is a great way to build rapport and enjoy an evening (so long as you are of legal age and do so responsibly.  No driving afterwards!).

Sean-nós is word used to describe traditional Irish singing.  Often it is done without instrumentation and is a solo act.  But, why not get together with friends and sing together?

Faith, from the Druids, to the Catholics and protestants, is a very important part of Irish culture.  With that come blessings, or familiar sayings to deliver to one another.  The most famous Irish blessing begins with "May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind always be at your back", which is referenced in the chorus as well.

A Claddagh ring is a traditional Irish ring which contains the symbols of hands for friendship, a heart for love, and a crown for loyalty.

An Irish wake (at least in America) is a celebration of life for a recently deceased person.  Close friends and family come and comfort the family of the recent departed.  Often, there is story-telling, music, and general good camaraderie.  It is a light time, and gives everyone a chance to mingle and feel the presence of the person and all the love surrounding the recently departed.

Hawthorns and holly are important plants in Irish tradition.  Hawthorns are also called the "fairy tree" and it is bad luck to cut one down, as you could disturb the fairies living there.  This has caused roadways in Ireland to be diverted in order to not disturb a hawthorn.  Holly is the evergreen twin of the oak.  While oak was King of the light summer time, holly was King over the darker winter time. 
In Ireland the holly was sometimes called the "gentle tree" and was one of the favorite trees of the fairies.

Fairy mounds, also called fairy forts, raths, or lios, are the dwelling places of the aos sí or daoine sídhe.  These fairies are believed by some to be the spirits of nature.  A kelpie is a shape-shifting horse type creature who primarily is of Scottish folklore, but is sometimes seen in Irish stories due to its Celtic roots.  Often, it is thought to lure people, particularly children onto its back, and take them into the water.  A banshee is another spirit of Irish folklore who heralds the death of someone by wailing or screaming.  The Dullahan is another Irish folkloric character in the form of a headless horseman.  It is said that where he stops riding, someone will die.  In this context, the narrator is saying that we should not fear the future or death, but embrace the journey and make friends along the way. 

Luck of the Irish is phrase used to describe the wonderful prospecting skills of the Irish (particularly in America, the California and Klondike gold rushes).  The Irish were so good at prospecting and mining, that the phrase "luck of the Irish" is still used today to mean someone who is very lucky or very talented. 

An Irish mile is exactly eight Irish furlongs, or approximately 1.27 statute miles.  There are still some signs in Ireland that tell distance in Irish miles instead of statute miles.  Here, the narrator is saying that come what may, he is optimistic, even though there is a long distance left to travel.

Emerald Isle

Like the lone last snake lost from his home

Sure I was present, not certain if I’m gone

I’ve never been one to live with any flair

Just an Irish goodbye like I was never really there

Between the hawthorn and the holly

There’s fairies on the mound

We’ll ride the kelpie, sing with the banshee

And buy the Dullahan a round

The road rises to meet us

The wind is at our backs

We rest on the Irish luck

With Irish miles left to trek

With shamrocked shillelagh and the holy trinity

And the smooth, sharp soul of some Irish whiskey

Sean-nós singalong, keep my friends guessing

We’ll part ways with an Irish blessing

Like Claddagh hands, heart, and crown

Friendship, loyalty, and love abound

When I pass, throw me an Irish wake

No tears, please, memories to celebrate

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1v-CENem2qntow-DpvNjsJbu4tgXtaOfm