2017
Get outa my garden [Ireland]
Ya slithery snakes Ya!
St Patrick 2017. Get outa my garden Ya slithery snakes Ya!
2016 Activities.
Beannachtai La le Padraigh!
So on this special occasion, I want to wish you a Happy Patrick’s Day, enjoy the brief verse, and be modest with the booze!
St. Patrick was a gentleman
Who through strategy and stealth
Drove all the snakes from Ireland.
Here’s toasting to his health !
But not too many toastings
lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good Saint Patrick
And see all those snakes again!!
Welcome to Paddy’s week 2013, departing @ 1200 hours.
Brace yourself, pace yourself, learn new things & most of all enjoy yourself…
I am delighted to put together a record of past and current activities around Málaga province where Saint Patricks Day is and has been celebrated.
Malaga City, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Marbella are notable in their events over the years. Saint Patricks Day is an excuse for everybody to be Irish for a day, irrespective of where you are from and to dress up and celebrate in a jovial manner.
Wearing Green is essential. Dancing, singing and drinking Guinness seems to also make up a large part of the day. Very often it falls in or around the time when the six Nations Rugby takes place between England and Ireland. This it is is over with England winning at Twickenham.
Dolores watches the match on TV – England v Ireland .
Bob likes wearing hats.
Get outa me garden Ya snakes Ya! Click Here!
Get outa me garden Ya snakes Ya….!
Paddy drives the snakes from Ireland. They are now mostly living in ………?
Happy Saint Patrick´s Day!
I always thought that Saint Patrick was all to do with Drink and a day off school and work, pubs closed and a dog show in the RDS in Dublin. But NO!
I checked it out on the net & and lo and behold:
It is unclear exactly where Patricius Magonus Sucatus (Patrick) was born–somewhere in the west between the mouth of the Severn and the Clyde–but this most popular Irish saint was probably born in Scotland of British origin, perhaps in a village called Bannavem Taberniae. (Other possibilities are in Gaul or at Kilpatrick near Dunbarton, Scotland.) His father, Calpurnius, was a deacon and a civil official, and his grandfather was a priest.
About 405, when Patrick was in his teens (14-16), he was captured by Irish raiders and became a slave in Ireland. There in Ballymena (or Slemish) in Antrim (or Mayo), Patrick first learned to pray intensely while tending his master’s sheep. After six years, he was told in a dream that he should be ready for a courageous effort that would take him back to his homeland.
He ran away from his owner and travelled 200 miles to the coast. His initial request for free passage on a ship was turned down, but he prayed, and the sailors called him back. The ship on which he escaped was taking dogs to Gaul (France). At some point he returned to his family in Britain, then seems to have studied at the monastery of Lerins from 412 to 415.
He received some kind of training for the priesthood in either Britain or Gaul, possibly in Auxerre, including study of the Latin Bible, but his learning was not of a high standard, and he was to regret this always. He spent the next 15 years at Auxerre were he became a disciple of Saint Germanus of Auxerre and was possibly ordained about 417.
It is said that in visions he heard voices in the wood of Focult (Focault) or that he dreamed of Ireland and determined to return to the land of his slavery as a missionary. In that dream or vision he heard a cry from many people together and he read a writing in which this cry was name ‘the voice of the Irish.’
There is no reliable account of his work in Ireland, where he had been a captive. Legends include the stories that he drove snakes from Ireland, and that he described the Trinity by referring to the shamrock, and that he singlehandedly–an impossible task–converted Ireland. Nevertheless, St. Patrick established the Catholic Church throughout Ireland on lasting foundations: he travelled throughout the country preaching, teaching, building churches, opening schools and monasteries, converting chiefs and bards, and everywhere supporting his preaching with miracles.
At Tara in Meath he is said to have confronted King Laoghaire on Easter Eve with the Christian Gospel, kindled the light of the paschal fire on the hill of Slane, confounded the Druids into silence, and gained a hearing for himself as a man of power. He converted the king’s daughters (a tale I’ve recounted under their entry). He threw down the idol of Crom Cruach in Leitrim. Patrick wrote that he daily expected to be violently killed or enslaved again.
