Trivia: 03/18/12: Irish Eyes Are Smilin'

TODAY'S MYSTERY QUOTE

QUOTE: "O, the red rose may be fair, And the lily statelier; But my shamrock, one in three Takes the very heart of me!"

HINT: (1861-1931), Irish-born writer, known mainly for her novels and poetry.

RANDOM TIDBITS

Irish soda bread gets its name and distinctive character from the use of baking soda rather than yeast as a leavening agent.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in the United States on March 17, 1762, when Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City.

The Celts had an oral culture, where religion, legend and history were passed from one generation to the next by way of stories and songs. After being conquered by the English, and forbidden to speak their own language, the Irish, like other oppressed peoples, turned to music to help them remember important events and hold on to their heritage and history.

The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick's Day at the turn of the century. Irish immigrants living on New York City's Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.

Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick's Day until 1959 when Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People. This film introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cranky little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly evolved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.

QUOTE: "O, the red rose may be fair, And the lily statelier; But my shamrock, one in three Takes the very heart of me!"

ANSWER: Katharine Tynan.