Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! 

I enjoy the St. Patrick's story and everything Irish so it's always fun to celebrate a little bit. Today I'm wearing green and my "Irish For A Day" pin, listening to my favorite Irish music and eating corned beef and cabbage and delicious Irish cream bars. 

On this lovely day I'd like to share some Irish blessings, prayers and quotes from a lovely book I found recently.   

Irish Blessings:

May joy and peace surround you,

Contentment latch your door,

And happiness be with you now

And bless you evermore.

May your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow

And may trouble avoid you

Wherever you go.

May brooks and trees and singing hills

Join in the chorus too,

And every gentle wind that blows

Send happiness to you.

May you never find trouble

All crowdin' and shovin'

But always good fortune -

All smilin' and lovin'.

Irish Prayers:

Deep peace of the running waters to you.

Deep peace of the flowing air to you.

Deep peace of the smiling stars to you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you.

Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.

-An Old Gaelic Prayer

Grand me a sense of humor, Lord,

That saving grace to see a joke,

To win some happiness from life,

And pass it on to other folk.

Here's a couple random facts about St. Patrick's Day:

The word leprechaun comes from the Irish Gaelic word lobaircin which means "small bodied person".

St. Patrick's Day was first celebrated in the USA in 1737.

St. Patrick began his ministry in 432 and by the end of his ministry in 460 Ireland was almost entirely converted to Christianity. 

This quote is quite true! hehe

For the great Gaels of Ireland

Are the men that God made mad,

For all their wars are merry

And all their songs are sad.

-G.K. Chesterton

I hope you're having a delightful day! :)

Do you have any special plans for St. Patrick's Day? 

Irish Period Drama Quiz

Here's a little quiz about Irish related things in period dramas and classic literature. 

To Play: Leave your answers to the questions below in a comment. Try to answer questions without looking up the answers. I'll reply with your score, one point for each correctly guessed answer. 

1. Which character from Jane Austen's Persuasion thinks Captain Wentworth looks Irish?
a. Mr. Musgrove
b. Charles Hayter
c. Lady Dalrymple
d. Nurse Rook

2. What was the full name of Jane Austen's Irish suitor?
a. Tom William Lafroy
b. Harris Bigg Withers
c. Robert Lewis Fowle
d. Thomas Langlois Lefroy

3. Which older Disney film features a singing Irish butler?
a. Summer Magic
b. The Happiest Millionaire
c.  Pollyanna
d. The Shaggy Dog

4. Which classic author's father was Irish?
a. Elizabeth Gaskell
b. Charles Dickens
c. Thomas Hardy
d. Charlotte Bronte

5. Which period drama talks about Irish immigrant workers?
a. Cranford
b. Oliver Twist
c. North & South
d. Miss Potter

6. In which Jane Austen novel does a young lady reject her friend's invitations to visit them in Ireland?
a. Pride and Prejudice
b. Mansfield Park
c. Northanger Abbey
d. Emma

7. Which character in The Young Victoria (and Victoria & Albert) is an Irishman?
a. Lord Melbourne
b. Sir Robert Peel
c. Sir John Conroy
d. Baron Stockmar

8. Which of these period drama stars were born in Ireland?
a. Richard Armitage
b. Michael Gambon
c. Colin Firth
d. Matthew Macfadyen

9. Which of these playwrights was born in Ireland?
a. Oscar Wilde
b. J.M. Barrie
c. William Shakespeare
d. W.H. Auden

10. Which of these classic musicals features main characters from Ireland?
a. Brigadoon
b. My Fair Lady
c. Fiddler On The Roof
d. Finian's Rainbow

11. Which of these black & white films features the song 'An Irish Lullaby' (aka 'Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra')?
a. Miracle on 34th Street
b. The Bells of St. Mary's
c. Going My Way
d. My Man Godfrey

12. Which of these Jane Austen adaptations was filmed entirely in Ireland?
a. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
b. Northanger Abbey (2007)
c. Emma (2009)
d. Persuasion (2007)

And a few questions just for fun:

13. Do you have any Irish in your family tree?

14. Have you ever visited Ireland?

15. Do you have any favorite Irish songs or singers?

16. Do you do anything special to celebrate St. Patrick's Day?


Answers will be posted next week!

Louisa May Alcott Unscramble Game - Answers!

These are the answers to the Louisa May Alcott Unscramble Game that I posted last week.
It was delightful to see how many of you are familiar with Alcott's characters and works!


