Luck 'O the Irish

I have been fortunate enough to experience St. Patrick’s Day celebrations all over the globe. Well, actually I just happened to be on vacation a couple of times during the week of March 17. It seems to be a worldwide celebration wherever you are, although I think everyone just likes the idea of green beer and lucky leprechauns with pots of gold. :)

In 2005, Derek and I were in New York City during St. Patrick’s Day, and we were very excited to see one of the oldest American St. Paddy’s parades. Needless to say, we were quite surprised that the parade consisted of marching groups, bagpipe groups and politicians.

No green beer, no beads, no bands… we were definitely NOT in the south. Don’t get me wrong… tradition is great and everything, but it might be a bit more enjoyable if it wasn’t so quiet and somber. I think everyone would have just stared at us in disbelief if we had yelled, “Throw me something, Mister!”

In 2006, we happened to be on the last night of our honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for St. Patrick’s Day. We wandered into town to find a little restaurant and bar called Senor Sweeney’s having a St. Patty’s Day party complete with Guinness AND t-shirts.

Come to find out, they have a “brother bar” in St. Paul, Minnesota, that hosts a big party for St. Paddy’s Day, too. I never thought I’d find an Irish pub in Mexico, but we did! And we bought a t-shirt as a souvenir, too… :)

While I’m sure the St. Patrick’s Day parties in Ireland are obviously the most authentic, there’s one place that celebrates the holiday with enough debauchery to make any Irishman proud… home sweet home Jackson, Mississippi!

The Hal and Mal’s St. Paddy’s Day Parade is a Jackson tradition, dating back to the early ‘80s. It’s gotten bigger and bigger every year with more and more crazy Sweet Potato Queen wannabes. It’s quite the sight to see. I’ve “heard” it’s supposedly the third largest St. Patrick’s parade in the world. Whether that’s the truth or not, it’s definitely a lot of fun!

I saw on the news this morning that 34 million Americans claim Irish ancestry, and I’m one of them. I’m sure my cousin who traces genealogy could tell me for sure, but we have entirely too many redheads on the Bice side to claim otherwise. So, in honor of my ancestors, Happy St. Patrick’s Day and may the Luck ‘O the Irish be with you! :)