Happy St. Patty's Day!

Hey, it's St. Patty's Day!  Luck o' the Irish to you!

I've gathered up a few Irish tidbits for your enjoyment.  The website I took them from--Ireland Fun Facts--calls them facts.  Not accusing anyone, of course, but the Irish have been known to embellish once in awhile, especially when telling a story.  And I'm simply too lazy to verify.  (Now there's the real truth of the matter!) 

Truth or not, they're fun to read through...and fun is one thing all Irish men and women can agree on.  Enjoy!

According to some historians, over 40% of all American presidents have had some Irish ancestry.

In olden days, a pig was often allowed to live in the house with the family on an Irish farm. He (or she) was commonly referred to as "the gentleman who pays the rent."

Saint Brendan is said to have discovered America 1,000 years before Columbus.

The longest place name in Ireland is Muckanaghederdauhaulia, in County Galway.

The original Guinness Brewery in Dublin has a 9,000 year lease on it's property, at a perpetual rate of 45 Irish pounds per year.

One traditional Irish cure for a hangover was to be buried up to the neck in moist river sand.

Historians believe St. Patrick’s real name was "Maewyn Succat.

The tune of the "Star Spangled Banner" was composed by the great blind harper Turlough O’Carolan, who died about 35 years before the American revolution.

Ireland is the world’s only country with a musical instrument for a national symbol: the harp.

An “An Fáinne” is a lapel pin, worn by some fluent Irish speakers to invite others to speak to them in the traditional language.

It’s not the custom in Ireland to wear green ties, hats or other green clothes on St. Patrick's Day. A sprig of shamrock in the coat lapel is the preferred display.

Now a few quotes from some famous Irishmen:

"The Irish do not want anyone to wish them well; they want everyone to wish their enemies ill."

- Harold Nicolson

"I had that stubborn streak, the Irish in me I guess."

- Gregory Peck

"Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity."

- Sean O'Casey

"Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher."

- Flannery O'Connor

"You know it's summer in Ireland when the rain gets warmer."

- Hal Roach

"Ireland, sir, for good or evil, is like no other place under heaven, and no man can touch its sod or breathe its air without becoming better or worse."

- George Bernard Shaw

And my personal favorite:

"This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever."

- Sigmund Freud (speaking about the Irish)

Finally, an Irish blessing or two...

Wishing you a rainbow

For sunlight after showers—

Miles and miles of Irish smiles

For golden happy hours—

Shamrocks at your doorway

For luck and laughter too,

And a host of friends that never ends

Each day your whole life through

Wherever you go and whatever you do, May the luck of the Irish be there with you. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  And Happy Birthday, Laura!