March is mix of celebrations

By Sharon K. GHAG

McClatchy Newspapers

You don’t even have to be a wee bit Irish to tap your inner leprechaun.

Come March, we’re all yearning to celebrate loud and proud.

A day set aside in Ireland for spiritual renewal and prayer is an excuse for blarin’ o’ the green, eating corned beef and cabbage and raising a pint or two.

Sunday marks the death of the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick, who lived at the end of the fourth century, brought Christianity to Ireland and is said to have driven the snakes out of the Emerald Isle and into the ocean.

We can also thank him for shamrocks and luck: He used the three-leaf clover to teach the Christian doctrine.

Irish celebrity chef Clodagh McKenna has fond memories of breakfast and then Mass, followed by a parade and a pot of beef and Guinness stew on St. Patrick’s Day.

Passover, which commemorates the freeing of Israeli slaves from Egypt, also offers many delicious recipes for March as well.

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