Cead mile fáilte! A million welcomes! Happy Saint Patrick's Day! It's that time of year again when people all over the world celebrate Saint Patrick's Day with green beer, corned beef, potatoes, cabbage, and Irish toasts and cheer. So we've put together a bit of magic and a pot full of Internet treasures of the day. Enjoy the history, heritage, fun and merriment of this day! See if you can find the disappearing Leprechauns on this page.




An Irish blessing


May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow
And may trouble avoid you wherever you go.


Irish Myths and Legends


Leprechauns are Irish fairies that look a lot like little old men. They wear little green elf outfits, a leather apron and a cocked hat. Leprechauns live a secluded life making shoes and protecting their pots of gold. It's easy enough to find a Leprechaun. Just listen for the tinkering of his tiny hammer. But beware! If you spot the little elf don't look away, not even for a split second. For if you do, the Leprechaun will disappear right into thin air! And there goes all of your hopes and dreams of finding the precious pot of gold. Now watch closely for the Leprechaun. There he goes! Oh my. You must have blinked again.

People say that wearing green on Saint Patrick's Day honors the Irish farmers who burned green leaves and spread ashes over the fields at spring time to enrich their lands. Others say it is a symbol of the shamrock used by Saint Patrick to explain the Trinity. Yet others say the wearing of the green represents the EMERALD ISLE. I say wear your green or get pinched!

The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower which is in the Irish village of Blarney. The stone is said to bring anyone who kisses it The gift of persuasion. Blarney castle was built in 1446 by Cormac Laidhiv McCarthy, Lord of Muskerry. To keep out the fierce English soldiers, McCarthy had the walls made 18 feet thick!

There is a legend about the Blarney Stone that I must share. An old woman cast a spell on it as a reward to the king for saving her from drowning. Kissing the stone gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly. Kissing the stone is a hard matter to do. To reach the stone, which is between the main castle wall and a parapet, one must lie on their back and bend backward and downward, holding onto the bars for support. The stone is over 500 years old!


ST. PATTY'S FAMILY FAVORITES


These are a few of my favorite Irish Internet links that I hope all of you will enjoy. Be sure to bookmark this site for a quick return and check back often for new additions!

Just For Kids

St. Patrick's Day Screen Saver - Start your celebration off right with your very own St. Patrick's Day screen saver which you can download directly from this site.

Heather's Happy St. Patricks Day Page - For Kids Only!!© - St. Patty needs your help! Play the interactive game and find his pot of gold.

St. Patrick's Pot O Gold Game - Click on a Pot of Gold and answer the math question about American money that will come up on the screen. Be sure to keep a pencil and piece of paper handy to keep track of your score. Good Luck...and have fun!

About St. Patrick's Day - Enjoy the word search puzzle, limericks, songs, traditions, and a bit of Irish history.

The Island - St. Patrick - Three Myths - Read more about the most popular Saint Patrick's Day Myths.

Simply Saint Patrick's 1996 - Take a virtual trip to Ireland to learn more about Irish history and famous Irish people.

Fun Stuff - Enjoy educational games as well as links to other Internet sites that are designed especially for kids.

Saint Patrick - Read the story of Saint Patrick online.

Saint Patrick's Day - Follow this link to more St. Paddy's Day Internet fun.

Some Irish Ballads - These are Irish folk songs for Saint Patrick's Day.

Irish Songs - Lyrics to Irish folks songs and ballads.

Facts Page on St. Patrick - Get the words to many of your favorite Irish songs at this site.

Saint Patrick - Visit here for color pictures of Saint Patrick and St. Patrick's Day cards.

NJWeb St. Patrick's Day - Learn more about Saint Patrick and Irish songs.

St. Paddy's Day Puzzle - A tricky Irish word puzzle.

Blarney Woollen Mills - The Story of St. Patrick - This story about Saint Patrick is for younger readers.

Catholic Online Saint Patrick Page - Learn about the shamrock and its importance to Saint Patrick's Day.

Carlos' Coloring Book - Color the Leprechaun online.

The Rainy Day Resource Page - Enjoy children's literature, Carlos' Web Coloring Book, Berit's Best Sites for Children, Arts & Crafts for kids, easy recipes and more.

Irish Sayings and Proverbs - From Virtual Retail direct from Ireland.

St. Patrick's Day Irish word search by Gary Kirkpatrick, Springfield, Missouri - Word Search Puzzle.

Print Shop St. Patrick's Day Projects - Make a St. Patrick's Day card with a pop up rainbow inside and print out Irish Blessing.

St. Patrick's Day for Kids - Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the "Teensy Town" kids!

St. Patrick's Day with Billy Bear has coloring pages, clip art, and a Pot of Gold Money Counting Game!

Spectrum Magazine - Search for the four leaf clover.


St. Patrick's Day E-mail Cards

St. Patrick's Day E-cards - Send an e-mail St. Patrick's Day Card to your family and friends.

AN AWESOME ST. PATRICK'S DAY! Send customized St. Patrick's Day greeting cards with cartoon cat Marlo Marmalade and dog JJ Jamm! Free service. - Create online St. Patrick's Day email cards.

Blue Mountain Arts'Electronic Greeting Cards - 'Tis a wonderful time for puttin' an Irish smile to someone's face! Send 'em a musical, animated electronic greetin' card from Blue Mountain Arts. Sure 'n they are free! No shenanigans!

"Forget everything else and celebrate Saint Patrick's Day" by Karen Morse - Animated Saint Patrick's Day Greeting card.


Recipes


Nolan Irish Cream Pie - Irish Cream Pie recipe.

St. Patrick's Day Lunch - Recipe from Mr. Food.

Edibilia: Irish Recipe List - Extensive collection of traditional recipes, many over 50 years old.


More Irish Links to Visit


Irish History - The story of the Irish race.

Irish Family History Foundation - The Irish Family History Foundation can help you discover all about your Irish ancestry, roots, genealogy and family history from all sections of in Ireland.

Irish and Celtic thingies (C) P. Murphy 1995-1997 - View the Republic of Ireland, Scottish, Welsh, Breton, Cornish, Galician, Manx, and Northern Irish flags. Then read about arts, languages, music, politics, history and more.

Ann's Place -- Irish Dance Links - All about Irish dancing in the U.S.

Tir na nOg - The Virtual Irish Cybercafe - This is a virtual cafe, with an Irish Mythological flavour.

St. Patrick's Day - Read about customs and traditions of the day.

UMR St. Pat's Celebration Home Page - Visit the St. Pat's Celebration at the University of Missouri, one of the biggest celebrations in the state.

CELTICWEB - Visit Irish Pubs In Boston Home Page and see why Boston is the Irish capital of the United States.

Saint Patrick's Day Vintage Art Collection - A colorful collection of antique Saint Patrick's Day art, scanned from our original stone lithograph postcards. They are about 100 years old!

St. Pat Story - All about St. Patrick.

Kate's Home Page - Lots of history and information.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY INSIDE - St. Patrick's information central.

Saint Patrick's Day In New York City - Photos and music take you right to the center of the fun each year.


bgilley@cris.com

Copyright © 1997 Barbara A. Gilley.(Revised Tuesday, March 11, 1997). Graphics courtesy of Mousepad Graphics and Billy Bear's Playground

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