A trinity of shamrock sonnets

Spud Spouting Sonnet on Irish Greens
On Irish people and the color green in 2018
what else then needs to be said
nothing but a glass of whiskey or *poteen
won’t hurt rolling around in your head
Ireland’s called the Emerald Isle
it rains a lot there, its green year round
a red haired lass, Irish eyes that smile
shamrocks found on the ground abound
three orange white and green stripes on the flag
wool on their backs, horses, potatoes in their fields
of independence from England Irishmen brag
various grains provide ample beer and whiskey yields
musicians, writers, songs, dances, prose, poetry, verse
in Gaelic and English one hears blessings and curse.

*poteen in Gaelic. Poitin or poicin is whiskey illicitly distilled in Ireland. It is Irish white lightening.
 
A Sonnet for Saint Patrick’s Day
Green gewgaws appear in variety stores before Valentine’s Day
green leprechaun t-shirts, shamrock ties, and hats sold by the score
green beer everywhere, a green river even runs in Chicago today
in New York’s parade Irish pipes, policemen, marching bands, more
in Erin folks used to get up and go to morning Mass in a local church
they’d eat a simple meal of beef, potatoes, tea, and Irish soda bread
Irish will leave the big green scene commercial machine in the lurch
while from underneath ladies wool scarves peeks hair of beautiful red
St. Patrick departed the Emerald Isle over fourteen hundred years ago
kidnapped in Scotland and brought as a slave to Erin when a young boy
after six years he escaped to return to Scotland in a boat he could row
he later returned to Ireland bringing Druids Irish Catholic guilt and joy
now Patrick is used as an excuse for people to drink booze like a fish
from green beer to Irish whiskey dear – they all wish they were Irish.
 
The Old Sot and The Old Sod
An Irish American reverie by Joey Leahy Connolly
 
If I should pass out think but this of me
that there’s a small corner of this old pub
that is forever Ireland and will be
a place you can eat some decent pub grub
outside is Ireland the sot dreams aware
he’s back there in his drunken present state
tasting Irish cheese eating Irish fare
washed down with beer a corned beef cabbage plate
he’ll have one more pint drink it right away
a drop now of Tullamore Dew no less
takes him back his thought by Ireland given
earphones sing with harps, strings and pipes today
Laoise Kelly, Teada, pipes and songs by Seamus Ennis
his heart at peace now in an Irish heaven.

Laoise Kelly is a traditional Irish harper, Teada, which means strings in Gaelic, is a traditional Irish band. Seamus Ennis musician, Uillean piper, 1919 -1982)
In It’s A Long Way To Tipperary, some readers may know this popular old Irish song. Well, it is a long ways from Tinian to County Tipperary in Ireland—12,080 kilometers or 7,506 miles, to be exact. The “old sod” is an endearing term used by many Irish when referring to their mother country. “Slainte” refers to a Gaelic wish: Slainte chuig na fir, agus go mairfidh na mna’ go deo (Health to the men, and may the women live forever.). I am of Irish-American heritage. My father’s side is from Galway and my mother’s Conroy/Leahy side is from Limerick and Cork.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2018.