Stumblin' Along 3/15 '26
Streets of New York
- 15 Saint Patrick’s Day Facts
Streets of New York
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
A bit of history of Saint Patrick’s Day is up top with today’s tune below….
15 Saint Patrick’s Day Facts
15. Saint Patrick was a redhead.
Okay, this is not a proven fact because the man was around in the 4th century, but since his beard is white in every glass artwork, we gingers are claiming him as our own. Glad we got that sorted.
14. Saint Patrick wasn’t born in Ireland.
Yup, I was floored when I read he may have been Welsh and got kidnapped by Irish pirates at 16 years old. Spent 6 years as a herdsman in slavery before escaping.
13. Saint Patrick’s first color (or colour) was blue.
Ireland and Saint Patrick’s original color (or colour) was historically blue.
The first formal use of the colour blue was used under the reign of King Henry VIII in 1542 as he split from Catholicism and declared Ireland a separate kingdom. This formal creation of an Irish kingdom meant that Ireland was granted its own coat of arms - a golden harp placed against a blue background - one that still stands today. (Source: Irish Poet)
12. Everybody is Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day!
It’s imprinted on a steel beam, so it must be true. Plus Marla Lewis even wrote a song imploring this.
11. The Shamrock
Saint Patrick was said to use the iconic Shamrock leaf as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity.
10. 1st Recorded Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.
The first recorded Saint Patrick’s Day Parade took place in New York City on March 17, 1762. That would be 14 years before when the Yanks decided to sign the Declaration of Independence. (Source: 6 Sq Ft)
9. Guinness Circus Campaigns.
In the 1930s and 1950s, Guinness had special edition campaigns that featured circus animals. In 1935, Irish artist John Gilroy created the legendary Guinness campaign artwork. The circus animals featured were lions, bears, kangaroos, ostriches, pelicans, and of course, the famous Guinness Toucan.
8. Derek Jeter & Tom Brady
2 of the most iconic American sports stars of all time, Derek Jeter and Tom Brady, have Irish blood. Saint Patrick’s Day is one of the only days of the year when Week to Week Notes will allow New York 🤝 Boston.
7. Corned Beef and Cabbage
This one might get me in trouble, but according to the History Channel, corned beef and cabbage was an American innovation. While ham and cabbage were already eaten in Ireland, corned beef offered a cheaper substitute for impoverished Irish-American immigrants. It was created in the slums of Manhattan in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
6. Guinness was seasonal, even in Ireland.
Last year, I found out that my grandad from Ireland would only drink Guinness during the winter months. You see, back in the day (as recently as the 1980s), he would switch to Smithwicks during the summers. This was because Guinness was not served at most pubs in Ireland during the warmer months when much of the country didn’t have refrigerators for kegs, and Smithwicks could be served at a warmer temperature. Thank goodness in today’s day and age, you can drink Guinness year-round!
5. Baby Shane couldn’t hang.
4. 4 leaf clovers stats.
4 leaf clovers are different than Shamrocks, which are always 3 cloves. There are 10,000 Shamrocks for every 1 lucky 4-leaf clover. A woman in Wisconsin holds the Guinness World Record for 4-leaf clovers collected with 118,791 if anybody wants to compete with her. (Source: UPI)
3. Guinness Pints on Saint Patrick’s Day
Every year, over 13 million pints of Guinness worldwide are drunk on Saint Patrick’s Day. I hope you’ve contributed to this, you know I am.
2. Leprechauns come from folklore.
The red-haired, green-clothed Leprechaun is derived from figures called “lobaircin” or “small-bodied fellow.” In Celtic folklore, Leprechauns could use their magical powers for both good and evil. Oftentimes, they were described as having cranky souls. When they weren’t after their pot of gold, they were shoe cobblers.
(Source: History)
1. The Brian Boru’s Harp Logo.
The harp has been a national symbol of Ireland dating back to the 1400s. The Guinness logo Brian Boru’s harp has been around since around the 15th century and can be found at Trinity College in Dublin. Guinness trademarked the symbol as their own in 1876. Nearly half a century later, when Ireland became an independent nation, the newly formed government decided on the harp as its official emblem. Facing trademark infringement, the Irish Free State cleverly reversed the harp to ensure the government was in the good graces of Guinness.
(Source: Guinness Storehouse)
Today’s tune is The Wolfe Tones’ The Streets of New York. Liam Reilly of Bagatelle originally wrote the song. However, The Wolfe Tones’ cover topped the Irish Charts in 1981.
Liam Reilly is from Dundalk, County Louth, which is about an hour north of the city of Dublin, so at 18, the narrator of the story left home for the biggest city and capital of Ireland.
My dad moved away from Galway at 16. I never really asked much about how his parents felt about the move, but I’d like to think it went something like this.
Back to the narrator’s story, his dad told him to be careful about the city slickers of Dublin, it’s different from the countryside in County Louth. I’m not too sure young buck-o is used much in Irish vernacular today but mind yourself well for sure is.
His uncle doesn’t live in Dublin, but in Brooklyn, New York, in the US of A. My guess is that the narrator was to go to a post office in Dublin to mail internationally. This sets the scenery of his family’s farm that his dad looked after while Uncle Benji became a cop in NY. After moving to Dublin with a pocketful of money, the plan was now to move to NY.
Here, his father is giving him reasons why he should move to America. He’s lived and worked his whole life on his family’s farm for some pints of Guinness. He wants him to experience new things before moving back home to take over the family farm.
The narrator here is experiencing the makings of his American Dream with excitement to see the big City of New York.
“You’re as free as a bird” could provide a bit of context for the time. The Beatles had a song, Free As A Bird, that came out in 1977…or, of course, it could be a reference to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird, which came out in 1973. Either way, my guess is that they would be on the New York radio in the 70s.
In classic Irish folk fashion, out of nowhere, they lay it on us that his uncle Ben had died. This was inspired by real events.
The narrator had to tell his dad that his brother passed away. Rather than tell him to go home, his father encouraged him to stick to the plan of experiencing New York, but stay true to what he was a proud Irishman.
The narrator appears to have ended up in the Bronx. It wouldn’t shock me if there was a Nelly’s Pub in Woodlawn in those days. Lifting the road likely meant he took on a construction job, but he was bitter-sweet homesick.
Even when he did get back to Ireland, it was for his father’s funeral.
He sold his family farm, but he made sure to take a bit of Irish bog. There’s nothing quite like it.
He’s back in business in New York, where he sorted himself out.
The kids know how to use the correct knife and fork line is what always hits me. The narrator went ahead with his father’s plan and he didn’t forget to be a proud Irishman. He raised his kids properly and his dad would be proud of him.