And a bit more!
We are told that often Patrick baptized hundreds on a single day. He would come to a place, a crowd would gather, and when he told them about the true God, the people would cry out from all sides that they wanted to become Christians. Then they would move to the nearest water to be baptized.
On such a day Aengus, a prince of Munster, was baptized. When Patrick had finished preaching, Aengus was longing with all his heart to become a Christian. The crowd surrounded the two because Aengus was such an important person. Patrick got out his book and began to look for the place of the baptismal rite but his crozier got in the way.
As you know, the bishop’s crozier often has a spike at the bottom end, probably to allow the bishop to set it into the ground to free his hands. So, when Patrick fumbled searching for the right spot in the book so that he could baptize Aengus, he absent-mindedly stuck his crosier into the ground just beside him–and accidentally through the foot of poor Aengus!
Patrick, concentrating on the sacrament, never noticed what he had done and proceeded with the baptism. The prince never cried out, nor moaned; he simply went very white. Patrick poured water over his bowed head at the simple words of the rite. Then it was completed. Aengus was a Christian. Patrick turned to take up his crozier and was horrified to find that he had driven it through the prince’s foot!
“But why didn’t you say something? This is terrible. Your foot is bleeding and you’ll be lame. . . .” Poor Patrick was very unhappy to have hurt another.
Then Aengus said in a low voice that he thought having a spike driven through his foot was part of the ceremony. He added something that must have brought joy to the whole court of heaven and blessings on Ireland:
“Christ,” he said slowly, “shed His blood for me, and I am glad to suffer a little pain at baptism to be like Our Lord” (Curtayne).
In art, St. Patrick is represented as a bishop driving snakes before him or trampling upon them. At times he may be shown (1) preaching with a serpent around the foot of his pastoral staff; (2) holding a shamrock; (3) with a fire before him; or (4) with a pen and book, devils at his feet, and seraphim above him (Roeder, White).
He is patron of Nigeria (which was evangelized primarily by Irish clergy) and of Ireland and especially venerated at Lerins (Roeder, White).
Slainte!
Go out there Son and act the Bollix!
Benalmadena is the place where a parade after Mass has been taking place for years. Organized by Tony Bell, the afters consisted plenty of diddly eye music and leapin´ about aided by no shortage of drink and Folks decked out in green and false beards and red hair.
Fuengirola pubs have been getting into the mood over the years. BJ Burkes is a centre for plenty of singing and early booze. I asked a friend a couple of years ago what he was doing for Paddys Day – “Ah, the usual. Mass BJ Burkes, a bit of a sing along and a few pints then off to El Castillo for some of Richie´s Coddle and a bit more singing and drinking. Sure what more would you be doing?”
Myramar Shopping Centre in Fuengirola organizes some Irish dancing, free Guinness and lots of music with face painting thrown in. This event is covered by FTV local TV.
Málaga City has been doing things on a grand scale for a number of years with the centre point being the Mass and the wearing of the Green and the meeting up with old Buddies for chat. Not much drinking nor singing but an interesting morning out in iglesia San Patricio. Background in Malaga City over the years.
Marbella have pub and restaurant centered entertainment organized this year for the first time under the Irish Club Marbella banner. Looking forward to that.
Location: Las Terrazas del Puerto Deportivo de Marbella – The Terraces of Marbella Marina
Celebrating Ireland ’s national day in Marbella in Spain, the first time to do an event of this kind and magnitude in a public space in Marbella (widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora).
Showcasing the very best of Irish foods & drinks;
Irish music and dance and Spanish flamenco dance, an inherent part of both our cultures.
Finola Sloyan, Festival Co-ordinator.
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ST. PATRICK’S DAY MESSAGE 2014
FROM PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MICHAEL D. HIGGINS
I am delighted to send best wishes for St Patrick’s Day to the people of Ireland and to our global family and friends around the world.
The 17th of March is a day when we remember St Patrick and the very challenging circumstances under which he arrived on our shores. Despite the fact that he was a Roman-Briton who came to Ireland as a slave, Patrick forgave his captors and accepted the Irish he encountered as his own community. We recall the transformative power of his great spirit of forgiveness and generosity. It was this generous spirit that commended Patrick to be embraced as our beloved patron saint. His name has since become synonymous with an inclusive and authentic version of Irishness with its stress on the duty and the joys of hospitality.
