It is amazing how many of such myths came about in order to explain the unexplainable. The idea of changlings were not just an old Celtic legend but spanned across Asia, Germany, Norway, Russia and all parts around and in between. The legend of the "baby stealer" was just one of them for changlings were given different names, powers, and attributes in each individual part of the world. Sometimes I think even in the realm of ancient Christianity there were people who believed in different types of folk lore in order that God should not be blamed for misfortune.
The Irish have contributed many things to the world, but here are some that they brought to our counrty. Some I knew, but of course I learned of some that were a surprise to me. How many did you know about,. PS: Someone needs to tell me how to post the article instead of just the link om my iPad, Pleaseeee! http://lajhsslab.com/peopling/15-irish-contributions.htm
Now, how about a wee bit o trivia? If it had not been for the Great *Potato* Famine in Ireland (and most of Europe) in the 1840's, John Fitzgerald Kennedy would not have been assassinated by Oswald. Matter of fact, JFK would probably never have been born. It seems that his family on his mother's side were the Irish side of the family and traversed the ocean for America about that time. Could we say then that Ireland's unlucky famine was a bit of the luck o the Irish for John F? Maybe. I can't say the same thing for although my mother was from County Limerick I think her family came over much, much later. Nonetheless, I am half Irish which constantly conflicts with the French side. No doubt, an Irish Cajun must be something of a novelty and during my youth an unlucky mixture.
Now tis a bit o tribble yer got me inta @Lara Moss. Me Irish Catholic side says I can have a nip of Tullimore or a fine Irish ale, but the Protestant side says I can't. Perhaps if I compromise and have an Irish "unleaded" beer with a bit of green tint the Lord might not let the devil know. So it might go as the Irish toast is said, "may I be in heaven an hour before the devil knows I am dead".
Oíche mhaith agus codladh sámh Goodnight, Sleep well in Irish (Gaelic) for Terry (above) and all our friends in the UK who are 5 hours ahead of me. It's bedtime for them now... "Patrick's Quilt" by an Irish artist
Here are some things that you thought were Irish but they aren't..... Shamrock Shake Let’s hope you didn’t think this fast food favorite actually had Irish roots. The artificially green, mint-flavored McDonald’s Shamrock Shake first appeared in 1970—in the U.S., of course—and it’s been a periodic limited-time-only menu cult hit every year around St. Patrick’s Day ever since. For a brief time in the mid-1970s, McDonald’s used an obese furry green character named Uncle O’Grimacey, who looks like a mix between Grimace and Oscar the Grouch, to promote the Shamrock Shake. The 550-calorie product wasn’t available nationally until 2012, and McDonald’s Ireland lists the Shamrock Shake as “NEW” on its menu. Killian’s Irish Red Like a few other seemingly imported beers that are actually made in the U.S.A., Killian’s Irish Red ale has been brewed exclusively in America for decades. Coors purchased the name in 1980, and the suds are made in factories in Colorado. Lucky Charms Um, no. Despite this cereal’s magically delicious leprechaun mascot and his over-the-top brogue, Lucky Charms is made by the giant Minneapolis-based food manufacturer General Mills and has nothing to do with Ireland or Irish culture. The traditional Irish breakfast has sausages, pudding, eggs, browned bread, and cooked tomatoes, not colored marshmallows. Female Leprechauns If you run into a woman in a leprechaun costume—sexy or otherwise—on St. Patrick’s Day, be aware that she probably isn’t the genuine article. She probably has no pot ‘o gold either. Shocking, right? According to A History of Irish Fairies by Carolyn White, there is no record of lady leprechauns, which makes you wonder how these tiny figures procreate. Leprechauns are known to be quite clever, but still. Also mind-boggling: Before Friends, Jennifer Aniston’s career in Hollywood truly began with her role in the low-budget 1993 horror film Leprechaun. (She wasn’t a leprechaun though—that would be ridiculous.) “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” The beloved tune, memorably recorded by Bing Crosby among others, is often categorized as a traditional Irish folk song. In fact, it was written and composed by a trio of thoroughly American New Yorkers who were professional songwriters, for an extremely short-lived 1913 Broadway show called The Isle O’ Dreams. Black Velvet Don’t order this fancy cocktail concoction at a pub in Ireland if you want to make friends. Half Guinness Stout and half champagne, the black velvet was invented in the mid-nineteenth century not in Dublin or anywhere in Ireland but in London—as a tribute to the British royals no less. Specifically, the black velvet was created as an appropriately dark, mournful way to honor Prince Albert’s passing away in 1861. Oh, and that late ’80s hit song “Black Velvet”? It doesn’t have anything to do with Ireland either; it was written by Canadians and performed by Alannah Myles, also Canadian. Irish Car Bomb Car bombs were one of the weapons of choice used for decades during the Troubles of Northern Ireland, when thousands were killed. The term would never be used in Ireland as punchline, or as the provocative name of a cocktail, as it is in American bars, where a “car bomb” is a shot of Irish whiskey and Irish cream that’s dropped into a half-filled glass of Guinness. Bennigan’s, Beef O’Brady’s, Tilted Kilt None of these Irish- or Celtic-themed American bar-and-grill chains have origins in Ireland or are authentic to Irish pubs and cuisine. These restaurant concepts were born in Georgia, Florida, and Las Vegas, respectively, and none has locations in Ireland. “St. Patty’s Day” It’s still commonplace for the shortened version of the holiday to be spelled this way in America. However, spelling it so can get some people seriously fired up because in Ireland, “Patty” is short for Patricia, not Patrick. The true Irish spelling of “Patrick” is Pádraig, so the only way to shorten it is Paddy. One Irishman living in Canada went so far as to create the website PaddyNotPatty.com to hammer home that it should always be PADDY. How upset do the authentically Irish get when they see “Patty” used in place of Patrick? “It’s “like nails on a chalkboard,” the site explains. “It gnaws at them. It riles them up. It makes them want to fight… you know, more than usual.” Green Beer The Irish don’t bother with this foolish malarkey. As one Irish ex-pat living in America explained it when being interrogated about real St. Patrick’s Day customs back home, “If you dyed beer green in Ireland, they’d punch you.”
And a beautiful lass she was indeed @Terry Page. One other Irish voice was always heard when the Jack Benny show came on. Here's a sampling of Dennis Day.