TCWR:
Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) found his Irish heritage provided a multitude of teachable moments — about humor, the vagaries of everyday life and our shared path toward Heaven illumined by the light of Christ.
Saint Patrick’s Day often found the famed priest, author, and television personality giving a speech about the Emerald Isle and her patron saint. He found any day was proper for a discourse about Ireland. Sheen loved Irish humor; he attributed the cheerful disposition of the Irish to how they view the world — and beyond.
“The Irishman enjoys life, I repeat, because he lives in a bigger universe than anyone else. He lives in the universe of eternity as well as of time,” Sheen told a St. Patrick’s Day crowd at the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick banquet at New York’s Astor Hotel. “Ireland may be a small island, but every Irishman is bigger than Ireland. The earth may be a small earth, but every Irishman lives on a bigger earth than the earth. In a certain sense, it is therefore true to say that no Irishman is ever at home in Ireland, or that every Irishman is homeless at home.” more
As an Irishman I agree completely. Our matriarchal family, headquartered in my grandparents house in Boston, (aunts, uncles, cousins all lived nearby on the same block) was always full of laughter, love, and the Catholic faith.
Bishop Sheen was a smart guy.
As my dad used to say, “you can always tell and Irishman…but you can’t tell him much.”
Full disclosure; I’m 1/2 Irish descent.
“…He lives in the universe of eternity as well as of time,”
What a great quote!!
You want to see an Irishman stand there with a puzzled look on his face? Ask him about Corned Beef and Cabbage. They don’t regularly eat Corned Beef and Cabbage, it is what American Irish could afford for a special treat.
The idiots down the street from my kid’s school have a big sign out every year declaring “The Best Corned Beef This Side of Ireland. Irish eat Bacon and Cabbage fairly regularly.
I prefer a traditional cottage pie to corned beef and cabbage. But my husband looks forward to having corned beef. In order to avoid a McHenry vs Atkins food war, I have compromised:
https://youtu.be/MFFqreG9n3c
Tina Mulrooney Cliffs of Moher musician
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um68RrC16WQ
I think she still plays there almost daily
Adam and Eve were Irish. Adam was Otoole and Eve was Ohair. I am 1/8 Irish.
When in my twenties I basically subsisted on the traditional Irish seven course meal. A six pack of beer and a boiled potato.
My friend who revels in everything Italian and never misses an opportunity to say someone is Italian, calls me one of her Irish friends.
She asked me to cook a corned beef & cabbage meal for a bunch of us as it’s St. Patrick’s Day. I said I will, and am but I told her if she wants real Irish food it would be colcannon or lamb stew.
She never heard of either.
Pfffft, Italians.
By the way, anyone who is Irish probably has Italian, Norse, German in their dna as Ireland was frequently invaded.
@ beachmom MARCH 17, 2021 AT 2:31 PM
True that! What is more Irish were historically very promiscuous. My family is from County Tipperary, still have a lot of family there. It is a great place to have family because it is centrally located and you can stay in Thurles or Cashel and go out to anywhere in the south end of Erin for a day or two.
Where my people are actually from is around Upper Church. North of Tipp and west of Thurles.
Mostly their food sucks. Their soups, bread, dairy, beer and whiskey are solid performers. There isn’t a cut of meat the bastards can’t ruin. If you give them a prime rib roast they will throw it in a pot of water and boil it until it is a uniform shade of grey and if they add any seasoning it is purely by accident.
JDHasty, you’re not wrong about “boiling.” I have a Chieftains album entitled “Boil the Breakfast Early.”
Too, I prefer Easter to St Patrick’s Day.
https://youtu.be/S7woEXovruc
Here is Bishop Sheen on communism…
https://youtu.be/K8qqZup3Bg4
That guy did a better job of explaining Ireland in two paragraphs than 20 years of reading about that inscrutable place.
As a non Irish person I found it all very interesting.
BEACHMOM
There are more blonds in Ireland than any other country. The Danes and their “Berserkers” invaded many times from 200 to 900.
Also sure of Scotland and England.
Ragnar(of Copenhagen) built many cities in AngloLand. The most famous was Jorvik, now called York! If you go there you can visit 3 yards down the old Jorvik!
disclaimer
I have blond hair and blue eyes!
And IOam not DUIMB!
I am also the Great Grandson of a Great Dane!
SKOL!
Edit
“also true”! of /scotland
I have some Irish in me…it’s mostly Bushmills though.
‘Whisky’ somehow translates to “Duisce beatha”, meaning water of life.
Just talked my way out of speeding ticket.
How?
Neither the cop nor myself are Irish.
We talked about rib joints and I ALMOST….almost talked him into chasing me down my street and into my driveway with the lights flashing.
He’s not looking forward to this evening.
“almost talked him into chasing me down my street and into my driveway with the lights flashing.” That’s pretty funny! If I get lucky someday I’ll try and remember that.
I bet if he had caught me a half hour earlier, he would have. Had that gleam in his eye…. we were only a mile from my house.
But, like I said, he has a busy night ahead so he played it cool.
So close….would have been awesome…wife was gardening out front. Classic.