Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday
I remember my late husband talking about it.
He didn't like going out to bars and getting drunk on St. Patrick's Day as he remembered the days that you went to CHURCH on St. Patrick's Day.
The corned beef and cabbage bit is an American thing.
No one in Ireland ever ate corned beef and cabbage in his day (1930's)!
So, now ya'll know!
Céad míle fáilte everyone & Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Ireland for the Irish! 
= new reply since forum marked as read
In fact, my late husband learned Gaelic, Latin and English in school!
Some of those that immigrated during the Gold Rush years did not speak English.
NO IRISH NEED APPLY was the rule for many years.
In fact, if your surname had an "O", you were told to drop the "O".
My father never did any such thing! Never!
What is the Paddy's Day meal in Ireland then? 
His mother liked to kill a goose and have it for dinner.
That was something they only did on very special holidays as they were very poor.
Sad times it was in the '30's in Ireland.
His family was one of the few that had electricity and a radio!
Very different from American Paddy's Day for sure.
Yeah, lots of folks had it really rough in the 30s. They were lucky to have electricity & radio!
During the war all of the neighbors came to their house to find out WTF was going on with the war.
They had bombers flying over their farm.
It was not a good time!
Everyone that was able to get out, got out.
Can you blame them?
No, who could blame them?
Being they had the radio and electricity, that was a very big deal.
I have so many stories of his I could tell, like his encounter with a banshee during the procession of a Mrs. O'Shaughnessy that had died at the age of 109 years in Athenry. 
Have you considered writing a book about your experiences?
Forty-four years is a long long time.
He knew so much old knowledge that no one knows any longer, like his story about chasing the banshee in the field of Athenry c. 1945 or so!
He heard the wail and chased it and chased it but never caught the banshee.
The banshee is said to wail when anyone with a surname beginning with an "O" dies.
My surname begins with an "O" and I swear that banshee will wail when I die.
I'll be certain of that! 
Because, as you just said, nobody has that info these days.
Interesting aboug the banshee. I'd never heard of this term. Had to look it up.
My father had died.
My mother heard it too.
WE LEFT!
It scared the holy hell out of us! 
I need to do more reading on this concept for sure.
I haven't looked real hard but I believe him!
Anyone with a surname beginning with an "O" is from an ancient Celtic family as I am.
His family didn't have much to say after they questioned him about if I was Irish or not! 
I'll bet they didn't question him. 
>>Originally it was said that the Banshee only keened for the families; O’Grady, O’Neill, O’Brien, O’Connor, and Kavanagh. However, there are stories from various other families and that she particularly favorites those with an ‘O’ or a ‘Mc’ in the surname such as O’Brien or McNeill for example.
https://www.yourirish.com/folklore/banshees-in-ireland
More here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banshee
A welcoming? Sadness? Or...
Thx for sharing!
Is she calling them home?
Thx again for sharing!
