MARCH MARCHES ON

Frank

Jacqueline F. O’Keffe, Ft. Myers

We now know whether March came in like a lion or not, and time will tell whether or not it goes out like a lamb. Or as John Belushi explained on SNL, that in Norway, it comes in like a polar bear, and goes out like a walrus.

Like most months, March is noteworthy, because of a particular holiday, in this case, St. Patrick’s Day.

Like most holidays, in spite of their purpose or the meaning behind them, they will be commandeered and converted into reasons for drinking alcohol in large quantities. Statistics show that America has more drinking holidays than the United Kingdom has bank holidays.

#5169

Crossword Puzzle

Crossword Puzzle

Crossword Puzzle

1. State 2. Office cabinet 3. Misfortunes 4. Coat part

Creator

Enthusiastic

19. Ms. Lee 20. Felt indignant about

Feudal subjects

Change direction

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day of Lent: abbr. 11. Cosmetic case item

Put underground

Beauty’s movie partner

Article of faith

“...__ by your outfit that you are...”

Bride’s item

On March 17, many people will be drinking Guinness, singing Irish songs, and basically pretending to be Irish, whether or not there’s one drop of Irish blood in their veins and in spite of not having any knowledge of the story of Saint Patrick.

Well, I’m here to set you straight about the true story of Saint Patrick, and why he is a legend.

Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain. When he was 19 years old, with only the clothes on his back and a pennywhistle he traveled by foot on a spiritual journey of self-discovery. He ended his pilgrimage in the Irish town of Wexford, which at the time was besieged by a snake infestation. Patrick promised to eliminate the snakes in return for money, to which the townsfolk agreed.

Standing up on the hillside, he began playing his pennywhistle, which lured the snakes to him. Then pointing his whistle, he directed them to slither over the edge of the cliffs, where they drowned in the Celtic Sea.

However, after Patrick succeeded in leading the snakes away, the townsfolk failed to pay him. In revenge, Patrick tricked and kidnaped 130 children from the town, and they were never seen again.

Now that you have the truth under your belt, feel free to celebrate your holiday at your favorite local Irish Pub. Sláinte!

Michael has visited several Irish pubs in Florida, aside from Finnegan’s Bar & Grill at Universal Studios and Ragland Road at Disney Springs. If you’ve a favorite, share it at micwrighthamo@gmail.com