Welcome to St. Patrick’s Day! We’ve got some music and history to get you into the mood. If the only thing you know about the day is that McDonald’s is selling Shamrock Shakes, read on.
Prison Fellowship’s The Point blog has a great history lesson to tell us about St. Patrick. No, he didn’t drive the snakes out of Ireland, and it’s doubtful he pinched people who weren’t wearing green. Here’s a good quote:
The gospel that St. Patrick preached was firmly linked to larger issues of society and culture. He would not have condoned the separation of faith from life that seems to be so much a part of American Christianity in our day (what Dallas Willard refers to as a “gospel of sin management”). He was bold to preach Christ and the demands of righteousness required of those who follow Him.
And why pinch the greenless? That’s one of the legends this article from the Christian Science Monitor tell us about:
St. Patrick’s revelers thought wearing green made one invisible to leprechauns, fairy creatures who would pinch anyone they could see (anyone not wearing green). People began pinching those who didn’t wear green as a reminder that leprechauns would sneak up and pinch green-abstainers.
And if you get the chance, blast these songs from your work computer if you forgot to wear green or just want to lighten up the room.
First off is Iona, a Celtic band that’s been around for over 20 years. They take their name from the island that was the center of Celtic Christianity during the Middle Ages, and their music shows much homage to this heritage. Their second album, The Book of Kells, is about the monumental book (and basis for the Oscar nominated movie slowly debuting in the Americas) that was largely written on the island. This song, Bi Se I Mo Shuil Part 2 is from the CD Journey From the Mourn and is sung in Gaelic:
To cheat a little: here’s a band that’s not from Ireland or even a traditionally Celtic country. It’s the band Great Big Sea, and they’re from Newfoundland. They’re quite influenced by the Celtic sounds brought across the Northern Atlantic centuries ago, and here’s “Ordinary Day.”
Incidentally, this sound was topping the charts in Canada in the late 90s around the time we were being subjected to Celine Dion. I forget all of my 90s politics, but I think NAFTA was involved.
The Electric are another band that’s been around for a while. They had two albums released in the US, but then decided to focus more on Europe and kept it up for a while longer. Currently they’re on hiatus, but don’t appear to be calling it officially done. This is “Get To Heaven (Half an Hour Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead).”
And finally, what’s St. Patrick’s Day without Danny Boy?
Check out our St. Patrick’s Day posts (here and here) from 2009 for more great Irish music and info!
