On Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
56
from an organ building website with Photos supplied by JRM - Information from 1994 OHTA conference booklet
When it comes to celebrating to St. Patrick's Day nostalgia reigns and this tale comes from that era in time when the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were in their prime and I was a young girl.
As a child I attended a boarding school in country Victoria, where in the main, a fair number of the nuns in the Convent came from Ireland. The nuns (who I tend to think of as being among our first feminists) all had their designated jobs from teaching through to cooking for us and of course gardening – of both the flower and vegetable production kind. It was an extremely busy life for them and for us! And the days of Celebration were certainly looked forward to and relished by all.
One of the biggest celebrations of the year was St. Patrick’s Day or if you like, St. Partrick’s Day, which you say with a sort of breathy emphasis in the pronunciation, on the “ar”.
Music always played a huge role in any celebratory events at this school and St. Patrick’s Day was no exception. So those of us who played an instrument in the orchestra would have to practise assiduously for days prior to the arrival of the 17th March - the big day. Songs like “O Danny Boy”, Take Me Home Kathleen”, “Galway Bay” and “When Irish Eyes Are smiling”. I am sure you know all these old favourites!
Eventually St. Patrick’s Day would arrive, and everyone would be smiling, happiness all around really. The nuns, students and members of the orchestra, would crowd into the Senior Study where the music stands, the conductor’s stand and chairs had been set up the night before by the orchestra members. And we gals playing would have decorated ourselves and our instruments with emerald green ribbons – my violin and it’s bow would be dripping with flying green ribbons that would move in time with the notes and chords. It was a memorable time, with all the old favourites being played.
But what is really uppermost in my mind, were the faces of the Irish nuns. They were obviously no longer in their own green homeland; and they would stand there rapt as we played to them. Many of them would have large tears just quietly rolling down their cheeks as they sang along to our renderings of their songs. While I may have this beautiful but poignant memory of them, can you imagine what sort memories this music would have evoked in them?
It was a beautifully planned day that we enjoyed each year; from the music to the Irish Soda Bread served for breakfast to everything Irish being taught for the day finishing with an Irish flavoured movie being shown later that night. I remember one year it was a John Wayne movie where the Irish Bride was forced to leave home without her treasures and her husband would not honour her request to get them from her father and brothers so she would have nothing to do with him, that is until he stomped across to her old home and got everything for her – seems odd in my re-telling and while I cannot remember the name of this old film, the message has sure stuck.
To this day St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in the same time honoured way of previous generations by the nuns and girls - a ritual that will be played out time and again as the years run their course.
Copyright: a.a.gallagher. February 2009
Celtic Women O Danny Boy - from utube - davidjepank
John McCormack - When Irish Eyes Are Smiling - from utube - opryshka
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Comments
It's nice to have a gentle story of convent life. Too many glory in horror stories. Thanks for bringing perspective.
Thanks for your comment Elena, & you are right - the great Irish diaspora has certainly ensured that the enjoyment and pleasure of St. Patricks Day is everywhere - I guess you could almost say that out of pain can come pleasure! cheers
Thanks Old Firm - that's a nice thing to say - appreciate it!....cheers
hope you are feeling a bit better
Yes, Ajcor -- your memories of the nuns are a very refreshing read, as opposed to the usual horror stories we hear of the nuns' cruelty. As you say, these women had lots of feminist tendencies in their self-sufficiency and resourcefulness! I don't know why the Irish get so sentimental. We're just born that way, I guess. . . (yes, I listened to the songs!)
What a wonderful memory! I could see the ribbons on your bow keeping time to the music! But nuns the first feminsts? Never thought of it like that. Could be, could be...
