Always after me lucky charms

mood: restless
music: great big sea
random word: raffle

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So this past Sunday I spent the evening at the annual Greater Hartford County Irish Festival (the largest in the New England area, y'all).

It's basically a gathering of everyone and everything Irish for the weekend to sing, dance, listen to Irish music, hear people straight up conversing in Gaelic and, of course, drink far too much Guinness (or, in my case, watch people drink far too much Guinness).

I love being Irish. I love Irish people. I love Irish culture. Irish people are so open and friendly and fun.

There was a band playing traditional Irish jigs and folk songs and such and people wanted to dance, so they all reached into their bags and brought out their dance shoes. No joke, every single person came equipped with dance shoes (character or jazz, that I could see) and they ALL knew the steps to traditional Irish folk dances, which they proceeded to dance with abandon. Coolest thing I've seen. Oh, and the accents! There were some folks from Boston who were literally fresh off the boat at Ellis Island and I could have listened to them talk all day. So neat.

My family is quite Irish (obviously) but we are very subtly so, in that we have the occasional Gaelic phrase hung up in the house, have potatoes with every meal (you think I jest), name our children things like "Daniel Patrick Sullivan Kelley" and eat corned beef on St. Patty's Day. It's not often that I get a bucket full of Eire thrown straight in my face and, well, when it happens I get really happy.

So, yeah. I like being Irish. A lot. And hearing people speak Irish Gaelic like it was the lingua franca

Yep. That's it from me for now.

Fad saol agat, gob fliuch, agus bás in Éirinn!
(as they said at the end of the fest - also conveniently in omniglot "good health" phrasebook section for those wanting translation)