The Man Cave: St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted on Mar 10 2014 - 9:03am by Chris Meehan

Inside the Cave –

My family all think of ourselves as very Irish as our last name “Meehan” in Ireland is something like “Smith” in the U.S….

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Love Irish jokes too:

How do you get an Irishman on the roof?  Tell him the drinks are on the house!

 An Irish priest is driving down the road and gets stopped for speeding.  The constable smells alcohol on the priest’s breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car. He says, “Sir, have you been drinking?”  “Just water,” says the priest.  The constable says, “Then why do I smell wine?”  The priest looks at the bottle and says, “Good Lord! He’s done it again!”

Anyway, we always have a lot of fun with St. Patrick’s Day, and then one of the kids asked about the day and what it meant.  Well, besides green beer and shamrocks and an excuse to party, I really didn’t have a serious answer, so –

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3P St. Patty’s Trivia:

Patrick was born in the early fourth century in Britain, and into a wealthy family that included two clerics, one being his father.  At about the age of 16 he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive as a slave.  He much later managed to escape and went back to Britain (saying it was God’s direction to him), and where he quickly joined the Church and studied to be a priest.

In 432, (his now being a Bishop) he again said that God was calling him back to Ireland to Christianise the Irish from their native Polytheism.  (This being the worship of, or belief in multiple gods and goddesses, each with their own rituals.)

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It is said that he very frequently used a SHAMROCK to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people, and that with God’s help he also banished all snakes from Ireland into the sea.  After 30 years of evangelism, he died on March 17, 461, has always been considered the principal champion of Irish Christianity, and is held in the highest esteem in the Irish Church.

Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early seventeenth century by the Catholic Church, and the day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.  In utilizing the green shamrock so many times to illustrate his teachings, GREEN became the color of the day!

Since those times, St. Patrick’s Day has come to be a “special event” in Western culture.

Almost everyone joins in on the fun and becomes “Irish for a Day!” and as we all know it’s a minor crime not have some part of your clothing for that day be GREEN, and then of course there’s also enjoying corned beef and cabbage, “green beer” and maybe even a St. Patrick’s Day parade.

True story –

“Why do you Irish always answer a question with a question? asked President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  “Do we now?” came Irish NY Mayor Al Smith’s reply….And lastly from my very Irish father who was so fond of saying over his lifetime –

“May your glass be ever full

May the roof over your head be always strong, and

May you be in Heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead!”

Have fun, wear green, and have a very happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day!

1 Comment so far. Feel free to join this conversation.

  1. Tania Atack March 10, 2014 at 7:03 pm -

    HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY I am sure that Brenda will create a great theme for the cause and yes celebrate like an Irishman!!!!!!!!
    !!!!!
    Green beer, BRING IT ON!!!
    And all the great memories of your Ireland Trip last year.
    Thinking of you and enjoying the sunshine. MB or PPPal