St. Patrick's Day Fun
The Shamrock
There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle
'Twas Saint Patrick himself sure that set it
And the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile
And a tear from his eyes oft-times wet it
It grows through the bog, through the brake, through the mireland
And they call it the dear little Shamrock of Ireland
Irish Blessings
Most of these are traditional, others I found 'out there' on the web--just for fun
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go
and guide you in whatever you do--
and may his loving protection be a blessing to you always.
May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow
And may trouble avoid you wherever you go.
May God grant you many years to live,
For sure he must be knowing
The earth has angels all too few
And heaven is overflowing.
May those that love us, love us.
And those that don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if he doesn't turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles
So we will know them by their limping.
May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light
May good luck pursue you each morning and night
May the sun shine, all day long,
Everything go right, and nothing wrong
May those you love bring love back to you
And may all the wishes you wish come true!
May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
An old Irish wedding blessing:
May God be with you and bless you
May you see your children's children
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
ERIN GO BRAGH
(Ireland Forever)
I'll tell you a story of a row in the town,
When the green flag went up and the Crown rag came down,
'Twas the neatest and sweetest thing ever you saw,
And they played the best games played in Erin Go Bragh.
One of our comrades was down at Ring's end,
For the honor of Ireland to hold and defend,
He had no veteran soldiers but volunteers raw,
Playing sweet Mauser music for Erin Go Bragh.
Now here's to Tom Pearce and our comrades who died
Tom Clark, McDunna, McDurmott, McBryde,
And here's to Jan Connelly who gave one hurrah,
And placed the machine guns for Erin Go Bragh.
One brave English captain was ranting that day,
Saying, "Give me one hour and I'll blow you away,"
But a big Mauser bullet got stuck in his craw,
And he died of lead poisoning in Erin Go Bragh.
Old Kent and his comrades like lions at bay,
From the South Dublin Union poured death and dismay,
And what was their horror when the Englishmen saw
All the dead khaki soldiers in Erin Go Bragh.
Now here's to old Dublin, and here's her renown,
In the long generation her fame will go down,
And our children will tell how their forefathers saw,
The red blaze of freedom in Erin Go Braugh.
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THE LIFE OF ST. PATRICK
St. Patrick was born in Kilpatrick, Scotland, in the year 387. His parents, Calphurnius and
Conchessa belonged to a Roman family of high rank. His given name was Maewyn Succat. In his
sixteenth year, Patrick was carried off into captivity by Irish marauders and was sold as a
slave to a chieftain named Milchu in Dalaradia, a territory of the present county of Antrim in
Ireland, where for six years he tended his master's sheep flocks. He acquired a perfect
knowledge of the Celtic tongue and, as his master, Milchu, was a druidical high priest, he became
familiar with all the details of Druidism.
He escaped from slavery after six years and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery
under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years. His wishes were to return
to Ireland, to convert the pagans that had overrun the country. But his superiors instead
appointed St. Palladius. But two years later, Palladius transferred to Scotland. Patrick,
having adopted that Christian name earlier, was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland.
Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. He was able to easily spread the word of
Christianity because of his knowledge of the Celtic language.
The greatest legend of St. Patrick is the use of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. He
used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all
exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a
shamrock on his feast day.
Another legend has it that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland -- they all
went into the sea and drowned. The snake was a revered pagan symbol, and perhaps this was a
figurative tale alluding to the fact that he drove paganism out of Ireland.
St. Patrick died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, on the 17th of March, 460 A.D. This is why we
celebrate St. Patrick's Day on the seventeenth of March. St. Patrick is the patron saint of
Ireland.
The first American celebration of Saint Patrick's Day was in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737.
It is said that on this day "everybody is Irish!"
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St. Patrick's Day Fun and Games
Hide pennies or butterscotch candy pieces. Attach a note to each one with a clue to help find
the next "piece of gold". The last clue could lead to a "Pot of Gold". Fill a black pot with
pieces of candy.
Pot of Gold party game – Place green Easter grass in the bottom of a small black pot. On the top of the
grass add butterscotch candy pieces or chocolate coins. Put a sticker on 1 of the pieces of
candy. Pass the pot around to each person. Give the one who received the piece of candy with
the sticker a "Cup of Gold" candy bar, or other prize.
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St. Patrick's Day Food Fun
Magic Green Milk
Pour 2-3 drops of green food coloring (for a 6-8 ounce glass) in clear glasses. When the
people come in to eat, pour their milk in the glasses. It will swirl green–like magic.
Green Potatoes
Stir green food coloring in milk you add to potatoes before mashing.
