Throw an Irish Pub Party This St. Patrick's Day!

A Guide to Celebrating Ireland in Irish Style

 

For many people, St. Patrick's Day is about nothing more than green beer and raucous partying.  I have actually been to one St. Patrick's Day party where the host restaurant apparently thought that rap music and green tinsel were the appropriate accoutrements for the holiday.  (Not so, my friends.)  If you are reading this, you are obviously interested in showing some real Irish pride-- regardless of whether you're Irish or not-- and celebrating St. Patrick's Day in proper Celtic style.  However, not all of us are able to reach a traditional tavern for the event, and some of us would rather avoid the traffic and crowds of strangers.  Do not despair, Mo Chairde!  Below you'll find some fun (and often cost effective) ideas for turning your home into an Irish pub for the night!

Decor
Okay, step one: lose the cartoon leprechauns and green glitter.  To create a pub atmosphere, choose your location with old world charm in mind.  It can be rustic, stately, homey, or anything in between.  You can even use an outdoor space, if the evening will be warm enough, or give a modern room a more pub-like look with a few well chosen decorations or accents.

As far as party decorations are concerned, try to focus on tasteful things like Celtic knot work, pub signs, old beer signs, and Irish flags.  Sure, you can include a few shamrocks, too, but try to make them dark or muted greens that blend well with the pub ambiance.

Sound difficult?  Not to worry!  Here are a few ideas to get you started!  Firstly, you can easily make some of your own decorations.  Search local thrift stores, junk shops, and even dollar stores for inexpensive picture frames.  Look for frames that are made of wood, or that appear to be old.  Next, search the internet for images of Celtic knots, Irish beer and whiskey logos, antique maps of Ireland, or even famous Irish writers and poets.  Print out the images in color, place them into the picture frames, and hang or prop your new decorations around the room.

Here are some pages of printable art to get you started on your hunt:
 A Collection of Celtic Art on Pinterest 
Celtic Knot Art 
Irish Beer Labels 
Irish Pub Signs 

Of course, not all of your decorations have to be homemade.  If you know where to look, you can find great Irish party decorations online.  There are banners, personalized pub signs, and even Celtic knot window art at prices to fit every budget.  Here are some examples:

Personalized Pub Banner - $15
Slainte (Irish Toast) Wall Plaque - $15
Large Irish Flag - $2.99
Shenanigans Wall Plaque - $4.98 (on sale)
Handmade Erin Go Bragh ("Ireland Forever") Garland - $26

Along with decorating your space, you will, of course, want to set a welcoming table that helps fits the pub atmosphere.  Whether you plan on serving dinner or hors d'oeuvres, your guests should feel the relaxed, old world charm that is the theme of your party.  Can such a thing be done without great expense?  Of course!  Once again, I have some suggestions for you to consider:

Two-Dozen Irish Pub Party Plates - $3.50
Irish Ale Napkins - $2.25
12 Irish Pub Coasters - $3.00
12 Shamrock Pint Glasses - $14 

Menu
Step two: never let your guests go hungry.  Since you are celebrating St. Patrick's Day, you may want to offer some traditional Irish fare for your guest's enjoyment.  Contrary to popular belief, corned beef and cabbage is not an Irish dish.  (It actually originated here in America.)  Some savory Irish delights you might consider include boxty, bangers and mash, fadge, shepherd's pie (made with mutton, not beef,) soda bread, lamb in stout sauce, and beef and barley stew.  There are a great number of resources for traditional and pseudo-traditional Irish recipes online.  Here are a couple to get you started:

17 St. Patrick's Day Recipes 
Large Collection of Traditional Irish Recipes 
Traditional Irish Recipes 

 
Needless to say, you will need drinks.  After all, what's a pub without whiskey and ale?  Or you might prefer Irish Cream Liqueur, or even Irish-themed cocktails.  Serve up a variety of drinks for your friends, but for the love of all things sacred, skip the green dyed Bud Light.  It's about as Irish as egg roles, and any connoisseur of good Celtic brews will agree that light beers taste dreadful.  However, offering good pints doesn't mean you have to blow your budget.  Killian's Irish Red, Smithwick's. Guinness, and Magner's Irish Cider are among the lowest priced options, but they are not the only ones.  Here are some sites listing low-cost, high-quality beers and whiskeys:

Best Bargain Irish Whiskeys
Top Ten Irish Beers

And, of course, here are some drink recipes using that delightful drink, Irish Cream, or simply offering ideas for Irish-themed cocktails.  Some of these may not be traditional, but they are delicious.

