"May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go." - Irish Blessing    

Cook with us!

Recipes by Mary Parlanti

Irish Soda Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two 8-inch cake pans. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. 

Whisk buttermilk, butter and egg in a small bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Knead mixture briefly in bowl until dough comes together. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. 

Divide dough into 2 pieces. Shape each into a round loaf and transfer to prepared pans. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross on the surface of each loaf, about 1/2-inch deep. Bake about 50 minutes, or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on racks. 

Irish Brown Bread

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 handful wheat germ or wheat bran

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, bran, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, honey, and olive oil. Mix again until well blended. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Pat oats into top of dough. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool. If desired, toast and serve with butter and marmalade or jam. 

Fast Facts

Leprechauns Are Likely Based on Celtic Fairies

The red-haired, green-clothed Leprechaun is commonly associated with St. Patrick’s Day. The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied fellow.” Belief in leprechauns likely stems from Celtic belief in fairies— tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies.

The Shamrock Was Considered a Sacred Plant

The shamrock, a three-leaf clover, has been associated with Ireland for centuries. It was called the “seamroy” by the Celts and was considered a sacred plant that symbolized the arrival of spring. According to legend, St. Patrick used the plant as a visual guide when explaining the Holy Trinity. By the 17th century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism.

Our Book Recommendation

How to Catch a Leprechaun

You've been planning night and day, and finally you've created the perfect trap with shamrocks, pots of gold, and rainbows galore! Now all you need to do is wait. Is this the year you'll finally catch the leprechaun? Start a St. Patrick's Day tradition with this fun and lively children's picture book and get inspired to build leprechaun traps of your own at home or in the classroom!

Find a copy of the book here!

Tourist Attraction

Since the mid-1990s, the Irish government, in part to promote tourism and boost the economy, has sponsored a multi-day St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin, featuring a parade and a variety of performances and activities; there are similar events in other sections of the country as well. Our Sister City in County Kildare is no exception! There are parades held in Athy, Castledermont, Celbridge, Clane, Kilcock, Kilcullen, Leixlip, Maynooth, Monasterevin, and Newbridge! And across the pond, many cities in America celebrate with a parade as well, including Lexington!