I am glad you liked my memory Teresa thanks - life surely cannot be all bad! and yes I would agree with you that Irish people are sentimental but I would also venture to say there are many other great qualities floating around in the Irish ether (or maybe it is in your drinking water) when you think of all the great writers and poets who have emerged from Ireland... cheers
Thanks JamaGenee - I can still see all those green ribbons very busily dancing along to the Irish Jig and in a more sedate fashion to O' Danny Boy! re. the feminist comment - if you think about the time when women had no say in their choice of career (did they even have careers?) they obeyed their fathers, their brothers, their husband, the local priest etc - so if they choose to "enter" they don't have to marry someone not of their choice, and while they still have to obey it is a different set of rules they follow and where the male authority figure is located quite some distance away i.e. the Bishop...& in fact if you take this thought even further they actually - as teachers - then become authority figures to their pupils ....so voila here enters the early feminist ...... thanks for reading .....cheers
JamaGenee - further to my comment to both you and Teresa I just found this information on wikipaedia - The foundress "of the order had a vision for a different, new and modern mode of religious life for women. She envisioned women living a life in companionship and discernment, inspired by the gospel and engaging with the world without the constraints of the traditional cloister, nor an established 'Rule' placing them under the governance of men. She also believed that women were equal to men in intellect and should be educated accordingly" cheers
ps I am not a feminist per se but do believe in equality!
WOW!!! What an awesome article!
Thank you StoneBridgeFarm...enjoyed yours also...thanks and cheers
I dindn't know St. Patricks day was such a Hoorah. Good story.
It was a day to look forward to foxility - thanks...cheers
The Irish really know how to celebrate don't they. Your article has brought back lovely
memories of our days as boarders on St Patrick's Day.
Thanks Susy you"re right!- but the big question is - can you remember the name of the John Wayne Maureen O'Hara movie?
"The Quiet Man," for heaven's sake! Nice hub, AJ. That's sounds interesting, the Irish Nuns and there emotions over St. Patricks day and hearing the old songs. I never experienced that, but thanks to your hub, I did, through you! Very nice read!
Thanks for enlightening us Christoph! I guess if I had taken the time utube may have held the answer but at the moment I am time poor - thanks for your lovely comment.....cheers
I am not sure why people some dwell of the cruelty of a few nuns or refer to them as women with boring lives because I see them as far from this. When Irish women first converted to Catholicism their families were opposed to those that wanted to enter convents. However, many of these women were well to do and in most European countries up until the time of King Henry VIII nuns were often wealthy women. Of course their inheritance went towards the church, but I have always had the deepest respect for nuns and think it would make an interesting hub topic.
The Quiet Man was a great movie and one I have not seen in about ten years. Thanks for reminding me of that one :).
I love Celtic Woman...And I loved reading your hub :) I wish St Pat's was celebrated a little more in the schools where I live like it was when you were younger. I try to teach my kids about their Irish background and it would be nice to see it in the school too. Great job and thanks for sharing your story!
Thanks for your lovely comment Ardie - we used to really looked forward to St Patricks Day - and the nuns made it special for us - shame that your kids don't enjoy the same experiences but maybe you could do something at home - play some Irish music , get them to wear a little bit of green (a ribbon in their hair or somesuch) or you could even give them something irish to eat for their meal - are you a fan of Irish Stew (delicious) or Irish Soda Bread (also delicious /like a scone loaf) - a few thoughts for you....let me know if you do something special ....cheers
sweetie pie - I just came to see how my St.Patrick's hub was doing today 17/1/09 and found that somehow my answer to you had disappeared. apologies for that and I entirely agree about the nuns and their enhtering the convent from various backgrounds- I also know from the nuns in our families where the inheritances were left - but if you look at it sensibly I guess it was like superannuation for their old age...cheers and thanks.
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Elena. says:
10 months ago
Hi AJ! Thanks for sharing! What I find pretty amazing about St. Patrick’s Day (and this particular hubmob) is that it seems to be a day celebrated ALL over! Those Irish did get around, of course that wasn't due to "Marco Polo" tendencies, but because of the sorry state of affairs in Ireland made people emigrate – still, Irish dispersed their holiday all over the world!