Monday, March 19, 2012

First St. Paddy's Day in Ireland

We moved to Ireland about a week after St. Patrick's Day, so Saturday was our first time celebrating it here. There were reports that the weather would be bad but the morning was glorious. We started the day by making German pancakes (note: I do not know the blogger from who's blog I got the linked recipe from) and they were amazing! A parade was set to take place in Cork at 1pm, so we trekked into town to claim a spot along the street. The parade was wonderful! I love how it wasn't commercialized like most US parades that I am used to. Some of the floats were made out of cardboard and they were brilliant! As soon as the parade ended past us, the heavens opened up and chucked down rain and hail on us. Branden and I cuddled under an umbrella and waited for it to pass, which it did in about 5 mins.







If you look closely, you can see the rain/hail pelting down.

Since we were in town, we decided to check out any sales in town. We haven't been clothes shopping since we've been here, and with Branden loosing a ton of weight, he was starting to look like a well dressed, white rapper since his clothes hung off of him. We were pretty successful, and I even got a cute top for 1 euro! My jaw about hit the floor to see Branden step out of a dressing room in jeans that fit him and a shirt that fit as well...I almost thought he was the shop model! After walking and standing for about 6 1/2 hours, we headed home, crashed for a bit and then made tacos! We are so festive, I know!

Branden is now playing electric guitar in the church services, so we went to the early 10am service yesterday as he was on the music team. Our church was having a competition for best festive dressed man, woman, and child in honor of St. Patrick's Day. The congregation was a sea of green, and we had fun singing and doing hand motions for an Irish folk song, learning some Irish, and then having a Poc Fada competition, which is just seeing who can hit a ball the furthest with a hurley (stick/bat thing). Hurling is a massive sport here in Ireland and I can usually only watch it between my fingers as I anticipate someone being bludgeoned to death about every 5 seconds...it's wild.


We had a pretty good weekend I'd say. Branden has classes off today and most places are closed as it is a bank holiday, so today started pretty good too! Sleepless in Seattle came on this morning and even though I own it, I watched it on TV anyway...ahhhhh, I love that movie! Branden's spending all of today on a paper and studying for his Latin exam that will be on Thursday. I get to clean, clean, clean as we have been so busy lately and I'm a bit behind... There was ANOTHER spider crawling next to my pillow this morning! It was small and I wasn't sleeping but still!! All this lovely chat about how wonderful Ireland is around St. Patrick's Day to say, I'm moving! ...as soon as I find a nice place to live that doesn't have any spiders...

Since it is Music Monday and I just finished watching Sleepless in Seattle, here's a wonderful classic song for you today!


Now go make someone happy!

21 comments:

  1. What a fun experience! I also watch Sleepless in Seattle often. I love it now that I'm abroad. :) The parade did look very American and I'm sure it was fun to be apart of such a special Irish day!

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    1. Our church also held a ceilidh in the evening on Sunday but Branden was swamped with school work and those things stress me out to no end for some reason. Nothing spells anxiety more for me than a person with a thick accent, calling out dance moves through a megaphone! ;)

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  2. That looks like a great parade. So jealous! It was 84 here on Saturday, and not a great day for me. I did have a Smithwick's to celebrate, though.

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    1. 84 sounds divine at the moment! ...as long as I can have it without humidity ;)

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  3. It's wonderful that you could enjoy the wearing of the green & not BE green any longer! Glad you're finally feeling better!!

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    1. AMEN!! Although, now that I'm not sick, my allergies are here in full force! ...at least the pretty flowers are worth it kind of.

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  4. Happy belated BD my young friend. Looks like your St. Patrick's day was a good one indeed.

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    1. No worries, the dreaded B-Day hasn't arrived yet...it's due on Saturday the 24th and I anticipate it's arrival much like an expectant mother of a 15lb baby and not a pain killer in sight! St. Patrick's day was fabulous though!

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  5. What fun, Maggie! I'm afraid it's pretty difficult to find a place that's completely spiderless. I rarely see a spider in my house, but that's probably because of the lovely green lizards.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I have no problems with lizards especially if they are eating the spiders! I think lizards are pretty cute actually ;)

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  6. I'm so jealous! How many Americans can say they went to a St Patty's day parade IN Ireland! I love that song too. You wouldn't be fond of Branden would you? lol Good for you kiddo

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    1. Hehehe, I knew you would be green with envy ;) We did get video of the good parts of the parade too so I may get those up sometime soonish. And yes, I'm very fond of Branden...would be more if he'd trade ages with me! hehehe

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  7. Hi there, Padded Cell Princess, the lady with the most beautiful name! How are you today? Great pictures and as expect: no Ireland without rain. But that did damp your spirit, as they say - good! But what's with Branden losing a ton of weight? And Jimmy Durante... he always makes me wanna go, stay, stay, go. ;)

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    1. So nice to see your wonderful blue face! Branden weight loss is due to us not having a car and living about 1.5 miles from town, friends, church, etc and he has to walk a lot more than I do. I say he has a tape worm but that may just be the jealousy talking ;)

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    2. Any idea what that blue face was thinking of when the hands that go with it decided to write, 'and as expect'? Do you also sometimes get that - you're typing something that's different from what you think you're typing? And I'm supposed to be a teacher. Have your young Branden fire me on the spot! Anyway - or as my friend Angie says, 'anyhooters' (sorry about that, Padded Cell Princess). I sure hope Branden doesn't have a tape worm. It must be the 1.5 miles... I once showed my students THIS video about a guy who voluntarily put a tape worm inside his own body to see what would happen to him, and one of the girls ran out of my classroom looking for the nearest ladies' room to throw up. I guess it was a good idea to never show that video again. Come to think of it, I was actually having lunch when I recorded it....

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  8. I don't think I've seen "Sleepless In Seattle" since Seattle became a huge part of my life 35 months ago.

    FYI - Due to circumstances beyond my control, I've taken my blog down for a while. It will probably be back by summer. Email and will explain.

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    1. *GASP* You've never seen it!?! AHHHHHH!!! Branden even finds it funny! This may just need to be your next date night!
      And as if your comment couldn't get any worse! Your blog is down?? I'll definitely be looking forward to an explanation...and some nice hankies to sop up the tears of sadness!

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  9. Now that's a tremendous parade! Thanks for posting it!

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  10. Glad you had a good St Pat's Day Maggie. I enjoyed that Jimmy Durante song. Haven't heard him sing for years. One of the greats. And that nose! It must be one of the greats too! - Dave

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  11. My St Patty's day was pretty lame...but it was my dad's birthday!

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  12. I've always wished I could experience St. Patrick's Day in Ireland. The way people celebrate it in Ohio is so crass.
    My family used to celebrate the day with mass at the Cathedral, followed by the parade - my sister was an Irish dancer and performed in it. I remember they always seemed to have the dancers behind the horses so that they'd have to dance around the horse poop.
    Then it was over to the giant party with distant relatives, then home for a party of our own. We'd roll the rug in the dining room back and my sister and cousins would dance (I was the rebel of the family, doing ballet instead).
    Then people would drink and tell stories of relatives dead and gone, imitating the music of their accents and retelling their stories of life in the old country.
    Now it's just drunken frat boys wearing green. Sigh.

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Does this straitjacket make my butt look big?