March 17, 2021 — Since Cardthartic is still a relatively wee company, we don’t quite have the bandwidth to create cards for each and every holiday, so we’re going with our Meanings of Life claddagh ring birthday design to pay tribute to the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day.
For a country about the size of Indiana — in geography and population as well — what an immense cultural gift Ireland is to the world. The beauty, the books, the music, the beer!
As Cardie Community Manager, I have the job and joy of interacting with you lovely kindred spirits who connect with our cards. Contributing Cardie Teresa Bender and I had a great time making a message of hers into this fun new wedding card and, in the process, she learned that — prior to joining Cardthartic last fall — I’d taught music in middle schools and that my husband and I had honeymooned in Ireland …
Imagine my surprise and delight when I received a package from Teresa. Her kind enclosure read, “Dear Felicia + Hubby. My husband and I were lucky enough to attend a concert given by Sir James Galway and Phil Coulter. Their Legends CD is enclosed. May you both enjoy it. Love, Teresa, Richard, Fergus + Angus (our two dogs! 🙂)” What a sweet gesture!
Inspired by Teresa’s wonderful gift of Celtic music, I proposed that this St. Patrick’s Day Cardie Newsletter be filled with the same. Let’s start with this amazing zoom concert >>>
Be Thou my Vision – Prayer of St. Patrick was initially written as a poem in the 6th century by Irish monk Dallan Forgaill who wished to honor Ireland’s patron saint and keep his memory alive. The poem became a hymn when it was set to the music of an Irish folk tune and, as you’ll find above and below, has since been arranged in many beautiful ways. Following is my personal favorite; it introduced me to how beautiful the euphonium can sound (“euphonium,” another story for another day). 🙂
It’s just as Contributing Cardie Rosemary Tolliver wrote for our Meanings of Life music card message: “Music. It has the power to make us smile, and bring us to all types of tears.” My dad may be from good German stock and my mother is Venezuelan, but these melodies have me feeling mighty Irish today! So, Cardies, “May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all year long.”
Felicia Elenum
Cardie Community Manager
Listening to the Irish Blessing was the perfect way to start my day! Thank you so much, Felicia, for sharing this with us!
“May good luck be always your friend through life in all you do, And may trouble be always a stranger to you.”
After reading this, we just might have to put Ireland at the top of our list when we can travel safely. After all, a man with the last name of McGinn should get there sometime in his life.
The luck o’ the Irish to ya!