Green's a big thing, Irish or not
For years, they wore the green proudly every St. Patrick's Day and tossed about Leprechaun gold to celebrate the occasion. Raylene Ireland made traditional Irish dishes and encouraged her children to dress up in true Irish fashion.
And now, even after discovering there isn't really an Irish ancestor in their family tree, they still ring in the holiday with song and style.
"We have great enthusiasm for St. Patrick's Day," said Ireland, former community and government affairs director for Provo city. "We like to decorate our home with shamrocks, green bowlers and gold-foil chocolate coins strewn around for good measure."
Chances are, she said, the family will wear green and have a special meal. In previous years, she said, the family had authentic Irish cuisine.
In recent years, though, with a bunch of young grandchildren, the family has had more "fanciful meals" — like green eggs and ham.
"This year we'll probably return to something more traditional," she said.
In past years, the family has watched Disney's "Darby O'Gill and the Little People." "Of course there are stories and impossibly tall tales made up by my husband about his dealings with Leprechauns and searching for the elusive pot of Leprechaun gold," she said.
The Ireland celebration is mostly for family members, but sometimes friends are invited.
"We have seven children with five of them being married and 14 grandchildren, so we'll have anywhere from 20-30 people, depending on people's schedules," Ireland said.
"Our celebration is lighthearted and fun. This year with Easter being in the same month, our St. Patrick's decor has given way to Easter decorations."
And maybe, someday, an Irish saint may show up on a genealogy search that will validate their fervor.
"For years when people asked me if I was Irish I responded with the full confidence of one whose last name is Ireland — and whose father-in-law had assured her that he was most certainly Irish. However, we had never done much research on my husband's last name until last summer. We found a wealth of information and a big surprise — no one from Ireland in the line.
"So," Ireland said, "we must be Irish wannabes."
E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com
You can be the first to comment on this story.