Bailey's Irish Cream Recipes
Irish Whiskey Cocktails

Music
Step three: set the mood with music.  To complete the Irish pub ambiance, you will want to play some fitting music.  You don't have to spend a lot on music-- in fact, you don't have to spend anything at all.  Set up a digital device to stream music from YouTube playlists, Pandora, or Grooveshark.  (Just be sure you use quality speakers!)  There is a lot of great Celtic music out there, but there are other options as well.

Depending on the energy level you are trying achieve at your party, this can range from traditional Celtic aires to Irish jigs and reels and even to Celtic Rock.  Having a dinner party with some colleagues?  Play a selection of soft Irish tunes by bands such as Solas, Joanie Madden, De Danann, Nightnoise, and Silly Wizard.  You may even want to try some Celtic New Age music, like that of Lisa Lynne, Aine Minogue, Clannad, and Gary Stadler.  Trying to set an authentic old-world pub mood?  Look up rousing pub songs and spirited jigs by bands like Gaelic Storm, Old Blind Dogs, Circled by Hounds, and the Chieftains.  Throwing a pub party for friends whose musical tastes may not run to strictly traditional forms?  No problem!  Plenty of Celtic Rock bands blend traditional instruments with rock flair.  Try music by Wolfstone, Enter the Haggis, Off Kilter, the Young Dubliners, and Runrig.  Or, if the rougher sounds of punk rock are more your style, look for Flogging Molly, Black 47, Dropkick Murphys, and the Pogues.

 Entertainment
Step four: have some fun.  After all, this is a celebration, right?  You will want to consider what kinds of entertainment you will offer at your pub party.  Some obvious choices, of course, include card games, darts, and Irish drinking games.  Another fun option is to purchase some St. Patrick's Day dice, which will require guests to do things such as take a shot while hopping on one leg, or kiss someone while standing on a table.  If you really want to get into the spirit, try a little Ceilidh, or Irish couples dancing.  There are free videos on You Tube and similar sites to teach you the basics, such as this one, which will instruct you in a simple dance called the Walls of Limerick 

As the evening winds down, you may also want to offer a movie as a form of entertainment for your friends.  There are more options out there than you may think.  Here are a few to consider:

Irish Drama and Action Movies
The Boondock Saints
Dancing at Lughnasa
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Odine
Dear Frankie (Well, okay, this one is actually Scottish, but it's a great movie, and Scotland doesn't get enough representation in the American holiday calendar.  So, we'll just say that any movie from a Goidellic Celtic nation is fair game.)

Irish Comedy and Family Movies
Waking Ned Devine
The Stone of Destiny
Rory O'Shea Was Here
The Secret of Roan Innish

Irish Dance Movies
Riverdance
Lord of the Dance
Feet of Flames
Dancing on Dangerous Ground
Gaelforce Dance
The Magic of the Dance

Starting with these suggested ideas, and building with your own creativity, your Irish pub party is certain to be a smashing success.  It will be a celebration of friendship, fun, and all things Irish.  St. Patrick would be proud, and you may never want to dress up like a leprechaun and drink green beer again.

Poe and Popular Music

  In the early Twentieth Century, composer Sergei Rachmaninoff was inspired to write a choral symphony using Poe’s poem “the Bells.”  He is certainly not the only musician to have written music using or based on Poe’s work.  Poe has had a huge effect on popular music; songs based on Poe’s works have been created in multiple genres, decades, and nations.  On the web page “Poe’s Ultimate Song List,” there are more than ninety Poe-inspired songs listed.  These are a few awesome videos of the most notable songs…

Wild Women

“I call her Wild Woman, for those very words, wild and woman, create llamar o tocar a la puerta, the fairy-tale knock at the door of the deep feminine psyche.”

            ~Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

I like Google doodles.  They give me something interesting to think about while saving the day as a Help Desk technician.  (Or at least trying to.) 

Today’s Google Doodle was especially interesting to me because it commemorated Amelia Earnhart’s 115th birthday.  It is a day worth pausing and thinking about for its own sake, of course, but—in my estimation at least— it holds an additional value in that it brings to mind other inspirational women who challenged the norms and embraced adventure.  There are more than one might initially imagine, and their stories weave in and out of history.  Below is a link to a list of just a few.

http://listverse.com/2011/10/05/top-10-female-adventurers/

Class and Names in Pygmalion, Act I

One of the most interesting aspects of the first act of Pygmalion is that of class, and it’s relation to characters’ names.  It is fascinating not because it is there, but because it is so pointedly obvious– arguably to the point of being satirical.

