Crazy Little Thing Called Ireland: Crazy Little Thing Called Ireland

Jessica Bock

Professor Sammond

English 1101

19 February 2014

Crazy Little Thing Called Ireland

Picture this. It is the day of the Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Belmar New Jersey. Look to the left and now to the right. People are dressed head to toe in emerald green and bright orange, waving around the green, orange and white Irish flag. After frantically looking around for a vacant spot on the curb to sit, the parade begins and the sounds of bagpipes and drums fill the air. Year after year, the music, the clothing and the atmosphere remain the same. This is what St. Patrick’s Day is. It is a day that other cultures have the chance to experience the Irish way of life. Unlike many other countries cultures, the Irish values and customs have remained virtually the same over many years.

Traditional music and dance in Ireland have strongly survived throughout the years. Music in Ireland today has not strayed too far from that of the mid twentieth century’s music. Think back to the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Even though the year is 2014, men are wearing kilts playing old-style Irish instruments to the songs of the Irish as they are led by the young women wearing brightly colored costumes and dancing the Irish step dance. One can hear the rich sounds of the bagpipe, the beating of the drums and the sharp, up beating sounds of the fiddle as they parade past. Add something!

Every year on St. Patrick’s Day after the parade my mother makes corn beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread for friends, family and neighbors. My grandmother used to make this for the family no matter if it was a holiday or just a normal Saturday, and ever since she passed we honor her and our Irish background with this dish every Saint Patrick’s Day. My Grandma was you...

... middle of paper ...

...’s. Like Sean Thornton in The Quiet Man, Eilis in Brooklyn and Shawn Kelvin in “The Quiet Man”, mass is held every Sunday morning. The style of church is the same as the one shown in Ford’s movie The Quiet Man. Roman Catholic churches have a neo-gothic style with colorful stained glass windows and the inside is full of long, wooden pews on either side of an aisle with an alter at the front of the church, just as the church in John Ford’s movie. ¬

Walsh’s, Ford’s and Toibin’s works help influence the way Ireland is perceived nowadays. Despite what some people may think, Ireland and it’s people lives do not revolve around Pubs and alcohol. The country relies heavily on their culture and customs. Religion, music and food are three ways my family celebrates our Irish heritage. Those three parts of the Irish culture are only a small portion of what it means to be Irish.