St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is such a rich holiday for our family... full of so many different, and often bittersweet, meanings and associations.

First of all, it is a celebration of the heritage that Jeremy and I share and find the most meaningful in our respective family trees.  The Nolens have ties back to Ireland and Jeremy and his brothers have always enjoyed the association with all things Irish.

I used to have a sort of iffy view of laying claim to any heritage other than "Texan" or "American" because all of my great-great grandparents were born in the US and most of them in Texas.  It's hard to claim a European lineage when you cannot name the ancestor who came over from Europe.  My recent foray into genealogy, though, has given me my own Irish connection in the form of Hugh McGuffin.  From what I have gathered, Hugh was born in Ireland in 1780 and was left in Ireland when his parents and sister came to America.  He followed them to America some time later, settling near Sabine, Texas (close to the Louisiana border).  The account I have from my aunt suggests that Hugh was left in the care of the Catholic church and was kicked out of the church for running away to America.  What is for certain is that Hugh, living in Sabine, offered shelter and care for Moses Austin (father of Stephen F. Austin) when Moses was robbed and left for dead.  While caring for Moses Austin, Hugh became interested in Stephen F. Austin's colony in Texas and relocated to Lavaca.  Hugh served as a delegate at the Texas Convention of 1832 and continued to serve Texas before, during and after the Revolution.

So, having done the research and having found my connection to Ireland, I feel completely at peace with my love of celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

For both Jeremy and myself, though, the holiday is also a reminder of James, who loved the holiday even more than we do.  Because of that connection, I always try to let Jeremy plan the family activity of the day, knowing he will pick something that makes him think of his brother without having to talk about him.  Bike riding on the Georgetown dam seems like a very James thing to do.  Having the entire family out in the fresh air, walking around just to be out in the fresh air walking, also very James, and not something I would have ever come up with.

Back at the house, Jeremy made Irish Lamp Stew, since his own historical research showed that corned beef and cabbage is Jewish in origin and only considered Irish because it's what Irish immigrants bought from the Jewish shopkeepers who settled the north east ahead of them.

For the kids, though, it's just a day for wearing the color green, for spending time with family and friends and so I'm glad that Andrew came over in the evening to finish out the day with us.

Happy St. Patrick's Day