J.M.J.

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Well! Finney certainly had a lot to say about the time for this and the time for that!

It did seem, however, that it seemed all ok with him…except for Christmastime…hmmm…:)

I don’t think, however, that Finney is anything but over the moon about the Season of the Irish that we are in with St. Patrick’s great Feast just a few days away! But then again, Finney thinks the Season of the Irish is every day of every year! What Fun!   Finney knows, too, that Nannie agrees with him!

So as the “timin’ is right” for getting’ ready for this “great day for the Irish,” I would add that it is a great day for everybody! I feel sure that St. Patrick would love celebration of all that God gives us and does for us…all of us.

A fun story to start with has to do with a place in New York State. Syracuse, New York is the home of a place called Tipperary Hill, where a certain traffic light displays the green light above the red light. The basics are that some Irish youth, after the light was installed at the intersection of Milton Avenue and Tompkins Street in 1925, just couldn’t get settled about British red over the Irish green.

An article by Sarah Zhang at gizmodo.com points out that Syracuse has deep and broad Irish connections…so much so that it “has a parade in February to kick off St. Patrick’s Day Season.” Anyway, it seems there was a bit o’ stone throwing to break the lights…”over and over again.” I know that Finney was not at all pleased that accusations of blame were directed toward leprechauns of evil intent…can anyone imagine such a thing…thinks Finney!

The problem was ultimately resolved, according to Sarah, when “the city’s council relented, and an upside-down traffic light has directed cars at Tipperary Hill ever since.” Interestingly enough, when the local newspaper, Syracuse Post-Standard, researched the story in 2005, “they did find widows of men who claimed to be those stone-throwing youth back in the 1920s.” Sarah Zhang brought her report to a conclusion with the very fun fact that no matter who thinks what about this grand story, “when the Irish Prime Minister came to visit the United States in 2005, he made a special trip to Tipperary Hill – just to visit this one-of-a-kind traffic light.” {Syracuse Post Standard}

The website of Coleman’s Irish Pub, which is located on Tipperary Hill, adds a few more details (this website is also a fun read!). The hill gained its name because it was primarily settled by Irish immigrants in the 1820s. They “made up a large part of the labor force on the Erie Canal (which extended from the Hudson River in Albany to Lake Erie in Buffalo),” and most were originally from Co. Tipperary in Ireland. When it “was completed in 1825, many of the Irish laborers stayed on because Syracuse, with its central location on the canal had just been named a village and was on its way to becoming a thriving city in two more decades.”   Factory work begin to provide employment, as well, and in 1884, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church was established, and “serves the area to this day…Today at the intersection, a small park and sculpture memorializes the group known as the ‘Stonethrowers.’ On March 15, 2005 Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern visited Tipperary Hill and had his photo taken at the light.” He made the comment that ‘What they were up to in those days (was) kept for the future…”

Currently, according to this write-up on the Coleman’s Irish Pub website, “Tipp Hill is enjoying a resurgence today as a comfortable city neighborhood populated by a diverse but Irish influenced citizenry.”

Grand stuff!

The last tidbits for today are found at the website www.ireland.com, which, by the way has lots of fun info about travels to Ireland and different details that might be helpful. So, under the title of Outdoors Ireland: Outdoor Ireland for kids, there is fun information about places to go and things to do especially for the young’uns.

Causey Farm in Co. Meath, Funny Farm Adventures in Co. Down, An Irish Country Quads in Co. Monaghan are mentioned in terms of  “a surprising array of family-friendly playgrounds… ”      Fota Wildlife Park in Cork, the Belfast Zoo, and Tayto Park are also described as great Family destinations.

Also “kayaking, rock-climbing, surfing, and horse riding can be found all over Ireland… Falconry (near Ashford Castle in Co. Mayo), and a coasteering adventure from the jagged coast of Wexford’s Hook Peninsula” are also available activities. “Climbing up a mountainside and jumping into the ‘cool clear waters of the Bloody Bridge River” (called wet bouldering), would take us to the Mournes.

Westport House, on Clew Bay, Co. Mayo, “was built on a dungeon formerly owned by Ireland’s pirate queen, Grace O’Malley.” This is also the location of a Pirate Adventure Park…There are Norman castles in Malahide and Kilkenny, with “some of the best playgrounds in the country”   contained in the “surrounding parkland and demesnes.”

Speaking of the great outdoors…exploring the natural wonders of Ireland is offered by the Lough Neeagh Discovery Centre (on Oxford Island). It is a National Nature Reserve in Co. Armagh, with “footpaths, bird-watching hides, wildflower meadows, picnic and play areas.”

An Creagán, in the Sperrin Mountain foothills, is a learning center “on the site of a 10,000 year old glacial esker…After learning about the surrounding bogland, families can explore the stone circles at Beaghmore, or venture off to walk or cycle several forest trails stitched into the landscape.”

            

So all these mentions are only a small part of what can be found on our mystical island of Ireland.   This particular website (Ireland.com) focused on these particular activities for younger members of our families.

Given that there would be so much more to speak about regarding where to go and what to do in Ireland, Finney is tellin’ me that we have to get busy with our St. Paddy’s Day preparations! Everything green seems to be the idea…whether we eat it or wear it…Omgosh! Hope you are doin’ the same…gettin’ ready for the “wearin’ of the green!”

        

      

God bless you and thank you for visitin’ Finney and me!