Happy St. Patrick's Day! This is a day that my parents celebrated as children in Brooklyn as they are both Irish. My mother's grandparents were Irish immigrants and she saw them daily. I am lucky enough to have known these great-grandparents and I still remember their beautiful Irish accents. My great-grandfather had a deep singing voice and would sing with my uncles the old Irish songs like Danny Boy. Their entire family would march in the St. Patrick's Day parade.
When we were children,we always wore green clothing to school and had corned beef and cabbage for dinner on St. Patrick's Day. The celebration took a more lively turn in the young adult years with plenty of green beer in crowded bars and visions of leprechauns!!!!! Those days are over, may all the bad luck of the year go with them! For my own family, I continued to cook corned beef and cabbage yearly to celebrate until this new tradition began.
My Dad is a Hibernian which is a group at church that celebrates their Irish heritage with an attention to the Catholic works of mercy by doing some community projects. Each year, as a fund-raiser, they put on a catered Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner that is first rate. Carrots, potatoes and Irish Soda bread are also served. My parents began the tradition of buying tickets for their children and their spouses to eat this Irish fare together. They have 39 grand-children but on this one night of the year we gather without them to converse as adults.
There is entertainment, door prizes, a 50/50 raffle and an auction all designed to raise money for the worthy projects the Hibernian' s and their ladies' auxiliary get into.Our large family has our own special table year after year which is situated right near the food. We are the first table served. Talk about the Luck of the Irish!!!!!!! It is absolutely wonderful to see my parents, and brothers and sisters with their spouses to share a meal and a few laughs. I am grateful for my Irish heritage and the Catholic Faith that my parents received from theirs,and which they have spent their lives passing down to us.
