Since I was young, my Irish heritage has been a huge part of my life. I grew up reading children’s books filled with stories about leprechauns, banshees, pookas, and even giant potatoes (seriously). I’ve seen Riverdance more times than I can count and I have a tin whistle and bodhran drum tucked away somewhere in my basement.
I began Irish dancing when I was four years old. Over ten years, I travelled all over the continent to compete in local, regional, and national competitions. To outsiders, Irish dancing may just seem like a lot of fast foot tapping and really curly hair, but I know I speak for all dancers when I say it requires a serious amount of time, practice, and passion to truly be an Irish dancer.
After taking a hiatus from the dance world during high school, I jumped right back into Irish dance with my ghillies on when I found Boston College Irish Dance here on campus. As the resident Irish authority here at BC, the team has compiled a list of just some of the ways we celebrate our favorite holiday, St. Paddy’s Day. Make sure you get a full dose of Irish culture and come see BCID’s showcase performance, “Treble,” in Robsham Theatre this Friday, March 21st to wrap up your St. Pat’s celebrations!
“Boiled dinner, soda bread, and some Magner’s cider.” –Taylor Laffey, ‘15
“In the spirit of the holiday, my Italian mother makes a boiled dinner. Then immediately after eating she says, ‘Thank God we’re Italian. Back to pasta tomorrow.’” –Jacqui Andrews, ‘17
“Lots of Irish Candy! And Brid (my mom) always makes lots of scones and brown bread!” –Megan McLaughlin, ‘14
“Grandma McGuire killing it with the homemade Irish potatoes (just came in the mail today)!” –Madeline Jacob, ‘16
“Brown bread all the way…and dance outs for dayssss.” –Aine McGovern, ‘17
“Dance dance dance.” –Michelle Principi, ‘15
“Every year, we watch The Quiet Man (with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara) as a family while eating corned beef and cabbage.” –Erin Hoover, ‘14
“My family always marches in the parade in our hometown after going to mass, then dancing the day and night away!” –Meg Keating, ‘15