Lá ‘le Pádraigh

Lá ‘le Pádraigh is Gaelic for Happy St. Patrick's Day, the day when everyone is Irish.

My family and I attended the Irish Festival this weekend at the Seattle Center. I always love going to this event and I always feel something inherent in me that relates to the music and the culture of Ireland. I am a believer that we carry in our genetic code parts of our ancient ancestry. My ancestry is predominately Irish and before that Celtic, my great grandfather came to the US in 1810 from County Donegal. In fact All Magonegils, McGonigles, McGonagall or however you spell it originated in Donegal. So I am proud to be Irish and I feel a kinship to the Celts especially their relationship to the divine through nature. The Celts also believed in many gods and a lot of these were very warlike so there are also aspects that I don't relate to. But I do feel God most when I am immersed in nature...be it the woods, on the ocean or just watching birds and other animals. I often think I would of been more like Thoreau if I had been born in a different time. Solitude in nature appeals to me and is where my soul feels most at peace.

I have been listening to Brandi Carlile a lot lately and she has this one song that has really been speaking to me. It is Have You Ever and the lyrics go:

have you ever wandered lonely through the wood? and everything it feels just as it should you're part of the life there, part of something good if you've ever wandered lonely through the woods

have you ever stared into a starry sky? lyin' on your back you're askin' why? what's the purpose, I wonder who am I if you've ever stared into a starry sky

Then of course you have Saint Patrick...the patron Saint of Ireland. The thing I love the most about Saint Patrick is that before he came to Ireland to spread the word of God he had been enslaved there. So he comes back to the people whom had enslaved them to offer himself freely into service. Crazy...plus he got rid of all the snakes. What a guy.

So as you reflect upon this very Irish holiday and lament the fact that you are not as Irish as the Magonegil family, I hope you can at least appreciate the fact that we Irish let you non Irish be a part of it.