St. Patrick’s Day in this Saturday, March 17, so put on your green clothes and get ready to dance an Irish jig. The Irish have a rich tradition of food, drink, and folklore. Many settlers from Ireland and Scotland settled in the South after they made the long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.You can see their influence in many things we hold dear here in the South. Appalachian music, Bluegrass music was greatly influenced by the music from Ireland and Scotland. “Buck” dancing and “Flat-foot” dancing got its start in the traditional dancing of Ireland. Many of our food traditions also came with the settlers. Simple dishes of roasted meat, potatoes, cabbage, and soda bread are still enjoyed today.
One of my favorite Irish dishes is Colcannon. Colcannon is an easy traditional Irish smashed potato recipe with cabbage, or kale, butter, cream, salt & pepper. This is a great dish to use up leftovers. I always seem to have half a head of cabbage in my fridge and a least a couple of potatoes laying around. Why have boring, plain ole mashed potatoes, when you can have Colcannon. It’s super easy to make and super easy to customize. Add meat if you want to, try it with sweet potatoes for a fun alternative, put it in a casserole dish and top it with cheese. Make this yummy, stick-to-your-ribs dish your own. May the luck of the Irish be with you!
I want to leave you with one of my favorite Irish Proverbs. “May the Road rise up to meet you. May the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rain fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.”
By: Anna Hamilton
