St Patrick

Today is the feast day (March 17) of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, and died on 17th March 461.

Patrick was said to be kidnapped and sent to Ireland when he was about sixteen years of age but although kept as a slave planned and succeeded in an escape from Ireland. It was because of this horrific event in his life that Patrick became a christian and is said to have studied at St Illtud's monastery at Llantwit Major.

Patrick returned again to Ireland in about 432 with the purpose of converting the natives to Christianity. He was successful and by the time he died he left Ireland with a plethora of churches, monasteries, schools for education.

Over the years St Patrick's day has changed somewhat and although still a religious feast day and a day on which families would attend Mass together proudly wearing their shamrocks it also as in Wales become a day to celebrate all things Irish and Irish immigrants took the feast and celebrations to America and it is a really big thing there as we know.

After Church the whole family would gather for a meal of meat and Irish mashed potatoes with added cabbage or kale . In more recent years the Irish Americans will have corned beef and mash.

So let us give thanks for Patrick and his mission of converting the Irish to Christianity.#

Let us celebrate the day too with colcannon for our main meal with maybe a glass of Guiness

Colcannon

• 1kg potato, well scrubbed (cut any large ones in half)

• 100g butter

• 140g sliced back bacon, finely chopped (Optional)

• 1 small Savoy cabbage, finely shredded

• 150ml double cream

METHOD

• STEP 1

• Tip the potatoes into a large saucepan of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 mins, or until the flesh is tender when pierced.

• STEP 2

• Meanwhile, heat quarter of the butter in a saucepan, then fry the bacon and half the cabbage for 5 mins (. Turn off the heat and set aside. Drain potatoes in a colander and peel while still hot.

• STEP 3

• Mash potato until smooth. Heat cream with remaining butter and, when almost boiling, beat into the potato. Add bacon (optional) and cabbage to potato and mix. Season if you want.

You can break the Lenten fast with a fancy pud for St Patrick's Day.

• 100g softened butter , plus extra for greasing

• 175g light brown soft sugar

• 1 egg

• 100g self-raising flour

• 50g ground almonds

• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 5 tbsp cocoa , plus a little extra for decorating

• 150ml Guinness

For the cream

• 200ml double cream

• 25g icing sugar

• splash champagne (optional)

Method

• STEP 1

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of 6 dariole moulds with baking parchment. Put the butter, sugar, egg, flour, ground almonds, bicarbonate, cocoa and Guinness in a mixing bowl. Beat together until lump-free. Divide between the tins then bake for 20-25 mins until risen and a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool for 15 mins, then remove from tins and cool completely – the same way up they baked, don’t turn upside-down.

• STEP 2

• Whip cream with the icing sugar and splash of Champagne, if using, until thick. Spoon a dollop onto the top of each cake and dust with a touch of cocoa. Serve with glasses of Champagne or Black Velvets for pudding.

Enjoy!

A bit of modern Irish dancing now.

This traditional Irish blessing is an ancient Celtic prayer.

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields

and until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.