Althouse: Happy St. Pat's from Clan O'Harra.

March 17, 2008

Happy St. Pat's from Clan O'Harra.

The St. Pat rat?

If you're an O'Harra, maybe you can explain.

10 comments:

AllenS said...: Doing my genealogy work, I discovered that my great great grandmother's name was Adelia O'Reilly born in 1835. I have an air tight excuse to drink today (I can't remember what my excuse was yesterday). When's everybody going to start? Noon?; 3/17/08, 9:59 AM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/17/08, 12:23 PM
blogging cockroach said...: rats
i hate rats
they devour you just like that

i was just getting over being terrorized
by the irish step dancers
...those shoes...
...those shoes...
clackety clomp
...shudder...

and now you had to go and remind me of rats

i am beginning to hate st patricks day

plus the only thing i would find to drink today
is the green beer vomit
outside the irish bar up the street on mass ave

easter cant get here soon enough; 3/17/08, 12:31 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: allens said...
When's everybody going to start? Noon?

It is always noon sometime in the world.; 3/17/08, 2:24 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: St. Patrick drove out all the snakes from Ireland and that left room for the rats to flourish, become quite large, and eventually get themselves driven around in baby carriages. Or something.; 3/17/08, 3:16 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: I always wonder why I was always badgered by people named O'harra.; 3/17/08, 4:23 PM
Anonymous said...: Here's some unusual mostly Irish music (with a little Scottish thrown in). It's 18th century Celtic music of the sort that the politer part of society might have played in their parlours. These are commercial samples, but you can generously play entire selections, either in the linked flash format, or you can download iTunes playlists from the same page.

Scroll down to nos. 15 and 16, which are two pieces from Airs for the Seasons by James Oswald (1710-1769).

The first is "Scortese: Autumn - The Marvel of Peru," which is a lovely slow air for fiddle, beautifully played. The second is "Comic Musette" from the same "Autumn" suite, played on recorder. This one is absolutely charming and very neatly played. Both these have continuo supplied by the usual harpsichord and viola da gamba, so they are a fascinating mixture of Baroque and Irish elements. I have no idea where "The Marvel of Peru" came from, except it proves the antiquity of the practice of giving odd names to Irish music.

Anyway, if you're as sick as I am of Irish music, this album might prove an antidote.

I have no antidote for green beer.; 3/17/08, 5:18 PM
Eva said...: Didn't Saint Patrick drive the rats out of Ireland? Maybe it has something to do with that.

Today is my birthday. But I'm not Irish. I still pretend the parade is for me though.; 3/17/08, 9:52 PM
blake said...: If you're an O'Harra, maybe you can explain.

If you're an O'Harra, no explanation is necessary, now, is it?; 3/17/08, 11:12 PM
John said...: Possibly, yes. But as far as it is demanded...; 3/18/08, 2:41 AM