For those of us who will spend St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, I hope its celebration, in the company of family and friends, will connect with those deep authentic aspects of Irish life which we share and of which we are rightly proud – our music, our culture, our sports, our natural environment and our rich community life.
In recent years, there has been a welcome increase in the number and nature of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations facilitating greater participation by the diverse communities who make up the tapestry of our lives together. The many parades that now take place across the country express our citizens’ pride in their home place; they are valuable expressions of community solidarity and are deserving of our participation and support.
St. Patrick’s Day also marks the advent of spring, a season of renewal that is keenly welcomed after the severe weather of recent weeks and the destruction it has caused. Patrick’s values of pastoral concern and human solidarity were much in evidence as members of the emergency services, local authority workers and good neighbours reached out to assist those who were afflicted by the storms and the flooding. It was an uplifting example of that spirit of friendship and generosity embodied by Patrick in his own lifetime and which continues to define our sense of community today.
As we reflect on the remarkable life of St Patrick, we are also conscious of how the theme of migration has remained an important part of our national narrative. It continues to play a significant role in defining us as a society and as a people. Today we celebrate our wider and diverse Irish family, to whom we remain connected by a strong cultural heritage and history. We are grateful for all they do to keep that heritage alive in their adopted homelands across the globe, as well as for their interest in, and tangible support for, Ireland’s welfare and development. Today is a special day for all those Irish communities great and small across the world that come together in a spirit of pride and joy to celebrate their identity and their links of affinity and affection with their homeland of origin.
On St. Patrick’s Day, our recent emigrants from Ireland will, in particular, be foremost in our thoughts. Where ever they may be, we hope that our sons and daughters are happy and prospering in their adopted communities and that they will have some opportunity, with friends and neighbours, to share the joyous celebration of our patron saint. I am especially conscious of Irish peacekeepers and humanitarian workers whose sense of service to vulnerable people in distant places prevents them from being home on this special day. Just as we remember our own emigrants, we should also be mindful of those migrants who have made Ireland their new home and, on this day in particular, make a special effort to include them in our national celebration.
To all those who share this island, to Irish people by birth or descent wherever they may be in the world and to those who simply consider themselves to be friends of Ireland, I wish each and every one of you a happy, peaceful and authentically Irish St. Patrick’s Day.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY MESSAGE 2013
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT MICHAEL D. HIGGINS
To Irish people everywhere and to the friends of Ireland around the world,
I send my best wishes for St Patrick’s Day.
The 17th of March is a day when we celebrate the life and memory of our Patron Saint, Saint Patrick. It is also a day when, with our wider Irish family around the world, we reflect on our shared past; celebrate the unique culture and heritage which make us proud of our Irishness; express solidarity with each other in our communities; and show our gratitude to all those who have been, or are being, of assistance to Irish people at home and abroad.
In his life, St Patrick faced many challenges and adversities. He did so with a great generosity of spirit, forgave readily and refused to succumb to fatalism or resentment. Like St Patrick, we are today living through our own troubling and testing times. We too have been called on to show resilience, fortitude and the wisdom to move beyond destructive cynicism and recrimination. Many people have undeniably been hurt by the crisis of recent years; today we should think of them and reach out to them. I have in recent times witnessed across the country a great capacity and determination to learn from the failures of the past and to craft with compassion, and in solidarity with each other, a new version of our Irishness, of which we can all be proud.
Today we celebrate together a positive Irishness and take pride in the impact and resonance of Irish culture and heritage across the world. We celebrate the creativity, community spirit and rich culture for which we, as a nation, are recognised.
In recent days, I have invited to Áras an Uachtaráin some of Ireland’s best artists to demonstrate through conversation and performance the depth and breadth of our island’s cultural richness and its reach across the global Diaspora. Titled “The Glaoch” or Calling, the fruits of that invitation will be transmitted world-wide over the St. Patrick’s Day week-end. I hope it makes its contribution to our celebration of Irishness, both by those who come to visit us and by those Irish abroad wherever they are gathered.