Louisa May Alcott was born November 29, 1832 and died March 6, 1888. Her first work Flower Fables was published in 1849. The work we now know as Little Women was published in two parts - Little Women: or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy in 1868 and Good Wives in 1869 but today they are usually published together. There are two sequels to this tale which are Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886).
Even though Alcott is best known for Little Women she wrote many other stories including An Old Fashioned Girl (1870), Under The Lilacs (1878), Jack and Jill: A Village Tale (1880), The Inheritance (1849, unpublished until 1997), short story An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving and my two personal favorites Eight Cousins (1875) and Rose In Bloom (1876).  
For more information about Louisa May Alcott's life and works I highly recommend the delightful biography Invisible Louisa by by Cornelia Meigs.

Puzzle Answers:

Female Characters
1. MADASSEA BTHILTT - Mathilda Bassett (An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving)
2. REMP CABEOSLL - Rose Campbell (Eight Cousins & Rose In Bloom)
3. EDELH ADITON - Edith Adelon (The Inheritance)
4. PLTOO MLLYIN - Polly Milton (An Old Fashioned Girl)
5. AYC MAMRH - Amy March (Little Women)

Male Characters
6. TAURENRE LHEODOCE - Theodore Laurence (Little Women)
7. JROO BOHNK - John Brook (Little Women)
8. MPC CABEAMLL Mac Campbell - (Eight Cousins & Rose In Bloom)
9. FRERICHAH BRIED - Friedrich Bhaer (Little Women)

Novels
10. TTE IHERNNHIACE - The Inheritance
11. LOMELE WITTN - Little Women
12. ON LAS FAHIIRNED GLOD - An Old Fashioned Girl
13. EUSIT COIGHNS - Eight Cousins
14. UHILA TND LCEERS - Under The Lilacs
15. RONO MI BLOSE - Rose In Bloom

Players Scores:

Ella - 50 points

Jemimah - 48 points

Lit~Lass - 48 points

Sarah Grace (In His Wings) - 48 points

Naomi - 42 points! Good job!

Emily Ruth - 41 points
Melody - 41 points

Scullery Maid - 40 points

Charity - 37 points

Rachel Olivia - 34 points

Anne-girl - 29 points

birdienl - 28 points

Stephanie - 28 points

Thanks so much for everyone who played!

Which Louisa May Alcott works have you read?
Which are your favorites?

Film Review: Leap Year (2010)

I rarely review modern day films but in honor of St. Patrick's Day I wanted to review Leap Year (2010) because it's a recent favorite of mine and a fun film set in Ireland.

This film won't be for everyone so if you're not interested in modern comedic romances or Irish themed things just ignore this post.

Story: Anna Brady from Boston has always thought the story her father told about the Irish tradition of ladies proposing to their guys on February 29th was a silly idea. But when Anna's boyfriend Jeremy, a busy cardiologist, fails to propose to her she follows him to Ireland to pop the question. Bad weather forces her plane to land early so Anna must continue to Dublin by land and she enlists the help of Irish pub owner Declan O'Callahan to drive her. When his junky old car dies they must travel by foot, bus and train without killing each other - let the hilarity ensue!

Scenery: Gorgeous! Many picturesque views of Ireland including glens, cliffs, shorelines, rugged country, rolling hills and stone castles! Every scene is filled with beautiful color and richness.

Music: A mixture of original score with an Irish sound, Irish reels, pub classics and a few pop songs. The original soundtrack has some lovely songs and can be purchased from Amazon.

Costumes: Anna has some very cute feminine outfits but some low necklines. I loves her dress at the end, so sweet! She often wears $600 heels which are ridiculous for walking cross country. Declan has a smart jacket which I liked a lot. All clothes are modern but tasteful.

Acting: Some of the reviews I've read say the acting is terrible especially the fake Irish accents the Irish residents have. Some of the accents aren't great and some of the phrases and stories they tell are a little clique but still very charming and funny.
Amy Adams (Enchanted) who plays Anna is totally cute with her red hair and clumsiness. She's so pretty and I really enjoyed the mischief her character gets into. Matthew Goode (He Knew He Was Right) is a favorite and his portrayal of skeptical Declan is clever even though the Irish accent he dons isn't perfect. Together they made a very cute pair!

