WEARIN' OF THE GREEN

Long before 'Wearing of the green' was proclaimed by environmental devotees,  'Wearin' of the Green'  was meant for the Irish , and the  wanna be Irish - at least for a day.  St. Patrick's Day brings happy thoughts of  leprechauns, shillelagh's, shammrocks  and a pot o' gold, but primarily it's a day  set aside by the church to   honor the man who  brought the faith to Ireland, and according to folklore rid the land of snakes.   The building up  of  the Christian communities which he found on his arrival, and the planting of the faith in new regions give him his place as the patron of Ireland.

St. Patrick's famous Lorica (meaning breastplate in Latin)  is one of my favorite prayers:

I arise today
Througth God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of the devils,
From tempations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in a multitude.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through a confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

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St. Patrick's Day (part 2)

I've always been proud of my Irish heritage and like  my Irish name. My son Gavin has a good Irish name, too - after my maternal great-grandmother whose maiden name was Gavin,  and Patrick for the Irish saint.  My husband likes to say he's Irish, but Dobbs' is really  an English name, but not Cooney.  Cooney  is all Irish, so is Norton on my mother's side - giving me a double dose of the Irish to celebrate. 

My dad loves music, especially an Irish tune. My grandpa Cooney  liked the Irish song, too and used to sing to my dad when he was little. Dad wrote the poem below telling of this sweet memory.


 MY IRISH SONG
 by Ron W. Cooney

I’m Irish heritage so I’m told,
But my mother, she was English.
Born and blessed with an Irish name,
Never had I another wish

As a boy, my dad, I’ll never forget –
Sang to me the Irish  song
I listened and learned and never forgot –
To me they’ll always belong

I always thought so Irish
I was raised to think in green
I liked all things of Erin –
All the Irish lore I’ve known and seen.

Finally I went to the emerald isle –
How long had I dreamed of this?
A personal experience that meant so much,
In my lifetime I would never miss

I visited the Ring of Kerry,
I kissed the blarney stone.
But never did  I find the poet Yeats;
Not even Molly Malone.

I walked by the river Liffey,
Went to Killarney too –
It’s a long, long way to Tipperary –
How to get there, I had no clue

Found Shamrocks and Guinness and Jameson –
Found pubs and the Book of Kells;
Found the history and culture and legends -
How I love the land of the Celts!

As I met the Irish people –
And listened to their music glad –
My heart went back to my boyhood,
To Irish songs sung by dad.

He now lives in my memories,
Where I sat upon his knee
A voice as sweet as an Irish lilt –
His singing folk songs just to me