Today we remember especially our Irish community abroad. We are richer for their stories and experiences and are grateful for their continued connection and contribution to the country so many of them still call ‘home’. 2013 is a special year here in Ireland; a year when we are reaching out to our many friends, family and connections overseas, inviting them to join us in a year-long celebration of all that is special about our country. The Gathering is a valuable opportunity to come together with our wider Irish community and enjoy a vibrant programme of events and festivals that will celebrate the best of Irish culture, arts, science, creativity, music, heritage and people.
At this time, we remember those Irish people whose peace-keeping and humanitarian work has brought them overseas. We also remember those Irish citizens who have been separated from their homeland through involuntary emigration and may not be able to visit home this year. I wish you, in particular, a happy and fulfilled time in your new countries. When economic circumstances allow and should you choose to do so, I hope that many of you will return to live and work in Ireland once again. Your return will be one that brings much joy and content to your families and communities.
All Irish people, wherever they may be in the world and whatever their circumstances, are in our thoughts on this special day; a day when we celebrate our Irishness and rejoice in being part of a global family and community of whom we can be very proud. I wish all of you a very happy and peaceful St Patrick’s Day.
Michael D Higgins
Uachtaráin na hÉireann
President of Ireland
MÁRTA, 2013
LÁ FHÉILE PÁDRAIG 2013
TEACHTAIREACHT ÓN UACHTARÁN MICHEÁL D. Ó hUIGÍNN
Is mian liom beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig a ghuí ar mhuintir na hÉireann agus ar cháirde na hÉireann ar fud an domhain.
Is lá é an seachtú lá déag de Mhárta nuair a dhéanaimid comóradh ar shaol agus ar chuimhne ár nÉarlamh, Naomh Pádraig. Is lá é freisin nuair a dhéanaimid machnamh ar an am atá thart, i bpáirt lenár muintir Éireannach ar fud na cruinne; nuair a dhéanaimid ceiliúradh ar an gcultúr agus ar an oidhreacht faoi leith a dhéanann muid bródúil as ár ndúchas Éireannach; nuair a léirímid dlúthpháirtíocht lena chéile inár bpobail; agus nuair a chuirimid ár mbuíochas in iúl dóibh siúd go léir a bhí, nó atá fós, ag cabhrú le muintir na hÉireann sa bhaile agus thar lear.
I rith a shaoil thug Naomh Pádraig aghaidh ar go leor dúshlán agus ar an gcruatan. Rinne sé é sin le dea-chroí mór, thug sé maithiúnas go fonnmhar, agus dhiúltaigh sé géilleadh don chinniúnachas nó don doicheall. Ach an oiread le Naomh Pádraig, táimid ag maireachtáil ar an aimsir seo atá duamhar agus achrannach. Tá iarrtha orainn, chomh maith, a bheith somheanmach agus neartmhar, agus an eagna a thaispeáint a thabharfaidh thar an tsoiniciúlacht dhíobhálach agus an imcháineadh muid.
Níl aon dabht ach gur goilleadh ar chuid mhaith daoine de thoradh na géarchéime le blianta beaga anuas; ba cheart dúinn smaoineamh orthu agus cabhrú leo inniu. Táim tar éis a thabhairt faoi deara, ó cheann ceann na tíre, go bhfuil cumas agus acmhainn sna daoine agus gur mian leo foghlaim ó na botúin atá déanta san am atá caite agus go bfhuil siad ag iarraidh leagan nua dár nÉireannachas, a mbeimid go léir bródúil as, a chruthú i gcomhpháirt agus le comhbhá dá chéile.
Inniú tá ceiliúradh á dhéanamh againn ar an méid atá dearfach san Éireannachas agus táimid mórtasach as tionchar agus as macalla chultúr agus oidhreacht na hÉireann ar fud an domhain. Déanaimid ceiliúradh ar an gcruthaitheacht, ar an spiorad pobail agus ar an gcultúr saibhir as a n-aithnítear muid mar náisiún.