Objectionable Content: Because this is a modern and secular film there is some slightly objectionable content that gives the film a PG rating. Anna and her boyfriend have been "together" for four years and plan to buy an apartment together without getting married. On their trek cross country Anna and Declan stop at a Bed & Breakfast where they pretend to be married so the strict owners will let them stay. During dinner the other married guests kiss and tell Declan to kiss his "wife" so he and Anna share a kiss that lasts a bit longer than expected. Because the B&B owners think Anna and Declan are married they are given one bedroom which has no door on the bathroom and although they comically fight over the bed they both end up sleeping in the same bed but stay on their own sides. At a party Anna and Declan go to Anna has a bit too much to drink and is sick all over Declan's shoes. There is some slight language and name calling.

My Thoughts: This is a modern day romantic comedy that has a lot of cute and hilarious scenes. The love story is sweet but kind of fluffy. This film is definitely a chick flick and the view of Irish people and the accents used are kind of cheesy. But as a fun fluffy romp through beautiful Ireland I actually really like this film. Anna is a very sweet character with silly romantic notions and her trek across Ireland helps her too step out of her busy life and take a look at what really matters. *spoilers* As a hero Declan likes to have some fun teasing Anna about her city ways but when it come down to it he protects her, wants to make her happy and reminds her what's really important in life. *end of spoilers*
So overall this is one of my favorite films to watch around St. Paddy's Day and for me it's just a lot of fun.  

My Recommendations: Like I said this film won't be for everyone because of some of the slightly objectionable content so although it's rated PG I'd probably but this film at ages 13 and up. But if you happen to have a TV filter such as ClearPlay is would probably take out any objectionable language or scenes.  This is a modern film so again my period drama fans may want to just skip this post.


Have you seen Leap Year (2010)? What did you think of it?
Do you have any films you enjoy watching for St. Patrick's Day?



Very Truly Your's,

Irish Ballad: Mairi's Wedding

In honor of St. Patrick's Day fast approaching here is another of my favorite ballads. This one I learned is actually a Traditional Scottish ballad but I've always heard Irish singers preforming this song so I still think of it as Irish. 

The song tells the story of guests going to the wedding of Mairi, a local girl. The first verse speaks of the guest's traveling to the wedding; the second verse tells what Mairi looks like; and the third verse is a toast for the bride to have food, comfort and many children. In the chorus they are dancing "heel for heel and toe for toe" and "arm in arm and row on row".  

Mairi's Wedding

Chorus: 
Step it gaily, on we go

Heel for heel and toe for toe,

Arm in arm and row on row

All for Mairi's wedding.

Over hillways up and down

Myrtle green and bracken brown,

Past the sheiling through the town

All for sake of Mairi.

Red her cheeks as rowans are,

Bright her eye as any star,

Fairest o' them a' by far,

Is our darling Mairi.

Plenty herring, plenty meal

Plenty peat to fill her creel,

Plenty bonny bairns as weel

That's the toast for Mairi.

Words in Lyrics:

Mairi - a Scottish form of Mary, in some versions it's spelled Marie, pronounced mah-ree

bracken - large coarse fern often several feet high

sheiling - A hut or small cottage in an expessed or a retired place

rowans - tree with orange-red berrylike fruits

peat - dried peat moss used to make the fire burn better

creel - a wicker basket

bonny bairns as weel - pretty babies as well

History: Mairi's Wedding (also known as Marie's Wedding, the Lewis Bridal Song, or Mairi Bhan) is a Scottish folk song originally written in Gaelic by Johnny Bannerman for Mary McNiven. Written using a traditional Scottish tune, it was first played for McNiven in 1935 at the Old Highlanders Institute in Glasgow's Elmbank Street. Hugh S. Roberton translated the Gaelic version into English in 1936. It is also a Scottish country dance, 40 bar, reel time, devised in 1959 by James B. Cosh.

The High Kings - This version was the first I ever heard and is so much fun! The High Kings are my favorite Irish group, they sing all the old ballads, play so many different instruments and their voices blend so well together! For more on them you can read my post on The High Kings from last Ste. Paddy's Day. There's also a plain audio version of this song here.


The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - These guys are the essential Irish folk group that has inspired many of today's singers. Their version is just voice, guitar and banjo. The song ends on the video at around 2:00 and the rest of the video is an introduction for another song.


Harp Version - Just the tune played on harp by a talented lady named Kathleen.


The Corries - A favorite Scottish folk group of mine, they recorded the song under the Scottish title of Lewis Bridal Song.

Other versions include The Rankin Familiy's fun upbeat version and Noel McLoughlin's mostly acapella version.

Have you every heard Mairi's Wedding?Which of the versions above do you like best?