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Friday 9 March 2012

A Different Take On St. Patrick's Day

I'm Irish.  Well, half Irish.  That is, my mom was 100% Irish and she preferred to ignore that her children's father was English.  She gave us Irish names and told us stories of our genealogy (excluding the English side of course) and expected us to act like the displaced royalty she always said we were.  If we did anything she considered uncouth, she reminded us that we were direct descendants of Brian Boru and, therefore, "descended from kings.".  The fact that she had never set foot on the 'ole sod' didn't stop her from waiting for our ancestral lands and Norman castle to be returned to their rightful owners.

Soooo - while I'm waiting, I celebrate St. Patrick's Day with some of the things that mean Ireland to me.  I'm not big on leprechauns and pots of gold.  That cuts out the usual decorations that are in stores and I'll have to make my own.

I need a banner for my loyal knights to rally around! ~

   
I might have been influenced by having just finished reading the first book in the A Game Of Thrones series with all the knights in bejewelled armour, carrying their banners into battle. ~


I start with some pieces of painter's drop cloth and this jewel encrusted green fabric. ~

 

I'm from the O'Neill clan and chose their heraldic symbol of a bloody hand for one pennant.  We O'Neills are really fun people.  I have to draw the hand with a fabric marker since those images aren't all that popular in clipart.  I do find an image of an Irish harp. This one is a copy of the Brian Boru harp that is in the Trinity College library in Dublin. Did I ever tell you that I worked on Loreena McKennitt's beautiful Celtic albums when I was in the music biz?  I love her!  For the third pennant, I found an image of a Celtic style shamrock.  I inverted the images and printed them on a lazer printer.  You can use the Critrosolv transfer method Here.  I decided to try the Chartpak Blender Pen that Wendy from Herballistic Garden gave me.  It's the same method but takes a lot less rubbing to get the image to transfer.  I had cut strips of the emerald fabric, rolled them for a 3D effect and glued them on the pennants. ~


A scrap of green piping and a couple of $ store tassels and she's ready to hang under my little $4 shelf, proclaiming that this is Tir Eoghan (Land Of Eoghan), stronghold of the O'Neill clans. Some Irish books and sheet music sit on top of the fireplace. ~


The shelf holds another tiny book of Irish quotes, a porcelain angel made in Ireland that belonged to my mom, a Celtic cross and my grandma's silver and green stone pin that was made in Ireland.  The angel is missing a wing and I don't want to talk about that.  Just say, "Maeve is a bad cat!".  Never name your cat after an Irish warrior queen. They don't follow rules! ~


What have I forgotten?  The sea of course!  I donwnload an image from The Graphics Fairy that she calls a mermaid.  That she is holding a baby seal tells me it is really one of the fabled Irish sea creatures, a Selkie. I give her an emerald crown and put her in a Georgian Era silver frame.  ~


Welcome to Tir Eoghan! ~


Rally round my brave bannermen and we will retake Castle Shane to restore the honour of the mighty O'Neills!  Or, we can sit here, sip on some Irish Mist and listen to Loreena Mckennitt if you prefer.


I'm tipping my glass at these parties:


  No Minimalist Here Open House


Inspiration Friday sponsored by Appliances Online and the Beko Fridge Freezers


Primp Your Stuff Wednesday






Tatertots and Jello

22 comments:

  1. I love, love, love that you know your roots so well! And, I'm also so proud of you for "coming out" and letting people know you were in the music biz! Now...let the funny stories begin! The banner is awesome because it's so "noncommercial". You rock Maureen! xo wendy

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  2. Ahh...but where is the cd of Celtic Women or are they too "new" for your blood?;>) I grew up on a farm in an Irish community in PA. Loved it. It was magical in many ways (and a lot of hard work in other ways)

    I love your decorations. I do the brighter stuff for the grandkids but I LOVE your take on it. My grandmother was 100% Catholic Irish and she married my grandfather-100% Church of England and both families disowned them. She raised all the girls Catholic and he raised all the boys Protestant. Can you imagine how scandalous that was at the time?

    Great post today! Hope you have a good weekend-xo Diana

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    1. There's lot of O'Neills in PA. Maybe we are related. My Irish Catholic grandfather married my Irish Protestant grandmother and was disowned. They had the same agreement about the kids but only had girls. At my grandfather's funeral, none of us knew when to stand or sit at the service. Sad.

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  3. Oh, this sounds so familiar. My great-grandparents came over on the boat about 150 years ago... and as in your case, the Irish side won out in my family. The poor Scots/Swiss were left in the corner. Strangely enough it makes me "fit" in where we live and my children take great pride in claiming some Irish heritage. Here, the Irish were put down just as the French were so there is a real love affair between the Québecois and the French....okay, rambling sorry about that! Not sure what I will be sipping on St. Patty's Day but I will tip it your way!

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    1. Were your ancestors held on that terrible island in the St. Lawrence were they died by the thousands? I read a terrible account of that. I'll tip a glass your way, too.!

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  4. What great symbolism on top of being awesome-looking. And naming your cat after an Irish warrior queen is the height of cool. :)

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  5. She's a good fighter, too. Ask anyone who tried to pin her down!

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  6. I miss the days of sitting in Aunt Kay's kitchen drinking tea and reliving the old tales of our ancestors. What a fantastic, if somewhat gruesome, way to spend an evening with your elders.

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  7. Wow, great info.. Lovely post.. Thanks so much for sharing.. I've picked up a thing or actually two I had no clue about.. THANK YOU.. ;))

    ps: your newest linky tool follower here ;))

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  8. How nice to know so much about your background. What a nice post.
    -Shelley

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    1. Thanks Shelley. I'm not sure how much we actually know and how much is some Irish blarney. lol

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  9. What a great post! Love the pendants that you made. I have a little a bit of Irish blood in me! ~Marcy

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    1. Thanks. I was surprised at how much fun I had making it!

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  10. What a wonderful tribute to your Irish heritage... I love the banner you have created!
    Nice to see something more than Pots of Gold, yet I sure could use alittle pot of gold!
    Have a wonderful week
    Cheryl

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    1. Maybe I should have focused a little more on the pot o' gold. I could use one, too!

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  11. Your post was a real kick and makes me want to celebrate St. Pat's Day too. I haven't done that in 2 years due to a family death on that day. So thanks for the uplifting post.

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    1. After a series of tragedies around Easter, I did no decorating or dinner for a couple of years. I finally decided to live in the moment and go ahead with the season. It was hard the first year but so much better in the end.

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  12. I loved reading the story of your Irish heritage and if you ever inherit that castle I am coming for a visit. You did a great job with the banner and I like your mermaid. Thanks for linking to the Open House party. Hugs, Sherry

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    1. My drawbridge will always be down for you, Sherry!

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  13. This is gorgeous! And of course you are royalty :-)
    lots of love
    jutta

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  14. We're getting O'Neills from around the world together in Ireland for a gathering in 2016. You can learn more about it here: https://www.facebook.com/oneillsofulster Please join your cousins!

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