Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Everyone’s Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day!  Actually, my mom and I often get mistaken for Irish.  It must be our fair Swedish skin and eyes.  I even once got a letter addressed to Nik O’Lopoulos.  Yep.

Here’s a couple of St. Patrick’s Day-related links for you:::

• On my last trip to Ireland, I got to visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.  Fun facts: Benjamin Guinness — yes, of beer fame — funded the reconstruction of the cathedral and Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels) was dean here.  Find out more in my Church Hopping article.
• Then, this summer I took a group Church Hopping to St. Patrick’s Cathedral here in New York City.  You can read about that fun experience here.
• One of my colleagues at Burnside, wrote this interesting article about the meaning of hair when Sinéad O’Connor tweeted that she hated Ireland.
• Here’s a review of Irish author Colum McCann’s Dancer, also from a colleague on Burnside.
• You know how four-leaf clovers are supposed to be lucky?  Well, someone in Japan found a 56-leaf clover.
• This is a pretty four-leaf clover necklace.
• Have you ever heard this Irish blessing?  It’s so beautiful, and it always reminds me of the Rebecca St. James song “Abba Father.”
• Going back to Guinness, the beer company is aiming to set a record for the world’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day party. Sounds fun!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!!

Tags: beer, blessingn, Burnside Writers Collective, church hopping, clover, Colum McCann, Dublin, Guinness, holidays, Ireland, Rebecca St. James, Sinead O'Connor, St. Patrick, St. Patrick's Cathedral, St. Patrick's Day, Swedish