Tag: St. Patrick’s Day

17MAR2022 – Camera Girl’s Birthday

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Today is St. Patrick’s Day and Camera Girl’s birthday.  Usually we celebrate with corned beef and cabbage and I bring out my bag pipes and kilt and parade through the grounds of the Compound at 6am, noon and 6pm.  Well maybe I ,made that last part up.

Camera Girl hates when anyone mentions her birthday, so I make a fuss about it just to annoy her.  It’s one of the joys of marriage, irritating your spouse.

Back in the old days New York City had a very important St. Patrick Day’s parade that involved tens of thousands of Irish policemen and firemen dressed in kilts and playing bagpipes.  On WPIX, Channel 11 they would have a televised broadcast of the parade usually hosted by “Captain” Jack McCarthy.  Captain Jack was the television host of the kids television shows that played Popeye the Sailor Man cartoons.  I think at one time he used to host the Three Stooges show but that got handed off to the other Irish tv host Officer Joe Bolton who wore a police officer’s uniform and twirled a billy club.

Irish culture in New York City back in the late ’50’s and early ’60’s was extremely stereotyped apparently.

One time Officer Joe Bolton showed up at the parish carnival to sign autographs and he dragged along Moe Howard of Stooges fame.  Moe looked awful.  Apparently the Stooge lifestyle was running down at that point.  I didn’t try to get Moe’s autograph.  But I listened to Officer Joe playing a medley of songs on his banjo.

So all that being said, I wonder if St. Patrick’s Day still means anything to the Irish in America.  Sure, it’s been turned into an excuse to get drunk like Cinco de Mayo and Super Bowl Sunday but do Irish Americans still celebrate it?  I wonder.

Well anyway, it’s Camera Girl’s birthday and that’s a big deal in this house.  We’ll have our traditional dinner and I’ll put on the Quiet Man as a tribute to Irish American cultural history.  That’ll have to do.

17MAR2021 – OCF Update – Camera Girl’s Birthday

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The great religious holiday is upon us again.  Once a year to celebrate her birthday Camera Girl makes that traditional Barese meal, Corned Beef and Cabbage.  Now, I won’t pretend that I’ve always enjoyed it.  I confess that until I discovered the power of really strong brown mustard I didn’t always care for the cabbage.  And even today I do require that the cabbage is extremely well drained.  But with the availability of better grades of corned beef I’ve seen the light and now relish this once a year treat.

And as a special bonus this year, Camera Girl will be going for her first dose of COVID vaccine today.  She is approaching this treat with a bit of trepidation.  She has always been a little more aware of her mortality than I.  And who can blame her?  Any chance that her privilege of spending time with me could be curtailed would seem like an unacceptable risk.  But honestly, if I can manage to snag a shot too this long imprisonment away from family will finally be over.

But to all those out there of Irish extraction and to anyone who lived in a place that celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, enjoy the day in your traditional manner while I get out the mustard jar.

Begorra!!!

 

Post Script: Well, Camera Girl arrived back from her shot alive so I guess she can relax.  Although now she claims she’s really afraid of the second shot.  I give up.

17MAR2019 – Happy St. Patrick’s Day

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As a native inhabitant of New York City and a parochial school inmate with deep family roots in the NYPD, I grew up with the yearly ritual of the St. Patrick’s Day parade with its kilted and bagpipes playing policemen and endless blarney about the religiosity of the City’s inhabitants.  But I still think fondly of the ritual.  Also March Seventeenth is Camera Girl’s Birthday so she is honorary Irish and celebrates by making corned beef and cabbage for dinner.  So a Happy St. Patrick’s Day to any and all Irish and other fans of the day.