The characters in Act One represent a stereotypical cross-section of English society at that time.  There are the Aristocrats– Freddy, his mother and his sister– as well as the middle class academic Henry Higgins.  There is Colonel Pickering, whose academic and military experiences allow him to span a gap between the aristocratic and the middle classes, and then, of course, there is Eliza Dolittle, the lower class flower girl.

The importance of class in the play is illustrated by the fact that all of the characters are initially known by epithets that either directly or indirectly point to their social statuses.  The Mother and the Daughter, being upper class, are known solely by their familial positions, because those are their only places in society.  The Flower Girl, being lower class, must work for a living and is therefore known by her job title.  The Gentleman, obviously, is exactly what his name indicates, while the Note Taker, while middle class and therefore known again by his activity, is also an academic, as the act of taking notes suggests.  Only Freddy seems to be immune to the classification– a fact which proves significant as more about his character is revealed later in the play.

Even the characters’ proper names seem to have social significance.  Henry Higgins is a name for an “Everyman” if I’ve ever heard one, yet the surname Higgins means “Intelligent.”  Eliza’s surname, Dolittle, can be taken as a descriptive for the stereotypical view taken by the English of the period toward the lower class.  The poorest in English society at that time were typically viewed as lazy and idle.  Colonel Pickering’s name is especially interesting.  Firstly, the combination of a officers’ title with the name speaks of both high birth– because at the time only aristocrats became officers in the English military– and of intelligence– because of two famous Victorian astronomers, Edward and William Pickering.  Freddy, who falls from aristocrat to shopkeeper during the prologue of the play, seems destined for his change in fortune due to the fact that his name, as Eliza explains during Act I, is a common term for an unknown, average man.

The Irreplacable Books

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

In his article "Books and Other Fetish Objects," James Gleick describes the thrill a bibliophile or historian can get from handling an old text.  He is quite right-- It is a thrilling experience.  However, merely handling any book can be an experience in itself.  There is something that makes one feel comfortably blissful while holding a book, and despite the good qualities of digital texts, this feeling is something that they cannot replace.  Gleick wonders in his article if the ease of e-texts are "an example of 'be careful what you wish for?'"  I am inclined to have the same concern.

Recently, I was scandalized when someone said he couldn't wait for the day when libraries focused on ebooks and were fully online.  Libraries?  Entirely digitized?  No more books?!  I found the thought so horrible that it actually made me a little sick to my stomach, and I replied to my acquaintance that I hoped I never saw that day. 

I can't imagine a world without books.  I agree fully with Jorge Luis Borges that "...Paradise will be a kind of library," and by that same token I believe a world without books would be a living Hell.
  

Don't misunderstand me.  I believe that digital books certainly have their uses.  An e-reader would be exceptionally useful on a long airplane trip, for example.  Digital sources can be more easily searched, and therefore are a blessing and a boon to any student or researcher. However-- despite my working as an IT tech-- I do not agree with the common philosophy that newer is always better.  I don't think books ought to be completely replaced.  The idea of a world without them is both distasteful and frightening to me.  I believe that libraries would loose a lot of their beauty and charm in they became no more than E-Book Rental Stations-- if, indeed there was any need to have a physical building at all.

The fact is that while, as I've said, digital texts have their virtues, they also have their drawbacks-- which most people foolishly tend to over look.  Besides the fact that e-readers lack the comforting presence and stately appearance of books, they are also short-lived.  Technology, by it's very nature, moves forward quickly, and thus the e-reader one pays $300 for will be out-dated within only a few years.  A person who bought an e-reader five years ago, when nearly every MicroSoft-related gadget was compatible with Windows XP, may find that their e-reader will not work with their new Windows 7 laptop.  Beyond that, their is the fact that machines-- all machines-- wear down over time.  E-readers and computers are no different.  Even if they do not become obsolete, they will eventually crash.

Of course, I might be a little bias.  Bibliophile is a very accurate term for me, as I am admittedly addicted.  I simply can't get enough books.  I love them not only for their content- though that, of course, is a a great source of joy- but for their look, their feel and their smell.  There are few sights I find more comforting and uplifting than a book shelf- and in fact I dream of having a library in my home.  If there is any better way to spend a cold, rainy day then curled up in an easy chair by a fire with a good book and a cup of coffee, I haven't found it.  If there is any more pleasant activity for a mild spring or autumn afternoon than sitting out door reading, I have never heard of it.  Books are my constant companions, and make the most excellent of acquaintances- quiet, unassuming and amiable.
  

