With St. Patrick's day over for another year I found myself remembering what it used to be like for me as a child. Like many of us, my grandparents lived in Ireland: both sets in Dublin. I'd see them in the summer, when along with aunties, uncles and cousins, we all went Home. They occasionally came to Leicester but in general there was very little contact.
Shortly before the big day small boxes would arrive through the post. (I remember them as the kind of small boxes you get pieces of wedding cake in.). The boxes were printed with tiny shamrocks with the "foreign" Irish stamps and you knew it was the package from Home. Inside we'd find sprigs of bright green shamrock that we'd wear proudly, with our St. Patrick's rosettes and our green dresses to school on March 17. Almost everyone at Sacred Heart school would be wearing the same that day: all belonging to the same, seemingly all encompassing, group of The Irish in Leicester.
What are your memories of St. Patrick's Day?
If you'd like to be involved contact us on 0116 276 9186 or pop in to:
The Emerald Centre, Gipsy Lane, Leicester. LE5 OTB
We're now also on Twitter: follow me on @irishleicester or join The Irish in Leicester group on Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment