Kissin' the Blarney Stone

So today we celebrate in the true tradition of Ireland,
one steeped in blarney.

Today we raise a glass of warm green beer--
or maybe an Irish Car Bomb --
That's Baileys with Bushmills dropped in a pint of Guiness
for those of you collecting recipes--
To Saint Patrick.
According to David Plotz in an article posted to Slate.com several years ago:
Saint Patrick didn't rid Ireland of snakes
(They never had any--ever)
He didn't compare the Trinity to the shamrock
(No evidence of this one anywhere)
And he wasn't Irish -
(Born in Britain-- kidnapped by the Irish)
Eventually he escaped
and began converting the happy, hard-drinking, sweater-loving pagans
To Christianity
This is pretty accurate from what I can surmise
Real facts about St. Patrick are sketchy as a leprachaun's shadow
Most are based on two documents supposedly written by him,
one a letter, the other a short piece entitled Confession
But this part is true:
A shrine in County Down, Ireland, claims to possess a jawbone of the saint which is requested for childbirth, epilectic fits, and to avert the evil eye.

Handy stuff

And if that doesn't take the wind out of your poofy green alcohol-splattered sails, there's more:
In 1991 the Irish Pub Company was formed with a mission to populate the world with authentic Irish bars. Dublin-based IPCo and its competitors have installed more than 1,800 "Irish" bars in more than 50 countries. An industry was built around the reproduction of "Irishness" on every continent—including Ireland itself. IPCo has built 40 ersatz pubs on the Emerald Isle, opening them beside the long-standing establishments on which they were based.
(source Slate.com article : Ireland's "Crack" Habit-- Explaining the faux Irish pub revolution By Austin Kelley posted yesterday)

Fake Irish Bars

And Today They're Full to the Rafters

With The Fake Irish