Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona Daoibh ! Happy St. Patrick's Day To You All !!

 

Foreword : My heartfelt thanks and love go out to Rebkin of Raccoon Hollow Enterprises for creating the most artistic and appropriate background setting for today's Saint Patrick's Day blog. Very few of you visited my blogsite a year ago .... and since I don't believe I could make my good wishes any warmer to you all .... I am reposting part of the same message in today's blog. The Ode to the Gaelic Language by an unknown poet is very precious to me and as the old proverb says , " Tír gan teanga , tír gan anam ".... a country without a language , a country without a soul ! I am adding two final lines of my own to the poem at the end. And I'll  round out the post by a wee Irish chuckle ........ typical but one you have not heard too often..... I hope ! 

I found the pic above in a young lady's blog who was showing her readers around her home town ..... Cork or Corcaigh .... in Ireland. Unfortunately I have never been able to find her site since then so that I might ask permission to use it in today's salute to everything and everybody Irish...... so I shall simply presume her approval for such a good cause.

For me this wee pub , An Teach Beag or The Little House , symbolizes the warmth of the Irish way of life as well as the Irish people itself .......... small , clean , inviting , quaint...... and the fiddle and " bodhrán " ( winnowing drum ) repliqua hanging on the wall suggesting that it is a place for " ceol " ( music ) or perhaps even a " céilí " or social evening / gathering .......... and who knows ? Maybe also a few pints of Guinness as the sign would suggest " Guinness Gach Lá "..... Guinness every day ! The flowering window box likewise adds a bit of personal charm. The oldtimers always said that if the conditions and mood were right ..... an epidemic of friendliness and mirth could break out at any moment..... and it was highly contageous to all trapped ....... yeah quarantined .......inside.

So I would like to raise my glass to my enemies' enemies and especially to you , a chairde (my friends ) and may you cross the threshhold of the Pearly Gates at least a half hour before the devil finds out you're dead.......... and may the latter not happen in the near future .

Seo mo sheal ! Caith siar é agus ná lig aniar é !! So this is my round..... now throw it back down and don't let it back up !!

An Ghaeilge
Is mise an Ghaeilge
Is mise do theanga
Is mise do chultúr
D'Úsáid na Filí mé
D'Úsáid na huaisle
D'Úsáid na daoine mé
is d'Úsáid na lenaí
Go bródúil a bhí siad
Agus mise faoi réim.Ach tháinig an strainséir
Chuir sé faoi chois mé
Is rud ní ba mheasa
Nior mhaith le mo chlann mé
Anois táim lag
Anois táim tréith
Ach fós táim libh
Is beidh mé go beo.
Tóg suas mo cheann
Cuir áthas ar mo chroí
Labhraígí mé
Ó labhraígí mé!

I am Irish
I am your language
I am your culture
The poets used me
The nobles used me
The people used me
and the children used me
Proud they were
And I flourishedBut the stranger came
He suppressed me
Something worse than that was
my own people rejected me
Now I am weak
Now I am feeble
But still I am with you
and I will be forever.
Raise up my head
Put joy in my heart
Speak me
Oh speak me!

And I add ,

Scríobhigí mé agus ( Write me and )

Léigí mé ( Read me )

A language which is not only spoken but also written and read has a much greater chance of survival. 

And now the promised chuckle. Beannachtaí Pádraig oraibh ! St. Pat's Blessings on you all !

A man was on a walking holiday in Ireland. He became thirsty so decided to ask at a home for something to drink. The lady of the house invited him in and served him a bowl of soup by the fire. There was a wee pig running around the kitchen, running up to the visitor and giving him a great deal of attention. The visitor commented that he had never seen a pig this friendly. The housewife replied: "Ah, he's not that friendly. That's his bowl you're using."