Sunday, March 8, 2009

A Special Way to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

Bagpipers on Fifth Avenue


----A Postcards from New York Encore----


Dear Postcards from New York Reader,

Next Tuesday the sounds of bagpipes will usher in one of the city's most festive Holiday celebrations. Wear something green and claim Irish heritage for a day.

Mayor Bloomberg and Cardinal Egan will kick things off as thousands line Fifth Avenue, from 42nd to 86th Street, to watch the parade. Long before it ends, every bar and pub in the city will be packed with lines of people trailing out the door as the Guinness flows freely.

Amidst the spirited revelry, gaiety and leprechaun hats, it’s easy to forget the reason for celebration, the Patron Saint of Ireland’s feast day. Look closely at the cumbersome pipes carried proudly by men in colorful kilts, the tartans of their clans; Those pipes have witnessed three thousand years of Celtic History. their shrill haunting music mirror not only the lush beauty of the land from which they come, but the lilting rhythm and cadence of the Gaelic language.

Make this St. Patrick’s Day a special memory. Unless you visit the far reaches of the Irish Isles or Scotland’s Outer Hebridian Islands, you will not get to hear this live. Experience the rare beauty of the Celtic language first hand at a Mass sung in Gaelic at St. Agnes Church steps from where the parade begins. The tiny Church, tucked away on 43rd Street off Lexington Avenue, is a beautiful setting for the 9:30 AM Service. Get there early, this promises to be a standing room only affair.


A few words on Ireland’s Patron Saint.


Born on the West Coast of Britain, present-day Wales, around 385, as a boy, Patrick narrowly escaped death when Celtic pirates raided his village. Abducted, taken to Ireland, then sold into slavery, he spent several years of privation and hardship among pagans whose language he struggled to learn in order to survive. As a young man, he risked his life to escape his captors, negotiated passage on a ship sailing to Gaul (France) and eventually found his way back to his family. Years later, in 432, he returned to Ireland as a priest determined to bring Christianity to the people who had enslaved him. His feast day and the soaring Cathedral built to honor his memory celebrate his success at turning a bad experience into something wonderful.


Happy Saint Patty’s Day.

Jacqueline Cable
For
Postcards from New York


---------------Advertisement-------------------


The Secret of Getting Around New York like a local can be yours “FR*EE”

New York Get There 1-2-3, the handy guide that gets you there as easy as 1, 2, 3. GT 1-2-3 is:

• Compact – fits in a jacket pocket, briefcase, or the slimmest purse

• Easy to read – with step-by-step directions to over 400 locations by subway, bus or train.

• Time and Money Saver – have hours of operation, cost and admission information a glance away.

Find out more and claim your “FR*EE” copy TODAY, click here.

----------------------------------------------


Address to remember: St. Agnes Church, 141 East 43re Street, between Lexington and 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017, 212 682-5722.

St. Agnes also offers Latin Mass in Gregorian Chant every Sunday at 11 AM.

Directions: From Times Square
MTA 7 or S (Shuttle) to Grand Central Station, walk one block west to Lexington Ave, one block north to 43rd St. Bus: M42, M104 to Lexington Ave.

  • If you like today's issue, why not become a subscriber to Postcards from New York? To start receiving your own copy visit www.postcardsfromnewyork.com and enter your email address. Or, forward this to a friend so they can sign-up to receive Postcards from New York too.


  • You can choose to receive Postcards From New York as an e-mail or RSS feed. Click on the small orange button on the right side of the webpage to activate the RSS. Then you will receive new "Postcards" on your email homepage, or enter your email address on the Home Page at www.postcardsfromnewyork.com to receive "Postcards" via email. Be sure to check your email in-box for a confirmation email, then just click where indicated to activate your subscription.



  • Photo courtesy of nymag.com


    © Copyright 2007-9 The Cable Group

    No comments: