Happy St. Pat's!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! I've got a big hunk of corned beef cooking in the oven and some cold pints of the black stuff in the fridge so what could be better?

On this national holiday of Ireland, we celebrate one of the patron saints of Ireland, Saint Patrick.

I figured it most appropriate to share with you some facts and tidbits surrounding both the holiday and all things Irish:

-First of all, proposition 317 failed considerably. You may remember that I advocated signing the petition to make St. Pat's a national holiday here in the US. Guinness created the electronic signature site in hopes to get a million signatures before midnight of last night...unfortunately not even half a million signed. Better luck next year!

-U2, the most popular musical artist to come out of Ireland, just released a new album (which I'm currently listening to) and are going on tour to support it. What about other popular Irish acts? Among others, The Cranberries are definitely in the top 5. What ever happened to them though? I just checked their site which mentioned that they reunited for a show this past January in Dublin; in response to rumors of a permanent reuniting, Dolores, the lead singer, responded that it will happen "down the road" but they're all trying to be good parents right now. Gotta respect that.

-What movies do you watch on St. Pat's? The Leprechaun? Did you know the small person, named Warwick Davis, who played The Leprechaun also played Willow? What other movies? How about Boondock Saints? In case you haven't heard, production is underway on the constantly rumored, highly anticipated sequel to The Boondock Saints.

-Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 (no typo...9,000) year lease for the Guinness brewery in 1759, which means Guinness celebrates its 250th anniversary this year! Guinness' website merely mentions that you should "expect big things" this Spring in celebration. 10 million glasses of Guinness are consumed a day in over 150 countries. I don't know about you, but I'm more than happy to contribute to that statistic.

-I just learned this one this year. Did you know every year for the past 43 years, city workers dye the Chicago River green? And you thought a green beer was impressive. What else was turned green this year? The fountain in front of the White House.

I'll leave you with those gems. Feel free to comment with your own facts and thoughts on the great holiday that is St. Pat's.

I leave you to consume the beverages that the great nation of Ireland has blessed us with. In fact, I'll even show you my prep work. Keep in mind, this is not a "Black & Tan"...Black & Tans are what the Irish used to refer to as the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, a military force established to suppress revolution in Ireland...in other words, somewhat of a sore topic. You can order a "pint of special" in Ireland, which will get you mostly Smithwick's topped off with some Guinness. This is a more balanced version, which can be called Irish Nectar: