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BY Nancy Mueller 2 Comments ON March 17, 2014

10 Fun Ways Boomers Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

Irish Flowers

Here are 10 fun ways boomers celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th. Why? Because everyone knows you don’t have to be Irish to have fun on St. Patrick’s Day (though it helps). On March 17th, everyone with a spirit of play are honorary Irish folk whatever your family name.

#1 – Form Your Own St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Round up your usual neighborhood suspects, pick up a flute, a fiddle and some pipes, and off you go!

#2 – Play a Few Irish Tunes.

Plug into Pandora or iTunes to listen to soothing Irish lullabies and happy melodies.

#3 – Stage a Reading of Your Favorite Irish Authors and Poets.

100 Years of Irish Poetry

Invite your Irish-loving friends over to share their favorite poems or writings from the Land of Leprechauns. Revel in the lyrical beauty of such Irish poets as William Butler Yeats, Seamus Heaney and the writings of James Joyce.

#4 – Prepare Your Favorite Irish Dishes.

You can’t go wrong with corned beef & cabbage, shepherd’s pie, Irish stew, colcannon (cabbage and mashed potatoes) and soda bread. And let’s not forget dessert. My new favorite? Chocolate Stout Cupcakes. They had me at chocolate and Guinness.

#5 – Raise the Irish Flag.

Irish Flag

In honor of the St. Patrick’s Day festivities, hoist the tri-colored Irish flag. The flag symbolizes the hope for peace (white) between the native people of Ireland in the South, most of whom are Roman Catholic (green) and the British supporters of William of Orange in the North, most of whom are Protestant (orange).

#6 – Stop By Your Favorite Pub for a Pint or Two.

Order a Guinness, a Black & Tan or a shot of Irish whiskey before settling in to listen to a few yarns from the locals.

#7 – Take a Heritage Tour to Ireland.

A visit to Ireland is still on my bucket list. And one of these St. Patrick’s Days, I’m going to hop on a plane to visit the home of my great-grandmother who immigrated to the United States.

#8 – Look for Leprechauns.

Leprechaun

Leprechauns are out and about if you just know where to look for them. Typically found in Ireland, of course, I have it on the best authority (my own) that these wee creatures make special appearances all over the world on St. Patrick’s Day. Just follow the leprechaun’s footprints to his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

#9 – Go Step-Dancing.

For inspiration, look no further than River Dance. Before you know, you’ll be on your feet trying to do the same. Good luck with that!

#10 – Whatever Else You Do, Wear Green!

And whatever you do, avoid wearing orange unless you want a mild pinch. St. Patrick is a Catholic saint, so wearin’ of the green symbolizes your support of his special day.

May the road rise up to meet you . . .

Wander on!

Nancy

What’s your favorite St. Patrick’s Day tradition, wanderboomers? Please share with us here.

Filed Under: Activities, Culture, Food & Dining, Holidays, Ireland Tagged With: black & tan, boomers, green, Guinness, Ireland, Irish, Irish dishes, leprechaun, St. Patrick's Day, whiskey

BY Nancy Mueller 7 Comments ON March 17, 2012

March 17th: A Day for Rainbows

Irish myth abounds with stories of leprechauns, those tiny elfish creatures known for playing mischievous pranks and hiding their gold coins in a pot at the end of the rainbow. According to Irish lore, if you’re lucky enough to catch one of these sprites, the leprechaun must grant you three wishes. No wonder then that my sainted mother had high hopes of doing just that on her one trip to Ireland.

Finally, nearing the end of her stay with nary a fairy in sight, she expressed her exasperation to the tour guide. “I haven’t seen one of your so-called leprechauns once on this trip!” to which the guide replied in the lilt of his Irish brogue: “Yeah, well, keep on having another drink and you will.” Ah . . . So that’s the secret.

Well, I have yet to visit Ireland or catch sight of a leprechaun myself, but how can I let St. Patrick’s Day slip away without posting a few photos of rainbows?  In an earlier post, I shared photos of rainbows taken on my cruise expeditions and visit to Ecuador. For now, I’ll have to make due with the following shots taken inside St. John the Divine on my visit to New York City last Fall.

May today bring you a wee bit of magic and mischief – and may there always be a pot o’ gold at the end of your rainbows, Wanderboomers!

Filed Under: Baby Boomers and Travel, Destinations, Holidays Tagged With: Irish lore, Irish myth, leprechauns, lore, magic, mischief, myth, pot of gold, pranks, rainbows, St. John the Divine, St. Patrick's Day

BY Nancy Mueller 8 Comments ON March 15, 2012

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

My mother received her love of All Things Irish from my great-grandmother who had emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland before settling in Upstate New York. With Mom in charge of family holidays, we started celebrating St. Patrick’s Day as soon as February rolled into March which culminated in a traditional Irish-American meal on the 17th. After that, we needed the rest of the month to recuperate! Mom never let us forget our Irish roots.

Sadly, neither my great-grandmother nor my mother passed along any cherished family recipes to mark the occasion. But that hasn’t stopped me from serving at least a few of these comforting foods and spirits on St. Paddy’s Day in memory of my mother and in honor of my Irish heritage:

  • Irish Soda Bread (best made with buttermilk, with caraway seed, dried currants and golden raisins mixed in for good measure)
  • Lamb or Beef Irish Stew, served with colcannon (a blend of russet potatoes, cabbage, milk, green onions and butter) or
  • Corned Beef and Cabbage, served with boiled red potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables
  • Shortbread Cookies, Chocolate Mousse, or Chocolate Cupcakes – or all three! – for dessert

Now it wouldn’t be a true Irish celebration without one of these  favorites on hand, would it?

  • Irish Whiskey or Irish coffee (Add 1 to 1- 1/2  ounces of whiskey and a teaspoon of sugar to 6 ounces of strong black coffee. Top with whipped cream.)
  • Guinness or Harp

Ah, it’s great to be Irish!

What about you, Wanderboomers? Tell us how you plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and/or share the foods that remind you of your family heritage and childhood.

Filed Under: Activities, Food & Dining, Holidays Tagged With: boiled red potatoes, Celtic Crossroads, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate mousse, colcannon, corned beef and cabbage, cupcakes, Enya, Guinness, Harp, heritage, Ireland, Ireland in Poetry, Irish, Irish beef stew, Irish coffee, Irish lamb stew, Irish music, Irish soda bread, Irish whiskey, Irish-American, march 17th, potatoes, russet potatoes, shortbread cookies, St. Paddy's Day, St. Patrick's Day, The Chieftains, Upstate New York, whipped cream

Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
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