happy st. patrick’s day everybody!

sunday is st. patrick’s day. those of us with even a wee touch of irish blood can act like we just stepped off the old sod. my dad’s family came from old castle in county meath; mom has english and irish roots. like most of us with irish last names we feel like pure sons and daughters of old erin. here in the u.s. people celebrate the day in lots of ways: some enjoy a parade, some just wear green for the day, some prepare corned beef and cabbage and drink green beer, many use the day as an excuse to over indulge (with some bars opening at 7 a.m.)!

in ireland the day is commemorated in a bit more serious fashion where the celebration of the saint and the ancestors is a bigger deal and they don’t eat corned beef or drink green beer. our family has always celebrated our heritage and st patrick in a low-key fashion. wearing green, corned beef and cabbage for dinner and a few pints of guinness was about as wild as we’d get.

as much as i love corned beef i thought i’d try something different this year. the irish are big fish and shellfish eaters so a big pot of mussels steamed with guinness in the style of the brazen head, ireland’s oldest pub, sounds good to me.

happy st. patrick’s day!