The Irish have been commemorating this day for over a thousand years. Granted, it wasn’t at all the debauchery filled scene that the US has now made it into. Nope, originally it was a religious holiday that remembered the death of the man who converted countless Celtic Druids to Christianity. The Irish would attend church in the morning and then celebrate in the afternoon. The holiday traditionally fell during the season of lent, however the Lenten prohibitions of eating meat would be waived and revelers would dance, drink and eat the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
Modern day celebrations in Ireland have been used as an opportunity to increase tourism to the Irish Isle. Last year’s multi-day festival in Dublin featuring parades, concerts, fireworks and hosted close to a million celebrants.
Many of us have heard of the Chicago’s longstanding St. Patrick’s Day tradition of turning the Chicago River green. This tradition started back in 1962 as a pollution control measure where workers used dyes to trace illegal sewage discharges and realized that the green color might make a festive way to celebrate the holiday. The city has toned down the color only using 40 pounds of the dye instead of the original 100 pounds that would keep the river green for a week. It only stays green for a few hours these days.
No matter how you plan on celebrating this holiday, it is one filled with a rich history even if most of us only care about what time our local Irish pub opens. So I urge you if you’re interested in the lore of the holiday to check out the History Channel or Wikipedia’s sites, as they helped me greatly with researching the above information.
When I was fic diving for Irish and Saint Patrick day stories I found a few that I’d like to feature for you.
Volition by Rochelle Allison
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: M
Warnings: Lemons
Status: Complete
Volition is a AH story set in a time of turmoil in Ireland. From the late 1968 to 1998 Ireland was in a constant state of unrest. The conflicting beliefs of two religions and dissatisfaction with the English rule and the Constitution made for a hostile environment. The time that is referred to simply as "The Troubles" is when this story takes place. Volition is a look into the lives of the locals during that time. Bella is a young woman attending school and Edward is the slightly older best friend of her brother who falls in love with her. However loving Edward is dangerous business because what Bella doesn't know is that Edward and her brother Emmett are more involved in the conflict than she thought. Dating the leader of the local "rebel" group isn't easy nor is it safe. Will their love be enough to make it through not only their nation’s troubles but their own? This story captures the essence of the surrounding environment the best that I've ever seen. You feel the urgency, the hopelessness, the suppression but also the love for family and country. This isn't just fiction. These are real life events to a certain extent. If you visit Belfast or any of the Northern Irish cities and talk to locals they'll tell you what it was like to live there during that time. You can see the bullet holes in the walls and the political paintings are still fresh on the sides of buildings. I applaud her for not only giving us a wonderfully thought out and executed love story but also a slice of history. – Review by KatieCav
Mo Chroi – by SweetDulcinea
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: M
Warnings: Lemons
Status: O/S complete
This story centers on the hardship of a long distance love affair. Edward comes to the states to work as a camp counselor for one summer where he meets and falls in love with Bella. It’s about what happens when communication breaks down and misunderstandings are allowed to fester. It’s a quick but sweet read about what happens when time and the truth can bring about forgiveness and love.
No Green – by EclipsedbyJacob
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: M
Warnings: Lemons
Status: O/S complete
This cute one-shot is based on the concept of not wearing green will get you pinched, and boy does Bella get pinched. Edward and Bella work in a small restaurant and are forced to work on St. Patrick’s Day. Bella’s had a crush on Edward for some time, but had yet to act on it. They unknowingly become voyeurs to a hot and heavy make out session in their dining room and the rest is all about finding out where the green is. The story is short and sweet and by the end you’re wishing for it to go on a bit longer.
Kiss Me, I'm Irish by IrishTwiFicster
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: M
Warnings: Lemons
Status: WIP
An Irish Edward with the mouth only a mother could love. This Edward is funny and charming and apparently able to do just about anything and everything. He owns bars and motorcycles and can whip up a feast all with the wave a hand. Bella is Alice’s long time pen pal from the states and finally decides to fulfill her dream of travelling Europe for six months. Her first stop is Ireland where she meets Edward on board the same plane when he inadvertently sticks his arse in her face while trying to get past the drink cart.
The humor is infectious and the author does a fantastic job bringing using Irish slang and describing the local places in depth. Thankfully she also puts in translations at the bottom to help explain some of the vocabulary we might not catch. It’s a quick and fun read.
Displaced by Algonquinrt
Rating: M
Warnings: Lemons
Status: O/S complete
Originally this story was written for the Age of Edward contest and is set around 1939 during the immigration boom in the United States. Edward is on his way from Ireland to meet up with his family in New York City. He notices a lovely brunette woman who seems to be traveling alone, very uncommon during that time. When they arrive at Elis Island, Bella is hassled for not having the proper paperwork and without a sponsor she will be sent back to her homeland. Edward steps in and saves her from being deported by saying that she’s his wife who became separated from their travelling party. Unfortunately for Edward he didn’t realize that his words would have such a long reaching effect on his life.
The story weaves a tale of strangers forced to get to know one another even though they don’t speak the same language. Bella is polish and speaks very little English. They work together to teach each other their respective languages and end up falling in love after all.
Luck o’ the Irish by CalendulaM
Pairing: Edward/Bella
Rating: M
Warnings: Lemons
Status: WIP – but likely not to be finished
This story is a short four shot that had me grinning throughout. It’s set on St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago when Bella literally stumbles into Emmett spilling his beer all over him. It’s not complete, and likely won’t be, but if you think about it as a four-shot with a semi-ambiguous ending, I’d still recommend it.
St. Patrick’s Day Trivia:
· What did Patrick use to symbolize the holy trinity when explaining it to the Druids?
· What color was originally associated with Saint Patrick (hint, it isn’t green.)
· Where is the largest running Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in North America held?
· The US Irish population out numbers those residing in Ireland by how many times?
· What US State boasts the most population with Irish roots?
· What city aside from Dublin boasts the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Ireland?
· What other city aside from Chicago dyes their main water way green?
Answers to the triva questions:
1. The Shamrock
2. Blue
3. Montreal, Canada
4. Nine
5. Massachusetts
6. Downpatrick, County Down, where Saint Patrick is rumoured to be buried
7. Indianapolis