Le gairid, thug mé cuireadh chuig Áras an Uachtaráin do chuid de scoth na n-ealaíontóirí in Éirinn chun a léiriú, trí imagallamh agus trí thaibhiú, doimhne agus fairsinge shaibhreas cultúrtha an oileáin seo agus a réim trasna an diaspóra dhomhanda.
Déanfar toradh an chuiridh sin, ar a dtugtar “An Glaoch”, a chraobhscaoileadh ar fud an domhain le linn dheireadh seachtaine Lá Fhéile Pádraig. Tá súil agam go gcuirfidh sé lenár gceiliúradh ar an Éireannachas a dhéanfaidh siad siúd a thiocfaidh ar cuairt orainn agus muintir na hÉireann thar lear araon.
Cuimhnimid go háirithe inniú ar an bpobal Éireannach thar lear. Is saibhre muid de thoradh a scéalta agus a dtaithí agus táimid buíoch as a gceangal leanúnach agus as a gcion tairbhe don tír a dtugann an oiread sin díobh ‘an baile’ air. Is bliain speisialta í dhá mhíle agus a trí déag (2013) anseo in Éirinn; bliain ina ndéanaimid teagmháil lenár gcairde, ár gclanna agus lenár gceangail thar lear, agus ina dtugaimid cuireadh dóibh bheith inár dteannta agus ceiliúradh bliana a dhéanamh ar gach a bhfuil speisialta faoin tír seo. Is deis luachmhar atá againn sa Tóstal teacht le chéile i bpobal fairsing na hÉireann agus taitneamh a bhaint as clár beoga imeachtaí agus féilte a dhéanfaidh ceiliúradh ar scoth an chultúir, na n-ealaíon, na heolaíochta, na cruthaitheachta, an cheoil, na hoidhreachta agus na ndaoine in Éirinn.
Ag an am seo, cuimhnimid ar na hÉireannaigh sin atá imithe thar lear chun obair dhaonchabhrach a dhéanamh agus chun an tsíocháin a choimeád. Cuimhnimid, freisin, ar na saoránaigh Éireannacha sin atá scartha óna dtír dhúchais de bharr eisimirce in aghaidh a dtola agus nach mbeidh ábalta, b’fhéidir, teacht abhaile ar cuairt i mbliana. Ba mhaith liom gach rath agus saol sásta a ghuí oraibh in bhur dtíortha nua. Nuair a cheadóidh na cúinsí eacnamaíochta é agus dá mba mhian libh é, tá súil agam go bhfillfidh go leor díbh ar Éirinn chun oibre agus chun cónaithe. Is cúis áthais agus sástachta a bheidh ann do bhur gclanna agus bhur bpobail nuair a fhillfidh sibh.
Tá muintir uile na hÉireann, cibé áit ina bhfuil siad, agus cibé cúinsí ina bhfuil siad, inár smaointe ar an lá speisialta seo; lá a ndéanaimid ceiliúradh ar ár ndúchas Éireannach agus a bhfuilimid ríméadach faoin bpáirt atá againn sa chomhluadar agus sa phobal domhanda a bhféadaimid a bheith an-bhródúil as. Guím Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona agus síochánta oraibh go léir.
MICHÉAL D. ÓhUIGÍNN
UACHTARÁN NA hÉIREANN
MÁRTA, 2013
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Thought you might like this piece.
Irishman Joe Donnellan lives in the US and to put it mildly he’s a little upset about the way some Americans celebrate St Patrick’s Day or ‘St Patty’s Day.’
Have a read of his open letter below, which was originally posted on his blog, to see what gripes him. Be warned, it contains a bit of strong language.
Dear America,
First of all, I would like to profoundly thank you. Your attempt to embrace our culture of donning ugly green clothes with blatant disregard for the highly fashion conscious, and drinking to excess in the name of a wise and holy man who was not even born in our country is nothing short of admirable. It is a huge endorsement to the Irish people that “having the craic” is an acceptable thing to do.
