St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
I’m not Irish, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a little Irish brogue. I went to Kell’s Irish Pub in Portland to check out their celebration. Kell’s has one of the biggest Irish festivals in the northwest. It lasts three days including family time in the afternoons and 21 and over shows in the evenings.
The celebration was set up in a huge tent in the the parking lot behind the pub. There were several vendor booths with lots of ‘green’ goodies, Irish memorabilia, plus some good food and lots of beer. They also had a small stage set up with a dance floor. The music was good Irish jigs mixed with rock and roll. Twice a day they had local dance troupes, including young children and teenagers do some traditional Irish dancing. The dancing was good, what I could see. With no seating, viewing was between heads and elbows.
More impressive is this Avalon dance troup:
Here the lyrics to an Irish folk song that talks of the love of Ireland. I could say the same for my Pacific Northwest.
THE CLIFFS OF DONEEN
You may travel far far from your own native land
Far away o’er the mountains, far away o’er the foam
But of all the fine places that I’ve ever been
Sure there’s none can compare with the cliffs of Doneen
Take a view o’er the mountains, fine sights you’ll see there
You’ll see the high rocky mountains o’er the west coast of Clare
Oh the town of Kilkee and Kilrush can be seen
From the high rocky slopes round the cliffs of Doneen
It’s a nice place to be on a fine summer’s day
Watching all the wild flowers that ne’er do decay
Oh the hares and lofty pheasants are plain to be seen
Making homes for their young round the cliffs of Doneen
Fare thee well to Doneen, fare thee well for a while
And to all the kind people I’m leaving behind
To the streams and the meadows where late I have been
And the high rocky slopes round the cliffs of Doneen
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