Thursday, March 17, 2016

It's St Patrick's Day 2016!!!

Dear students and readers of this blog,

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or simply Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa AD 385–461), one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.
The day is the national holiday of Ireland. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Montserrat. In Canada, Great Britain, Australia, the United States, and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday. (Source: wikipedia)


First of all, don't miss the video just below if you want to know something more about the History of St Patrick's Day.




For Basic level students, here's some info on St. Patrick's Day.


What if you were walking around your town one day, and people suddenly started dancing? Watch the Riverdance Flashmob at Sydney's Central Station on Saint Patrick's Day 2012:




Now, some Irish songs that are perfect for a good St Patrick's day celebration.

Star of the County Down  (Irish Rovers)



Star Of The County Down Lyrics

Near Banbridge Town in the County Down
One morning last July,
Down a boreen (=path) green came a sweet colleen (=girl)
And she smiled as she passed me by.
She looked so sweet from her two bare feet
To the sheen (= brillo) of her nut brown hair.
Such a winsome (=adorable) elf, I'm ashamed of myself
For to see I was starin' (=looking) there.

[Chorus:]
From Bantry Bay up to Derry's Quay
From Galway to Dublin Town,
No maid I've seen like the fair colleen
That I met in the County Down.

As she onward sped, sure I scratched my head,
And I looked with a feelin' rare,
And I say's, say's I, (=I asked) to a passer-by,
"Whose the maid with the nut brown hair"?
Well he looked at me and he said to me,
"That's the gem of Ireland's crown.
Young Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann,
She's the star of the County Down".

[Chorus]

She'd soft brown eyes with a look so shy
and a smile like a rose in June.
And she sang so sweet what a lovely treat,
as she lilted (=sang)  an Irish tune.
At the Lambuth dance I was in the trance
As she whirled (=danced) with the lads (=men) of the town.
And it broke my heart just to be apart,
From the star of the County Down.

[Chorus]

At the Harvest Fair she'll be surely there
So I'll dress in my Sunday clothes,
With my shoes shone bright and my hat cocked
Right for a smile from the nut brown rose.
No pipe I'll smoke, no horse I'll yoke
Till my plough was a rust coloured brown.
And a smiling bride, by my own fireside
Sits the star of the County Down.

Lyrics from <a href="http://www.elyrics.net" rel="nofollow">eLyrics.net</a>
 
 
Spancil Hill, by The Corrs



St. Patrick's Day is also widely celebrated in the US, especially in the cities like New York and  Chicago. We have learnt that, in Chicago, the river turns green (the colour of the festivity, the colour of Ireland) every 17 March. Watch this video to see how:





Have a happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit !!

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