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In IrelandSt. Patrick’s is almost just another day*'p^l|ir • V * , wjff* %**/##* f / '**•% v.H 9tJ v. - v*** w»-•«wifk6W-* •« - ^mr0 • •'Ahydhfe, however, who enjoys they could afforo the annual trip. interested in gourmet cooking Irish dances may join the danc- Patrick said that the longer a which includes Irish and soda ers, Mary said. person has been away fromBy Paula DetmlingIrish-born Mary and Patrick Collins of Mt. Repose observe St. Patrick’s Day in much the same way as the people in Ireland do—without wearing green clothes.Mary said she recalled wearing only a live shamrock on the saint’s day when she was a child in Sligo, Ireland. Patrick was born in County Kerry, Ireland.About 30 years ago, Mary and Patrick left the “island of saints and scholars” to come to America. The couple has four daughters, Patrice, Eileen, Marian and Brenda, all of whom were born in the United States.“We’re all Americans,” Mary pointed out. “This (the United States) is our home.”Mary said, that the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in the United States really surprised her. “I didn’t know why everyone was getting so excited about St. Patrick’s Day.”In Ireland, the day is a holy day.Patrick said people in Ireland attend Mass on the saint’s day and perhaps a dance in the evening. St. Patrick’s Day is basically like any other day in Ireland. He speculated that St. Patrick’s Day has become such a widely celebrated day in the United States as “something to latch onto” for immigrants.While many myths surround the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Irish dancing reflects the spirit of the Irish more completely than leprechauns, the Blarney stone, and pots of gold.Mary Collins and Rita McDon-agh started the Hibernian Dancers in the Greater Cincinnati area about 10 years ago. They taught Irish dancing every Saturday morning to 15 children in the basement of St. Xavier Church. Today the group has nearly doubled in size.“Irish dancing is a graceful form of dancing,” Mary said.She explained that Irish dancing is done with the legs and feet while the body is held stiff.The Hibernian Dancers had performed on Irish Day at Coney Island and have appeared on the Bob Braun Show. The group also performed at schools and hospitals. Recently the Hibernian Dancers received first place honors for their performances at the International Folk Festival. ■The Hibernian Dancers were originally comprised of children whose parents were members of the Hibernian Club and thewomen’s auxiliary of the club.Mary no longer teaches the Hibernian dance class and her daughters do not perform their Irish dances now as members of the group. They had outgrown the costumes that they wore as elementary school age members of the Hibernian Dancers, Mary said.Eileen, Marian, and Brenda performed last weekend in the Loveland Kiwanis Kapers show.Eileen pointed out that a person never forgets Irish dances.In the family room of the Collins’ home is a handmade wooden chandelier which tookPatrick about two years to complete. Patrick, an agent for the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Local 12, makes gavels and candlesticks in addition to other items from piecbs of raw walnut and barn siding. He makes items for the Collins’ home and as gifts for friends and relatives.Eileen and Marian will be visiting Ireland for three weeks in June. They have made reservations already for a charter flight and plan to rent a car when they arrive in Ireland.They plan to visit their grandmother for a week and perhaps to spend the second week in Dublin. During the third week, Eileen and Marian are planning to travel around Ireland sightseeing and visiting relatives.“I’m especially looking forward to seeing my grandmother,” .Eileen said. ”1 haven’t seen her for about ten years.”One place that they hope to visit is the Medieval Castle where a medieval banquet is served 15th century-style. Visitors eat the food at the banquet with knives and lute players provide the music.Mary said that she is looking forward to seeing the souvenirs that her daughters bring back from Ireland.Mary and Patrick, who are members of the American Irish Club, and family had visited Ireland in 1971 and 1973. She described the country, especially the County Kerry area, as “absolutely beautiful.”Patrick pointed out that he especially misses the fresh seafood that is available on the coast 1n Ireland. Fish can be bought as soon as it is brought to shore bythe trawlers, he said.Mary said that the family would visit Ireland every year ifIreland, the more sentimental one can become about his or her country. People tend to remember the good aspects and forget the bad aspects of a country when they reflect back, he said.Mary said that she and her family are proud to be Irish. She has tried to teach her childrenbread.“The Irish have a fantastic sense of hospitality,” she explained.Mary, who had served Irish bread and tea. to her family and this reporter last Sunday, said she wants her children to know the Irish art of entertaining.“The people are what make Ireland what it is,” Patrick said, ftne insn heritage, she said.The Collins family has becomeTHE IRISH IN LOVELAND—Brenda Collins lleftl and sister Marian dazzled Lovelanders with some Irish dancing during last weekend’s Kiwanis Kapers program. Brenda danced at the Sunday Kaper’s presentation after her sister, Eileen, who had originallybeen scheduled to perform, pulled a ligament In her leg on Saturdayevening. Herald/Advertiser photo*'ASM
Newspaper Details
The Loveland Herald
Loveland, Ohio, US
Thu, Mar 17, 1977
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Cincinnati A.
OH, USA 14 Jul 2021
Other Publications Near Loveland, Ohio
The Loveland Herald
