St Patrick’s Day 2021

Eric Keibler   Mar 15, 2021

The last twelve months have been a little unusual to say the least. Many people cleaned out their spare rooms, garage and attic while working from home while others reinvented themselves. We endured a polar “Ice-apocalypse” and now have the opportunity to replant our yards and paint the walls and ceilings of our homes. Yes, it has been an interesting twelve plus months! The warmer weather is here and the lakes will start their long warming trend so those who have avoided the drysuit course can finally get back into the water.

We will probably wait until next year to head out to the annual St Patrick’s day celebration at the Mucky Duck but that doesn’t mean we wont be celebrating our Irish heritage here are Oceanic Ventures. Like in previous years, Eric will be continuing his Sean Ahair’s (Grandfather in Irish) practice of sharing Irish Whisky with his friends throughout the day! So, come by for a wee bit of the Uische Beatha either in a glass or disguised in an Irish Coffee (Ann’s favorite way to experience it).

 

A Special Green Sale in the Facility

And while you are here, look for some green shamrocks in the store which signify special pricing on those items (it took too much ink to color things green). We have some of them located on wetsuits, divers tools, camera equipment and may other items! While you are here you can also look at the new Bare Exo-Wear, and plan for your warm weather diving.

The History of St. Patrick’s Day

According to Wikipedia, The story of St. Patrick’s Day begins with the legend of the man himself—an actual person who lived more than 1,000 years ago. In the fifth century, a British man named Patrick had a vision of himself visiting Ireland and bringing Christianity to the people there.

The story goes that he traveled throughout Ireland, using a shamrock (or a three-leaf clover) to explain the Holy Trinity: Each of the clover’s leaves represented the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (This is why shamrocks are the national flower of Ireland, and why they’re used in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to this day.)

When St. Patrick died on March 17, 461, his death date became a national religious holiday in Ireland. Families would go to church in the morning and then celebrate for the rest of the day. The holiday typically falls during Lent, but the restrictions would be lifted for the day, so the Irish people celebrated by eating corned beef and drinking beer—a tradition that’s now used to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all over the world.

More than 1,000 years later, the tradition of St. Patrick’s Day parades began, although interestingly, they began in America and not in Ireland. Irish soldiers serving in the army held a march on St. Patrick’s Day in New York City in 1772, and since then most major cities in America have adopted the tradition of hosting a St. Patrick’s Day parade. The largest celebrations outside Ireland are the parades held in New York City and Boston.

But David and Jamie Morris and Ashton Arsement will argue that if you take into account the population, the largest St Patrick’s day celebration is in St Croix, USVI! The Island has almost 100% participation (over 100% when you count the visitors) in the parade and other festivities.

Invitation

Please come join Eric for some Uische Beatha, socially-distanced in the backyard (or tucked inside if it is raining). We may even have a few other treats…

David & Ashton