Found this info on FactMonster.com

Did you know? Although St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland—and certainly no other saint has the stature of St. Patrick in Ireland—the beloved holy man wasn't actually Irish. Born somewhere in western or northern Britain, he was brought to Ireland as a slave when still a teenager. After six years he escaped to the Continent, where he became a monk. Eventually, following a vision, he returned to Ireland to Christianize it.But Ireland, which was once known as the land of saints and scholars, has bred numerous saints, many of whom left their native country to Christianize the rest of Europe. Here are but a few.

St. Aidan
Feast day: Aug. 31
The founder of a great center of Celtic Christianity.

St. Brendan
Feast day: May 16
Patron of boatmen, sailors, travelers, and whales.

St. Brigid
Feast day: Feb. 1
Patron of babies, blacksmiths, cows and dairy workers, Ireland, midwives, poets, sailors, scholars, and travelers.

St. Columba
Feast day: June 9
Patron of bookbinders, Ireland, poets, and Scotland

St. Columban
Feast day: Nov. 23
It is no wonder that this saint's emblem is the bear, as he seems to have had a knack for causing trouble.

St. Ita
Feast day: Jan. 15
The revered teacher of St. Brendan.

St. Kevin
Feast day: June 3
Patron of blackbirds, the archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland, and Glendalough, Ireland.

St. Kieran
Feast day: Sept. 9
A visionary who founded a great Irish monastery.

St. Malachy
Feast day: Nov. 3
The first Irish saint to be canonized by a pope, in 1199.

St. Oliver Plunket
Feast day: July 11
The last Catholic martyr to die at Tyburn, he was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1975.

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

Music by Ernest R. Ball
Lyrics by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, Jr.

When Irish eyes are smiling
Sure it's like a morning spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter,
You can hear the angels sing. When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.

There's a tear in your eye,
and I'm wondering why,
For it never should be there at all.
With such power in your smile,
sure a stone you'd beguile,
So there's never a teardrop should fall.
When your sweet lilting laughter's like some fairy song,
And your eyes twinkle bright as can be,
You should laugh all the while and all other times smile,
And now smile a smile for me.

Chorus:
When Irish eyes are smiling Sure it's like a morning spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter,
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.

Admin - This is an article I found that popped up on a search... I don't really have an opinion on it one way or the other, just thought it was interesting.

Source: http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/

Irish independence didn’t bring radical change

In the final column in our series Grace Lally looks at the divisions in the Irish movement

James Connolly, the Irish revolutionary socialist executed for his part in the 1916 rising, said that partition of Ireland would produce a “carnival of reaction North and South”.

The division of Ireland between a Protestant dominated North and a Catholic dominated South would drown out any form of class politics. Connolly was right, though it was far from a smooth process.

Northern Ireland was a sectarian state. James Craig, a Unionist prime minister, said it was “a Protestant state for a Protestant people”.

The new southern Irish state was divided from birth. Its ruling class had been split on whether to support the war of independence.

More...

Here are the Top Ten Irish Baby Names (in Ireland) in recent years according to some research:

It is a good idea to make this broth a day in advance. The fat that rises to the surface will solidify and can easily be removed.

2 lb neck of mutton
6 cups water
2 tbsp pearl barley
1 large onion
1 medium turnip
2 large carrots
1/2 small white cabbage
(serves six)

Put the meat in a large pan and cover with the cold water. Bring to the boil and skim the surface. Rinse the barley and add to the pan. Cover, but not too tightly, and simmer gently for 90 minutes. Shred the cabbage and dice the other vegetables and add these to the soup. Bring back to the boil and simmer for another hour. Remove the mutton and separate the meat from any bones, fat or gristle. Chop the meat and return to the soup. Allow to cool and remove fat. Reheat and serve.

From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.

Hello! We are a group of online riddlers on an International Scavenger Hunt Game.

To solve the current round, we need someone to get a digital pic with our group siggy in it from Blarney Castle on our behalf. A pic of someone kissing the Blarney Stone gets us additional points!

Unfortunately no one on our team is near Southern Ireland, so IF YOU ARE, PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP! flamenco_fleur@hotmail.com
I will be glad to give additional details then.

Rest assured that that you would have our eternal gratitude... you would be part of internet history, and 40 + people would gladly offer you their hospitality if you were passing by!

Well, I had someone ask where they could buy shamrock seeds online, so here you go...

Irish Shamrock Seeds

Click here > Official Irish Shamrock Seeds

Mid West Radio was established in 1989 and is one of Ireland's most popular and best-loved local radio stations. We are now delighted to announce the introduction of a brand new Internet service called "Mid West Irish Radio" exclusively for our Internet listeners.

This brand new Internet service provides a very specialised style of broadcasting, something that is so different from all other internet radio services. Our presenters will entertain you with our unique brand of entertainment, music, fun and chat and the best of Irish all day long.

http://www.midwestirishradio.com/

The Still Here in Camden festival — now in its second year — celebrates the Irish influence in the borough since emigrants began arriving in the 1850s.

Local Irish charity The Aisling Project along with a host of local musicians have teamed up to put on a five-day music festival in recognition of the hundreds and thousands of Irish people who have made Camden their home over the last century.

The event will offer a variety of traditional Irish music sessions along with a host of Irish bands playing in the pubs across the borough.

From MLive.com
http://www.mlive.com/homeimprovement/stories/index.ssf?/base/features-0/1110712663314130.xml

Sunday, March 13, 2005
By John Hogan
The Grand Rapids Press

You don't need the Luck of the Irish to grow shamrocks -- or to find them.

Local growers have been nurturing this perennial favorite so they'll be ready for St. Patrick's Day.

"They really aren't that difficult to grow," said Dave Molesta, who had thousands of the delicate plants shoulder-to-shoulder in his greenhouses.

By now, they've shipped 15,000 plants to customers throughout the Midwest, including Meijer stores, though there still are plenty for local customers, said Molesta, a fourth-generation grower at Molesta Floral and Greenhouses, 2960 Madison Ave. SE.