It’s one of my favorite days of year; a chance to celebrate and reflect on my heritage.
My mom was born in Ireland (County Leitrim) and my dad’s mom was born in County Mayo. According to 23andMe, I am 100% northwestern European, with 97.7 percent of that being British/Irish. For all intents and purposes, I consider myself 100% Irish.
The Irish are known for their love of music, so I thought I would share just a handful of my favorite Irish songs. It was tough to choose just a few songs, since there are so many great ones to pick from, and I’ve written many blog posts over the years featuring Irish music.
Some of these may not be considered traditional Irish music, but that’s beside the point as far as I am concerned. These are fun to listen to, and perfect for St. Paddy’s Day. The first three are quite brief (1:30-2:30 long), and the final one is one that Clive made me aware of last year.
If you only have time to listen to one, I’d recommend either the first one or the last one…
Erin Go Bragh.
Sláinte!
Fun stuff. I love the way everyone, no matter their age, was singing along in the last one.
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it’s hard not to have a smile on your fast while watching the last video!
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Wow, you’re so Irish, I’ll bet whenever you see potato chips, you feel famished.
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That’s why I eat the whole bag…
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I appreciate your sharing the music of your heritage. Yankee Doodle Dandy provided much good music and dancing as did the last video.
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YDD is one of my all-time favorite movies; my favorite part is when he tap dances down the White House steps…
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Lots of Irish in my blood from my mom’s side of the family. I use to have so much fun with my students around St. Patrick’s Day. I usually had a few kids (2nd and 3rd grade) who asked if they could put out leprechaun traps in the classroom. It seemed like harmless fun, so why not? That’s when I started having fun with them. I’d leave a not from Lucky the Leprechaun, who would then send the kids on a bit of a treasure hunt by giving directions such as go nine feet to the right and look for a desk for a boy with the initials J.B. Once they found the desk, there would always be another note directing them somewhere else. The last clue would direct them to a pace where there was a container with shamrock cookies. Of course, Lucky would tell the kids something like these cookies could only be given out by the teacher at the end of the day. Lots of fun, and they’d get so excited trying to track down each clue.
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that sounds like the kind of activity the kids would just love. My wife does a similar thing with the story of the gingerbread man. I have it easy, just standing in front of the room talking about debits and credits 🙂
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Fun post, Jim and good to know about this part of your heritage. I loved the video of Galway Girl…one of my favourite songs. X
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it’s a great video, makes me smile every time I see it (which has been quite often over the past few months!)
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I have been hearing such talk about cultural appropriation. But today everybody gets to be Irish for a day and we think nothing of it. Celebrate your heritage Jim! You come from a strong, indominable people!
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thanks, Brad. It is a fun day. I wish I could get a green beer somewhere!
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You will have to double up on them next year!
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I like the way you think… 🙂
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I love your choices! I’m half Irish and went to my homeland a few summers ago – nothing like it🍀
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It is a wonderful place to visit…
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Happy St Paddy’s Day, Jim. This was a fun way to celebrate your heritage, and thanks for the shout out for that last video. You’re right, it’s impossible to watch it without smiling 😊
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I know you like the Steve Earle version better, but this one seemed perfect for St. Paddy’s Day…
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It’s a great fit, and the sight of so many people having a great time is joyous.
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👍
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I think I’ve said before that my dad is of Irish extraction, Jim. He is a wonderful man and his four daughters all adore him. Have a fabulous day and thank you for the songs. I love Bing Crosby.
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your dad sounds like a lucky guy; I’m a fan of Bing Crosby as well, such a great voice…
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Thanks for the smile on a dreary, cold Tuesday morning! Now just send me a plane ticket to Ireland please, but feel free to refuse. 🙂
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just send me the cash to do so, but feel free to refuse… 🙂
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…mmm…!!
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That was fun! Loved the energy in the last one!
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it does put you in a good mood!
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I’m a teeny percent Irish but have not had that confirmed by Amy DNA testing.
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my ancestry was a pretty easy one, but I think it would be quite interesting for people with a diverse background to see what their DNA tells them…
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Happy St Paddy’s Day, Jim!
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Thanks Jim for sharing some Irish-flavored music. The finale was energizing. There is always room for Bing Crosby (grew up in Spokane, WA and attended Gonzaga) as well as the legendary James Cagney from his classic film “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
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I never knew Bing went to Gonzaga! And YDD is one of my all-time favorite movies…
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The 3rd video is so cute. It made me smile wide 😁
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It’s from one of my favorite movies – Yankee Doodle Dandy.
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Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day. I am curious if you were happy with 23 and me? I have been thinking of checking it out as I was adopted as a newborn. I have found some roots and have been told my ancestors are from England and Ireland, but I don’t know if that is so. Anyway, just curious if 23andMe was a good experience.
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I thought 23 and me was fine. I have not followed up in terms of tracing my history or relatives, but I have heard people have had success with that as well. It may provide you with some interesting info…
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Thanks. I’m basically interested in where I come from as it would be nice to know a bit of history. Catholic Charities gave my folks minimal info on both biological parents when I was adopted but it would be nice to know more! Thanks!!
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I agree; I would want to know more if I were you as well.
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Love it! Hope you had a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day. I wore my green Lucky Grandma Shirt but didn’t go anywhere. At least it kept me from getting pinched by Frank. Love your selections this week. Some of my favorites. Love Bing Crosby! I have an Irish mix on my Pandora. My grandfather was 1/2 Irish, redheaded & freckles. I got the freckles! I so want to go to Ireland and Scotland. Top of my bucket list.
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Bing Crosby is one of my favorites as well.
I’ve been fortunate to have visited Ireland twice, and would love to go back. And Scotland is on my list as well…
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I dream of green hills and bagpipes. It calls my name. I would almost be afraid to go because I wouldn’t want to leave. 4 years ago that would have been a good thing! 🙂
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and don’t forget the sheep; lots of sheep in Ireland…
and yes, I would not have minded spending the past four years in Ireland…
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Oh, yes the sheep! I might get sick of fish and chips because I don’t eat lamb. Right now, some good fish n chips sounds really good! 🙂
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the fish and chips was quite good, but they tend to serve the chips with vinegar; I prefer ketchup…
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As in Malt Vinegar? I can’t stand the smell of that stuff. Give me the ketchup. I’d eat them plain if no ketchup. 😊
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I believe it was malt vinegar…
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YUCK! I don’t even want it around me. Thanks for the heads up so I know what to expect when I eventually get there. 🙂
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just bring some ketchup with you 🙂
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So noted! Thanks! 🙂
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