Employees at the local Borders, as well as at both my county and campus libraries, know me by sight.  My favorite haunts, however, are used bookstores.  I often tell friends that books are never really "used," just "pre-loved."  "Besides," I'm likely to add.  "Books are like people; It's what's on the inside that counts!"  There's something fundamentally endearing about used books, and, of course, the prince increases their appeal.
  

You see, I am a re-reader.  I can't help it.  When I find a really good story, a book that touches my soul, or just an interesting tome of knowledge, I read it again and again.  (There are some favorites, like J. R. R. Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings that I read almost annually.)  This, combined with my love for the mere presence of books, leads me to buy a great number, and to almost never discard any of them.  (I've been known to purchase as many as 50 books from a single library sale.  As I said previously, I am truly addicted.)

I read nearly everything; From histories to fantasies, from true crime and mystery to sociology and politics, I love it all.  A well written book on any subject is always a welcome addition to my collection.  I'm afraid I've become an infamous know-it-all, especially on certain favorite subjects, due to my constant reading and research.  I try not to be, but I seem to fail often enough to spawn a number of good-humored jibes.
  

True, I could find much of the same information online, and honestly it would probably be quicker and easier to locate in that format, but nothing can ever replace the gentle weight of a book in my lap, the whisper of turning pages, and the distinct, soothing smell of a bound tome.  Reading, I think, is more than an activity.  It is an experience to be enjoyed and savored; something unique that both provides tranquil solace and draws readers together.

The Gift of Books

“I don’t think I could live without reading.” ~Alberto Manguel

                Anthropologists place a great deal of importance on the advent of written language– so much to that there is a branch of the study called Linguistic Anthropology.  It is, they believe, one of the things that divides our nomadic, hunter-gatherer ancestors from our modern society.  Human culture developed when we settled down, tamed the world around us, and began to write.

                Since then, reading has evolved into a skill vital to our society.  All children are expected to learn it, toiling over trite phrases like: “See spot run.”  It is a major mode of communication, constantly surrounding us in the form of ads, signs, magazines, menus and packaging labels.  In fact, the written word is so important that it has developed and maintained a connection with social status; to this day, a room filled with books is taken as a sign of education, refinement, and prestige.

                From the earliest Sumerian cuneiform and Chinese shell writings, to the first English translations of the Bible, to modern advent of eBooks, reading has shaped our world.  The words penned by various authors over the centuries have changed the way we think, challenged our beliefs, and taught us new understandings.  Without the works of Livy, Claudius and Plato, the democratic government of the United States would have never existed.  Without the wicked Malleus Maleficarum the European witch hunts would have been little more than a few isolated incidents.  Without Michael Faraday’s Experimental Research in Electricity, we might still be burning oil lamps and coal stoves.  Written words have been stepping stones to move society forward.

                More than all of this, however, reading is a joy that millions of people share.  It is an invigorating workout for the mind as well as a fascinating escape from the mundane.  It is an open door in the psyche that us leads to new worlds, and a road that takes us on life-changing journeys without us ever leaving out chairs.  It connects us, through ideas, to kindred spirits and to generations who have gone before.  The resounding and irreplaceable love of books is, perhaps, the greatest gift that written language has ever given the human race.

Sources: Alberto Manguel.  A History of Reading.  New York, NY: Penguin Books.  1997.  Pgs 3-123.

The Importance of Ghost Stories

Upon recently re-reading Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, I began to consider that the book can be described as many things: a gothic novel, a classic, and even a romance.  Along with these things, however, it is also a ghost story.

I have long held the belief that myths, fairy tales, and ghost stories hold great importance for society.  They are the telling-tales: stories spoken around firelight, generation after generation, that gather listeners together in communal wonder.  They help to bind groups of people together, and each has a particular important purpose.  If fairy tales serve to “tell us that dragons can be beaten,” as G. K. Chesteron acknowledged, then ghost stories exist to remind us to look back.  For, amid the thrills and chills of a ghostly tale, there is always a different sort of narrative: a story about someone’s life.  There is nearly always a description of how someone lived, or a guess about who someone was, that seems to offer some reason for the haunting in the tale.

After all, although Catherine’s ghost only appears once in Wuthering Heights, and appears to have possibly been a figment of the protagonist Lockwood’s imagination, it is that apparition which drives his investigation into the past of the manor house forward.  If the ghost had not appeared, Lockwood’s other discoveries– a diary, and three names written on a wall– would have been curiosities to consider, but nothing more.  It was the ghostly turn of events that really pushed him to scrutinize beyond idle pondering the lives of the house’s departed dwellers.

That, of course, is the importance of ghost stories.  While histories make us curious about great personages and events, ghost stories make us curious about regular people and daily life.  Without them, very often the past would stay buried along with the dead.