Shamrock Pears
Color pears green by pouring green food coloring into the syrup of the pears and let them sit
in the refrigerator overnight in the colored syrup. Arrange them on cottage cheese or lettuce
leaves to form a shamrock. Three pear halves will form the shamrock, with the small ends of the
pears toward the center of the shamrock shape. Cut a thin slice the length of a pear half to
place as stem of the shamrock.
Shamrock Pancakes
Mix green food coloring to the batter. Pour 3 small round circles of pancake mix on a hot
griddle, close enough so they join together. Add the stem at the bottom of the shamrock with
a small amount of pancake mix.
Green Biscuits
Make biscuit mix biscuits only add green food coloring to the milk before adding to the mix.
Green Honey Butter
A perfect topping for your green biscuits. Combine in a food processor, 1/2 cup butter, 1/3 to
1/2 cup honey (to your taste) and green food coloring to make it a pretty green.
Shamrock Pizza
Use your favorite recipe for pizza and shape a
shamrock on a large pizza pan or baking sheet with three circular pizzas and one thin,
rectangular one for the stem. Mix equal amounts of green food coloring and water and brush on
outer edges of crust. Shake grated cheese with remaining food coloring mixture in a closed
plastic bag or container. Top with family favorites (each leaf can be different) and bake as
usual.
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Crocheted Shamrocks
Mini shamrocks in a jiffy!
Glue a small safety pin to the wrong side of shamrock and use as a lapel pin.
Make a longer stem and you have a bookmark!
Green pearl cotton or Knit-Cro-Sheen , 1 skein or ball (if you are only going to do 1 or 2,
use 6-strand embroidery floss)
Steel crochet hook, size 6
Tapestry needle
Ch 4, join with slip st in first ch to form ring, ch 2. For center of shamrock, work 12 hdc in
ring; slip st in first hdc to join.
First leaf. Ch 7, slip st in first ch to form a ring, ch1, turn. Work 15 sc in ring,
join with a slip st in next hdc in shamrock center, ch 1, turn. Sc in each ofthe next two sc,
hdc in each of the next three sc, dc in next sc, 2 dc in next sc, 2 hdc in next sc, 2 dec in
next sc, dc in nex sc, hdc in each of the next three sc, sc in each of the nex two sc, slip st
in each of the next three hdc in shamrock center.
Second leaf. Repeat first leaf.
Third leaf. Repeat first leaf. Do not fasten off.
For stem, ch 12, hdc in third ch from hook, hdc in each remaining ch, slip st in next hdc in
shamrock center. Fasten off; with tapestry needle, weave in loose ends.
For a bookmark, ch 25 for stem and work same.
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Crocheted Fridgie Shamrocks
Small Shamrock Fridgie
Glue a magnet on the back for a "fridgie" or safety pin on the back for a lapel pin.
Small amount of Worsted Weight Yarn, or Sport Weight yarn-doubled
Size G (4.5) crochet hook
With green, ch 3, join with slip st to form ring.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, 6 sc in ring; join.
Rnd 2: Ch 1, (sc, hdc, 8 dc, hdc, sc) in first sc (Leaf), slip st in next sc, (work Leaf in next
sc, slip st in next sc) twice.
STEM: Ch 5, slip st in 2nd ch from hook and in next 3 chs; join. Finish off.
TRIM: With white, slip st loosely in each st around Leaves only; finish off.
Large Shamrock Fridgie
Work same as Small Shamrock through Rnd 1.
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in first sc, (ch 3, skip next sc, sc in next sc) twice, ch 3, join in first sc.
Rnd 3: Slip st in first ch-3 loop, (sc, hdc, dc 7 tr, dc, hdc, sc ) in same loop (Leaf), (slip
st in next sc, work Leaf in next ch-3 loop) twice.
STEM: Ch 6, slip st in second ch from hook and in next 4 chs; join, finish off.
TRIM: Work same as Small Shamrock.
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St. Patrick's Day Coloring and Activity Pages
Click on picture to see the full size one. Then save it to your
disk or print it out.
|
Leprechaun 1 |
Leprechaun 2 |
Leprechaun 3 |
Shamrock Character 1 |
Shamrock Character 2 |
Shamrock Maze |
Finger Puppets
Color and cut out each puppet on the dotted line. Use a pencil to poke a hole in the
center of each of the circles, then cut out inside of circles with scissors. Put your
first two fingers through the holes on the puppet to form the legs. make the puppet
dance and walk by moving your fingers.
|
Shamrock Finger Puppet 1 |
Shamrock Finger Puppet 2 |
Leprechaun Finger Puppet |
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