Friday, March 16, 2007

St. Patrick's day!


Which is tomorrow, I know I know, but eeep, I"m going to post about it today as tomorrow I plan to be flibberty gibbert.
We have friends coming from 'abroad' and we are having a shindig.
Huzzah!
I do like an excuse to have a party. I love parties, I even love getting prepared for parties. Today I'm going to hit the supermarket for booze and nibbly things. Then fresh flowers, then I'm going to clean the house top to bottom.
Tomorrow I said I'd go to the parade with the LIttle Goth Kid, so that's what I'll do. I know this means we'll probably be up on a bin in Christchurch, freezing our arses off and we'll see nowt, but sure so what? I love the atmosphere.
I like that at the moment Dublin is filled with accents. Lots of 'merican Irish, and French Irish, and Australian Irish and English Irish, and Spanish Irish, and my personal favourite, Italian Irish. Whoo hoo! There's a real buzz about the place, all the ould wans on Camden street are selling tufts of shamrock and flags. Sales of Irish t-shirts in vibrant green are roaring.
Oh I know there are some that whinge on about it being too commercial and the drink sensibly crowd are already furrowing up their brows, but I don't care.
It's a day of fun and national Identity, a day when we can cast our eyes across the many ponds and witness our kin, our family, the wanderers who settled elsewhere, enjoy a day of connection, of belonging. 'Weeeeee" we will say, 'Happy Paddy's day! Slainté!'
When I was younger I was more scornful of this kind of celebration-too cool for school you see. Irish dancing? Jigs? Parades? How gauche! But then I lived abroad for a few years and I got it, I got what makes you miss home, what makes you yearn for familiarity, for that sense of being amongst your own. I got what it was we were celebrating. Gauche? No Sir, I promptly pulled my head back out of my own arse and headed to the first flatpacked Irish bar I could find and drank a Guinness in thoughtful comtemplation. Then I switched to rum and I couldn't tell you what I was thinking after that.
So this year I'm going to have a blast, an unashamedly Irish blast. We will party, drink, eat and be most merry, for we are Irish. Even Marcus, who isn't and Alfredo, who also isn't, but insists that he is.
I hope everyone has a great day, whatever you're doing.
Mucho Besos agus grå
FMC

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27 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, will you drape yourself in the Irish flag too? Never realised you were so patriotic... well nothing wrong with that, not on Paddy's Day.

I froze my ass off at the parade last year.

This year I no longer live in Ireland, but I promise: I shall have a Guinness tomorrow.

I shall maybe.. hm, maybe.. have two.

OK go on then, I'll get shitfaced!

Slainte my dear FMC!! :-)

11:17 a.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Have a good day Darlin' .

11:24 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That was really refreshing fmc. My cynicism button is normally set to auto on the 17th but on the basis of that post I'm going to make an effort to be at least slightly less grumpy and anti-Irish.

I have to work though and I will still be inflicting 'Banana Republic' on my class.

And wild horses couldn't drag me to the parade.

But.. yay! Go Ireland! Up St Patrick!

12:24 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Good man! I hope you a have a rockin' day.

12:29 p.m.  
Blogger KnackeredKaz said...

I'm having a bit of a shindig too! Well, the boyfriend and one or two mates are coming over. I won't be at the parade cos I get the slightest bit of claustrophobia and it's always worse on extra busy days. But I intend to make lovely nibbles and have a green punch! (Well, it'll be Fat Frog with extra vodka in a bowl) The next day I'm also making a roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings. I'm such a domestic Goddess!!

Enjoy your weekend!

1:23 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

'mmmmHB make'm he's a fat fat frog...'
Sounds delish! I myself am making a punch so strong it could put hairs on your hairs. There will be rum involved. Have a great weekend Missus.

1:27 p.m.  
Blogger Caro said...

Have a great one FMC! I sort of missed out on Paddy's day last year so I'm going to make up for it in a big way tomorrow. It's the only day of the year I get a bit homesick, and a pint too many easily tips me over into rousing choruses of the Fields of Athenry (literally the chorus many times over, as the verses confuse me). I still have a flashing green plastic shamrock badge from two years ago and I fully intend to use it!

Never thought of Fat Frog and vodka. That is pure genius...

1:50 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

More Power to ya! were going to have a Ball here in Lebanon. And I mean that in both senses .

Now where did I put my kiss me im Irish hat ?

2:04 p.m.  
Blogger Bigger Hugs said...

((HUGS)) to you FMC, if you'll take them without beating me to a pulp :)

2:14 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Ha! Caro, I'll be singing too, for sure. The Italians love a good sing along. Enjoy it!
Yer HAWTNESS! Have a great day out in the Leb, I just knew you'd have a great party planned. Will there be pool side lounding too? I'll be thinking of that when I'm freezing my giblets off watching the parade.

2:15 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

BH! I will, but just this once, have fun.

2:16 p.m.  
Blogger Sam, Problem-Child-Bride said...

Have fun, Cat!

I'm going to a St. Paddy's party tomorrow night where I'll be celebrating all things green that aren't grass or Kermit.

Slainte mhath mo'ghraidh!

2:45 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

I hope you have a very good time my darling! Oiche Maith!

2:52 p.m.  
Blogger The Hangar Queen said...

Fair dues to ya Missus!We'll be cursing King George in the very shadow of the White House tomorrow.
Alcohol,likely vast quantites,will be implicated.
This will be my first time doing anything for Paddy's day in 14 years.

3:13 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

You know somethiing Miss Queen, it's been a goodly number of years since I felt this up for a Patrick's day celebration too. Anyway, I hope you have a very lovely day and enjoy it to the max. X

3:18 p.m.  
Blogger Dr Maroon said...

Natives always get a bit worried at their own festivals, is it too much? has it gone a bit kitschy? everyone else usually thinks it's fantastic and raves about it for ages afterwards.
It'll be brilliant so it will. If you wore green tinted specs would everything sort of disappear? Do you go into bars and ask for creme de menthe, and that tricolor drink, [I don't know how they make it], so beloved of Celtic fans?

Anyhow have a belter of a day.

AHK xxx.

4:00 p.m.  
Blogger Dr Maroon said...

Natives always get a bit worried at their own festivals, is it too much? has it gone a bit kitschy? everyone else usually thinks it's fantastic and raves about it for ages afterwards.
It'll be brilliant so it will. If you wore green tinted specs would everything sort of disappear? Do you go into bars and ask for creme de menthe, and that tricolor drink, [I don't know how they make it], so beloved of Celtic fans?

Anyhow have a belter of a day.

AHK xxx.

4:01 p.m.  
Blogger Andraste said...

GAHN!!! Have annudder!

The pubs here get really crowded and awful on St.Paddy's - filled with 5th generation, masshole "Irish" and students, with their hats on backwards, puking by early afternoon. So I may go out tonight, but tomorrow it'll be home, arguing with the Spouse about his awful taste in music, (recent CD acquisitions are not to be believed) and drinking many pints, while some Latino friends look on in wry amusement.

It'll do.

4:14 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You're right, living away from home makes you appreciate paddys day like mad. We're having a party here in San Fran from 3 in the afternoon til three the following morning with riverdancing on the hour every hour... Ye're all invited!

5:11 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

What ho crummlies! That's the spirit. Everyone's havin' parties and whatnot.
Bemused terrified Latinos are the new black Andraste, our Italians will be rigid with fear, then languid with drinks, and finally bellicose with something or other.
Oh riverdancing, I'd like to leap about all a flutter but the heels you see, not so good, anyway I'm always a bit leery of ending up looking like Graham Norton in that caravan in Father Ted. Do you see?
Gosh, I might just have another glass of wine.
Docky, go to the bonne auberge for some drink and velly nice food. I was there a few weeks ago and it was terrific. It's near the Buchanan Street bus stop.

5:37 p.m.  
Blogger John Mc said...

Good on ya FMC. Always like St Paddys meself ,begorrah bejayus. Mad fun was had back in my UCG days.

My kids are gone off to the pre school in Ireland t-shirts, purchased by their born in Bombay, half Indian, one quarter German, one quarter Irish mammy.

I'll be rocking out at a gig tomorrow and to celebrate we'll be doing few Lizzy tunes. The weather is only gorgeous here, so it feels a little weird to be celebrating St Paddys in glorious sunshine - na na na na na :)

5:51 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Jealous, jealous I tells ya! I'm just hoping it won't pour down druing the parade. Will you be making a recording of your gig John?

5:59 p.m.  
Blogger John Mc said...

Not sure about recording. I'm pretty sure the club has the gear. I'm not organising the show so I haven't checked. I might have a word with the soundman tomorrow. I'd love to get it recorded. I am playing one of my new songs which has never been played live.

Also I noticed you commented on my blog - I got the e mail notification. For some reason it hasn't appeared on the blog :(

6:35 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Not to worry, I was just waffling about birds. You should deffo see if they can record your gig, that would be great, and we can get to listen to it as well!

7:32 p.m.  
Blogger Pat said...

I really would like to walk up that path which is the pilgrimage to St Patrick. I remember seeing it and thinking I could do that. Not necessarily in bare feet. And then a party afterwards would be nice.

6:44 p.m.  
Blogger Dr Maroon said...

Ah, la bon auberge, ken it well, hard beans in the cassoulet, but nice vibes. You're right!
Had I known you were in Glasgow, I would have sought you out and taken you to Rogano's and fed you oysters and wines and beefsteaks and champagnes and puddings and brandies and...who knows.

Ended up in Times Square ( a couthy "sports" pub in the town centre full of Tims and Huns who had actually won at Ibrox) last night and a woman came in with a great big green foam shamrock hat on, handing out complimentaries for a shindig at a nearby discoteque and I was delighted to see that Tim and Hun alike were keen to go.
We're not there yet, but even buttock clenching parochial Glasgow is moving on.
Party down dude!
LET'S ROCK!

11:18 a.m.  
Blogger Sam, Problem-Child-Bride said...

Was it a good one then, over there in Dooblin?

2:37 a.m.  

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