Happy St Patrick's Day

[tiltbillings]

An obair diabhail agat, a Naomh Pádraig.


My Saint Patrick's Day Wreath.

[plwk]

[Digity]

[Reductor]

Can teetotallers party, too?

[tiltbillings]

Can teetotallers party, too?

Oh, yeah. But St P himself, probably not so welcome.

[Ben]

Great photo, Tilt.
I think I'll be spending the day with Quinn exploring the innards of a cave complex not far from here, possibly via a rope and some head torches or two.

[tiltbillings]

Great photo, Tilt.
I think I'll be spending the day with Quinn exploring the innards of a cave complex not far from here, possibly via a rope and some head torches or two.

Sounds like fun, but do be careful.

[Ben]

Great photo, Tilt.
I think I'll be spending the day with Quinn exploring the innards of a cave complex not far from here, possibly via a rope and some head torches or two.

Sounds like fun, but do be careful.

We will, thanks. The caves are home to a cave spider that give a nasty bight.
And its someone's birthday adventure.

[porpoise]

Can teetotallers party, too?

"Teetotal"? Something to do with golf?

[plwk]

Great photo, Tilt.
I think I'll be spending the day with Quinn exploring the innards of a cave complex not far from here, possibly via a rope and some head torches or two.

Don't forget the Atanatiya Sutta and metta.... never know what little green men are inside....

[Khalil Bodhi]

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

[tiltbillings]

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Yes. As long as St P is not invited.

[Mr Man]

Aren't we a week early here?

[Kim O'Hara]

Aren't we a week early here?

Wouldn't want to be late for the ceilidh, would we?

Kim

[Reductor]

Can teetotallers party, too?

Oh, yeah. But St P himself, probably not so welcome.

Now I'm curious: why not? I could read wiki and see if I can figure out the answer, but that article's too long.

[tiltbillings]

Can teetotallers party, too?

Oh, yeah. But St P himself, probably not so welcome.

Now I'm curious: why not? I could read wiki and see if I can figure out the answer, but that article's too long.

Of course the history of Ireland is long, complicated, and difficult. A wreath of snakes is not a celebration of a Christian missionary who according to legend drove out of the island all the snakes. And the snake is, of course, in its Christian mythos a symbol of the devil and in this context it is also a symbol of the druidic religion of the Ireland, which according to legend Patrick destroyed. The reality, needless to say, is not the legend. The Christianization of Ireland took very much longer than Saint P's life time, and the Roman Catholicizing of Irish Christianity took even longer, and then add to that ugly and often brutal occupation of Ireland by the English . . . . Fortunately, the recent exposures of wide spread and long term Catholic Church abuses in Ireland has done much to undermine the grip that church has on the Irish culture and politics.

Be that as it may, a wreath of snakes is not a celebration of either Patrick or his religion. It is, rather, a nod to the pagan Irish forefathers and foremothers whose influences still add some color to a very rich palette.



Gaeilge (Irish)
Bábóg na Bealtaine, maighdean an tSamhraidh,
Suas gach cnoc is síos gach gleann,
Cailíní maiseacha bán-gheala gléasta,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.

Samhradh, samhradh, bainne na ngamhna,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.
Samhradh buí na nóinín glégeal,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.

Thugamar linn é ón gcoill chraobhaigh,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.
Samhradh buí ó luí na gréine,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.

Samhradh, samhradh, bainne na ngamhna,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.
Samhradh buí na nóinín glégeal,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.

Tá an fhuiseog ag seinm ‘sag luascadh sna spéartha,
Áthas do lá is bláth ar chrann.
Tá an chuach is an fhuiseog ag seinm le pléisiúr,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.

Samhradh, samhradh, bainne na ngamhna,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.
Samhradh buí na nóinín glégeal,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.

Béarla (English)

Mayday doll, maiden of Summer
Up every hill and down every glen,
Beautiful girls, radiant and shining,
We have brought the Summer in.

Summer, Summer, milk of the calves,
We have brought the Summer in.
Yellow summer of clear bright daisies,
We have brought the Summer in.

We brought it in from the leafy woods,
We have brought the Summer in.
Yellow Summer from the time of the sunset,
We have brought the Summer in.

Summer, Summer, milk of the calves,
We have brought the Summer in.
Yellow summer of clear bright daisies,
We have brought the Summer in.

The lark is singing and swinging around in the skies,
Joy for the dat and the flower on the trees.
The cuckoo and the lark are singing with pleasure,
We have brought the Summer in.

Summer, Summer, milk of the calves,
We have brought the Summer in.
Yellow summer of clear bright daisies,
We have brought the Summer in.

[Reductor]

Be that as it may, a wreath of snakes is not a celebration of either Patrick or his religion. It is, rather, a nod to the pagan Irish forefathers and foremothers whose influences still add some color to a very rich palette.

Gaeilge (Irish)
Bábóg na Bealtaine, maighdean an tSamhraidh,
Suas gach cnoc is síos gach gleann,
Cailíní maiseacha bán-gheala gléasta,
Thugamar féin an samhradh linn.
....

Thanks for the explanation and the song, Tilt. I wikied about the Irish language, and was interested to see that its rate of daily use has risen some in the last six years. Although it's a bummer about it being driven to the point of decimation in the first place. The loss of languages in the world strikes me as loss of human wonder, to be honest.

How is your own study of it going, if you don't mind my asking?

[tiltbillings]

How is your own study of it going, if you don't mind my asking?

I'll never be able to carry on a conversation, but my goal is to be able to read it and that is progressing. Thanks for asking.

[Reductor]

How is your own study of it going, if you don't mind my asking?

I'll never be able to carry on a conversation, but my goal is to be able to read it and that is progressing. Thanks for asking.

That's good to hear

G'night (lordy, why do I stay up so late?)

[tiltbillings]

How is your own study of it going, if you don't mind my asking?

I'll never be able to carry on a conversation, but my goal is to be able to read it and that is progressing. Thanks for asking.

That's good to hear

G'night (lordy, why do I stay up so late?)

I work night shift, and when I am not working I keep to those hours, otherwise I end up with jet-lag, or as i refer to it: sleep hell.