A Few Of My Favorite Irish Things

By Jane Farrell

Once again, it’s time for St. Patrick’s Day – and that usually means leprechauns, shamrocks, regular beer and green beer. Plus some more regular beer while you’re at it. But that’s not the whole, or even most of, Irish and Irish-American culture. Here are some of the things I love about both:

Favorite Irish-American Song

"The Notre Dame Victory March." The best-known university fight song of all time originated in the very temple of Irish-American Catholicism. It was written by two brothers and Notre Dame graduates, Michael and John Shea. Michael undoubtedly made his mother very proud by going on to the priesthood.

Favorite Irish Song "Danny Boy." Nearly every kind of performer, including operatic tenors, jazz musicians and punk bands, has covered this song about a father longing for the son he will never see again in this life. Or, as it’s also known, “I’m Dead. Can’t Wait Till You’re Dead, Too.”

Favorite Little-Known Irish Saying About Marriage “Better the fighting than the loneliness.” Calling Dr. Phil…

Favorite Irish Food Soda bread, so-called because the raising agent is baking soda instead of yeast. (I learned that from Wikipedia.) Tastes great with butter and a hot cup of tea. Tastes even better when you buy it at the supermarket. Who has time to bake?

Favorite Irish Export Forget the whiskey – it’s the music. Over the years, hundreds of musicians have brought the raucous, melancholy and achingly beautiful music of Ireland to the U.S. Notable among them: Francis O’Neill, the County Cork native who headed the Chicago police in the early 1900s. He wrote down the music of nearly 2,000 folk songs in a collection that’s still used today. Chief O’Neill was also responsible for the unusually large number of traditional musicians on the city’s police force.

Favorite Irish Rock Musician Guitarist Rory Gallagher (pronounced “Gallaher”) was a blues/rock master who tore up the stage in the UK and Europe during the 1970s. Although Gallagher, who died of a staph infection at age 47, wasn’t nearly as big a star in the U.S., his work remains legendary, and a rock festival in his name draws thousands every year. You could say he was the Irish Eric Clapton, but I prefer to think of Clapton as the English Rory Gallagher.

Favorite Irish-American Rock Group The Dropkick Murphys. Actually, I’ve never heard them. I just like their name.

Favorite Irish Actress Maria Doyle Kennedy, who got her start in the gritty movie “The Commitments,” about a group of Dublin roughnecks. She’s almost unrecognizable in her role as the dignified, ultra-Catholic Queen Catherine of Aragon in “The Tudors.” And she’s even done an uncredited turn in “Downton Abbey” as the evil Mrs. Bates. (By the way, can someone tell me why the untrustworthy characters in “Downton” are Irish? O’Brien? The rebel chauffeur? Hello?)

Favorite Irish Actor Brendan Gleeson. He became an actor at 34 after teaching school for a number of years. Since then he’s appeared in a number of movies including “Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix,” “The Green Zone” (as an American CIA agent) and Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close’s transgender Dublin drama.) But it’s his turn as Winston Churchill in “Into The Storm” that’s most impressive. Any Irish guy who can play, with a straight face, the most British prime minister ever must be a heck of a performer.

Favorite Irish Movie "Waking Ned Devine." This movie doesn’t have stars, only great actors who convey both the sweetness and intelligence of small-town residents of western Ireland. Will the villagers be able to swindle the government out of a huge lottery prize? What do you think? Best quote: “What a wonderful thing it would be to visit your own funeral.”