Secondly, I would like to thank you for welcoming us Irish over in our droves through the years, from the great famine to the not-so-great recession that now grips our once questionably-great nation. Thank you for receiving us so readily and then making it so difficult to remain legally. When we wade through the spirit-crushing red-tape and excessive paper-work, it is a real confidence-booster and show of solidarity and brotherhood to then be labeled “non-resident aliens” instead of “illegal aliens”. It is promotions such as these that make your country one that everyone aspires to be in.
Sadly, this is all the praise I can muster for your self-proclaimed great country when it comes to Irishness and everything that is associated with it. St. Patrick’s Day, it appears, brings this to bear even more-so. This is why I am issuing a forewarning of sorts. The first decree I would issue were I to be “The High Lord Decider of Who is Allowed to Celebrate March 17th” (that’s not a real thing, but it should be) would be this:
If you refer to it as Patty’s day, you should be taken aside, given a rectal examination by a leprechaun (pronounced: lep-re-cawn. Not pronounced: Le-preshen or Lep-re-shaun), drowned in his pot of gold, and your burial should take place under a fairy tree, eulogized by a Celtic monk, as Saoirse, a red-headed girl with freckles, plucks at a harp. Michael Flatley could then dance on your grave, and young lads walking home from Supermacs can take turns urinating on it.
American chain-restaurants & eateries – you are not fooling anyone with your feeble attempts at an Irish menu for St. Patrick’s weekend. Yes, Guinness is distinctly Irish and is widely drank in the country. However, adding Guinness to your sauces does not make a dish Irish. Calling Buffalo Chicken Wings, Pot o’ Gold Wings does not add any Celtic charm, and putting pistachio (which are Iranian funnily enough) in your donuts does not an Irish breakfast make. My favorite restaurant, the 99, is one of the most embarrassing culprits, with Honey Dew Donuts not far behind.
American people – you are not Irish, no matter how many “four leaf clovers” (they’re called shamrocks) you paint on your cheeks or how much green beer you drink. We don’t mind you participating in the drinking culture which stifles any production that our fine country can have. In fact, we very much welcome it. If every other country drank as much as us, we would become very productive very quickly. Just don’t maintain you are Irish because your aunt’s, grand mother on your half sister’s, father’s side was born in “Cowny Coark. Is that a place? I think that’s where she came from.”
Instead, why not just celebrate a day of Irishness as an American who wants to be Irish for a day, rather than one who thinks they’re Irish all their life. If you are going to make it so hard for us to stay within your borders, we’re sure as hell not going to give up our culture and identity like some girl in Copper Face Jacks after Maniac 2000 has been played.
We enjoy the whole leprechaun thing from time-to-time and we embrace our drinking culture with blatant disregard for our bodies, relationships, and self-image. Sometimes we even enjoy the bejaysus, begorrah and begosh, shillelagh-in-me-ear-and-shamrock-up-me-arse type stuff, but we’re not complete idiots. We’ve come a long way and we know we have, so just keep that in mind. We’re people too, difficult and all as that is to process when you just sit there waiting for us to shit pots of gold and speak in Gaelic.
Also, these pub crawls weeks in advance of the actual day are cheating. Half the fun of Paddy’s Day is trying to make it through the next day of work without shitting your pants, or finding a creative excuse when you’re the seventeenth person who has called in sick to your place of work.
However, I would like to end this on a positive note. America, it is with hope in my heart that I send you this letter, hope that you will embrace our culture in just the right way, hope that we can overcome our differences on what it means to be Irish and celebrate this day the way St. Patrick would have wanted – drinking a bottle of Buckfast on Spanish Arch if it isn’t raining. Judging by the amount of complete bollocks I’ve seen around the place already though, I highly doubt it.
Yours in inordinate consumption of alcohol for no discernible reason,
Joe Donnellan
PS If you are unfamiliar with a combination of Copper Face Jacks, Buckfast, Supermacs, or Spanish Arch, you are not Irish. That, or you are from Dublin.
PPS We realize our president doesn’t do us any favors in the we-aren’t-all-leprechauns, but he’s a nice man.
2014: My wife and I will be exhibiting our artworks under the AIA banner in Fuengirola.
Well done on putting this page together, Roger, and isn’t our President turning out to be a fantastic ambassador for the arts. It warms the cockles of my heart!