Welsh Street Tales

There are many small daily reminders while growing up in an Irish household in the United States that set you apart from your multi generation American born neighbors.

For us, Irish music playing in the background every single day was a major memory that instantly brings us back. When dinner was a roast, you could smell the done-ness of the beef throughout the house. It wasn’t until much later in life that we learned there’s a variety of done-ness for a piece of beef. That is a story for another day,.

Growing up, my mom would place a door hanging decoration on the front door throughout the year. Every holiday had a door hanger. Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick’s Day. She would hang fake flower wreaths when there wasn’t a significant holiday nearby, and they would correspond with the season.

For St. Patrick’s Day, she hung a plastic green shamrock, and it was flat and not especially ornate. One year, after St. Patrick’s Day came and went, the shamrock stayed. It might’ve been Easter first that simply hung over the Shamrock. Then a spring wreath, and some kind of 4th of July door hanger, then the seasonal wreaths, onward until the Halloween pumpkin with a black cat hung over the shamrock, then the Thanksgiving Turkey.

I’m not certain, but I’m sure when the Christmas wreath went up, the shamrock finally came down. It’s entirely possible it remained until the following St. Patrick’s Day.

I think about that randomly during the year. I’ve since decided it was almost symbolic, that despite every holiday and despite what month it is, being Irish was proudly in the background.

I’ve often joked that every day was St. Patrick’s Day in my parents house, but even today, I’m pretty sure there is Irish music playing on Welsh Street. It’s a comforting reminder whenever I visit.